Your Team's Worst Defeat

[MIKEBENNIDICT]

I don't know if it's the worst defeat for the Philadelphia Eagles, but it has to be right up there if it's not. In 1966, the Eagles lost 56 to 7 to the Dallas Cowboys.

Amazing how the Cowboys scored so high and let they blew their chances to go to the first 2 Superbowls.

[Saban1]

I saw that game. In the Packer game, the Browns had a lot of turnovers to go along with Travis' kickoff returns.

In the Dallas playoff, Dallas simply outplayed the Browns. Cleveland could not do much on offense, and the Browns defense could not seem to stop the Cowboys. Both games were on the road and Cleveland was not a very good road team in 1967. Cleveland played Dallas tougher in the opener losing 21 to 14 in Cleveland. It was Cleveland's first ever home loss to the Cowboys.

In my humble opinion, Cleveland had their worst team of the 60's in 1967. They not only got slaughtered by Green Bay and Dallas, but lost to the Giants after beating them 6 times in a row, and lost to a 5-7-2 Detroit team, 31 to 14, The Giants and Detroit losses were both on the road. Cleveland's only home loss that year was in the opener against Dallas.

The Browns also lost in the old runnerup bowl to the Rams, 30 to 6.

To try to explain what happened to the Cleveland Browns in 1967, here goes:

To start with, 5 Browns tried a collective holdout that year. Never a good sign. Two of them, LB Sidney Williams and T John Brown were traded. The other three, DB Mike Howell, RB Leroy Kelly, and G John Wooten ended up signing.

A hangover to the very disappointing end to the 1966 season when Cleveland had one of their best teams of that decade, only to miss the playoffs due to a bad schedule (played Green Bay in their only game against a Western Conference team and played Dallas on Thanksgiving), some bad luck, and the sudden rise of the Dallas Cowboys. Gary Collins called the 1966 team the best that he played on, even better than the 1964 championship team.

Frank Ryan had his poorest season. Frank's passing numbers were off causing receivers Warfield and Collins' numbers to be off. Ryan didn't run as often or as good in 1967, probably due to injures and/or whatever. He did not have his usual mobility and was sacked 41 times that year, which was quite a bit more than usual.

Maybe the offensive line wasn't blocking as well as usual, but I don't know about that. Right tackle John Brown was traded, but Monte Clark was the usual starter at right tackle. Second year man Fred Hoaglin took over at center for John Morrow, who was taken in the expansion draft. Morrow had suffered a broken leg the year before and I think was still having trouble with his leg.

Gary Collins wasn't as good as usual in his punting. Collins had been one of the best punters in the league, but his average distance fell off in 1967 and he had punts blocked that year for the first time in his pro career.

Carl Ward was a very fast back and returned a kickoff for a TD against Washington, but fumbled a couple of kickoffs at two of the very worst times. One was against the Giants which turned into an easy 6 points for New York (the Giants won the game by 4 points), and the other fumbled kickoff was against the Green Bay Packers which turned into an easy 6 for the Pack. That game, of course, was the 55 to 7 rout at the hands of Green Bay.

Cleveland was not a very good road team that year, which may indicate that they were not in the best of shape. The Browns were known for having easy training camps. They had loads of talent, especially on offense, and a brilliant head coach in Blanton Collier and a wonderful coaching staff. Collier did not push his team like a say....Vince Lombardi. He felt that the players were adults and treated them as such, letting it be up to them to get into proper condition. Maybe some of the players took advantage of that in 1967.

Cleveland only lost one home game in 1967, the opener against Dallas (their first home loss ever to the Cowboys). So, they were still tough at home.

Being a Cleveland fan, I kept asking myself over and over that year: what the heck is wrong with the Cleveland Browns? Just the year before they seemed like a very good team, nearly beating the mighty Packers in one game and losing by one point, 21 to 20, after leading most of the game. One point away from defeating arguably the greatest of all the Green Bay teams in 1966, and losing 55 to 7 to the Pack in 1967. What a difference a year makes.

It wasn't just that Cleveland got blown out against Green Bay and Dallas in the 1967 playoff game; the Browns also struggled against teams that they should not have had any trouble beating that year, as BD alluded to in another post on this thread.

They beat the Cards by 4 points twice, the Vikings, also by 4 points, and Washington by 5 points. They also lost to the 5-7-2 Detroit Lions, 31 to 14, after leading 14 to nothing or 14 to 3 (something like that). Flanker Gary Collins and tight end Milt Morin both missed that game if an excuse is called for. They also lost to the New York Giants 38 to 34 after beating them 6 straight times.

The loss to the Giants was a strange game. There were turnovers, a blocked punt, and backs Leroy Kelly and Ernie Green were injured in the 4th quarter of the game. Kelly did not return to the game. Former Brown Vince Costello was responsible for both players injuries, from what I have heard. Never trade a good player to a division rival. It can come back to haunt you. Costello also intercepted a Ryan pass, which led to another Giants touchdown.

A Giants punt was shanked and bounced off a Browns player's leg as he ran down the field to try to help set up a return. The Giants recovered. A kickoff was fumbled and turned into an easy 6 points for New York. Gary Collins had his first punt blocked in 7 years which went out of bounds on the Browns 2 yard line. Another easy 6 points for the Giants followed.

Cleveland won the rematch, 24 to 14, but Cleveland's defense scored one TD on a pick 6 by Jim Houston. The following year with the Browns playing much better, Cleveland beat the Giants, 45 to 10, and they also beat the Eagles, 47 to 13. One year can make a big difference.

[Saban1]

The New York Giants 1963 NFL Championship game loss to the Chicago Bears, 14 to 10, was not the worst game point wise, but it probably hurt the team as much or more than any other loss that the Giants ever suffered and set the stage for a long playoff drought for the Giants. It was the third straight championship game loss for the New York team and was the most disappointing, from what I have heard and read.

The Giants players and many fans felt that their 1961 and 1962 championship losses were to a great team (the Green Bay Packers), but the Bears were not in the same class. Chicago did have a great defense that year, but not a championship offense, in the opinion of many.

I have read that coach Allie Sherman discussed with owner Wellington Mara that the Giants would go no farther unless some changes were made, and the fact that many of their key players were getting older. The Giants traded away DT Dick Modzelewski, MLB Sam Huff, and HB Phil King. In return, they got HB Dick James and DT/DE Andy Stynchula for Huff and TE Bob Crespino from the Cleveland Browns for Modzelewski and a draft choice for King.

Crespino was acquired to try to replace TE Joe Walton, who retired after the 1963 season. Stynchula was to replace Andy Robustelli at RDE, but instead was used at LDT in 1964, which was Modzelewski's position. Robustelli was coaxed into returning for one more season, even though he was 38 years old and was to turn 39 during the season. LB Jerry Hillebrand was to take Huff's middle linebacker position, but the spot ended up being filled by a rookie named Lou Slaby.

The Giants fell to last place in 1964 with a 2-10-2 record. Many blamed the trades, but I believe that there was more to it than that. QB Y. A. Tittle and receiver Del Shofner were both sensational in 1962 and 1963, but both did not come close to repeating those years as Tittle had probably his worst ever season in 1964 and Shofner only played about half of that season due to an injury or injuries.

There were signs of slippage in 1963 as Giants quarterbacks were sacked 35 times that year compared with only 17 times in 1962, according to what I have read. Players like Robustelli and Webster and some of the other older players were slipping, but the Giants offense was doing so well due to Tittle, Shofner, Gifford, Morrison, and some others that not many noticed.

Anyway, all the bad seemed to start with the disappointing 1963 championship game loss.

[SixtiesFan]

The New York Giants 1963 NFL Championship game loss to the Chicago Bears, 14 to 10, was not the worst game point wise, but it probably hurt the team as much or more than any other loss that the Giants ever suffered and set the stage for a long playoff drought for the Giants. It was the third straight championship game loss for the New York team and was the most disappointing, from what I have heard and read.

The Giants players and many fans felt that their 1961 and 1962 championship losses were to a great team (the Green Bay Packers), but the Bears were not in the same class. Chicago did have a great defense that year, but not a championship offense, in the opinion of many.

I have read that coach Allie Sherman discussed with owner Wellington Mara that the Giants would go no farther unless some changes were made, and the fact that many of their key players were getting older. The Giants traded away DT Dick Modzelewski, MLB Sam Huff, and HB Phil King. In return, they got HB Dick James and DT/DE Andy Stynchula for Huff and TE Bob Crespino from the Cleveland Browns for Modzelewski and a draft choice for King.

Crespino was acquired to try to replace TE Joe Walton, who retired after the 1963 season. Stynchula was to replace Andy Robustelli at RDE, but instead was used at LDT in 1964, which was Modzelewski's position. Robustelli was coaxed into returning for one more season, even though he was 38 years old and was to turn 39 during the season. LB Jerry Hillebrand was to take Huff's middle linebacker position, but the spot ended up being filled by a rookie named Lou Slaby.

The Giants fell to last place in 1964 with a 2-10-2 record. Many blamed the trades, but I believe that there was more to it than that. QB Y. A. Tittle and receiver Del Shofner were both sensational in 1962 and 1963, but both did not come close to repeating those years as Tittle had probably his worst ever season in 1964 and Shofner only played about half of that season due to an injury or injuries.

There were signs of slippage in 1963 as Giants quarterbacks were sacked 35 times that year compared with only 17 times in 1962, according to what I have read. Players like Robustelli and Webster and some of the other older players were slipping, but the Giants offense was doing so well due to Tittle, Shofner, Gifford, Morrison, and some others that not many noticed.

Anyway, all the bad seemed to start with the disappointing 1963 championship game loss.

I rooted for the Giants in those days and saw the 1963 Title game on TV. It might be the most obvious case of the better team losing I've ever seen. When Tittle hit Gifford with a TD pass early on after a Bear turnover, it looked like it might be a Giants blowout. On the next series, the Giant defense forced another turnover. Tittle threw a TD pass to Del Shofner, who dropped it. On this play Bear LB Larry Morris hit Tittle's knee and he was never the same the rest of the game.

Tittle threw two bad interceptions which resulted in (very) short TD drives which the Bears used for a 14-10 win. This is one I hate to think about even now.

[BD Sullivan]

The New York Giants 1963 NFL Championship game loss to the Chicago Bears, 14 to 10, was not the worst game point wise, but it probably hurt the team as much or more than any other loss that the Giants ever suffered and set the stage for a long playoff drought for the Giants. It was the third straight championship game loss for the New York team and was the most disappointing, from what I have heard and read.

The Giants players and many fans felt that their 1961 and 1962 championship losses were to a great team (the Green Bay Packers), but the Bears were not in the same class. Chicago did have a great defense that year, but not a championship offense, in the opinion of many.

I have read that coach Allie Sherman discussed with owner Wellington Mara that the Giants would go no farther unless some changes were made, and the fact that many of their key players were getting older. The Giants traded away DT Dick Modzelewski, MLB Sam Huff, and HB Phil King. In return, they got HB Dick James and DT/DE Andy Stynchula for Huff and TE Bob Crespino from the Cleveland Browns for Modzelewski and a draft choice for King.

Crespino was acquired to try to replace TE Joe Walton, who retired after the 1963 season. Stynchula was to replace Andy Robustelli at RDE, but instead was used at LDT in 1964, which was Modzelewski's position. Robustelli was coaxed into returning for one more season, even though he was 38 years old and was to turn 39 during the season. LB Jerry Hillebrand was to take Huff's middle linebacker position, but the spot ended up being filled by a rookie named Lou Slaby.

The Giants fell to last place in 1964 with a 2-10-2 record. Many blamed the trades, but I believe that there was more to it than that. QB Y. A. Tittle and receiver Del Shofner were both sensational in 1962 and 1963, but both did not come close to repeating those years as Tittle had probably his worst ever season in 1964 and Shofner only played about half of that season due to an injury or injuries.

There were signs of slippage in 1963 as Giants quarterbacks were sacked 35 times that year compared with only 17 times in 1962, according to what I have read. Players like Robustelli and Webster and some of the other older players were slipping, but the Giants offense was doing so well due to Tittle, Shofner, Gifford, Morrison, and some others that not many noticed.

Anyway, all the bad seemed to start with the disappointing 1963 championship game loss.

I rooted for the Giants in those days and saw the 1963 Title game on TV. It might be the most obvious case of the better team losing I've ever seen. When Tittle hit Gifford with a TD pass early on after a Bear turnover, it looked like it might be a Giants blowout. On the next series, the Giant defense forced another turnover. Tittle threw a TD pass to Del Shofner, who dropped it. On this play Bear LB Larry Morris hit Tittle's knee and he was never the same the rest of the game.

Tittle threw two bad interceptions which resulted in (very) short TD drives which the Bears used for a 14-10 win. This is one I hate to think about even now.

As I've noted before, the fact that Pete Rozelle chose to play games the weekend of JFK's asssassination may have had an indirect role in the title game result. The Bears-Giants game was played in bitter cold, as opposed to the weather one week later: perfect "football weather" in the high 30's-low 40's. Does that change the result? Considering the final margin was just four points...

[Saban1]

The New York Giants 1963 NFL Championship game loss to the Chicago Bears, 14 to 10, was not the worst game point wise, but it probably hurt the team as much or more than any other loss that the Giants ever suffered and set the stage for a long playoff drought for the Giants. It was the third straight championship game loss for the New York team and was the most disappointing, from what I have heard and read.

The Giants players and many fans felt that their 1961 and 1962 championship losses were to a great team (the Green Bay Packers), but the Bears were not in the same class. Chicago did have a great defense that year, but not a championship offense, in the opinion of many.

I have read that coach Allie Sherman discussed with owner Wellington Mara that the Giants would go no farther unless some changes were made, and the fact that many of their key players were getting older. The Giants traded away DT Dick Modzelewski, MLB Sam Huff, and HB Phil King. In return, they got HB Dick James and DT/DE Andy Stynchula for Huff and TE Bob Crespino from the Cleveland Browns for Modzelewski and a draft choice for King.

Crespino was acquired to try to replace TE Joe Walton, who retired after the 1963 season. Stynchula was to replace Andy Robustelli at RDE, but instead was used at LDT in 1964, which was Modzelewski's position. Robustelli was coaxed into returning for one more season, even though he was 38 years old and was to turn 39 during the season. LB Jerry Hillebrand was to take Huff's middle linebacker position, but the spot ended up being filled by a rookie named Lou Slaby.

The Giants fell to last place in 1964 with a 2-10-2 record. Many blamed the trades, but I believe that there was more to it than that. QB Y. A. Tittle and receiver Del Shofner were both sensational in 1962 and 1963, but both did not come close to repeating those years as Tittle had probably his worst ever season in 1964 and Shofner only played about half of that season due to an injury or injuries.

There were signs of slippage in 1963 as Giants quarterbacks were sacked 35 times that year compared with only 17 times in 1962, according to what I have read. Players like Robustelli and Webster and some of the other older players were slipping, but the Giants offense was doing so well due to Tittle, Shofner, Gifford, Morrison, and some others that not many noticed.

Anyway, all the bad seemed to start with the disappointing 1963 championship game loss.

I rooted for the Giants in those days and saw the 1963 Title game on TV. It might be the most obvious case of the better team losing I've ever seen. When Tittle hit Gifford with a TD pass early on after a Bear turnover, it looked like it might be a Giants blowout. On the next series, the Giant defense forced another turnover. Tittle threw a TD pass to Del Shofner, who dropped it. On this play Bear LB Larry Morris hit Tittle's knee and he was never the same the rest of the game.

Tittle threw two bad interceptions which resulted in (very) short TD drives which the Bears used for a 14-10 win. This is one I hate to think about even now.

The way you feel about that 1963 title game is pretty much how I feel about the 1958 Pat Summerall field goal game, won by the Giants over the Browns, 13 to 10. Win or tie that game and Cleveland gets into the championship game against Baltimore. I have always felt that the Browns were really the better team that year.

It is kind of an embarrassment when your team gets slaughtered, but it's those close losses that costs your team championships that really kill you.

[SixtiesFan]

The New York Giants 1963 NFL Championship game loss to the Chicago Bears, 14 to 10, was not the worst game point wise, but it probably hurt the team as much or more than any other loss that the Giants ever suffered and set the stage for a long playoff drought for the Giants. It was the third straight championship game loss for the New York team and was the most disappointing, from what I have heard and read.

The Giants players and many fans felt that their 1961 and 1962 championship losses were to a great team (the Green Bay Packers), but the Bears were not in the same class. Chicago did have a great defense that year, but not a championship offense, in the opinion of many.

I have read that coach Allie Sherman discussed with owner Wellington Mara that the Giants would go no farther unless some changes were made, and the fact that many of their key players were getting older. The Giants traded away DT Dick Modzelewski, MLB Sam Huff, and HB Phil King. In return, they got HB Dick James and DT/DE Andy Stynchula for Huff and TE Bob Crespino from the Cleveland Browns for Modzelewski and a draft choice for King.

Crespino was acquired to try to replace TE Joe Walton, who retired after the 1963 season. Stynchula was to replace Andy Robustelli at RDE, but instead was used at LDT in 1964, which was Modzelewski's position. Robustelli was coaxed into returning for one more season, even though he was 38 years old and was to turn 39 during the season. LB Jerry Hillebrand was to take Huff's middle linebacker position, but the spot ended up being filled by a rookie named Lou Slaby.

The Giants fell to last place in 1964 with a 2-10-2 record. Many blamed the trades, but I believe that there was more to it than that. QB Y. A. Tittle and receiver Del Shofner were both sensational in 1962 and 1963, but both did not come close to repeating those years as Tittle had probably his worst ever season in 1964 and Shofner only played about half of that season due to an injury or injuries.

There were signs of slippage in 1963 as Giants quarterbacks were sacked 35 times that year compared with only 17 times in 1962, according to what I have read. Players like Robustelli and Webster and some of the other older players were slipping, but the Giants offense was doing so well due to Tittle, Shofner, Gifford, Morrison, and some others that not many noticed.

Anyway, all the bad seemed to start with the disappointing 1963 championship game loss.

I rooted for the Giants in those days and saw the 1963 Title game on TV. It might be the most obvious case of the better team losing I've ever seen. When Tittle hit Gifford with a TD pass early on after a Bear turnover, it looked like it might be a Giants blowout. On the next series, the Giant defense forced another turnover. Tittle threw a TD pass to Del Shofner, who dropped it. On this play Bear LB Larry Morris hit Tittle's knee and he was never the same the rest of the game.

Tittle threw two bad interceptions which resulted in (very) short TD drives which the Bears used for a 14-10 win. This is one I hate to think about even now.

The way you feel about that 1963 title game is pretty much how I feel about the 1958 Pat Summerall field goal game, won by the Giants over the Browns, 13 to 10. Win or tie that game and Cleveland gets into the championship game against Baltimore. I have always felt that the Browns were really the better team that year.

It is kind of an embarrassment when your team gets slaughtered, but it's those close losses that costs your team championships that really kill you.

And that's not all that went wrong for the Giants in the 1963 NFL Title Game. With the Giants up 10-7 at halftime, Hugh McElhenny broke free with the second half kickoff and literally ran out of gas after going 47 yards. The young McElhenny would have gone all the way. He was two days short of his 35th birthday.

By the way, on December 31, Hugh McElhenny turns 88.

[Saban1]

Sixties Fan: The King was really a great one all right. Even at 35, he made a lot of good plays for the Giants in 1963. I hope that McElhenny is still around for a long time and has many good years ahead.

On that kickoff return, it looked to me like the last man between Hugh and the goal line tackled him. Otherwise, he may have gone all the way. Just the way I remember it.

[Saban1]

The Minnesota Vikings 1966 home loss to the 1 win and 11 losses Atlanta Falcons might be a candidate here. Minnesota was thought to have a good chance to get into the championship game before the season started. Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin and quarterback Fran Tarkenton did not get along very well that year which resulted in both men leaving the Vikings after the 1966 season.

It got so bad that Van Brocklin benched Tarkenton in their game against the Falcons, who were one of the worst expansion teams ever in 1966. With the Vikings playing their reserve quarterbacks for the entire game, Atlanta beat them, 20 to 13. Seems like Minnesota should have been able to beat the Falcons even without Tarkenton, but they didn't.

The Vikings were not the first team to lose to the Falcons (the 1-12-1 Giants were), but it still had to be bad, and in front of their home crowd.

[BD Sullivan]

The Minnesota Vikings 1966 home loss to the 1 win and 11 losses Atlanta Falcons might be a candidate here. Minnesota was thought to have a good chance to get into the championship game before the season started. Head Coach Norm Van Brocklin and quarterback Fran Tarkenton did not get along very well that year which resulted in both men leaving the Vikings after the 1966 season.

It got so bad that Van Brocklin benched Tarkenton in their game against the Falcons, who were one of the worst expansion teams ever in 1966. With the Vikings playing their reserve quarterbacks for the entire game, Atlanta beat them, 20 to 13. Seems like Minnesota should have been able to beat the Falcons even without Tarkenton, but they didn't.

The Vikings were not the first team to lose to the Falcons (the 1-12-1 Giants were), but it still had to be bad, and in front of their home crowd.

That game was a Minnesota snow special, with only the line markers visible. Ironically, it was Minny that was most affected by the weather, with six turnovers--compared to none by the Falcons. Two of those were crucial to the game: Bob Berry's pass turned into a 62-yard pick-six and Vikes rookie Bob Lindsey fumbled on the Minnesota one-yard line. The fumble changed the momentum completely, since the Vikings were leading 7-0 at the time in the second quarter. Randy Johnson scored on a QB sneak, and after Atlanta then stopped Minnesota again, they drove down 60 yards to score their second TD. The interception by Bob Riggle (who had also recovered the fumble) was on the second play of the subsequent Viking drive.

Leading up to the game, Bob Berry (getting his first pro start) talked about how he had never played in weather colder than about 35 degrees while playing for Oregon.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/b ... 040min.htm