The 1971 AFC Divisional Playoff game between the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs may have been the best football game I’ve ever seen.
To this day, it is the longest NFL game ever played, ending seven minutes and forty seconds into the sixth quarter. It was the second game in NFL history on Christmas day. The Dallas Cowboys had defeated the Minnesota Vikings earlier that day.
I have vivid memories of that day, and I can recall that I was unhappy about these two games being played on Christmas because our family did a lot of visiting. As a nine-year-old Cowboys fan, I was glad they won but upset that I missed much of the game.
By the time the AFC game started, we had finished all our visits except for one final visit to our neighbors across the street. The father of that family was a football fan, and he made sure the game was on the TV. We all watched it in his den, and it didn’t take long until we realized this game would be “one for the ages.”
It would be the final game played at Kansas City’s Memorial Stadium on a hot day, with game-time temperatures in the fifties. 1971 was the Dolphins’ sixth year in the league. Like most expansion teams, Miami struggled in their first four seasons, compiling a mediocre 15–39–2 record. But in 1970, they hired a new Head Coach in Don Shula, who had previously coached the Baltimore Colts. The 1970 Dolphins went 10–4 before losing to the Oakland Raiders in the playoffs. Their record in 1971 was 10–3–1, which earned them first place in their division.
The Kansas City Chiefs were one of the original AFL teams and won three AFL titles, more than any other AFL team. They won their first in 1962 as the Dallas Texans. Their next title came in 1966 when they defeated the Buffalo Bills before losing to the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl. They won the AFL title again in 1969 over the Oakland Raiders and then proceeded to win Super Bowl lV over the Minnesota Vikings. The 1971 Dolphins had six players voted to play in the Pro Bowl, while the Chiefs had eleven.
The television broadcast of this game was not saved, but I found the radio broadcast on YouTube. Thankfully, there is also some footage of the game, thanks to NFL Films, with commentary from some men who played in this classic game.
I had mixed feelings about who to root for in this game. The Chiefs were my favorite AFC team, but out of the four AFC teams in the playoffs, the Chiefs were the one team that I thought might be able to defeat my Cowboys should the two teams meet in the Super Bowl. Miami won the coin toss and elected to receive but went three and out before punting. The punt went only 31 yards, and KC took possession on their 43-yard line.
Mixing the run and pass, the Chiefs got the ball down to the Dolphins’ 24-yard line before kicking a field goal to take a 3–0 lead. The biggest gain on this short drive was a 16-yard run by running back Wendell Hayes.
Chiefs kicker Jan Stenerud kicked the ball out of the end zone for the second time in a row, preventing the speedy Eugene “Mercury” Morris from returning the kick. After quarterback Bob Griese connected with receiver Paul Warfield for a 24-yard gain, it looked like Miami might have something going, but on a third and long, middle linebacker Willie Lanier intercepted a Griese pass, giving the Chiefs the ball at the Miami 35-yard-line. After running the ball on five of six plays, the Chiefs got the ball down to the Dolphins seven-yard line. From there, quarterback Len Dawson connected with running back Ed Podolak for a touchdown.
Stenerud again prevented a kickoff return for Miami by booting the ball into the end zone. After five runs in a row gained two first downs, Bob Griese connected with Paul Warfield for a 35-yard gain as the first quarter ended.
On a second and nine from the KC 20-yard line, Griese connected with tight end Marv Fleming for a 16-yard gain to put the ball at the 4-yard line. After getting it to the one-yard-line, fullback Larry Csonka punched it in for the touchdown to close the gap to 10–7.
Miami kicker Garo Yepremiun booted the ball into the end zone, and KC took possession on their 20-yard line. Three straight runs gave the Chiefs a first down, and then Dawson threw a short pass to Ed Podalak, who, with terrific blocking in front of him, turned it into a 29-yard gain. At this point, there is 9:25 left in the second quarter when there is an interruption in the radio broadcast. The broadcast resumes with 6:57 left in the first half. Judging by the announcers’ commentary, it sounds like the Chiefs drive ended when Dolphins defensive back Curtis Johnson intercepted a Len Dawson pass. As a side note, I thought the announcers, Dick Carlsen and Bill Grigsby, did a fantastic job.
Miami went three and out before punting. The Chiefs took possession at their 39-yard line. On first down, running back Ed Podalak ran for 32 yards. A four-yard run gave them a second and six from the Miami twenty-five, but a clipping penalty on the next play pushed them back to the 37-yard line, making it second and eighteen. The Chiefs then ran two reverse plays in a row to receiver Elmo Wright, who gained 16 yards. The KC offensive line was winning the battle against the Miami defense.
On fourth and two, the Chiefs elected to attempt a field goal. It was supposed to be a fake field goal, but there was a breakdown in communications. Coach Hank Stram carefully explained the fake to kicker Jan Stenerud. He told Stenerud that the ball would be snapped to him, not to holder Len Dawson. Stenerud was then supposed to follow the two pulling guards on a sweep. Stram told Stenerud not to look at snapper Bobby Bell; otherwise, the Dolphins might figure out it was a fake.
But apparently, Bell wasn’t told that Stenerud wouldn’t be looking at him, got worried about it, and snapped the ball to Dawson. Stenurud, now caught entirely off guard by what had just happened, attempted the field goal and missed what would have usually been an easy success. When Dawson asked Bell why he didn’t snap the ball to Stenerud like he was supposed to, Bell replied, “he wasn’t looking at me, and he didn’t look like he was prepared to take the snap.” So, what could have been a 13–7 lead, or possibly even a 17–7 lead, remained a 10–7 lead.
After taking over at their 20-yard line, the Dolphins completed two of three passes to get the ball to their 39-yard line. Three runs in a row, one a quarterback draw, were not enough to gain a first down, and Miami was forced to punt. The Dolphins, known for their strong ground game, were not having much success running the ball against the KC defense.
A good punt pinned the Chiefs back on their 8-yard line. With only 1:34 left in the half and a three-point lead, KC wanted nothing more than to run out the clock and get ready for the second half. A holding penalty pushed the Chiefs back to their 4-yard line. A turnover here would be costly. A handoff to Podalak gained six yards, but a big hit by defensive end Frank Cornish caused Podalak to fumble the ball, and Miami defensive back Dick Anderson recovered it at the 13-yard line. Three risky passes by Griese gained only five yards, and the Dolphins settled for a chip shot field goal.
