Bradley Ruzicka

Headline: The Green Bay Packers earn first playoff victory in 15 years during strike-shortened season.

Regular Season Record: 5 – 3 – 1 (First Place NFC Central Division)

Offseason Highlights: For the Green Bay Packers, as in life, change was a constant. Long time Team President Dominic Olejniczak, the man who hired Vince Lombardi, retired on May 31. Vice President Robert Parins, a 16 year member of the Board of Directors and a member of the Executive Committee since 1979, assumed the position. According to Stanton Greene in his book, Falling Starr – Bart Starr As Head Coach Of The Green Bay Packers 1975-83, “… the austerity minded Parins taking over the team would have far reaching repercussions that would help consign the Packers to the basement of the NFC Central Division for the next decade.”

Tensions were almost immediately apparent between Head Coach Bart Starr and Parins. Despite a two year extension given to Starr on December 29, Parins announced to the press on August 4 that Starr must succeed in 1982, saying, “We can always buy him off.” According to Greene, Starr responded to Parins’ statement by saying he may have felt compelled to make the comments because of the controversy surrounding Starr’s status as a lame duck coach in 1981. Starr added that this was potentially the best team he’d fielded in his eight years as head coach.

Coaching changes had also become the norm in Green Bay. Perhaps feeling the pressure to win now, Starr decided to hire an offensive coordinator, a position that hadn’t been filled since 1976. For the past five seasons, play calling had been shared between Starr, Zeke Bratkowski, and Lew Carpenter. After being turned down by ex-New England Patriots’ Head Coach Ron Erhardt, Starr hired Detroit Lions’ Offensive Coordinator Bob Schnelker on February 11. Bratkowski resigned when he learned he’d be demoted from quarterbacks coach to running backs coach, while Carpenter decided to stay on. Schnelker started as an assistant for Lombardi beginning in 1966 and stayed on through Phil Bengtson’s regime. Stanton Greene stated that Schnelker’s game planning under Bengtson had been roundly criticized. Schnelker left to join the San Diego Chargers after Dan Devine’s first year in 1971.

As Head Coach Harland Svare’s offensive coordinator in 1972, Schnelker quickly developed a conflict with long time Chargers’ QB John Hadl, who was traded in 1973 to the Los Angeles Rams. Dr. Arnold Mandell, in his book, The Nightmare Season, portrayed Schnelker as a loud mouthed tyrant during San Diego’s 2-11-1 season in 1973. He was subsequently fired when new Charger Head Coach Tommy Prothro cleaned house in 1974. After his stint in San Diego, Schnelker bounced around the league for the next eight years before rejoining the Packers. According to Greene, “… it was not encouraging that Bart was once again dipping into the bag of ex-Lombardi men who were proving to be less than top flight as coaches in the NFL.”

In addition to coaching changes, Starr continued making player changes, particularly along the offensive line, trading former 1st round draft pick and six year veteran OT Mark Koncar to the Houston Oilers on August 29 for a 1983 10th round choice. After playing in only five games with no starts, Koncar retired after the season. Starr had traded a 1983 3rd round draft choice to Houston on July 27 for OT Angelo Field, presumably with the intention of replacing Koncar. However, Field injured his knee in the third preseason game, the same day Koncar was traded. After being sidelined for the year, Field was subsequently released at the end of the season. Third year veteran OT Karl Swanke, a 1980 6th round draft pick, took over the left tackle position.

According to Greene, “Injuries had destroyed what could have been a standout career.” In an interview with the Arizona Desert News in 2001, Koncar stated of his time in Green Bay, “I made the All-Rookie team and in my second year started to make the progress that was expected of me. … Then, in the first preseason game of my third year, I blew my knee out and had to have surgery. … I was really enthused for the next season and suffered a fractured leg. However, I still started 14 of 16 games that year. In my fifth year with the Pack, I suffered an Achilles tendon injury. … I started the first preseason game the next year and actually came back prematurely on it. In the long run, it was the wrong thing for me to do.”

The 1982 NFL draft yielded a total of three future Pro Football Hall of Famers, including the 8th overall selection, Penn State G Mike Munchak (Houston Oilers), the 10th overall selection, USC RB Marcus Allen (Oakland Raiders), and the 41st overall selection, University of Iowa LB Andre Tippett (New England Patriots). At the time of the NFL draft, the Raiders were still the Oakland Raiders. However, before the start of the season, a verdict was handed down against the league in the trial brought by the Raiders and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum back in 1980, allowing the Oakland Raiders to become the Los Angeles Raiders beginning with the 1982 season.

Prior to 1980, Al Davis had attempted unsuccessfully to have improvements made to the Oakland Alameda Coliseum, specifically the addition of luxury boxes. Once rejected, Davis signed a memorandum of agreement to move the Raiders from Oakland to Los Angeles. The move, which required three-fourth of the league owners to approve, was defeated 22-0. Davis tried to move the team anyway but was blocked by an injunction. In response, the Raiders not only became an active partner in the antitrust lawsuit filed by the Coliseum but filed one of their own. After the first case was declared a mistrial, a second jury found in favor of Davis in May, clearing the way for the move.

Green Bay’s 1982 draft yielded three players of note; 1st round pick OG Ron Hallstrom from the University of Iowa (22nd overall), 4th round selection DE Robert Brown from Virginia Tech (98th overall), and 12th round choice WR Phil Epps from TCU (321st overall). Hallstrom, chosen with pick Starr had swapped with San Diego in the 1981 trade for WR John Jefferson, became his first blue chip selection since WR James Lofton in 1978, anchoring the Packers’ offensive line for nine seasons beginning in 1984. Hallstrom started 124 out of 162 games during his 11 years in Green Bay before finishing his career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1993.

Like Hallstrom, Brown played 11 seasons with Green Bay, starting 112 out of 164 games. He was a Packer his entire career, recording a total of 25.5 sacks, before retiring after the 1992 season. Epps would start 45 out of 85 games after taking over for Jefferson in 1985, catching 192 passes for 2,884 yards and 14 touchdowns during his seven year tenure in Green Bay while also doubling as a punt and kick returner, returning 100 punts for 819 yards and 1 touchdown as well as 25 kicks for 532 yards. Epps played his last season in the NFL with the New York Jets in 1989. The remaining nine draft picks had little impact on the team.

Finally, for the start of the 1982 season, the Minnesota Vikings moved from Metropolitan Stadium to the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Also, 1982 was the first season that the NFL began keeping the quarterback sack as an official statistic.

Regular Season Highlights: The 1982 season was dominated by the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) strike that began on September 21, lasted 57 days, and ended on November 16. During this time, no NFL games were played. The strike occurred primarily because the union demanded free agency after three years and a wage scale based on percentage of gross revenues be implemented. The NFLPA wanted the player’s percentage to be 55 percent (approximately $1.6 billion over four years) and, according to the Los Angeles Times, this demand “dominated the negotiation”.

The strike ended with a players’ revolt against their own union, as some members suggested that NFLPA Executive Director Ed Garvey step down. A new agreement was subsequently ratified, totaling the $1.6B asked for by the players over five rather than four years, including severance packages to players upon retirement, an increase in salaries and postseason pay, and bonuses based on the number of years of experience in the league. Although players were relieved the strike was finally over, they were also disappointed to have settled for far less than they had been led to believe they would receive, particularly in the area of free agency. Many thought their sacrifice of nearly a half a season’s salary had not been worth it. In 1983, Garvey was replaced by former Oakland Raider Gene Upshaw as the new NFLPA Executive Director.

The reality of the strike in 1982 was that the regular season was cut almost in half, reduced from 16 to 9 games. For purposes of the playoffs, divisions were eliminated and the number of teams expanded to 16 based on their regular season record, eight from each conference, for what the NFL termed a “Super Bowl tournament.” With two games in the books prior to the strike, the remaining six scheduled games would be played, with the final game of the regular season being determined from among the seven cancelled games by the owner’s compensation committee. The modified schedule forced the league to extend the regular season into January for the first time in its history.

After a so-so preseason (2-2), the Packers started the regular season fast with a 2-0 record before the strike began. Green Bay demonstrated in their first game, a come from behind 35-23 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, that this was a team who knew how to win. Unlike the 1981 Packers, who fell apart against the Rams in the fourth quarter and lost, the 1982 team came back to win after falling behind 23-0 at halftime. Similarly, after falling behind 19-7 against the New York Giants on a Monday night in Week 2, Green Bay held the Giants scoreless the remainder of the game, while scoring 20 unanswered points, for a 27-19 victory. In just two games, RB Eddie Lee Ivory picked up 203 yards with 2 touchdowns, QB Lynn Dickey passed for 438 yards and 4 touchdowns, and WR James Lofton gained 184 yards with 2 touchdowns on only five touches.

Then the clock struck midnight and the strike began. Negotiations were non-existent over the next eight weeks. Starr made it clear to the press that he preferred his players to remain united in whatever decision they made, rather than fragment, and had asked Green Bay’s union representative, James Lofton, that they try and keep the team together. Packers’ management made no effort to entice players to cross the picket line. Two months and a day since their last game, Green Bay’s players were back to work on Wednesday November 17, after the new agreement was ratified the previous evening. It was generally acknowledged that the cohesiveness of the players during the long strike, working out and preparing together, was the best of any NFL team.

That cohesiveness paid off in the Packers first game after the strike was settled, picking up where they left off in September, defeating the Minnesota Vikings at home, 26-7, for a 3-0 record. It was a convincing win, even though Dickey was sacked six times and had to leave the game with five minutes remaining due to injury. Dickey was back the next week against the New York Jets, but the team struggled, losing on the road 15-13. Another convincing home win over the Buffalo Bills, 33-21, was followed a week later with a beat down by the Detroit Lions, 30-10. For the second time in four weeks, Dickey was forced to leave the contest, this time with a recurrent groin injury, after throwing four interceptions in the first half. Despite throwing 32 passes in the second half, backup QB David Whitehurst couldn’t get anything going until the game was well out of reach.

Green Bay next stumbled to a 20-20 tie on the road against the 0-6 Baltimore Colts, a game the Packers had led 20-6 early in the fourth quarter. K Jan Stenerud had a chance to pull out a victory with less than two minutes left in overtime, but missed a 47 yard field goal. Green Bay righted the ship the next week on the road against the Atlanta Falcons, again winning convincingly, 38-7, insuring a playoff spot. If the Packers could win their final regular season game against the Lions in the Silverdome, they would have home field advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs. But Detroit, at 3-5, pulled out their second win of the season over Green Bay, 27-24, with Dickey again throwing four interceptions, a total of eight picks in two games against the Lions.

However, the Packers 5-3-1 record was good enough to earn them a home playoff game, their first playoff game in 10 seasons and their first home playoff game in 15 years. The strike did prevent the Chicago Bears – Green Bay Packers rivalry from being played in 1982, the first time since Green Bay joined the league in 1921, making the Green Bay – Detroit rivalry the longest running annual series in the league. Unfortunately for Packer fans, only one regular season game would be played in Lambeau Field during 1982, the embarrassing 30-10 loss to the Lions on December 12. The other three home games were played in Milwaukee County Stadium.

Dickey started all nine games in 1982 and stayed relatively healthy, completing 124 out of 218 attempts (56.9%) for 1,790 yards, 12 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and a QB Rating of 75.3. Dickey’s 12 touchdown passes tied for 9th highest in the league, and he played perhaps the best game of his career to date in the win over Atlanta on December 26, finishing 10 out of 17 for 248 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, his 14 interceptions tied him for third worst overall. Whitehurst played sparingly, attempting only 47 passes, completing 18 (38.3%) for 235 yards, no touchdowns, 1 interception and a QB Rating of 46.0. 1981 first round draft choice, QB Rich Campbell, did not play a snap during either the regular season or the postseason.

Ivory came back from 1981’s season ending injury to lead the Packers in rushing, with 453 yards on 127 attempts (3.6 yards per carry) and 10 total touchdowns, although he gained over 50 yards just once in the final seven games. Ivory’s 10 touchdowns tied him for 3rd overall in the NFL. RB Gerry Ellis finished second with 62 attempts for 228 yards (3.7 yards per attempt). Lofton once again led Green Bay in receptions and receiving yards, with 35 catches for 696 yards (19.9 yards per reception) and 5 total touchdowns, finishing 5th overall in yards and 7th overall in yards per reception. He was followed closely by WR John Jefferson, who caught 27 passes for 452 yards (16.7 yards per catch), and TE Paul Coffman, with 23 receptions for 287 yards and 2 touchdowns. Rookie WR Phil Epps led all Packer receivers in yards per catch with 22.6 on only 10 receptions.

Stenerud didn’t have the same level of success in 1982 that he had in 1981, when he led the NFL in field goal accuracy (91.7%), but his 72.2 field goal percentage was good enough for 10th overall (13 out of 18) and his 64 total points, including 25 out of 27 extra points, led the team while ranking 9th overall. Rookie P Ray Stachowicz had a good season, with a 40.6 yards per punt average. Green Bay finished 12th in rushing offense (1,081), 14th in passing offense (1,829), and 6th in total offense, scoring 226 points. On defense, the Packers’ performance improved for the second straight season, finishing 6th against the run (932), 12th against the pass (1,775), and 11th overall, allowing 169 points.

Of note, after the retirement of QB Pat Haden, the Rams signed free agent and oft-injured QB Bert Jones from the Colts prior to the 1982 season. Jones was one of only three passers to achieve a 100+ rating for a full season during the entire decade of the 1970s (102.5 in 1976), joining Dallas Cowboys’ QB Roger Staubach (1971) and Oakland Raiders’ QB Ken Stabler (1976). Unfortunately, Jones played in only four games before a neck injury ended his season, ultimately forcing him to retire. The widely respected scout and former Colts general manager, Ernie Accorsi, is quoted as saying that, if Jones had played under different circumstances, he could have been the greatest player ever. 1979 Super Bowl QB Vince Ferragamo returned to the Rams from the Canadian Football League (CFL) to compete for the starting position. However, neither quarterback was sufficient to elevate the team into the playoffs and the team finished 1982 with a 2-7 record.

As mentioned previously, because of the strike shortened season, the NFL adopted a special 16 team playoff tournament. Eight teams from each conference were seeded based on their regular season records. There would be two rounds of playoff games prior to the Conference Championships. In the history of the NFL, no team had ever reached the postseason with a losing record. The Cleveland Browns and the Lions both made playoff appearances in 1982, with 4-5 records. It would be 28 years before another team with a losing record would make the postseason.

In the NFC, the Washington Redskins (8-1), Dallas Cowboys (6-3), Green Bay (5-3-1), Minnesota, Atlanta, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-4), and Detroit (4-5) would compete for the opportunity to advance to Super Bowl XVII. Minnesota (4-1), Atlanta (4-3), St. Louis (5-4), and Tampa Bay’s (3-3) seeds were determined by the best won-lost record in conference games. Detroit finished ahead of the New Orleans Saints and the Giants for the final playoff seed, based on the best conference record (4-4 to the Saints’ and Giants’ 3-5).

In the AFC, the Los Angeles Raiders (8-1), Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals (7-2), Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets (6-3), New England Patriots (5-4), and Cleveland (4-5) would complete for a Super Bowl berth. Miami finished ahead of Cincinnati based on a better conference record (6-1 to Bengals’ 6-2). Pittsburgh finished ahead of San Diego based on a better record against common opponents (3-1 to Chargers’ 2-1), while the Jets were bumped to the sixth seed based on conference record (Steelers’ and Chargers’ 5-3 to Jets’ 2-3). Cleveland finished ahead of Buffalo and the Seattle Seahawks for the eighth playoff seed based on a better conference record (4-3 to Bills’ 3-3 and Seahawks’ 3-5).

For the San Francisco 49ers, 1982 was the only season over an 18 year period (1981-98) in which the team did not win at least 10 games. The 49ers were also the fifth team in NFL history to enter a season as the defending Super Bowl champion and miss the playoffs. When the season ended, Head Coach Bill Walsh seriously began to doubt whether he could handle the pressures of coaching a team without enjoying the relief of being able to win consistently. With his owner’s consent, Walsh contacted three coaches he felt comfortable could succeed him, none were interested. He continued to struggle with the decision until later in the offseason, when friends Jim Finks and Jim Hanifan gave him some good advice at the Senior Bowl: “Get over it.”

Lastly, for the first and only time in NFL history, a placekicker, Washington’s Mark Mosley, won the Most Valuable Player Award. San Diego QB Dan Fouts won Offensive Player of the Year, while Giants’ LB Lawrence Taylor won Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. Raiders’ RB Marcus Allen won Offensive Rookie of the Year, while Cleveland LB Chip Banks won Defensive Rookie of the Year. Washington Head Coach Joe Gibbs won Coach of the Year.

Post Season Highlights: In the first round of the 1982 NFC playoffs, the eighth seed Detroit Lions traveled to Washington’s RFK Stadium to play the first seed Washington Redskins, the second seed Dallas Cowboys hosted the seventh seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Texas Stadium, the sixth seed St. Louis Cardinals traveled to Green Bay’s Lambeau Field to play the third seed Green Bay Packers, and the fourth seed Minnesota Vikings hosted the Atlanta Falcons in Minnesota’s HHH Metrodome. The winners would advance to the NFC Second Round Playoffs.

In the first round of the AFC Playoffs, the eighth seed Cleveland Browns traveled to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to play the Los Angeles Raiders, the second seed Miami Dolphins hosted the seventh seed New England Patriots in Miami’s Orange Bowl, the sixth seed New York Jets traveled to Cincinnati’s Riverfront Stadium to play the third seed Cincinnati Bengals, and the fourth seed Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the fifth seed San Diego Chargers in Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium. The winners would advance to the AFC Second Round Playoffs.

Because of the eight game first round, this was the first and only time that NFL playoff games were regionally televised across the United States instead of nationwide.

On January 8 1983, in their first playoff game since 1972 and their first at Lambeau Field since 1967’s Ice Bowl, the Green Bay Packers’ QB Lynn Dickey threw for 260 yards and 4 touchdowns, en route to a victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. The Packers scored four touchdowns on four consecutive possessions, and finished the game with 453 yards, while the defense recorded five sacks. It was Green Bay’s first playoff victory since Super Bowl II in 1968. Surprisingly, more than 1,000 tickets remained unsold on game day, along with another thousand no shows.

St. Louis’ K Neil O’Donoghue gave the Cardinals a 3-0 lead with an 18 yard field goal on their opening drive, however, this would be the extent of his success. By the end of the game, O’Donoghue missed attempts from 44 and 45 yards, while also having a 44 yard attempt and an extra point blocked. Meanwhile, Green Bay responded to his field goal with a 60 yard touchdown pass from Dickey to WR John Jefferson, for a 7-3 lead. There would be no more scoring until 5:45 remained in the half, when the Packers suddenly buried St. Louis with three consecutive touchdowns.

First, Cardinals’ S Benny Perrin slipped while covering WR James Lofton in the end zone, and Dickey threw him the ball for a 20 yard score, extending the Packers lead to 14-3. Then, Green Bay LB George Cumby recovered RB Stump Mitchell’s fumble on the Packers 39 yard line. Dickey subsequently completed a 30 yard pass to Jefferson, and RB Eddie Lee Ivory broke off an 18 yard run, before finishing the drive with a 2 yard score, for a 21-3 lead. Two plays later, S Mark Murphy intercepted QB Neil Lomax’s pass, and returned it 22 yards to the Cardinals 12 yard line, setting up Dickey’s 4 yard touchdown toss to Ivory, giving Green Bay a 28-3 lead.

St. Louis managed to respond, with QB Neil Lomax’s 5 yard touchdown pass to WR Pat Tilley, with 9 seconds left in the half. However, the extra point was blocked, and the Cardinals 28-9 halftime deficit ended up being as close as the score would get. Green Bay increased their lead to 31-9 with K Jan Stenerud’s 46 yard field goal on their opening drive of the second half. In the final minute of the third quarter, the Packers went up 38-9, on Dickey’s fourth touchdown pass of the day, a 7 yarder to Jefferson at the end of an 89 yard drive, giving Jefferson a total of 6 catches for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns for the game, the best of his Green Bay career. In the fourth quarter, Stenerud kicked a 34 yard field goal for a 41-9 lead. Lomax closed out the scoring on an 18 yard touchdown pass to WR Mike Shumann, for a 41-16 Packers’ victory.

This day was also Bart Starr’s 49th birthday, and players gave him the game ball. According to Stanton Greene, “… it was the fruition of all that Starr had been working for the last eight years. It wasn’t the Super Bowl, but the journey was, in many ways, complete. Starr had fielded a playoff team.” This was also the Cardinals’ last postseason game representing St. Louis. The franchise relocated to Arizona in 1988 and did not return to the playoffs until 1998. St. Louis would not be represented again in the NFL postseason until the Rams, who moved from Los Angeles in 1995, won Super Bowl XXXIV as the St. Louis Rams, following the 1999 season. It would also be Green Bay’s only playoff game at Lambeau Field between the Ice Bowl and the divisional playoffs in 1995.

While Green Bay was beating St. Louis, the Washington Redskins jumped to a 24-0 lead, en route to a victory over the Detroit Lions. Washington WR Alvin Garrett, who only caught one pass during the regular season, recorded 6 receptions for 110 yards and 3 touchdowns. RB John Riggins rushed for 119 yards, while QB Joe Theismann compiled 210 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Although the Redskins only outgained the Lions by two yards (366 to 364), they intercepted two passes and recovered three fumbles, while committing no turnovers.

The game seemed to start well for Detroit, as they reached Washington’s 21 yard line on their opening drive. But RB Billy Sims lost a fumble that was recovered by the Redskins. The next time the Lions had the ball, DB Jeris White intercepted a pass from QB Eric Hipple and returned it 77 yards for a touchdown, the second longest interception return in NFL playoff history, for a 7-0 Washington lead. On their third possession, Hipple was sacked, causing a fumble that DT Darryl Grant recovered on the Redskins’ 19 yard line. This set up K Mark Moseley’s 26 yard field goal, making the score 10-0 with just over two minutes left in the first quarter. Washington increased their lead to 17-0 early in the second quarter, with Theismann’s 21 yard touchdown pass to Garrett.

Detroit responded with a drive to the Redskins’ 5 yard line, but came up empty again, when DT Dave Butz forced a Sims’ fumble that was recovered by DE Dexter Manley. Washington then drove 96 yards to score on Garrett’s second 21 yard touchdown catch from Theismann, giving the Redskins a 24-0 first half lead. In the third quarter, Washington put the game away with a 5 play, 74 yard drive that ended with Garrett’s third touchdown of the day, this one a 27 yard catch from Theismann, making their lead 31-0. All the Lions could do was avoid a shutout on Hipple’s 15 yard touchdown pass to TE David Hill, making the final score 31-7.

Later in the day, the Los Angeles Raiders gained 510 total yards of offense and held the Cleveland Browns to 284 yards. Faced with a 10-10 tie late in the second quarter, the Raiders scored 17 unanswered points, and shut out Cleveland in the second half. QB Jim Plunkett threw for 386 yards while RB Marcus Allen rushed for 72 yards, caught 6 passes for 74 yards, and scored 2 touchdowns. WR Cliff Branch caught 5 passes for 121 yards, while TE Todd Christensen caught 6 passes for 93 yards. LB Rod Martin and DT Johnnie Robinson each had two of Los Angeles’ six sacks.

On Oakland’s first drive, Plunkett’s 64 yard completion to Branch set up a 27 yard field goal by K Chris Bahr and a 3-0 lead. The Raiders next two drives ended with Plunkett interceptions, however, both picks were in Cleveland territory, and the Browns could not convert either into points. Los Angeles then drove to the Browns’ 11 yard line, featuring a 34 yard reception by Allen. But LB Clay Matthews sacked Plunkett for a 9 yard loss, and Bahr subsequently missed a 35 yard field goal attempt. On their first drive of the second quarter, Cleveland managed to tie the game at 3-3 with QB Paul McDonald’s 47 yard completion to WR Ricky Feacher, setting up K Matt Bahr’s franchise playoff record 52 yard field goal.

But Los Angeles quickly stormed back with an 88 yard scoring drive. Plunkett completed five passes on the way to the end zone, including a pair of 24 yarders to Christensen and Branch, while Allen finished the drive with a 2 yard touchdown, to give the Raiders a 10-3 lead. With 2:01 left in the half, Cleveland tied the game, 10-10, at the end of a 76 yard drive, with McDonald’s 43 yard touchdown pass to Feacher. But, aided by RB Greg Pruitt’s 40 yard kickoff return to the Raiders’ 40 yard line, Plunkett was able to get his team into scoring range, completing 3 passes for 26 yards and rushing for 11 yards. Chris Bahr kicked a 37 yard field goal on the last play of the quarter, giving Los Angeles a 13-10 lead going into halftime.

Cleveland then took the opening kickoff of the second half and drove to the Raiders’ 14 yard line. But, in what turned out to be the crucial play of the game, RB Charles White lost a fumble that was recovered by Los Angeles. After the turnover, the Raiders drove 89 yards, and increased their lead to 20-10, on Allen’s 3 yard touchdown. The Browns would not mount a serious scoring threat the rest of the game. In the fourth quarter, Los Angeles put the game out of reach with a 65 yard drive, including Plunkett’s completions to WR Malcolm Barnwell for 26 yards and Branch for 15 yards, that ended with a 1 yard touchdown by RB Frank Hawkins, making the final score 27-10.

While the Raiders were winning their game, the Miami Dolphins were controlling the New England Patriots, with four long touchdown drives, intercepting New England QB Steve Grogan twice. Miami QB David Woodley had one of the best performances of his career, completing 16 of 19 passes for 246 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions, for a passer rating of 153.8. Miami RB Andra Franklin had 26 carries for 112 yards and a touchdown. Miami significantly outgained New England in total yards (448 to 237) and rushing yards (214 to 77).

New England took a 3-0 lead three minutes into the second quarter, with John Smith’s 23 yard field goal, but it would last just five minutes, before Woodley finished a 76 yard drive with a 2 yard touchdown pass to TE Bruce Hardy, for a 7-3 Dolphins lead. Next time Miami had the ball, they drove 79 yards, for a 1 yard touchdown run by Franklin, giving them a 14-3 halftime lead. The Patriots reduced the lead to 14-6 on Smith’s 42 yard field goal early in the third period. But that would be as close as the Patriots would get. The Dolphins scored again with a 2 yard touchdown by RB Woody Bennett, and another 2 yard catch by Hardy from Woodley, for a 28-6 lead. With 5:32 left in the game, Grogan threw a 22 yard touchdown pass to TE Don Hasselbeck, making the final score 28-13.

On January 9, the underdog New York Jets overcame an early 14-3 deficit by racking up 517 yards of offense, and scoring 21 points in the fourth quarter, to defeat the 1981 AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals. RB Freeman McNeil led New York to a victory with 210 rushing yards, an NFL playoff record. WR Wesley Walker caught 8 passes for 145 yards. Jets’ QB Richard Todd completed 20 of 28 passes for 269 yards and 1 touchdown. Playing in the final postseason game of his legendary career, Cincinnati QB Ken Anderson completed 26 of 35 passes for a career playoff high 354 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, Anderson was also intercepted three times. WR Chris Collinsworth caught 7 passes for 120 yards. This was New York’s first playoff win since Super Bowl III in 1968.

Cincinnati opened the scoring with an 81 yard drive, that ended with Anderson’s 32 yard touchdown pass to WR Issac Curtis, and a 7-0 lead. New York responded with Todd’s 49 yard completion to Walker, that set up a 32 yard field goal by K Pat Leahy, cutting the Bengals’ lead to 7-3. Cincinnati found themselves facing 3rd and 30 on their ensuing possession, but it didn’t stop them from picking up a first down, with Anderson’s 53 yard pass to Curtis. He later finished the drive with a 2 yard touchdown pass to TE Dan Ross, giving the Bengals a 14-3 lead at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, McNeil cut the score to 14-10 with a 14 yard touchdown throw to WR Derrick Gaffney on a halfback option pass. Cincinnati countered with a 75 yard drive to the Jets’ 10 yard line, but DB Johnny Lynn’s interception on the 1 yard line eliminated the scoring chance, and resulted in a huge reversal of momentum. After the turnover, New York moved the ball 85 yards to take a 17-14 lead on Todd’s 4 yard touchdown pass to Walker. The Jets added two more field goals, a 24 yarder and a 47 yarder by Leahy, to extend their lead to 23-14, before K Jim Breech made a 20 yard field goal for Cincinnati.

Despite giving up 20 unanswered points, the Bengals were only trailing 23-17 going into the final period. However, Cincinnati self destructed in the fourth quarter, suffering one of the worst collapses in franchise history. The Bengals had two touchdowns eliminated by penalties, missed a 46 yard field goal, and threw two interceptions, one of which was returned a playoff record 98 yards for a touchdown by S Darrol Ray. Sandwiched around Ray’s touchdown were a 20 yard McNeil rushing touchdown and a 1 yard Dwayne Crutchfield touchdown. New York came away with a surprising 44-17 victory, advancing to the second round of the playoffs.

While New York was upsetting Cincinnati, the San Diego Chargers had a disastrous beginning to their game, when James Brooks fumbled the opening kickoff, which was recovered for a touchdown by the Pittsburgh Steelers. But San Diego battled back, winning by overcoming an 11 point deficit in the fourth quarter. QB Dan Fouts threw for 333 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead his team to victory. QB Terry Bradshaw threw for 325 yards and 2 touchdowns as well as scored a rushing touchdown, but was intercepted twice in his final postseason game. Chargers’ RB Chuck Muncie rushed for 126 yards, while TE Kellen Winslow caught 7 passes for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns. Steelers’ WR John Stallworth caught 8 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown.

After Pittsburgh’s opening kickoff score, San Diego K Rolf Benirschke’s 25 yard field goal cut the Steeler lead to 7-3. Bradshaw then scored on a 1 yard run to extend Pittsburgh’s lead to 14-3 at the end of the first quarter. The Chargers struck right back early in the second period, with an 18 yard touchdown by RB James Brooks, followed by a 10 yard touchdown pass from Fouts to TE Eric Sievers, to retake the lead, 17-14, at the half. The Steelers would retaliate with a 2 yard touchdown pass from Bradshaw to TE Bennie Cunningham for a 21-17 Pittsburgh lead at the end of three quarters. Bradshaw’s 9 yard touchdown pass to Stallworth then gave the Steelers a 28-17 lead three plays into the fourth quarter.

But this would be the end of Bradshaw’s success, as he completed only 3 of his next 11 passes the remainder of the game. On Pittsburgh’s next possession, CB Jeff Allen intercepted Bradshaw’s pass and returned it 8 yards to the Steelers’ 29 yard line. Five plays later, Fouts cut the score to 28-24 with an 8 yard touchdown pass to Winslow. Following six consecutive handoffs by Bradshaw, San Diego got the ball back on their own 36 yard line with four minutes left in the game. Four runs by Muncie moved the ball 33 yards, resulting in a 3rd and 7 situation on the Steelers’ 12 yard line. On the next play, Fouts connected with Winslow on a screen pass, and the tight end took it all the way to the end zone for the game winning score, with less than a minute left on the clock. San Diego had pulled out a tight 31-28 victory to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Later in the day, the Dallas Cowboys gained 445 yards of total offense and 29 first downs, while their defense held Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ QB Doug Williams, playing his final game in a Bucs uniform, to just 8 of 28 completions for 113 yards and 3 interceptions. Dallas RB Tony Dorsett rushed for 110 yards while K Rafael Septien made three field goals.

Two 33 yard first quarter field goals from Septien gave Dallas an early 6-0 lead, before Tampa Bay converted two turnovers into 10 points. First, QB Danny White lost a fumble that was recovered by Bucs’ LB Hugh Green, who took off for a 60 yard touchdown return, and a 7-6 Tampa lead. The Cowboys responded with a drive to the Tampa Bay 38 yard line but, on third down, S Mark Cotney intercepted White’s pass and returned it 50 yards, to set up K Bill Capece’s 32 yard field goal, extending the Buccaneers lead to 10-6. Dallas countered with a touchdown on a 6 yard pass from White to RB Ron Springs, making the score 13-10 at halftime.

The Cowboys upped their lead to 16-10 in the third quarter on a 19 yard Septien field goal. Tampa Bay responded with an 80 yard drive to retake the lead, 17-16, on Williams’ short pass to WR Gordon Jones, who took it 49 yards to the end zone. But, in the fourth quarter, the Bucs were penalized 10 yards for an illegal block, and then drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for arguing the call with officials, pushing Tampa Bay back to their own 11 yard line. On the next play, rookie DB Monty Hunter intercepted Williams’ pass and returned it 19 yards for a touchdown, putting Dallas back in front at 23-17. Ten minutes later, the Cowboys put the game away with White’s 10 yard touchdown pass to RB Timmy Newsome, for a 30-17 victory.

This would be Tampa Bay’s last playoff game until 1997. From 1983 to 1996, they would suffer 14 consecutive losing seasons, 13 of which saw the Buccaneers lose 10 or more games each season.

In the final first round game, the Minnesota Vikings outgained the Atlanta Falcons in total yards, 378-235, but still needed a last second touchdown to win the game. Down by one point with six minutes remaining, Minnesota drove 72 yards to score on RB Ted Brown’s touchdown with 1:44 left in the game, sealing the win with an interception on the Falcons ensuing possession.

Atlanta scored after the opening series, when Minnesota P Greg Coleman fumbled the snap. Coleman recovered the ball and managed to punt it, but LB Paul Davis blocked the kick and his teammate, Doug Rodgers, recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown, and a 7-0 Falcons lead. Later in the quarter, the Vikings took advantage of a 25 yard pass interference penalty against Falcons’ S Tom Pridemore, by scoring with K Rick Danmeier’s 33 yard field goal, cutting the score to 7-3. In the second quarter, Minnesota took 10-7 lead with a 7 play, 82 yard drive. QB Tommy Kramer completed a 25 yard pass to WR Sammy White on the possession, and finished it with an 11 yard pass to White in the end zone.

Atlanta responded with a drive deep into Vikings territory, but DB John Turner put an end to that by intercepting QB Steve Bartkowski’s pass at the Minnesota 2 yard line. With 30 seconds left in the half, the Vikings increased their lead to 13-7 with a 30 yard Danmier field goal, set up by Rufus Bess’ 20 yard punt return and Brown’s 14 yard run. The Falcons started off the third quarter with an 8 play, 71 yard drive, including Bartkowski’s passes to WRs Floyd Hodge and Alfred Jenkins, for gains of 25 and 22 yards. Faced with fourth down on Minnesota’s 17 yard line, Atlanta managed to fool the Vikings defense with a fake field goal play.

Backup QB Mike Moroski, the holder on field goal plays, took the snap, started run right, then pitched the ball to K Mick Luckhurst, who raced 17 yards for a touchdown, to give the Falcons a 14-13 lead. The situation got even better for the Falcons just two minutes later when S Bob Glazebrook intercepted Kramer’s pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown, extending their lead to 21-13. However, the Vikings managed to cut the deficit down to one score before the end of the third quarter, with a 70 yard drive that included Kramer’s 18 yard completion to TE Joe Senser. Danmier finished off the series with a 39 yard field goal, making the score 21-16 going into the final period.

Minnesota then retook the lead in the fourth quarter with a 61 yard drive, that included Brown’s 3 yard run on 4th and inches, and ended with Kramer’s 11 yard touchdown throw to WR Sam McCullum, going up 23-21. But Atlanta stormed right back on a 50 yard drive, featuring a 30 yard reception by Jenkins from Bartkowski, to score on a 41 yard Luckhurst field goal. Now down 24-23 with six minutes left in regulation, the Vikings put together a 72 yard drive for the game winning score. Brown had runs of 11 and 10 yards along the way, while Kramer completed a 19 yard pass to WR Terry LeCount.

On the last play, Brown scored a 5 yard touchdown run to put his team up, 30-24, with 1:44 remaining. Atlanta had one last chance to drive for a winning touchdown but, after reaching Minnesota’s 45 yard line, Turner intercepted a Bartkowski pass, enabling the Vikings to run out the clock, and preserve a 30-24 victory. The Falcons would not return to the playoffs again until the 1991 season.

In the second round of the playoffs, the NFC’s top seed, the Washington Redskins, hosted the fourth seed Minnesota Vikings in RFK Stadium, while the sixth seed New York Jets traveled to the Los Angeles Coliseum to play the AFC’s top seed, the Los Angeles Raiders. Meanwhile, the NFC’s second seed, the Dallas Cowboys, hosted the third seed Green Bay Packers in Texas Stadium, while the fifth seed San Diego Chargers traveled to the Orange Bowl to play the AFC’s second seed, the Miami Dolphins. The winners would advance to their respective Conference Championship games.

On January 15, 33 year old RB John Riggins led the Washington Redskins to a victory over the Minnesota Vikings with 185 rushing yards on 37 carries and a touchdown.

Washington scored 21 points in the game’s first 20 minutes. On their opening drive, Riggins gained 34 yards on 7 carries, as the Redskins drove 66 yards to score on QB Joe Theisman’s 3 yard touchdown pass to TE Don Warren, for a 7-0 lead. On Washington’s next possession, they drove 71 yards, including Theismann’s 46 yard completion to WR Alvin Garrett, scoring on a 2 yard touchdown by Riggins on 4th and inches, with one minute left in the quarter, to extend the Redskins lead to 14-0. At this point, the Vikings had 5 total yards, no first downs, and had held the ball for only two minutes. Minnesota cut Washington’s lead to 14-7 early in the second period, scoring on RB Ted Brown’s 18 yard touchdown. But the Redskins stormed right back, scoring on Theismann’s 18 yard touchdown pass to Garrett, extending their lead to 21-7.

There would be no more scoring the rest of the game, despite many opportunities for both teams. Vikings’ K Rick Danmeier missed a 38 yard field goal, while Washington’s K Mark Moseley also had two misses, from 47 and 39 yards. Moseley, who won the NFL’s MVP award, finished the game having made a total of one of his last five attempts. In the second half, Minnesota had drives to the Redskins’ 39, 28, and 15 yard lines, but failed to score each time. They ended up punting on one drive, while the other two ended with failed fourth down conversion attempts, including a Washington sack of QB Tommy Kramer on 4th and 7 from the 15 yard line, that essentially put the game away, giving the Redskins a 21-7 victory.

Later that day, RB Scott Dierking scored the New York Jets’ winning touchdown with 3:45 left, to upset the top seed Los Angeles Raiders. New York LB Lance Mehl intercepted two passes from QB Jim Plunkett in the final minutes to seal the victory. Jets’ RB Freeman McNeil rushed for 105 yards while WR Wesley Walker caught 7 passes for 169 yards and a touchdown.

Walker’s 20 yard touchdown catch and K Pat Leahy’s 30 yard field goal gave New York a 10-0 lead before Los Angeles stormed back, taking a 14-10 lead on RB Marcus Allen’s 3 yard touchdown and a 57 yard scoring reception by WR Malcolm Barnwell from Plunkett. Late in the fourth quarter, QB Richard Todd’s 45 yard completion to Walker gave the Jets a 1st and goal on the Raiders’ 1 yard line, where Dierking took the ball into the end zone, giving the Jets a 17-14 lead. Their defense seemed to put the game away when Mehl intercepted a Plunkett pass with slightly over two minutes left on the Raiders ensuing drive. However, Los Angeles’ LB Ted Hendricks recovered a McNeil fumble to give his team one last chance to drive for a tying score. The Jets defense proved up to the challenge, when Mehl intercepted his second Plunkett pass within the last two minutes of the game, enabling New York to run out the clock and preserve a 17-14 victory.

On January 16, the Miami Dolphins avenged their 1981 divisional playoff loss to the San Diego Chargers with a dominating win, racking up 413 yards, while holding the Chargers to a season low 247 yards. The Dolphins defense completely shut down San Diego QB Dan Fouts, limiting him to just 15 of 34 completions for 194 yards and a touchdown, while intercepting him five times. The Dolphins converted three first half turnovers, including consecutive fumbled kickoffs, into 17 points.

Miami intercepted Fouts on the game’s opening possession and returned the ball 16 yards to San Diego’s 26 yard line, setting up QB David Woodley’s 3 yard touchdown pass to WR Nat Moore at the end of a 5 play drive, for a 7-0 lead. Following a punt, the Dolphins increased their lead to 14-0, with RB Andra Franklin’s 3 yard touchdown at the end of an 89 yard drive. Then, K Uwe von Schamann recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, giving Miami the ball on the Chargers’ 23 yard line. The Dolphins scored their third touchdown, with Woodley’s 6 yard pass to TE Ron Lee. On the next kickoff, James Brooks lost a fumble that was recovered by Miami on San Diego’s 37 yard line, leading to von Schamann’s 24 yard field goal, putting the Dolphins up 24-0 with 7:45 left in the first half.

A few minutes later, the Chargers finally caught a break, when a short Miami punt and facemask penalty during the return gave them the ball at the Dolphins 28 yard line. Fouts subsequently threw a touchdown pass to WR Charlie Joiner, cutting Miami’s lead to 24-6. But San Diego’s miscues continued as K Rolf Benirschke missed the extra point. On the Dolphins’ ensuing drive, WR Jimmy Cefalo’s 53 yard reception from Woodley led to von Schamann’s 23 yard field goal, and a 27-6 lead. Still, the Chargers managed to cut the deficit to 27-13 before halftime with a 76-yard drive, 40 yards of which coming from Dolphin penalties. RB Chuck Muncie finished the drive with a 1 yard touchdown with 22 seconds left in the second quarter.

Miami lost turnovers on each of their first two drives of the second half, however, San Diego could not convert either of them into points. After moving the ball 47 yards to the Dolphins’ 36 yard line following a Nathan fumble, Fouts was intercepted, and Miami converted this turnover into their final score, a 7-yard run by Woodley, for a 34-13 lead. Meanwhile, the next three Charger drives all ended in interceptions; a second pick by Glenn Blackwood, the next by Lyle Blackwood, and the last by CB Don McNeal, to seal a 34-13 Miami victory. This would be the final postseason game in the Hall of Fame careers of San Diego stars Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, and Kellen Winslow.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Cowboys scored touchdowns on two 80 yard drives, while CB Dennis Thurman had three interceptions, including a 39 yard touchdown, to clinch a victory over the Green Bay Packers. QB Lynn Dickey threw for a franchise postseason record 332 yards and a touchdown but his three interceptions were too costly to overcome. WR James Lofton caught 5 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown while also scoring on a 71 yard touchdown run, tying the record for the longest running play in a playoff game, for a total of 180 yards.

Two field goals by K Rafael Septien of 50 and 34 yards gave Dallas a 6-0 lead. Green Bay briefly took a 7-6 lead on a 6 yard touchdown pass from Dickey to Lofton. However, the Cowboys responded with a 2 yard touchdown by RB Robert Newhouse, and Thurman’s 39 yard touchdown return of a Dickey pass, to give the Cowboys a 20-7 lead at halftime. In the second half, the Packers mounted a strong comeback attempt, racking up 363 yards, and scoring 19 points. K Jan Stenerud kicked field goals of 30 and 33 yards, to cut the Cowboy lead to 20-13. Septien added a 24 yard field goal to give Dallas a 23-13 lead at the end of three quarters. Early in the fourth quarter, Lofton scored a touchdown on a 71 yard reverse, to narrow the lead to 23-19, after Stenerud’s extra point failed.

Dallas came right back with a 7 yard touchdown pass from QB Danny White to TE Doug Cosby, for a 30-19 lead. Midway through the fourth quarter, Green Bay DB Mark Lee’s 22 yard interception return of a White pass for a touchdown cut the Packer deficit to 30-26. But Thurman’s third interception off Dickey set up a 74 yard scoring drive to put the game away with a 1 yard touchdown by Newhouse, his second of the game, for a 37-26 final score. Green Bay finished the game with a franchise playoff record 466 total yards to the Cowboys’ 375 yards. Unfortunately, the Packers would not play another postseason game until 1993. This would also be the final playoff game that Dallas Head Coach Tom Landry would win in his career.

On January 22, the NFC Championship Game pitted the top seed Washington Redskins against the second seed Dallas Cowboys at RFK Stadium.

In their regular season meeting, Dallas had handed the Washington their only loss of the year, 24-10, holding RB John Riggins to just 26 rushing yards while sacking QB Joe Theismann seven times and intercepting three of his passes. But this game would turn out quite different, as the Redskins sealed the victory by converting two Cowboy turnovers in the final period into 10 points. Although Dallas outgained Washington in total yards, 340-260, it wasn’t enough to overcome their three turnovers.

Dallas scored first after a 75 yard drive led to a 27 yard field goal by K Rafael Septien for a 3-0 lead. But Washington scored on a 9 play, 84 yard possession to take the lead, 7-3. Riggins rushed for 32 yards on the drive, while Theismann capped it off with a 19 yard touchdown pass to WR Charlie Brown. In the second quarter, a pair of completions by Theismann and 24 more yards from Riggins moved the Redskins into scoring range, only to have K Mark Moseley miss a 27 yard field goal. Later on, the Cowboys committed a special teams blunder of their own, when rookie Rod Hill muffed a Redskin punt and LB Monte Coleman recovered it, giving Washington the ball on the Dallas 10 yard line. Four plays later, Riggins scored a 1 yard touchdown, increasing his team’s lead to 14-3.

With 32 seconds left in the first half, Cowboys’ QB Danny White suffered a concussion, after being hit by Redskins’ DE Dexter Manley, and was replaced by unknown backup QB Gary Hogeboom, a three year veteran, who had only thrown eight passes in his career. A short Washington punt early in the third quarter set up Hogeboom’s 6 yard touchdown toss to WR Drew Pearson, capping a 6 play, 38 yard drive, and cutting the score to 14-10. But, on the ensuing kickoff, Mike Nelms returned the ball 76 yards down the right sideline to the Dallas 21 yard line. A 22 yard pass from Theismann to Brown was followed by Riggins’ 4 yard touchdown, for a 21-10 lead.

Hogeboom responded by leading the Cowboys on an 84 yard, 14 play drive, capped by his 23 yard scoring pass to WR Butch Johnson, cutting the margin back to 21-17 with 3:25 left in the third quarter. Dallas threatened to cut the lead further, driving to the Redskins’ 23 yard line early in the fourth quarter, but Septien missed a 42 yard field goal. Following a Washington punt, the Cowboys had the ball at the Washington 32 yard line, but LB Mel Kaufman made a leaping, over the shoulder interception, setting up Moseley’s 29 yard field goal, giving Washington a 24-17 lead with 6:55 left in regulation. Then, from the Dallas 20 yard line, Manley tipped Hogeboom’s screen pass, which DT Darryl Grant caught and returned 10 yards for the game clinching touchdown, insuring a 31-17 Washington victory.

On January 23, the AFC Championship Game pitted the second seed Miami Dolphins against the surprise team of the 1982 playoffs, the sixth seed New York Jets, at the Orange Bowl. 1982 would also be the only season in which the conference championship games were played on separate days.

On a wet, muddy field, Miami’s defense held New York QB Richard Todd to only 15 completions in 37 attempts for 103 yards, intercepting five of his passes. LB A.J. Duhe led the Dolphins to a victory with three interceptions, scoring a 35 yard touchdown, and setting up a Miami score. The Dolphins held the Jets to just 139 total yards.

Both teams started off with drives that set the tone for the rest of the game. New York got the ball first and drove to midfield, before losing it when Miami intercepted Todd’s pass. On the first play after the turnover, the Dolphins gave the ball right back, with a pass from QB David Woodley that was picked off by the Jets. In the second quarter, Miami’s Woodley broke free for a 17 yard run to his 39 yard line, which turned out to be the longest run of the day for either team. However, RB Tony Nathan lost a fumble on the next play.

Late in the second quarter, it seemed the Dolphins would finally break the scoreless tie, when they blocked a New York punt, allowing Miami to get the ball on the Jets’ 20 yard line. But, with time running out, S Ken Schroy intercepted his second pass of the day, and the game remained scoreless at halftime. Early in the second half, Todd threw a pass that bounced out of the hands of RB Mike Augustyniak and was intercepted by Duhe. A few plays later, Nathan appeared to lose a fumble, but officials ruled him down by contact before he lost the ball. Another key play on the drive occurred when Woodley completed a 13 yard pass to WR Duriel Harris on 3rd and 3.

New York vehemently protested the call of a completed pass, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, that moved the ball to the Jets’ 7 yard line. RB Woody Bennett ran the ball into the end zone on the next play for a 7-0 Miami lead. Later in the third quarter, Duhe intercepted his second Todd pass, this one on the New York 41 yard line, but his team couldn’t move the ball, and had to punt. Two minutes into the fourth quarter, Duhe recorded his third interception of the day, and this time took it 35 yards for a touchdown. The Dolphins 14-0 lead turned out to be more than enough to win, as the Jets never mounted a serious scoring threat the rest of the game.

Finally, after the only 16 team playoff in NFL history, the Washington Redskins and the Miami Dolphins would play for the NFL Championship in Super Bowl XVII. The game would be a rematch of Super Bowl VII, also played in the Los Angeles area 10 years earlier, where Miami completed their 17-0 perfect season at Washington’s expense, by a score of 14-7. This was also the second Super Bowl to rematch teams, the first being Super Bowl XIII between the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Super Bowl Highlights: On January 30 1982, at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena CA, the AFC Champion Miami Dolphins, led by 13 year veteran Head Coach Don Shula, played the NFC Champion Washington Redskins, led by second year Head Coach Joe Gibbs, in Super Bowl XVII. This would be Shula’s fifth Super Bowl appearance, one with the Baltimore Colts and four with the Miami Dolphins, and his first since 1973. Because of the 57 day strike, the NFL chose to eliminate the extra week off between the Conference Championships and the Super Bowl for the first time since Super Bowl IV, rather than delay the game into February.

Washington QB Joe Theisman finished the season as the NFC’s top rated passer, completing 161 out of 252 attempts (63.9%) for 2,033 yards, 13 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, and a QB Rating of 91.3, while also rushing for 150 yards. The main weapons in the passing game were WRs Charlie Brown (32 receptions, 690 yards, 8 touchdowns) and Art Monk (35 receptions, 447 yards, 1 touchdown) as well as TE Don Warren (27 receptions, 310 yards). RB John Riggins led the Redskins’ running game with 553 yards on 177 attempts (3.1 yards per attempt) and 3 touchdowns while RBs Joe Washington and Clarence Harmon combined for 358 rushing yards and 3 total touchdowns. Much of Washington’s success on offense was also attributed to their offensive line, affectionately known as “The Hogs”.

The Redskins defense finished first overall in the NFL, allowing only 128 points. Washington was led by 6’7″, 296 lb DT Dave Butz, who anchored the line, along with DEs Dexter Manley and Tony McGee, who each recorded 6.5 sacks. The Redskins secondary was led by DBs Vernon Dean and Jeris White, who each recorded 3 interceptions. Washington also had impact players on their special teams. K Mark Moseley converted 20 out of 21 field goals and all 18 of his extra point attempts. Returner Mike Nelms gained a combined total of 809 yards returning kickoffs and punts. Overall, Washington’s offense finished 10th overall in rushing (1,140) and 12th in both passing (1,845) and scoring (190), while their defense ranked 8th against the run (946 yards allowed) and 7th against the pass (1,614).

Miami’s main strength was their defense, nicknamed the “Killer Bees”, because six of their 11 starters had last names that began with the letter “B”. The “Killer Bees”, anchored by Pro Bowl DT Bob Baumhower, led the league in fewest total yards allowed (2,312), fewest passing yards allowed (1,027), and were second overall in scoring defense behind only Washington, allowing 131 points. LB A.J. Duhe was extremely effective at blitzing and in pass coverage. And the Dolphins’ secondary, consisting of DBs Don McNeal, Gerald Small, and brothers Lyle and Glenn Blackwood, combined for 11 interceptions.

Unfortunately, Miami’s passing attack, led by QB David Woodley, the youngest quarterback to ever start a Super Bowl at 24 years of age, was not nearly as effective, ranking last in the league with 1,401 total yards, 8 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Woodley himself finished with 98 completions out of 179 attempts (54.7%) for 1,080 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions, earning a QB Rating of only 63.5. One of the few bright spots in the Dolphins’ passing attack was WR Jimmy Cefalo, who gained 356 yards on just 17 receptions, an average of 20.9 yards per catch. WR Duriel Harris also provided a deep threat, with 22 receptions for 331 yards.

RB Tommy Vigorito led the team in receptions with 24 catches for 186 yards. But Miami’s strength on offense was their running game, ranking third in the league with 1,344 yards. RB Andra Franklin was the team’s top rusher with 701 yards and 7 touchdowns. RB Tony Nathan rushed for 233 yards and caught 16 passes for another 114 yards. Woodley himself recorded 207 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. One reason for the Dolphins’ rushing success was the blocking of their offensive line, led by future Hall of Fame C Dwight Stephenson, along with OGs Bob Kuechenberg and Ed Newman. Miami ranked 10th overall in scoring offense with 198 points.

Miami scored first on their second possession of the game when, faced with 2nd and 6 on their own 24 yard line, David Woodley threw the ball to WR Jimmy Cefalo, who caught the ball ahead of single coverage at the Washington 45 yard line, and raced untouched down the right sideline for a 76 yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Then, after forcing the Redskins to punt, Woodley attempted a deep pass again, but was hit by Dexter Manley, causing him to fumble, and Washington recovered the ball. The turnover led to K Mark Moseley’s 31 yard field goal, to cut the Dolphins’ lead to 7-3, two plays into the second quarter.

Miami returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to the Dolphins’ 47 yard line. From there, the Dolphins advanced to the Redskins 3 yard line. But Woodley’s pass fell incomplete on third down, and the Dolphins had to settle for K Uwe von Schamann’s 20 yard field goal, increasing their lead to 10-3 with six minutes left in the half. On Washington’s next possession, aided by a 27 yard completion from Joe Theismann to TE Rick Walker, four runs by John Riggins, along with a 15 yard reception from Theismann, and a 12 yard run by Theismann himself, the Redskins marched 80 yards in 11 plays, to score on WR Alvin Garrett’s 4 yard touchdown reception from Theismann. Garrett’s touchdown tied the game 10-10, with less than two minutes left in the half.

But the tie did not last long. Miami’s Fulton Walker returned the ensuing kickoff a Super Bowl record 98 yards for a touchdown, to give the Dolphins a 17-10 lead. It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown in Super Bowl history, and the longest kickoff return in postseason history, breaking the prior record of 97 yards by Vic Washington in 1972. A penalty on the ensuing kickoff forced Washington to start their next drive at their own 7 yard line. However, a subsequent pass interference penalty on Miami moved the ball to the Miami 42 yard line. Immediately after the interference penalty, Charlie Brown’s 24 yard reception advanced the Redskins to the Dolphins’ 16 yard line.

After calling their final timeout with 14 seconds left, Washington made one last attempt to score a touchdown before trying a field goal. Theismann’s pass was caught by Garrett, but he was tackled at the 9 yard line, preventing any possible field goal attempt, as the Redskins were unable to stop the clock before time expired in the half. Both teams opened the second half trading punts. But after driving to their own 47 yard line on their second possession of the third quarter, the Redskins managed to fool the Dolphins with a reverse. Riggins took a handoff from Theismann, then handed the ball off to Garrett. The play worked perfectly, as Garrett ran 44 yards to Miami’s 9 yard line before being tackled.

But the Dolphins’ defense only allowed Washington to advance to the 3 yard line on their next three plays, and the Redskins had to settle for another Moseley field goal, to cut their deficit to 17-13. Later in the third quarter, Theismann was intercepted by Miami’s A.J. Duhe at the Redskins 47 yard line. After the turnover, the Dolphins reached the 37 yard line and Woodley tried to pass the ball deep, again to Cefalo. But Washington’s Vernon Dean deflected the ball, and S Mark Murphy made a one handed interception at the 5 yard line as he was falling to the ground. Unfortunately for Woodley, this would be the only pass he completed in the second half.

However, on Washington’s next possession, Theismann had a pass blocked at the line of scrimmage by Kim Bokamper at the Redskins own 18 yard line. Bokamper nearly intercepted the pass in the Redskins’ end zone, but Theismann prevented the score with a timely move, knocking the ball out of Bokamper’s hands and, in the key play of the game, prevented Miami from taking an 11 point lead going into the fourth quarter. The Redskins subsequently drove to Miami’s 43 yard line and, once again, tried to fool the Dolphins with a trick play, this time a flea flicker. Riggins took a pitch from Theismann, ran up to the line of scrimmage, and pitched the ball back to Theismann, who attempted to pass it.

But this time Miami was not fooled, and Lyle Blackwood made a diving interception. However, Blackwood’s interception turned out to be beneficial for the Redskins, as it pinned Miami back at their own 1 yard line. The Dolphins could only gain 3 yards with their next three plays, and Washington ended up getting the ball back with great field position on their own 48 yard line. The Redskins ran three plays to reach Miami’s 43 yard line. Faced with a 4th and 1, Washington decided to gamble and attempt to get the first down with a run by Riggins. But Riggins did a lot more than pick up the first down. Joe Gibbs called his trademark play I-Right 70 Chip, starting TE Clint Didier in motion towards the right, then reversing motion back to the left.

Theismann handed to Riggins, who broke a tackle by Miami CB Don McNeal, and still managed to build up enough speed to outrun Glenn Blackwood, as he took off for a 43 yard touchdown run, the longest run in Super Bowl history, giving Washington their first lead of the game, 20-17, with a little more than ten minutes remaining in the game. This play was the turning point of the game, as Washington proceeded to dominate the remainder of the contest. The Dolphins would gain a total of only 11 yards the entire fourth period. Washington quickly forced Miami to punt on their next possession, and Mike Nelm’s 12 yard return again gave the Redskins great field position at the Dolphins’ 41 yard line.

Washington then executed five consecutive running plays by Riggins, moving the ball to the 23 yard line. On third down, Theismann made a key pass completion to Charlie Brown, down to the 9 yard line. Riggins advanced the ball to the 6 yard line with two more runs. After the two minute warning, Brown caught a touchdown pass on the next play, increasing the Redskins’ lead to 27-17 and putting the game away, consuming 6:54 off the clock, in the most time consuming drive in Super Bowl history. Miami returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards to the 35 yard line, but the Dolphins could only advance to the 39 yard line before turning the ball over on downs. Washington had avenged their 1972 Super Bowl loss to Miami, with a 27-17 victory, for their first NFL Championship in the Super Bowl era.

Overall, the Redskins’ defense completely dominated the Dolphins’ offense, allowing just nine first downs and four pass completions the entire game, with only two first downs and no pass completions in the second half. In total, Washington’s offense gained 400 yards, including a Super Bowl record 276 rushing yards, while limiting Miami to only 176 total yards, with just 34 yards in the second half. John Riggins was named Super Bowl MVP, finishing the game with two Super Bowl records; the most rushing yards (166), and the most rushing attempts (38). His performance was also his fourth 100 yard rushing game in a row in the postseason, a record. He was the first player from an NFC team to rush for 100 yards in a Super Bowl. Riggins also recorded a reception for 15 yards, giving him more total yards than the entire Miami team.

Conclusion: While Green Bay fans were happy to see the Packers return to the playoffs, as well as win their first playoff game since Vince Lombardi’s last season as head coach, this most unusual season left them wondering if Green Bay could have gone farther, and at least reached the NFC Championship Game, by winning just one of the Detroit Lions games during the regular season. If the Packers win one of those games, they’re the second seed in the NFC Playoffs, meaning they have home field advantage through the second round, and play the Dallas Cowboys in Lambeau Field rather than Texas Stadium. If the Packers win that game, they’re playing the Washington Redskins for a Super Bowl berth.

Green Bay was seemingly good enough to play with the best the NFL had to offer, yet they just couldn’t put it all together on a week in and week out basis, leaving fans to wonder if Bart Starr and his team could win consistently over a 16 game season, particularly given their 3-3-1 record after a 2-0 start. After experiencing only three winning seasons, two playoff appearances, and one playoff victory over the past 15 years, and with new Team President Robert Parins telling the press repeatedly, before and after the 1982 playoffs, that no decision had been made to extend Starr’s contract past 1983, the Packer faithful were understandably wary about what to expect in 1983.

To end this post, I’ve attached the NFL Films Super Bowl XVII Highlight video, narrated once again by the great John Facenda.

Enjoy!

As always, your feedback is appreciated!