"Bullet" Bob Hayes returns a punt 84 yards for a TD as Dallas downs Cleveland, 38-24..

1968 NFL Season: 

CURRENTLY UNPLAYED - Week 16: NFL Championship Game

16 Baltimore (Kroll) at Dallas (Schindl)

Week 15 Recap: NFL Conf. Championships

15 Dallas (Schindl) 38 at Cleveland (Gallagher) 24
Speed kills. “Bullet Bob” Hayes returned a punt 84 yards for a touchdown and caught two more to lead the Cowboys to a 38-24 win over the Browns. Hayes had 5 catches for 134 yards in addition to his punt return. With the win, the Cowboys avenged their loss to the Browns in the first round of last year’s playoffs. Before the game, Landry showed the team clips of last years game and the Cowboys came out fired up.

Both teams moved the ball well. Cleveland rolled up more than 400 yards in offense. Leroy Kelly gained 109 yards on 21 carries and Bill Nelsen completed 15-30 for 295 yards 2 TDs and 2 INTs in a losing cause. Don Perkins of the Cowboys led all rushers with 115 yards on 20 carries. The Browns sorely missed Bill Glass who was injured in last week’s game against the Cardinals. Meredith threw for 232 yards and 3 TDs for the Cowboys. Nelsen drove the Browns to the Cowboy 15 with under a minute left, but All-Pro linebacker Chuck Howley help end the drive with a sack of Nelsen.

The Cowboys will host the Baltimore Colts in the NFL championship game. The Colts thrashed the Bears 45-7 and will give the Cowboys their toughest challenge yet.

15 Chicago (Lucio) 7 at Baltimore (Kroll) 45
Baltimore handled Chicago easily and moves on.

1968 AFL Season: 

CURRENTLY UNPLAYED - Week 17 SUPER BOWL III

 

Week 16 Recap: AFL Championship Game

16 Kansas City 21 at New York 24
  The winter wind was howling at Shea Stadium so much so that 38 points were scored with the wind versus only 7 points against. Kansas City had the 1st quarter wind and, after a slow start by both teams, raced out to 2 quick TDs. A 6-yard Len Dawson to Fred Arbanas pass provided the game's 1st score and completed a 10-play, 84-yard drive. A first-play-of-the-drive 37-yard pass from Dawson to Frank Pitts was the big play. On the 3rd play after the Chiefs TD, Goldie Sellers stepped in front of a Joe Namath pass giving KC the ball on the Jets 41. On the next play, Dawson tossed a perfect pass to Otis Taylor and it looked like the Chiefs might run away with this one. Getting the wind in the 2nd quarter, the Chiefs offense sputtered but the Jets could do little for half of the quarter. With 7:07 left in the half, the Jets started their first good drive, ending with a 14-yard Namath to Pete Lammons TD pass. New York went 73 yards in 6 plays. Following a Chiefs 3-and-out, the Jets were in business again 70 yards from the goal line with 2:01 to go before halftime. Despite being sacked twice on the drive for 22 yards in losses, Namath drove the Jets to midfield before connecting on a 49-yard TD bomb to Don Maynard to tie the game.

The Jets got the 3rd quarter wind and put it to good use after stopping the Chiefs on downs. On NY's 2nd play of the half, Maynard got behind the Chiefs defense again and caught a 61 yard pass from Broadway Joe to give the Jets their first lead. Despite having given up 21 unanswered points, the Chiefs weren't finished as they went 77 yards to get the game's only score into the wind. Mike Garrett's one-yard plunge completed the drive. The Jets next possession took them 59 yards to the Chiefs 12 yardline where Jim Turner kicked a 19 yard with one tick left on the clock to put New York up 24-21.

The Chiefs had 3 4th quarter drives with the wind, once moving the ball as close as the Jets 36 yardline but the scoreless 4th quarter was mostly one of the Chiefs struggling against a stiffening Jets defense and the Jets trying to move the ball and kill the clock.

Lenny Dawson started hot but finished only 9-of-25 for just 174 yards--he did have 2 TDs with no INTs. Robert Holmes led all runners with 90 yards to pace a 162 yard rushing game by Kansas City but it did take them 41 carries to get those yards. Mike Garrett caught 4 passes; Otis Taylor grabbed 2 for 58 yards.

Joe Namath started slowly and threw 3 interceptions in the game but after awhile, became remarkably accurate on his deep passes going 18-for-30 for a whopping 433 yards and 3 TDs. Kansas City totally shut down the Jets running game as Matt Snell led New York with 14 yards rushing; the team ran for only 31 yards on 21 carries. Pete Lammons caught 3 balls for 47 yards and a TD but he was overshadowed by George Sauer's 5 catches for 134 yards. However, neither of them could hold a candle to Don Maynard's incredible 206 yard game on 7 catches, 2 of them for scores.

The loss completes Kansas City's excellent season. The Jets victory sends them off to Super Bowl III to see if they can avenge the AFL's two disappointing losses to the NFL.

Commish Chad Weyenberg:  cweyenberg@comcast.net