Philadelphia Eagles
Vs.
New York Jets
August 19, 1967
CINCINNATI, Aug. 19- All week long, the Philadelphia Eagles moaned that five of their six best defensive backs would spend this weekend in National Guard camp. And with that handicap, the Eagles complained, how could they do well against the New York Jets?
How?
They showed how tonight, and they made it look easy. Even though the Eagles played badly in spurts, they whipped the Jets, 34-19. The Eagles just waited for the Jets to make mistakes, and they seldom had to wait long.
The first period was marked by a brawl involving players from both teams.
The 22,000 spectators at Nippert Stadium watched the Eagles of the National Football League and the Jets of the American League make their debut in interleague competition.
Everyone expected the Jets to pass all night against the inexperienced Eagle secondary. But except for a last quarter touchdown drive, the Jets completed only six passes.
Injuries to the three key backs also hurt the Jets. Joe Namath and Matt Snell left the game in the second quarter and Emerson Boozer was put out of action in the last quarter. None returned, except Snell for one play.
Namath suffered a subluxation of the left kneecap, which isn't as bad as it sounds. Actually, the tendon is inflamed. The Jet quarterback has bursitis in this knee. He has undergone two operations on the other knee.
Snell hurt his right foot and Boozer strained a knee. Larry Grantham, returning to linebacker after a knee injury, wobbled off the field after the first play of the second quarter, but he was back in action in the third quarter.
Those were the physical wounds. The Jets suffered more from misplays. They were ahead, 13-3, late in the second quarter when the mistakes started piling up.
The Eagles scored two touchdowns within 80 seconds in the last three minutes of the half. They scored two more touchdowns in the third quarter. All four touchdowns were gifts.
The first came on a 41-yard left handed option pass from Dan Berry to Chuck Hughes, and there wasn't a Jet within 5 yards of Hughes when he caught the ball. The second came when Fred Brown blocked Curley Johnson's punt, scooped up the ball on the Jet 3-yard line and scored.
Norm Snead's 26-yard pass to an uncovered Harry Wilson made the score 24-13 in the third quarter. Eight minutes later, Snead connected on a 41-yard scoring pass to Ron Goodwin on a play that should have been aborted twice. To start with, Jim Harris hit Snead's arm as he threw. Then Al Atkinson deflected the ball. Goodwin caught it, anyway.
There were other defensive shortcomings by the Jets, but that will suffice. The Eagles used Snead, their only experienced quarterback, all the way and his passing figures were impressive only because the Jets mustered no pass rush.
The Eagle defense harried the Jets frequently and Namath and Mike Taliaferro had little luck passing. The Jets who looked best were Solomon Brannan, who intercepted two passes, and Bill Baird, who tackled Izzy Lang from behind to save a touchdown.
The Jets' most effective work came during a first-period brawl that saw players from both teams race onto the field. The trouble started when Lang was bumped out of bounds after catching a pass. In quick order, Timmy Brown of the Eagles jammed an elbow in Johnny Sample's back. Cornell Gordon of the Jets punched Mike Ditka and Gary Ballman of the Eagles hit Hudson. The officials ejected Sample and Gordon of the Jets and Brown and Ditka of the Eagles.
Brown is the best Eagle runner and Ditka the best tight end. Their absence went unnoticed because the Jets made so many mistakes.
“You can't win," said Coach Weeb Ewbank of the Jets, “playing defense like that.”
|
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
|
|
Eagles |
3 |
14 |
14 |
3 |
34 |
|
Jets |
7 |
6 |
0 |
6 |
19 |
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
PHIL- FG Abshire 31
JETS- Snell 1 run (Turner kick)
Second Quarter
JETS- FG Turner 38
JETS- FG Turner 47
PHIL- Hughes 41 yard pass from Berry (Abshire kick)
PHIL- Brown 5 yard run with blocked punt (Abshire kick)
Third Quarter
Wilson 26 yard pass from Snead (Abshire kick)
Goodwin 41 yard pass from Snead (Abshire kick)
Fourth Quarter
JETS- B. Turner 12 yard pass from Taliaferro (run failed)
PHIL- FG Abshire 41
Att- 22,000
