1968
"THIS
WEEK IN THE AFL"
Weeks 3, 4 and 5 - All on One DVD!
(1 Hour, 16 Minutes, Color)
Three back-to-back 1968 AFL
"Week in Review" films are now together and in color on this 76-minute
DVD from Rare Sportsfilms. Here are the
games and players you'll see:
* Jets vs Patriots
at Legion Field, Birmingham – Joe Namath TD passes to Don Maynard and Pete
Lammons, Randy Beverly’s interception return, Mark Smolinski’s TD run off a
blocked kick and 4 FGs by Jim Turner help Jets beat Boston 47-31. 70-yd pass, Mike Taliaferro to rookie Aaron
March, accounts for only Pats TD of first half and 14-yd TD pass to Gene Thomas
is final score of the game.
* Chiefs
vs Broncos at old Municipal Stadium, K.C. – Denver holds Chiefs to two
FGs, but get only a safety themselves in low-scoring 6-2 first half. Jacky Lee replaces Len Dawson for the second
half and he and rookie RB Robert Holmes (2 TD’s) revive Chiefs toward an
eventual 34-2 win. Bud Abell has two
interceptions and the final two scores are by Otis Taylor. Jim LeClair is QB for the Broncos.
* Bills vs Bengals at Nippert
Stadium – 80-yd reverse by SE Warren McVea and 11-yd FG by Dale Livingston give
Bengals early 10-0 lead, but Bill’s HB “Mini” Max Anderson’s 14-yd TD run brings
score to 10-7 at halftime. Bills take
lead 14-10 when Gary McDermott scores on 3rd qtr. 7-yd TD run. But Cincy bounces back on interception
returns of 30 and 20 yards by Charlie King and LB Al Beauchamp to grab 27-14
lead. Anderson then runs back kickoff
100-yds and Paul Guidry gets Bills a safety to close gap to 27-23 with 1:54
left. However 34-23 game ends on Tom
Smiley’s 14-yd TD run, as baby Bengals now post surprising 2-1 record after
first three weeks of the season!
* Raiders vs Dolphins at The
Orange Bowl – A 73-yd bomb to Warren Wells and 3-yd TD pass from Daryle
Lamonica to Billy Cannon give Raiders 14-0 lead by end of first qtr. A screen to Pete Banaszak for 49-yards
pushes the Oakland lead to 21-0 in second quarter before a Bob Griese to Larry
Seiple 4-yd TD pass puts Miami on the scoreboard. Lamonica’s 4th TD pass (11 yds to
Bill Miller) ups the score to 28-7, but Griese to Karl Noonan TD pass answers. Before the half Dan Birdwell and Carlton
Oats trap rookie Jim Kiick in the end zone for a safety and George Blanda kicks
a 6-yd FG for a 33-14 score at intermission.
A Pete Banaszak 43-yd run adds 7 more Raider points in the third qtr.
before rookie Larry Csonka’s 2-yd slant brings the score to 40-21. By the end of the game, Willie Brown’s interception
has capped off first place Raider’s Sat. night 47-21 win vs 2nd-year expansion
Dolphins!
* Chargers
vs Oilers at San Diego Stadium – Chargers enter the 4th
quarter of this game trailing 14-9, but at the end, Chargers have won,
30-14! Two FG’s by Dennis Partee have
Chargers leading 6-0 at the end of first quarter, but a Woody Campbell nine-yd
TD run soon gives Houston the lead, 7-6.
However by halftime, Chargers have
taken back the lead on a FG, 9-7. Hoyle
Granger’s short TD run is the only score in the 3rd qtr. and gives
Houston 14-9 lead as Chargers begin final period. Brad Hubbert’s 3-yrd run overcomes Oiler lead,
16-14, and Joe Beauchamp intercepts QB Pete Beathard at the end of the game as San
Diego remains undefeated at 2-0, while Oilers fall to 1-2.
WEEK 4
* Chargers
vs Bengals at Nippert Stadium – Only first qtr. score is a 21-yd FG by
Dale Livingston. A 10-yd John Hadl to
Gary Garrison TD pass nets first Charger points of the afternoon. After a Charger FG, another Hadl to Garrison
TD pass increases the Charger lead and San Diego is ahead 17-3 at halftime. A 3rd qtr. 6-yd TD run by Essex
Johnson brings the Bengals closer at 17-10, but later, two short Hadl TD runs complete
the scoring, as Chargers win 31-10. You’ll
see interceptions by Sherrill Headrick (Bengals) and Kenny Graham and Bob
Howard (Chargers).
* Raiders vs Oilers at The
Astrodome – In this first meeting of the two clubs since last year’s AFL
Championship game, Houston opens the scoring on a Pete Beathard to Mac Haik TD
pass for a 7-0 lead. Oakland scores in
the 2nd qtr. on a Dave Grayson interception runback to tie the
score. Later, Olin Underwood dumps QB
Lamonica in the end zone for a safety and 9-7 Oiler halftime lead. In the 3rd. qtr., Lamonica’s pair
of 9-yd TD passes to Warren Wells and Billy Cannon boosts the score to 24-9
Raiders. Backup QB Bob Davis enters the
game in the final period and sparks Houston to a final TD (3-yd run by Hoyle
Granger), but a two-point conversion fails when Dan Birdwell intercepts and
Oakland wins 24-15, staying undefeated at 4-0.
* Patriots vs Broncos at Mile
High Stadium – A weak Patriot offense (lacking Jim Nance) and only 7 for 20 passing
for Denver lead to a halftime score of only 10-10. A late 3rd. qtr. Boston TD by Jim
Whelan is enough to beat the Broncos, however a bright spot is the late 4th
qtr. insertion of new rookie QB Marlin Briscoe, who scores his first career TD
on a 12-yd run! Pats win, 20-17.
* Chiefs
vs Dolphins at The Orange Bowl – First shown is the Dolphin’s best play
of the evening – a Bob Griese to Larry Csonka screen pass that goes for 65
yards in the 4th quarter. A K.C.
FG, a TD pass from Len Dawson to Gloster Richardson, a 4-yd TD run by Bert Coan
and a 50-yd strike to Otis Taylor help build a 24-3 lead after just the first
quarter! Before halftime, Robert Holmes
takes an off-tackle play for a 76-yd TD run and a Dawson to Wendell Hayes 15-yd
TD has the Chiefs winning 38-3 at the half.
After a 3rd. qtr. FG, Jim Lynch’s interception goes 22 yards for the
final points in a 48-3 Chiefs romp!
* Bills
vs Jets at War Memorial Stadium – Bills and Jets fans still talk about
this amazing AFL classic! Bills rookie
QB Dan Darragh faces Joe Namath for the first time, and the woeful Bills beat
the eventual Champion Jets for their ONLY win of the ‘68s season! The Jets score first on a 4-yd TD pass from
Namath to George Sauer and lead 7-0. Bruce
Alford’s 35-yd FG next puts points on the board for Buffalo and Ben Gregory’s
2-yd TD plunge adds 7 more, as Buffalo goes ahead, 10-7. Soon, Tom Janek intercepts a Namath pass for
his second time in the game, this time returning the ball 100 yards for a 17-7
Bills lead! Emerson Boozer’s 1-yd TD brings
the score to 17-14 Bills late in the half.
With a minute remaining, another Alford FG makes it 20-14 but just 40 seconds
later, Namath hits Don Maynard with a 55-yard bomb to end a frantic 21-20 first
half! In the 3rd qtr. Namath
is sacked by Mike Stratton, setting up another Alford FG and putting Buffalo
back in front, 23-21. Early in the 4th
quarter, Namath is again intercepted, Butch Byrd taking it back 53yds. for a 30-21
Bills lead. Only a minute later, Namath
throws his 4th INT of the day, Booker Edgerson taking it back 45
yards for another TD and 37-21 Bills lead.
Back come the Jets, with Namath tossing a short scoring pass to Matt
Snell in the end zone (37-28). Late in
the game, Namath overthrows a pass to George Sauer and Butch Byrd makes his
second interception of the day. But the
game isn’t over. The Jets block an
ensuing Bills punt, then Namath finds George Sauer for a final TD, the Jets
falling just short, 37-35 in one of the most amazing games of the season! Namath threw 4 TD passes and five
interceptions, three of them run back for TD’s!
WEEK 5
* Dolphins
vs Oilers at The Astrodome – Woody Campbell’s 4-yd TD run gives Oilers
temporary 7-0 lead. However backup Oiler
QB Bob Davis has a rough day. His snap
fumble is picked up by John Bramlett and lateralled to Willie West who scores
from 10 yards out to quickly tie the game 7-7.
In the second quarter, a 2-YD TD plunge by rookie Larry Csonka gives the
Dolphins the lead, 14-7. Later, a 50-yd
bomb to Karl Noonan and a FG add up to a 24-7 Dolphin win, their first of the
season!
* Broncos
vs Bengals at Mile High Stadium – The Bengals score in the second qtr.
on a fake FG, Bobby Hunt running around left end from the 12. In the
4th qtr., Bobby Howfield’s 44-yd FG cuts the Cincy lead to 7-3 and then
Bengals lose this game when Greg Garrett knocks the ball out of HB Essex
Johnson’s hand. QB Steve Tensi then leads
the Broncos to the winning score, rookie Mike Haffner hauling in a 10-yd TD pass
for a 10-7 win.
* Raiders
vs Patriots at Oakland Coliseum – Boston takes the lead in a
low-scoring first half when Gene Thomas sprints around left end to score the
first TD. Later in the half Lamonica hits
Warren Wells with a TD pass and at halftime Oakland still trails Boston
10-7. The second half is all Oakland, with
first Wells taking a pitchout around right end all the way on a 42-yd TD run
(nice block by Gene Upshaw), putting the Raiders ahead for good. Meanwhile Ben Davidson, Carleton Oats and
Dan Conners, etc. are shutting down the Patriots. Another TD pass goes to Hewritt Dixon. A Charlie Smith fumble is picked up by Fred Biletnikoff
and run in for another score. At the
end ageless QB George Blanda comes in and tosses a TD pass to Dave Kocourek as
Oakland wins the game, 41-10.
* Chiefs
vs Bills at War Memorial Stadium – The Bills score first in this game,
with Dan Darragh tossing a TD pass to Haven Moses in the first quarter to grab
a 7-0 lead, but it would be the only TD they would score all night. The Chiefs also scored in the first qtr. on
a TD pass from Dawson to Gloster Richardson, and more surprisingly, it would
also be their only TD of the evening.
However, the Chiefs move the ball across the field throughout the game
and with Jan Stenerud kicking four FG’s (all less than 20 yards), the Chiefs
win, 18-7.
* Jets
vs Chargers at Shea Stadium, NY. – The largest crowd in AFL history
(63,786) gathers at Shea on this Saturday night to watch a dramatic game
between two top AFL contenders and the game does not disappoint. At halftime the Jets lead 9-7. In the 3rd qtr. the Jets extend
their lead with a 12-play drive ending with Matt Snell going over on a 1-yd
plunge (16-7 Jets). The Chargers
respond with a John Hadl to Gary Garrison 84-yd bomb (16-13). With 5:45 left in the game, Garrison pulls
in his 2nd TD of the evening, and the Chargers take the lead, 20-16. Namath then leads the Jets on a 13-play 75-yd
scoring drive, with Emerson Boozer finally scoring on 4th and goal
from the three and the Jets again lead 23-20!
There is only 1:43 left for Hadl to move the Chargers into at least FG
range. Hadl completes a pass to
Garrison on the 30 with only 20 seconds left.
Then his throw to Ken Dyer on the five is picked off by Johnny Sample
and the Jets win the game!