NFL playoffs, 1967
Encyclopedia
The NFL playoffs
following the 1967 NFL season
culminated in the 1967 title game
on New Year's Eve, and determined who would represent the league against the American Football League champions in Super Bowl II
.
This was the first season that the NFL used a four-team playoff tournament. The four division winners advanced to the postseason, with the two division winners in each conference meeting in the first round (effectively being conference championship games). The Championship Game was the famous Ice Bowl
, played in Green Bay on December 31.
Although the Baltimore Colts
(11–1–2) had tied for the best record in the league, they lost the new division tie-breaker to the Los Angeles Rams
and were excluded from the playoffs.
Home field in the playoffs was still determined by a yearly rotation. Seeding the playoff teams by regular season records did not occur until the 1975 season
. This is why the Rams (11–1–2) played a road game against the Packers (9–4–1).
, while the Cowboys had one of the best run defenses in the game.
"Dandy" Don Meredith
, the Cowboys quarterback, had been hampered by injuries all year, but Meredith was fully for the contest with Browns, completing 10 of his 12 pass attempts for 212 yards. Trailing 14–0 early, the Browns drove down into field goal range, only to have Lou Groza
's attempt fail due to a fumbled snap. The Cowboys responded immediately, as Meredith found the former Olympic sprinter Bob Hayes
for an 86-yard score, the longest scoring play at the time in NFL Playoff history. Hayes also set up three other touchdowns in the game with two spectacular punt returns and a 36-yard reception.
Hayes finished the game with five receptiopns for 144 yards and 3 punt returns for 141. His 141 punt return yards was an NFL playoff record and would remain so until broken by Anthony Carter
in the 1987-88 playoffs.
The Rams came into the Western Conference Championship with all the momentum, possessing the NFL's best record, but having barely beaten the Packers two weeks earlier by a score of 27-24. In that game in Los Angeles, the Rams blew a 4th quarter lead, and needed a last-second touchdown set up by a blocked punt to pull out the game and keep their division title hopes alive, while the Packers had already clinched their division and were playing only for pride.
In this postseason affair, however, Green Bay would be playing for more than pride. The weather was expected to be cold and snowy, but it was unusually warm in Milwaukee (mid-30s) on this December day. However, the field condition was poor, and the Rams had accused the Packers of over watering the field to slow down the devastating pass rush of the Rams' Fearsome Foursome, who sacked Starr 6 times in the game in L.A. Playing with a backfield depleted by injuries, the Packers made the early mistakes of the game. A fumble set up the first score of the game, a 29-yard pass from Roman Gabriel
to Bernie Casey
. The Rams were unable to capitalize on a subsequent interception of Bart Starr
when Dave Robinson blocked Bruce Gossett
's 19 yard field goal attempt, and the Packers took over in the second quarter. The speedy rookie Travis Williams
raced 46 yards for Green Bay's first touchdown, and Starr followed up with a pass to Carroll Dale
before the half was over.
Led Jerry Kramer
and Forrest Gregg
, the Packers' offensive line neutralized the vaunted "Fearsome Foursome" of Los Angeles. Where they had thoroughly harassed Starr in the Rams victory two weeks before, Starr was sacked only once in the Playoff contest. The Packers defensive line took Gabriel down five times and pressured him into throwing inaccurate passes all day. Short runs by Chuck Mercein
and Williams in the second half, the latter set up by a 48 yard touchdown pass from Starr to Dale, closed the scoring for the Packers, in the only NFL playoff game ever held at Milwaukee County Stadium..
NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a tie-breaking procedure exists in the...
following the 1967 NFL season
1967 NFL season
The 1967 NFL season was the 48th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 16 teams with the addition of the New Orleans Saints. The league's teams were realigned into four divisions: the Capitol and Century Divisions in the Eastern Conference, and the Central and...
culminated in the 1967 title game
NFL Championship Game, 1967
The 1967 National Football League Championship Game between the Western Conference champion Green Bay Packers and the Eastern Conference champion Dallas Cowboys was the 35th championship game in NFL history. The game was held at Lambeau Field on December 31, 1967. The winner of the game was...
on New Year's Eve, and determined who would represent the league against the American Football League champions in Super Bowl II
Super Bowl II
The second AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later to be known as Super Bowl II, was played on January 14, 1968 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida....
.
This was the first season that the NFL used a four-team playoff tournament. The four division winners advanced to the postseason, with the two division winners in each conference meeting in the first round (effectively being conference championship games). The Championship Game was the famous Ice Bowl
NFL Championship Game, 1967
The 1967 National Football League Championship Game between the Western Conference champion Green Bay Packers and the Eastern Conference champion Dallas Cowboys was the 35th championship game in NFL history. The game was held at Lambeau Field on December 31, 1967. The winner of the game was...
, played in Green Bay on December 31.
Although the Baltimore Colts
1967 Baltimore Colts season
The 1967 Baltimore Colts season was the 15th season for the team in the National Football League. The Baltimore Colts finished the National Football League's 1967 season with a record of 11 wins, 1 loss, and 2 ties. They tied for first in the Western Conference's Coastal division with the Los...
(11–1–2) had tied for the best record in the league, they lost the new division tie-breaker to the Los Angeles Rams
1967 Los Angeles Rams season
The 1967 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 30th year with the National Football League and the 22nd season in Los Angeles.-NFL Draft:-Schedule:-Standings: -Playoffs: -References:...
and were excluded from the playoffs.
Home field in the playoffs was still determined by a yearly rotation. Seeding the playoff teams by regular season records did not occur until the 1975 season
1975 NFL season
The 1975 NFL season was the 56th regular season of the National Football League. It was also the first time that featured an entire season with no games ending in a tie. The league made two significant changes to increase the appeal of the game:...
. This is why the Rams (11–1–2) played a road game against the Packers (9–4–1).
Tournament bracket
Conference championships
Like the Dallas Cowboys, the wildly inconsistent Cleveland Browns underachieved themselves to a 9–5 record. The Browns featured one of the best running games in the league with Leroy KellyLeroy Kelly
Leroy Kelly was an American football player. A Pro Football Hall of Fame running back, he played for the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League from 1964-73....
, while the Cowboys had one of the best run defenses in the game.
"Dandy" Don Meredith
Don Meredith
Joseph Don "Dandy Don" Meredith was an American football quarterback, sports commentator and actor. He spent all nine seasons of his professional playing career with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League . He was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his last three years as a player...
, the Cowboys quarterback, had been hampered by injuries all year, but Meredith was fully for the contest with Browns, completing 10 of his 12 pass attempts for 212 yards. Trailing 14–0 early, the Browns drove down into field goal range, only to have Lou Groza
Lou Groza
Louis Roy Groza was an American football placekicker and offensive tackle who played his entire career for the Cleveland Browns....
's attempt fail due to a fumbled snap. The Cowboys responded immediately, as Meredith found the former Olympic sprinter Bob Hayes
Bob Hayes
Robert Lee "Bullet Bob" Hayes was an Olympic sprinter turned American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. An American track and field athlete, he was a two-sport stand-out in college in both track and football at Florida A&M University...
for an 86-yard score, the longest scoring play at the time in NFL Playoff history. Hayes also set up three other touchdowns in the game with two spectacular punt returns and a 36-yard reception.
Hayes finished the game with five receptiopns for 144 yards and 3 punt returns for 141. His 141 punt return yards was an NFL playoff record and would remain so until broken by Anthony Carter
Anthony Carter
Anthony Bernard Carter is an American professional basketball player who last played for the New York Knicks.-Early life:...
in the 1987-88 playoffs.
The Rams came into the Western Conference Championship with all the momentum, possessing the NFL's best record, but having barely beaten the Packers two weeks earlier by a score of 27-24. In that game in Los Angeles, the Rams blew a 4th quarter lead, and needed a last-second touchdown set up by a blocked punt to pull out the game and keep their division title hopes alive, while the Packers had already clinched their division and were playing only for pride.
In this postseason affair, however, Green Bay would be playing for more than pride. The weather was expected to be cold and snowy, but it was unusually warm in Milwaukee (mid-30s) on this December day. However, the field condition was poor, and the Rams had accused the Packers of over watering the field to slow down the devastating pass rush of the Rams' Fearsome Foursome, who sacked Starr 6 times in the game in L.A. Playing with a backfield depleted by injuries, the Packers made the early mistakes of the game. A fumble set up the first score of the game, a 29-yard pass from Roman Gabriel
Roman Gabriel
Roman Ildonzo Gabriel, Jr. is a former American football player. The son of a Filipino immigrant, he was the first Asian-American to start as an NFL quarterback and is considered by many to have been one of the best players at that position during the late 1960s and early 70s.Gabriel attended and...
to Bernie Casey
Bernie Casey
Bernard Terry "Bernie" Casey is a professional actor who initially had a career as an interscholastic, intercollegiate and professional football player. Casey was also a record-breaking track and field athlete for Bowling Green State University...
. The Rams were unable to capitalize on a subsequent interception of Bart Starr
Bart Starr
Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr is a former professional American football player and coach. Wearing #15, he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971 and head coach from 1975 to 1983, compiling a record of 52–76–3 ....
when Dave Robinson blocked Bruce Gossett
Bruce Gossett
Bruce Gossett is a former National Football League placekicker from 1964-1974....
's 19 yard field goal attempt, and the Packers took over in the second quarter. The speedy rookie Travis Williams
Travis Williams (running back)
Travis Williams was an American football player for the Green Bay Packers. Williams, drafted at the insistence of Packers' coach Vince Lombardi, returned four kickoffs for touchdowns in his rookie season in 1967, setting an NFL record. Among the returns were two in one game against the Cleveland...
raced 46 yards for Green Bay's first touchdown, and Starr followed up with a pass to Carroll Dale
Carroll Dale
Carroll Wayne Dale is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Virginia Tech from 1956–59. Dale was named second-team All American in 1958 and 1959....
before the half was over.
Led Jerry Kramer
Jerry Kramer
Gerald Louis "Jerry" Kramer is a former professional football player, author and sports commentator, best remembered for his 11-year NFL career with the Green Bay Packers as an offensive lineman...
and Forrest Gregg
Forrest Gregg
Alvis Forrest Gregg is a former American football player and coach in the National Football League. During a Pro Football Hall of Fame playing career, he was a part of six championships, five of them with the Green Bay Packers before closing out his tenure with the Dallas Cowboys with a win in...
, the Packers' offensive line neutralized the vaunted "Fearsome Foursome" of Los Angeles. Where they had thoroughly harassed Starr in the Rams victory two weeks before, Starr was sacked only once in the Playoff contest. The Packers defensive line took Gabriel down five times and pressured him into throwing inaccurate passes all day. Short runs by Chuck Mercein
Chuck Mercein
Charles Schley Mercein is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League for six seasons for the New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Washington Redskins and New York Jets...
and Williams in the second half, the latter set up by a 48 yard touchdown pass from Starr to Dale, closed the scoring for the Packers, in the only NFL playoff game ever held at Milwaukee County Stadium..