1970

The NFL-AFL Merger Season

Research for the 1970 regular season comes from the Elias Sports Bureau and Pro Football Research Association

First Week
 

Los Angeles 34, St. Louis 13
Chicago 24, New York Giants 16
Atlanta 14, New Orleans 3
Baltimore 16, San Diego 14
Dallas 17, Philadelphia 7
Denver 25, Buffalo 10
Detroit 40, Green Bay 0
Cincinnati 31, Oakland 21
Houston 19, Pittsburgh 7
Minnesota 27, Kansas City 10
Boston 27, Miami 14
San Francisco 28, Washington 17
Cleveland 31, New York Jets 21
 

Baltimore's Jim O’Brien kicked three field goals in his first professional appearance including a final one in the last 56 seconds for Colts’ victory over the Chargers. Against the Eagles, Calvin Hill rushed for 117 yards while Dallas’ quarterback Roger Staubach completed 11 of 15 for 115 yards and one touchdown. The Detroit Lions rushed for 266 yards and their defense overwhelmed the Packers, who suffered their first shutout loss since 1958. Cincinnati upset Oakland for the second year in a row with an all-round attack sparked by Jess Phillips’ rushing.. In a rematch of the Super Bowl IV against the Chiefs, Gary Cuozzo directed Minnesota's attack, and place-kicker Fred Cox set a NFL record of kicking field goals in 20 consecutive games. In history's first Monday night football game, the Browns intercepted three passes by Joe Namath and held off a late New York bid. Cleveland's Homer Jones had a 94-yard kickoff return and Billy Andrews returned an interception for a touchdown late in the game to seal the win.

Second Week

Green Bay 27, Atlanta 24
Detroit 38, Cincinnati 3
San Francisco 34, Cleveland 31
Los Angeles 19, Buffalo 0
Miami 20, Houston 10
Minnesota 26, New Orleans 0
Dallas 28, New York Giants 10
New York Jets 31, Boston 21
Oakland 27, San Diego 27
Chicago 20, Philadelphia 16
Denver 16, Pittsburgh 13
St. Louis 27, Washington 17
Kansas City 44, Baltimore 24

The Packer's Don Horn replaced injured Bart Starr in the third period and hit Carroll Dale with decisive 89-yard touchdown pass midway through the final period to defeat the Falcons. Minnesota's Fred Cox kicked four field goals in a shutout win over New Orleans. Rookie safety Cliff Harris intercepted two New York passes as Dallas erased a 10-0 Giants’ halftime lead to win 28-10. The Jets' running game, paced by a 90-yard effort by Emerson Boozer and an 85-yard day by Matt Snell, propelled New York to a 31-21 victory over Boston. Two long fourth-period passes by John Hadl for touchdowns enabled San Diego to tie Oakland, the first deadlock in the 11-year rivalry between the former AFL clubs. MacArthur Lane rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the Cardinal's victory over the Redskins. Johnny Robinson made three interceptions and returned a fumble for a TD to give Kansas City a Monday night victory over the Colts.

Third Week

Miami 20, Oakland 13
Cleveland 15, Pittsburgh 7
Green Bay 13, Minnesota 10
Baltimore 14, Boston 6
New Orleans 14, New York Giants 10
St. Louis 20, Dallas 7
Buffalo 34, New York Jets 31
Houston 20, Cincinnati 13
Denver 26, Kansas City 13
Los Angeles 37, San Diego 10
Atlanta 21, San Francisco 20
Washington 33, Philadelphia 21
Detroit 28, Chicago 14

Bob Griese threw two touchdown passes to Paul Warfield and Miami scored its first victory over Oakland. The Cardinals moved into a tie with Dallas for the NFC East lead on a pair of touchdown passes by Jim Hart in the second half. Buffalo defeated the New York Jets on a pair of stunning performances. Dennis Shaw, in his first game as a starter, passed for 317 yards, second best in Bills history and O.J. Simpson had 303 total yards, including a 95 yard kickoff return. The Jets' Matt Snell was lost for the season with a torn Achilles tendon. The Denver Broncos defeated the struggling Chiefs for the first time since 1964. In a matchup of unbeatens, Detroit defeated Chicago, 28-14.

Fourth Week

Baltiomore 24, Houston 20
Miami 20, New York Jets 6
Dallas 13, Atlanta 0
Kansas City 23, Boston 10
Pittsburgh 23, Buffalo 10
Minnesota 24, Chicago 0
Cleveland 30, Cincinnati 27
St. Louis 24, New Orleans 17
Oakland 35, Denver 23
New York Giants 30, Philadelphia 23
Washington 31, Detroit 10
San Francisco 20, Los Angeles 6
Green Bay 22, San Diego 20

Pittsburgh ended a 16 game losing streak with a win over the Buffalo Bills. Cincinnati Coach Paul Brown made his first appearance in Cleveland since his head coaching days six years earlier, but the Bengals bowed, 30-27. St. Louis won its third straight behind the running of MacArthur Lane. Lane rushed for 132 yards including a 74 yard scoring dash in a 24-17 win over New Orleans. Against the Eagles, the Giants' Ron Johnson had his best day as a pro rushing for 142 yards. Joe Kapp made his debut for the Patriots in the second half, facing his opponents from the previous Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs. KC made life miserable for him again, winning 23-10.

Fifth Week

Detroit 41, Cleveland 24
Denver 24, Atlanta 10
Baltimore 29, New York Jets 22
Kansas City 27, Cincinnati 19
Minnesota 54, Dallas 13
New York Giants 16, Boston 0
Los Angeles 31, Green Bay 21
Pittsburgh 7, Houston 3
St. Louis 35, Philadelphia 20
Miami 33, Buffalo 14
San Diego 20, Chicago 7
New Orleans 20, San Francisco 20
Oakland 34, Washington 20

Six interceptions enabled Baltimore to defeat the Jets, 29-22, to reverse the decision of Super Bowl III despite a 397 yards passing effort by Joe Namath. In a tie with New Orleans, San Francisco quarterback John Brodie passed for 264 yards to boost his career yardage to 25,028 and become the fourth player to reach 25,000 yards passing. In a 33-14 loss to Miami, Dennis Shaw, rookie Buffalo passer, set a club record with 348 yards. The Cardinals scored 28 points in the second period to post their fourth straight victory and took over first place in the NFC Eastern Division. MacArthur Lane rushed for 125 yards and scored four touchdowns. Terry Bradshaw connected with his first TD pass to Ron Shanklin for Pittsburgh’s only score in a close victory over the Oilers. Minnesota posted its highest point total ever, downing the Cowboys, 54-13. Daryle Lamonica’s three TD passes and Hewitt Dixon’s 164 yards of rushing paced the Raiders to a victory over the Redskins on Monday night.

Sixth Week

Dallas 27, Kansas City 16
Baltimore 27, Boston 3
San Francisco 19, Denver 14
Buffalo 10, New York Jets 6
Washington 20, Cincinnati 0
Detroit 16, Chicago 10
Cleveland 28, Miami 0
Houston 31, San Diego 31
Atlanta 32, New Orleans 14
Oakland 31, Pittsburgh 14
New York Giants 35, St. Louis 17
Green Bay 30, Philadelphia 17
New York Giants 35, St. Louis 17
Minnesota 13, Los Angeles 3

Craig Morton flipped a little pass to Bob Hayes who sprinted to the end zone on an 89-yard scoring play for a Dallas 27-17 victory over the Chiefs. Buffalo defeated the Jets, 10-6, as AI Woodall replaced Joe Namath who was sidelined with a fractured wrist. The Redskins registered their first shutout since 1964 as Larry Brown rushed for 110 yards, his fourth 100 yard game of the season. The Browns maintained a 1½-game edge in the AFC Central division race with a 28-0 victory at Miami. George Blanda, 43, oldest player in the NFL, came off the bench when Daryle Lamonica hurt his back in the first period and paced the Raiders to a third straight victory, 31-14, over Pittsburgh. Fran Tarkenton threw five touchdown passes and completed 10 straight passes on his way to hitting 15 of 18 for 280 yards in the Giants' 35-17 victory over St. Louis.

Seventh Week

Buffalo 45, Boston 10
Chicago 23, Atlanta 14
San Francisco 26, Green Bay 10
Minnesota 30, Detroit 17
St. Louis 44, Houston 0
New York Giants 22, New York Jets 10
Los Angeles 30, New Orleans 17
Oakland 17, Kansas City 17
Baltimore 35, Miami 0
Dallas 21, Philadelphia 17
San Diego 27, Cleveland 10
Washington 19, Denver 3
Pittsburgh 21, Cincinnati 10

O. J. Simpson had 17 carries for 123 yards to lead the Bills to a big victory over the Patriots, 45-10. Cecil Turner returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown as Chicago downed Atlanta, 23-14. It was Turner’s third kickoff return of the season. Gary Cuozzo completed 13 passes for 253 yards as Minnesota broke a first-place tie with Detroit in the NFC Central Division. The Cardinals offense rolled for 454 yards and the defense produced St. Louis’ first shutout victory since the 1961 season as they downed Houston 44-0. The Giants defeated the Jets, 22-10, in the long-awaited New York neighborhood rivalry before the largest sports crowd in Shea Stadium history. George Blanda’s 48-yard field goal with three seconds remaining enabled Oakland to tie Kansas City and take the lead in the Western Division of the AFC.

Eighth Week

Oakland 23, Cleveland 20
St. Louis 31, Boston 0
Cincinnati 43, Buffalo 14
Atlanta 10, Los Angeles 10
New York Giants 23, Dallas 20
Philadelphia 24, Miami 17
San Diego 24, Denver 21
Minnesota 19, Washington 10
New Orleans 19, Detroit 17
Pittsburgh 21, New York Jets 17
Kansas City 24, Houston 9
San Francisco 37, Chicago 16
Baltimore 13, Green Bay 10


Tom Dempsey kicked a record 63-yard field goal with two seconds remaining and Detroit defeated New Orleans, 19-17. George Blanda’s 52-yard field goal in the final three seconds defeated the Browns, 23-20. The Cardinals scored their second straight shutout victory over an AFC rival by downing Boston, 31-0. It was the first time the NFL had witnessed consecutive shutouts since Green Bay achieved the feat in 1962. Ron Johnson rushed for 140 yards and caught the winning touchdown pass with 3:03 remaining as the Giants defeated Dallas, 23-20. The Steelers, en route to their best season since 1963, moved into a first place tie with Cleveland in the Central Division AFC race with a 21-17 victory over the Jets.

Ninth Week

Cincinnati 14, Cleveland 10
Atlanta 13, Philadelphia 13
Minnesota 24, Detroit 20
Baltimore 17, Buffalo 17
Kansas City 31, Pittsburgh 14
Green Bay 20, Chicago 19
Miami 21, New Orleans 10
San Francisco 30, Houston 20
New York Jets 31, Los Angeles 20
New York Giants 35, Washington 33
Oakland 24, Denver 19
San Diego 16, Boston 14
St. Louis 38, Dallas 0

The Bengals defeated the Browns, 14-10, behind quarterback Virgil Carter's 110 yards rushing the game was played before the largest crowd ever to see a sports event in Cincinnati. Kansas City's Len Dawson completed 19 of 24 attempts for 257 yards and three TDs in what was the best game since he beat Baltimore with four TD tosses. Green Bay quarterback Bart Starr circled right end for three yards and a touchdown and Dale Livingston added the winning extra point with three seconds remaining as Green Bay beat the Bears, 20-19. The 49ers defeated Houston, 30-20 and ran their streak to four victories, best since 1965, maintaining their position in first in the NFC Western. George Blanda directed a drive climaxed by his TD pass to Fred Biletnikoff with 2:28 remaining as the Raiders defeated Denver, 24-19. Joe Owen sacked Joe Kapp in the endzone for the final margin of victory in the Chargers' 16-14 win over Boston. The Cardinals scored their third consecutive shutout, defeating Dallas, 38-0. It was the first time since 1935 that a NFL team registered three straight shutouts.

Tenth Week

Miami 34, Baltimore 17
New York Jets 17, Boston 3
Minnesota 10, Green Bay 3
Chicago 31, Buffalo 13
Cleveland 28, Houston 14
Dallas 45, Washington 21
Los Angeles 17, Atlanta 7
Cincinnati 34, Pittsburgh 7
Denver 31, New Orleans 6
Detroit 28, San Francisco 7
Oakland 20, San Diego 17
Kansas City 6, St. Louis 6
Philadelphia 23, New York Giants 20

In his first start of the season, Chicago’s second-year quarterback Bobby Douglass tossed four touchdown passes to defeat Buffalo, 31-13. However, Douglass suffered a fractured left wrist and was lost for the season. The Browns regained the lead in the AFC’s Central Division by beating Houston, 28-14. Cincinnati won its third straight behind Virgil Carter as Paul Robinson rushed for 119 yards on 18 carries. Cincinnati won its third straight behind Virgil Carter as Paul Robinson rushed for 119 yards on 18 carries. George Blanda pulled out another victory for the Raiders on a kick from 16 yards in the final four seconds to defeat San Diego, 20-17. Philadelphia quarterback Norman Snead’s one-yard sneak provided the final margin of victory and the Eagles snapped New York’s six-game winning streak, 23-20.

Eleventh Week

Detroit 28, Oakland 14
Dallas 16, Green Bay 3
Boston 14, Buffalo 10
Baltimore 21, Chicago 20
N.Y. Jets 20, Minnesota 10
Pittsburgh 20, Cleveland 9
Cincinnati 26, New Orleans 6
Houston 31, Denver 21
New York Giants 27, Washington 24
Los Angeles 30, San Francisco 13
St. Louis 23, Philadelphia 14
Kansas City 26, San Diego 14
Miami 20, Atlanta 7

Behind the scrambling of Greg Landry, Detroit defeated Oakland, 28-14 on Thanksgiving Day. In the other Thanksgiving contest, Dallas defeated Green Bay, 16-3. The Jets upset the Vikings, 20-10 to win their third in a row. Terry Bradshaw fired two touchdown passes and the Steelers upset the Browns, 20-9, to force a three-way tie in the AFC Central Division. Cincinnati's Horst Muhlmann kicked three field goals and the Bengals registered their fourth straight win to gain a share of first place in the AFC Central Division with a 26-6 victory over New Orleans. The Rams moved into a first place tie in the NFC’s Western Division by defeating San Francisco, 30-13.

Twelfth Week

Miami 37, Boston 20
New York Giants 20, Buffalo 6
Minnesota 16, Chicago 13
Cincinnati 17, San Diego 14
San Francisco 24, Atlanta 20
Kansas City 16, Denver 0
Baltimore 29, Philadelphia 10
Green Bay 20, Pittsburgh 12
Detroit 16, St. Louis 3
Los Angeles 34, New Orleans 16
Dallas 34, Washington 0
Oakland 14, New York Jets 13
Cleveland 21, Houston 10

Quarterback Bob Lee, making his first pro start as a replacement for injured Gary Cuozzo, threw a 33-yard touchdown pass and Fred Cox kicked three field goals as the Vikings clinched their third straight Central Division title. Chicago’s Cecil Turner tied the NFL record of four kickoff return TDs with an 88 yard return in the final period. Johnny Robinson's second 3-interceptions game of the season enabled the Chiefs to score a shutout over the Broncos and force a tie in the AFC West and head for a showdown with the Raiders the following week. The Raiders kept pace on a final-second tipped TD pass from Daryle Lamonica to Warren Wells in the end zone, defeating the Jets, 14-13.

Thirteenth Week

Dallas 6, Cleveland 2
Chicago 35, Green Bay 17
Oakland 20, Kansas City 6
Minnesota 35, Boston 14
Baltimore 20, Buffalo 14
New York Giants 34, St. Louis 17
Cincinnati 30, Houston 20
Miami 16, New York Jets 10
Washington 24, Philadelphia 6
San Francisco 38, New Orleans 27
Atlanta 27, Pittsburgh 16
San Diego 17, Denver 17
Detroit 28, Los Angeles 23

The Oakland Raiders won their fourth straight Western Division title by defeating Chiefs, 20-6. Ed Sharockman intercepted Joe Kapp three times in the Vikings’ 35-14 victory over their onetime quarterback. Baltimore won in the snow against the Bills, 20-14, to clinch the AFC Eastern Division AFC title. Essex Johnson scored pair of second half TDs as Cincinnati defeated Houston, 30-20, moving them into the lead in the AFC Central Division. It was the Bengals 6th straight victory. Miami scored its ninth victory, triple the number they had in 1969, and stayed in contention for the AFC playoffs witha victory over the Jets, 16-10. John Brodie threw three touchdown passes to Gene Washington as the 49ers beat the Saints, 38-27, lifting them into first place in the NFC West. Detroit defeated the Rams, 28-23, their fourth straight victory over a division leader and stayed in contention for a playoff spot.

Fourteenth Week

Baltimore 35, New York Jets 20
Detroit 20, Green Bay 0
Cincinnati 45, Boston 7
Dallas 52, Houston 10
Miami 45, Buffalo 7
San Diego 31, Kansas City 13
Chicago 24, New Orleans 3
Cleveland 27, Denver 13
Los Angeles 31, New York Giants 3
Philadelphia 30, Pittsburgh 20
Washington 28, St. Louis 27
San Francisco 38, Oakland 7
Minnesota 37, Atlanta 7
San Francisco 38, Oakland 7

The Bengals won their seventh-straight game, 45-7 over Boston, and wrapped up the AFC’s Central Division title. The Lions shut out Green Bay, 20-0, and made the NFC playoffs as the second-place team with the best record at 10-4. The Cowboys won their fifth straight game to capture the NFC’s Eastern Division title with a 52-10 victory over Houston. The Dolphins won their sixth straight, a 45-7 victory over Boston, and gained an AFC playoff spot as the second place team with the best record. Floyd Little rushed for 44 yards in a Bronco loss to Cleveland and clinched the AFC’s rushing title with 901 yards. Larry Brown closed the season as the NFL’s No. 1 rusher with 1,125 yards as Washington edged St. Louis, 28-27. The 49ers clinched their first divisional title in 25 years with a victory over Oakland, 38-7. The victory by the 49ers gave NFC teams 27-12-1 record over the AFC in the first season of regular season inter-conference games. Minnesota crushed Atlanta and won the Central Division with a 12-2 record.