Teams that were ahead scoring on the last play

[Evan]

I seem to recall in the previous Forum there was a thread about "Teams that were ahead scoring on the last play" - which Atlanta did to New Orleans yesterday when Osi Umenyiora returned a fumble 86 yards for a TD to finish a 30-14 win.

Another instance was Houston scoring on a John Corker 43-yard fumble return to cap a 22-3 win at Green Bay in 1980.

Anyone remember if there have been others?

[Bryan]

I think the Redskins kicked a FG on the last play of their 72-41 win over the Giants. I had thought the Bengals did the same thing against the Oilers in 1989 during their 61-7 win, but 'research' shows that there was still 25 seconds left after Jim Breech's FG.

Troy Polamalu kind of scored a TD on the last play against the Chargers in 2008, but had it overturned by Scott Green's crew. The irony was that the officiating had been terrible all game, with the Steelers accumulating 13 penalties to the Chargers 1...with the officials also responsible for the incorrectly-called forward lateral which negated Polamalu's TD.

[Todd Pence]

I'll have to check up on this, but I think it was on the last play of the game during the 1979 Seahawks-Raiders game that Jim Zorn threw a touchdown pass to Sherman Smith despite already being up by 20-10.

[conace21]

I'll have to check up on this, but I think it was on the last play of the game during the 1979 Seahawks-Raiders game that Jim Zorn threw a touchdown pass to Sherman Smith despite already being up by 20-10.

In 1987, the Eagles led Dallas 30-20 and were running out the clock when Randall Cunningham suddenly threw for the end zone. A pass interference call put the ball on the 1. Keith Byars scored on the last play to give Philly a 37-20 win. Buddy Ryan was furious with Tom Landry for a 41-22 blowout in a strIke game 2 weeks earlier. Dallas had Danny White, Randy White, Too Tall Jones and Tony Dorsett playing. Ryan publicly supported his striking players and had no interest in leading his replacement players. Dallas didn't exactly run up the score; after taking a 41-10 lead in the third quarter, Philly outscored them 12-0 the rest of the game. But the Cowboys ran a reverse on the first play for a 62 yard TD, and scored two more TDs very quickly. Danny White and Dorsett played a ittle in the third quarter, supposedly just enough to avoid getting rusty. Some first team defensive players apparently returned to the game in the 2nd half as well.

[John Grasso]

This is one of my pet peeves about football. Isn't the object of the game to score points
when you can? This idea of not "running up the score" to me is silly. If teams don't
want to offend their opponents or risk injury then why don't the rules allow the
game to be ended by the referees upon mutual consent of the teams - similar
to a technical knockout in boxing ending the contest.

[Mark L. Ford]

If teams don't want to offend their opponents or risk injury then why don't the rules allow the
game to be ended by the referees upon mutual consent of the teams - similar to a technical knockout in boxing ending the contest.

That's an interesting idea. Supposing, for a moment, that-- using the excuse of player safety, of course-- the NFL did implement a rule about halting a game when a team has a lead of "x" points ("x" as in algebra, not "X" as in Roman numerals); I'm curious about what people think the number would be if there was such a reform. Teams have won games after being behind 35-3 in the 3rd quarter (Bills-Oilers playoff game in the 1992 season), and the hapless 1980 Saints managed to lose to the 49ers after blowing a 35-7 halftime lead.

Supposing that there had been a "mercy rule" in 1933 to stop the game if a team was ahead by four touchdowns, I wonder how many games would have been stopped? Folks in Washington could have left the 1940 NFL championship before halftime.

[rhickok1109]

If teams don't want to offend their opponents or risk injury then why don't the rules allow the
game to be ended by the referees upon mutual consent of the teams - similar to a technical knockout in boxing ending the contest.

That's an interesting idea. Supposing, for a moment, that-- using the excuse of player safety, of course-- the NFL did implement a rule about halting a game when a team has a lead of "x" points ("x" as in algebra, not "X" as in Roman numerals); I'm curious about what people think the number would be if there was such a reform. Teams have won games after being behind 35-3 in the 3rd quarter (Bills-Oilers playoff game in the 1992 season), and the hapless 1980 Saints managed to lose to the 49ers after blowing a 35-7 halftime lead.

Supposing that there had been a "mercy rule" in 1933 to stop the game if a team was ahead by four touchdowns, I wonder how many games would have been stopped? Folks in Washington could have left the 1940 NFL championship before halftime.

Yes, but note that John's idea involves mutual consent, not a mandatory "mercy rule" kind of thing. I think his idea makes sense, but I wonder how many head coaches would be willing to concede a game.

[conace21]

If teams don't want to offend their opponents or risk injury then why don't the rules allow the
game to be ended by the referees upon mutual consent of the teams - similar to a technical knockout in boxing ending the contest.

That's an interesting idea. Supposing, for a moment, that-- using the excuse of player safety, of course-- the NFL did implement a rule about halting a game when a team has a lead of "x" points ("x" as in algebra, not "X" as in Roman numerals); I'm curious about what people think the number would be if there was such a reform. Teams have won games after being behind 35-3 in the 3rd quarter (Bills-Oilers playoff game in the 1992 season), and the hapless 1980 Saints managed to lose to the 49ers after blowing a 35-7 halftime lead.

Supposing that there had been a "mercy rule" in 1933 to stop the game if a team was ahead by four touchdowns, I wonder how many games would have been stopped? Folks in Washington could have left the 1940 NFL championship before halftime.

Conrad Dobler wrote in his book of a Cardinals-Eagles game where St. Louis was leading by multiple scores and time was running down. The Cards weren't trying to score, but Dobler claimed they opened such a large whole that Terry Metcalf just walked in for a score as time expired. LB Bill Bergey started screaming at the Cardinals. Dobler backhanded him and a fight broke out.
Nicertainly ztory, but the facts don't support it. Terry Metcalf never scored a short TD in the 4th quarter of a blowout game that produced the final score. Dobler may have misremembered Metcaf, but I'like assume he was correct in remembering Bergey getting upset. Bergey joined the Eagles in 1975. The only Dobler-Bergey match up that fits is a 1975 game, where RB Eddie Moss scored on a 5 yard run to close the scoring. No clue how much time was left on the clock, but most Cardinals-Eagles games of that era were close.

[oldecapecod11]

John Grasso » Tue Dec 23, 2014 9:05 am
"This is one of my pet peeves about football. Isn't the object of the game to score points
when you can? This idea of not "running up the score" to me is silly. If teams don't
want to offend their opponents or risk injury then why don't the rules allow the
game to be ended by the referees upon mutual consent of the teams - similar
to a technical knockout in boxing ending the contest."

Isn't the TKO intended to prevent serious permanent injury to a practically defenseless boxer?
The TKO is NOT used because one fighter is simply too far ahead on the judges' and referee's cards.

Football games are sixty minutes and they should be played for 60 minutes.
To do anything less is unfair to too many people - especially, potentially, players.
If a team is leading by a big number and has an individual with an opportunity to set a record,
that person should be given every chance to do that within the rules. After all, the accumulation
that has put him is position to reach the record was not gathered when games were out of reach.
Then there is the issue of pride. Pride is a quality that is too often displayed by a checkbook
but there are people who do not want to throw in the towel just because they are trailing.
Nor do most true competitors want a "gimmee."
In this regard, I am reminded of Ted Williams - the last .400 hitter in baseball.
On September 28, 1941, Ted Williams batting average was at .39955.
The Red Sox were scheduled to play a double-header and if Ted sat out, his average
would be rounded to .400 and he would become the last .400 hitter in baseball.
So, what did Teddy ballgame do?
Well, he played and went 4-for-5 in the first game and 2-for-3 in the nightcap: 6-for-8 on the day
and finished the season at .406.
'Course men were different then and so were our heroes.

[Reaser]

Football games are sixty minutes and they should be played for 60 minutes.

Then there is the issue of pride. Pride is a quality that is too often displayed by a checkbook
but there are people who do not want to throw in the towel just because they are trailing.
Nor do most true competitors want a "gimmee."

'Course men were different then and so were our heroes.

Agreed.

Don't want to have the score ran up on you then stop them from scoring. If a team wants to be 'classy' and run out the clock, that's fine too.