Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

ChrisBabcock wrote:The starting QB for the losing team was on the winning team’s roster the previous season.

A player set his team’s single game rushing record in this game.

The losing team had a 9 point lead in this game yet lost by over 3 touchdowns.

1995: Bills 31 Carolina 9

Frank Reich was the starting QB for the Panthers
Derrick Moore set the single game rushing record for Carolina with 53 yards. Granted, it was just their second game.

Carolina jumped to a 9-0 lead, and Buffalo responded with 31 unanswered points.
Jim Kelly only completed three passes during the comeback (and he was 4 of 21 on the day with three interceptions.) The completions went for 77, 60, and 35 yards and led to 2 touchdowns and a FG. Another touchdown came on an interception return, and the Bills moved 41 yards on eight runs for another touchdown, after a short punt.
A very strange game.

Correct! Adam, I kinda thought you would get this one if you were watching this thread. Yes a very strange game. Only their 2nd game in existence and the Panthers were shutting out the "mighty" Bills into the 2nd half. I remember watching that game with my father and I think there was some nail biting going on!

I had looked at it briefly and nothing registered. Last night I saw it again and started thinking of backup QB's who switched teams and became starters. I went over all the Bills, and came to Frank Reich. The 9 point deficit lit up my memory. I had to confirm the individual rushing yards in that game and the game before.

For context, Buffalo had lost the season opener handily, and losing to an expansion franchise would have been depressing. Kelly and Reich were a combined 10 for 44. The Bills also used Andre Reed on reverses 4 or 5 times... or maybe they were counter plays, and not actual reverses... I can't remember

Got another one....

Both head coaches in this game would coach the same team (a third team) at a different point in their careers and coach this team into the playoffs.

A player scoring a TD on the winning team was a past teammate of Roman Gabriel.

A player scoring a TD on the losing team would be a future teammate of Steve Young.

ChrisBabcock wrote:Got another one....

Both head coaches in this game would coach the same team (a third team) at a different point in their careers and coach this team into the playoffs.

A player scoring a TD on the winning team was a past teammate of Roman Gabriel.

A player scoring a TD on the losing team would be a future teammate of Steve Young.

Got it.

The 1981 game between the Eagles and the Bills. Vermeil and Knox both coached the Rams to the playoffs at various points in their careers. Harold Carmichael was a former teammate of Gabriel and Joe Cribbs a future teammate of Young's.

Got it.

The 1981 game between the Eagles and the Bills. Vermeil and Knox both coached the Rams to the playoffs at various points in their careers. Harold Carmichael was a former teammate of Gabriel and Joe Cribbs a future teammate of Young's.

yep

The kicker for the winning team had previously been on a Super Bowl champion (with another squad) and would be on another Super Bowl champion (with yet another team) in the future.

The kicker for the losing team, while with another squad, had kicked a game-winning field goal against the winning team in the postseason a few years previous.

The winning TD pass was thrown by a QB who did not start the game. The catch was the receiver's only career TD.

A former Heisman Trophy winner tallied a TD for the losing team. Also, the losing team's quarterback, a long-time veteran, threw the last TD pass of his career. He also did not start the game.

Got it. Browns 23, Vikings 17 (OT) - 12/17/89
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ ... 170cle.htm

The kicker for the winning team had previously been on a Super Bowl champion (with another squad) and would be on another Super Bowl champion (with yet another team) in the future.

Matt Bahr. This was a somewhat easy starting point. I honestly cannot think of any other kickers who won SBs with 2 different teams and played for another team in between. So the next step was going through Browns playoff games of the 1980s and finding one lost by a field goal.

The kicker for the losing team, while with another squad, had kicked a game-winning field goal against the winning team in the postseason a few years previous.

Rich Karlis

The winning TD pass was thrown by a QB who did not start the game. The catch was the receiver's only career TD.

Mike Pagel to Van Waiters

A former Heisman Trophy winner tallied a TD for the losing team. Also, the losing team's quarterback, a long-time veteran, threw the last TD pass of his career. He also did not start the game.

Herschel Walker, Tommy Kramer

Good one!

Yeah I realized after I posted that the first clue made it a dead giveaway.

Yeah I realized after I posted that the first clue made it a dead giveaway.

Well, maybe the first clue in conjunction with the second clue.