TimesFour

Sept. 10: On this date in…

by on Sep.10, 2008, under Commentary, On This Date...

…1966: The Baltimore Colts had revenge on their minds. The Packers had beaten them in a Western Conference playoff the previous December thanks in part to a Don Chandler field goal that the Colts insisted had been wide. With a rematch scheduled for the opening Saturday night of the 1966 NFL season, Baltimore had a chance to show the football world that the overtime loss was a fluke.

The Colts never got the chance to show much of anything. Thanks largely to a stifling defense, the Packers trounced the Colts, 24-3, in front of a national TV audience and a record County Stadium crowd.

Baltimore began the scoring with a short Lou Michaels field goal, but could do little more on offense, as the great John Unitas was held to just 101 yards passing. A pair of errors by Unitas broke the game open in the second quarter as LB Lee Roy Caffey and — only 40 seconds later — CB Bob Jeter both scored on interception returns.

Jeter’s TD came when he jumped a square-out intended for Raymond Berry, a play that had been the Colts’ bread and butter for years. Jeter and SS Tom Brown also put the brakes on fourth-quarter Colts drives — Brown by intercepting Unitas in the Green Bay end zone, and Jeter by knocking down a desperation fourth-down pass.

The Packer offense iced the game with a lengthy 10-play, 79-yard touchdown drive to start the third quarter. During the drive, QB Bart Starr confounded the Colts by often sending out four pass receivers, keeping only a tailback with him in the backfield and forcing the Colts secondary to either go with single coverage or rely on their slow-footed linebackers to cover. When the Colts blitzed, Starr ran, rushing for 20 yards on the scoring drive, including the final 8.

In a December 10 rematch, the Packers clinched the West with a 14-10 win — their fifth straight over the rival Colts — that was assured by what became known as “The Million-Dollar Fumble.” With the Colts threatening late in the game, DE Willie Davis stripped the wet ball from Unitas, and LB Dave Robinson recovered.

P.S. In contrast with a certain more recent season opener, the Packers were penalized once in this game for five yards, and the Colts weren’t penalized at all.

September 10, 1966
County Stadium, Milwaukee
Attendance: 48,650

		1	2	3	4	Final
Colts		0	3	0	0	3
Packers		0	14	10	0	24

BAL: Lou Michaels 26 FG
GB: Lee Roy Caffey 52 int. return (Don Chandler kick)
GB: Bob Jeter 46 int. return (Chandler)
GB: Bart Starr 8 run (Chandler)
GB: Chandler 15 FG

TRIVIA: After this game, how long was it until the next time the Packers returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the same game? The answer will appear in the comments section tomorrow.


One response to “Sept. 10: On this date in…”

  1. Citizen Dan says:

    Trivia answer: It was only six weeks later, on Oct. 23, 1966. Herb Adderley and Doug Hart each nabbed a pick-6 as the Packers overwhelmed the expansion Atlanta Falcons, 56-3. Altogether, the Packers returned seven turnovers for touchdowns during 1966.

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