TimesFour

….1967: Reports of the Packers’ demise were greatly exaggerated.

With a record of 3-1-1, and coming off a wrenching 10-7 loss to 20-point underdog Minnesota, some pundits figured the aging Packers were ripe for the picking as they invaded New York’s Yankee Stadium. Meanwhile, the Giants and their new quarterback, Fran Tarkenton, were gunning for a share of first place in the NFL’s Century Division.

For the first half, it appeared that’s what the New Yorkers would get. Tarkenton went 10-for-15 and confounded the Packer defense with his scrambling while building a 14-10 halftime lead.

But after the Packers seemed to stall following the second-half kickoff, the tide turned when the Giants were penalized for pass interference on a third-and-long play, and the comeback (and rout) was on. The Packers went on to score six out of the seven times they had the ball in the final two quarters, outscoring New York 38-7.

Bart Starr, playing for the first time in three weeks after battling a series of injuries, found his bearings in the second half. Although he completed only nine passes, three of them were clutch completions of 28, 23 and 33 yards that led directly to Green Bay rushing touchdowns, and another was a 38-yard scoring toss to RB Jim Grabowski.

Elijah Pitts (22) during the 1966 NFL Championship game in Dallas

While Grabowski and Elijah Pitts helped roll up 249 rushing yards on the day, the Packers corralled Tarkenton and the Giants, allowing on 79 yards of total offense in the second half.

The game marked the 12th straight time (counting pre-season) that the Packers beat the Giants in the 1960s. Starting with this game, the Packers won six of their next seven on their way to a second straight Super Bowl championship. The Giants, meanwhile, slumped to a 7-7 finish and wouldn’t again make the playoffs for 14 more years.

October 22, 1967
Yankee Stadium, New York
Attendance: 62,585

		1	2	3	4	Final
Packers		7	3	10	28	48
Giants 		0	14	0	7	21

GB: Elijah Pitts 3 run (Don Chandler kick)
NY: Homer Jones 22 pass from Fran Tarkenton (Pete Gogolak)
NY: Joe Morrison 18 pass from Tarkenton (Gogolak)
GB: Chandler 21 field goal
GB: Pitts 6 run (Chandler)
GB: Chandler 36 field goal
GB: Pitts 1 rush (Chandler)
GB: Jim Grabowski 2 run (Chandler)
NY: Jones 30 yard pass from Tarkenton (Gogolak)
GB: Grabowski 38 pass from Bart Starr (Chandler)
GB: Donny Anderson 7 run (Chandler)

Trivia: How many former Packers also had sons who played for Green Bay? The answer will appear in the Comments section tomorrow.