1973 Redskins at Vikings Divisional Playoff

welcome to Bloomington Minnesota where the girls are blonde and the temperatures are freezing this Arctic outpost is the site for the NFC playoff game between Minnesota's Vikings and Washington's Redskins after a week of frigid temperatures that ranged as low as seven degrees below zero today is a balmy 24 the rugged Minnesota Vikings are accustomed to such weather and this further enhances their home-field advantage for this big game the Vikings have won all seven games played here this season their only two losses came on the road defense as usual as the catch word for this team they led the NFC and fewest points allowed but many field a more vital factor was their offense in fact there are those who think this is a better team than the one that went to the Super Bowl in 1969 for reason better balance the team that lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl was noted mostly for defense the 1973 Vikings are much improved offensively the key to this game is at quarterback where Fran Tarkenton teens with fleet flanker John Gilliam [Music] Washington's Billy Kilmer gets the starting call despite the fact he was hospitalized for four days prior to the game with abdominal pains his backup Sonny Jurgensen is an even worse shape with an unstable knee so the pressure very definitely is on George Allen skins they'll have to depend on their maligned running attack and a defense that has superseded Minnesota statistically they had more interceptions 26 to 21 and far more sacks than the Purple People eaters a league-high 53 to the Vikings 30 so those are the matchups two exceptionally fine defensive teams in the NFL game of the week the Minnesota Vikings versus the Washington [Music] as expected defense dominated the game in the early going as neither team did much to move the football [Music] each had its opportunities however Minnesota on a third in one situation crossed up the Washington secondary with a bomb - John Gilliam in the clear the pass was perfect but it went through Gilliam's outstretched arms [Music] Washington had a turnover when Charlie Taylor took a kilmer pass then had it stripped away by number 50 Jeff seaman [Music] it was a fine defensive play by the fast-rising middle linebacker but like all others in the first quarter it led to nothing Washington did have one long drive in the first quarter it began with a touchdown saving deflection by Minnesota's Paul Krauts so Kilmer turn to Larry Brown who ripped through Minnesota's vaunted front line for two straight first downs [Music] then Kilmer returned to the air lanes with Roy Jefferson going 30 yards deep into Minnesota territory [Music] on a third down play Paul Krause almost had an interception when Larry Brown the intended receiver slipped and fell from the 17 Kirk Knights field goal attempt was wide and Washington's long drive and the games first period ended scoreless at the start of the second quarter Tarkenton through up until now had done little found setback Oscar Reed number 32 had beaten linebacker Dave Robinson number 89 and Tarkenton hit him for a big play that resulted in a 50 yard gain [Applause] this is just the type of play that Tarkenton is famous for pulling off and it's just the type that George Allen's Redskins usually prevent Washington's defense forced the Vikings to settle for three points instead of six however when Fred Cox's attempt from the 19 was good Minnesota had broken the scoreless deadlock three to nothing late in the period with first seaman number 50 then Kilmer directing traffic Washington's offense got a break number 23 Jeff Wright was called for defensive pass interference and didn't appreciate the notoriety [Music] but the Viking defense got even by throwing Larry Brown for large loss on good pursuit by linebackers Winston number 60 and seaman [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Washington pundit and here got the biggest break of the game so far when Bobby Bryant fumbled the ball and Bob Brunei recovered for Washington [Applause] [Music] allons teams are notorious for capitalizing on the brakes and they quickly did when from the 20 kilmer hit Charlie Taylor on a pretty pass over the middle good for 17 yards [Music] on the very next play Larry Brown swept left and drove over tackle for the three yards at gave Washington the first touchdown of the game [Music] [Applause] a repeat from our end zone camera shows it was a screen block by number 31 Charlie Haraway on the safety that enabled Brown to dive for six points [Music] [Applause] with time running out Tarkington put the ball in the air but overthrew John Gilliam Mike bass gathered it in and looked about to go down when he tore loose from the startled receiver and began a remarkable return through half the Viking team [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] the half ended with Washington controlling the ball and the tempo of the game seven to three [Music] the sluggish Vikings played the first half in a highly uncharacteristic stupor but in the final 30 minutes they revived their flagging Super Bowls Tarkenton used the runs of Oscar read to set up passes that came from roll out action a strategy Roger Staubach and the Cowboys used successfully in their 2707 route of the Redskins [Music] with a third and two from the Washington 48 Reid turned a routine run into one of the most startling plays of the 1973 season Reed's 46 yard run unraveled at the 2 and is worth reviewing once past the line of scrimmage number 32 was afforded no help from his teammates and it was a combination of reeds individual brilliance and shoddy tackling that set up Minnesota inside of their first touchdown from the - he'll brown burrowed in behind wedge blocking and after three and 1/2 minutes of the third quarter delirious Minnesota fans saw the purple regained the lead 10 to 7 [Music] the gritty Redskins dug down deep in their reservoir of toughness they had bent but they would not break their resolve to win was mirrored by Larry Brown who's receiving and running moved the Redskins inside the Minnesota 50 [Music] facing third and five Kilmer attempted a screen that was read and ruined by wall-e he'll converge number 58 Hill converges play assured in Curt night and from 52 yards away the luckless placekicker finally found his foot and booted the Redskins into a 1010 time [Music] Washington regained the ball and with time dying in the third quarter Larry Brown exploded off tackle only an arm tackle by outside linebacker roy winston number 60 separated brown from a much longer game with the vikings bunched up inside Brown accelerated outside on the very next play for more prime Yardy [Music] with a third and one from the 33 charlie Haraway was bounced to the outside and buried in purple a second look reveals that it was on the present Wally Hogan burg number 58 that completely disrupted the play although Wally did not make the tackle he forced hair away into a vicious pincer snapped shut by Bob Bryant number 20 and Jeff seaman number 15 the 2-yard loss choked off a splendid drive as a third quarter ended on the first play of the final 15 minutes Kirk Knights 42 yard field goal was true in Washington regained the lead 13 to 10 from his 29 Tarkenton general de well-conceived assault on the washington goal-line Parkinson used the running of chuck foreman open up the passing lanes first Fran dumped the short pass underneath who sure handed Stu Voight then he threw a swing pass to read time and again Tarkington employed the rollout if a linebacker took read number 32 short brand news the second option to void [Applause] after nickel-and-diming Washington Fran finally cashed in with a well disguised bomb - John Gillian another angle shows that parkington's play-action fake to foreman throws the redskins secondary and when cornerback speedy duncan was caught with his back to the play Gilliam had an easy touchdown and Minnesota led 17 to 13 [Applause] [Music] when Kilmer attempted to swallow up yards too quickly he choked on the bones of the Purple Gang zone defense Gilmer's errant pass wobbled into the hands of Nate Wright who returned the interception inside the ten [Music] with its second and goal the Tarkenton dove Gilliam combination clicked for the second time within two minutes in Minnesota build a seemingly insurmountable 24 213 lead the touchdown was a tribute to Tarkenton x' nimble feet and his poise under fire first he looked to the right then he scrambled left with number 44 Forman closely-guarded bran doubled back and once he evaded the charge of number 89 dave robinson he had a perfect sight line to Gilliam who was unattended in the endzone Minnesota owned an 11-point lead and while Washington weakened the Vikings seemed to grow stronger on each successive play but that notion proved illusory when George Allen's pride and joy the special teams led by number 20 Ken stone blocked a mic eischeid fun [Music] finally Washington received the gift that always seems to turn a game around for them Billy Kilmer translated the big break into seven points on the very next play by hitting Roy Jefferson dead in stride for touchdown from the end zone we can see that Billy was afforded impeccable protection he maintained direct eye contact with Jefferson and all a beaten mate right could do was ride Jefferson with one hand and flail hopelessly with the other [Music] [Applause] with only a four-point cushion Minnesota tried to eat away the five minutes left on the clock [Music] again and again Tarkenton sent either read or form enough the gut with the sure knowledge that have he used a wide play the result could be an ugly turn over with it third and six on the Washington 49 Tarkenton connected with rookie Jim lash with a clutch first down Pass the Vikings move to the 23 but they move no further so Fred Cox kicked them into a seven-point lead 27:20 with only 136 remaining all Washington could hope for was a miracle and a sudden-death playoff first Gilmer connected with Charlie Taylor for 19 yards then he screened to Charlie Haraway for 6 [Applause] [Music] standing resolute in the tentacles of the awesome Vikings pass-rush Kilmer deliberate and arrow to roy Jefferson or first down at the Viking 42 [Music] on second down with but 34 seconds remaining Billy sidestep disaster rocked back on his heels and threw up a prayer that mercifully ended up on the ground and not in Paul Krauss's hands on fourth and 10 with 20 seconds left Kilmer's last-ditch effort fell harmlessly to the ground [Music] the string was played out the Magnificent and courageous comeback hopes were dashed after 60 minutes of furious football the Minnesota Vikings after a one-year absence were on the schedule to the Super Bowl for the third straight year the Redskins lofty ambitions floundered on the rocks of defeat but for Billy Kilmer and the rest of George Allen's grand old men they had much to be proud of they had played well the Vikings had played just a little bit better for on this gelid Saturday in Bloomington Minnesota the old 4460 chant was alive and well the iced men had cometh [Music] you

Channel: Comrade Dobler

Views: 10,387

Rating: 4.8596492 out of 5

Keywords:

Id: Y-UWaw0pBtQ

Length: 21min 53sec (1313 seconds)

Published: Sat May 09 2020