1970 NFL season

[Gary Najman]

Three teams started the 1970 season with a 3-0 mark (Detroit, Los Angeles and Denver), with only the Lions making the playoffs (as a wild card). The Broncos were in fact in first place of the AFC West in the each of the first six weeks of the season with a 4-2 mark, but ended the season with a 5-8-1 record.

[BD Sullivan]

Three teams started the 1970 season with a 3-0 mark (Detroit, Los Angeles and Denver), with only the Lions making the playoffs (as a wild card). The Broncos were in fact in first place of the AFC West in the each of the first six weeks of the season with a 4-2 mark, but ended the season with a 5-8-1 record.

Lack of production at QB was one of the keys: Steve Tensi and Alan Pastrana started five games and never played after that year. Meanwhile, Pete Liske was shipped to Philly in the offseason. Later, the Broncos got Charley Johnson from Houston for a third round pick the following year--which turned out to be an excellent trade for Denver.

Denver's collapse:
10/25 @ SF: Denver led 14-3 in the second quarter, but their offense died in a 19-14 loss. They did have one last shot at the 49ers 25 on the final play, but the pass was picked off in the end zone.
11/1 vs. Wash: No offense on either side with Washington only having 199 yards total offense in a 19-3 Broncos loss. Five turnovers for Denver.
11/8 @ SD: Bobby Howfield missed three FG's for the Broncos, including ones of 26 and 31 yards in the 24-21 Denver loss.
11/15: vs. Oak: Blanda magic continues for Oakland as he leads them on an 82-yard drive in just 86 seconds, throwing the game-winning TD pass with 2:28 left for a 24-19 win.
11/22: @ N.O.: Denver routs the Saints, 31-6.
11/29: @ Hou.: Oilers jump out to a 31-0 lead before scoring three fourth quarter TD's in a 31-21 win. Denver only gets past the Houston 45 once in the first three quarters.
12/6: @ KC: Ed Podolak goes 65 yards on the second play of the game in a 16-0 KC win. Broncos' QB Al Pastrana was picked off five times, with three of the picks accounting for FG's that accounted for the other nine points.
12/13: vs. SD: Denver fell behind 17-0, but managed two fourth quarter TD's to salvage a 17-17 tie.
12/20: vs. Cle.: Four Denver turnovers help the Browns close out their disappointing year with a 27-13 win. Two picks by Cleveland in the third quarter are converted into TD's to break the game open.

[Ronfitch]

December 6th. Green Bay Packers 20, Pittsburgh Steelers 12.
To an outsider this was just a random game played by 2 mediocre teams. I don't see it that way. The Packers were 3 years removed from the end of their dynasty. The Steelers were 4 years away from the start of theirs. A crossroads game between 2 of the greatest dynasties in the history of the league. I would kill to see the original broadcast but I know that'll never happen. I've yet to see the Packers season highlights from 1970 but I have the Steelers one committed to memory and it barely touched on this game. I have/had the program that I got years ago from Ebay that came with newspaper accounts from it. Not sure if I still have them. Plus it snowed during the game. I feel this game deserves more attention.

Never thought about that particular matchup. Who from the Glory/Lombardi years was still playing in that game? I guess it's almost like SF@Pit '81. Another thing about GB...it was sad enough Lombardi's passing before the season started, and then Lions come to town Opening Day and hand them 40-0 walloping. That, in itself, almost like Rooney's passing before the '88 campaign then Steelers' horrid 1-6 start along with Noll (and Landry) on cover of SI for the WRONG reasons.

Larry Krause returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for a Packer touchdown, but a fumbled snap (helped along by the miserable weather) made it 6-0 GB. It was 6-3 Packers at the half, with Bradshaw then inserted into the game. On the first second half series, he connected with Dave Smith on an 87-yard TD pass. Starr threw for two TD passes to win it for GB; those two TD passes turned out to be the last of his career and the victory was the last win for him as a starter.

The loss was costly for the Steelers, since they actually went into the game tied in the mediocre AFC Central with qa 5-6 record.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/b ... 060pit.htm

Larry Krause ... memories from being a kid in a neighboring state in the pre-web days with really only newspaper single-paragraph summaries with box scores and football cards (also before the Sunnoco NFL Stamp book of 1972) to have any connection to the Packers in the early 1970s when I became a fan.

Krause gets a mention and a photo in one of John Maxymuk's recent posts in his "Packers Past Perfect" blog:

https://packerspastperfect.wordpress.co ... rt-2-of-2/