NFC Divisional Playoffs
San Francisco 49ers (8-5-1) vs.
Dallas Cowboys (10-4)
Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA
The two time defending Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys were forced to rely on the wild card spot to make the playoffs in 1972, meaning they had to go on the road for their Divisional Round matchup against the NFC West champion 49ers. San Francisco now had Steve Spurrier quarterbacking the offense, and with Gene Washington hauling in the majority of his passes, the 49ers had one of the best quarterback/receiver duos in football. Roger Staubach missed most of the season for the Cowboys, but Craig Morton filled in well, and with the dual running attack of Walt Garrison and Calvin Hill, Dallas would be a tough foe for any team.
It would be the Cowboy miscues in the first quarter that would set the tone for the rest of the game. On their first possession, Dallas marched all the way to San Francisco's eight yard line, before Morton was intercepted in the end zone by Frank Nunley. After the 49ers fumbled the ball, Dallas was at San Francisco's 20 yard line, but they could only gain two yards, and kicker Toni Fritsch missed a 35 yard field goal.
In the second quarter, the 49ers began to make Dallas pay for their early mistakes. Following another Fritsch missed field goal, Steve Spurrier led a charge into Dallas territory. Using running backs Vic Washington and Ken Willard, the 49ers first drew Dallas' secondary closer to the line, then Spurrier threw over top of them on play action passes. Eventually, Willard came down with a ten yard touchdown pass, and San Francisco had the lead. With just under two minutes to play in the half, Dallas finally got on the board. Both Walt Garrison and Calvin Hill began to soften up San Francisco's front seven, and Craig Morton began to find holes in their secondary. This time, Fritsch made a 33 yard field goal, and Dallas had cut the lead to 7-3. This should have ended the scoring in the first half, but a lapse in Dallas' defense allowed Spurrier to find Ted Kwalick open at the ten yard line on the last play of the half. Kwalick walked into the end zone, untouched, and the 49ers went up 14-3.
Dallas looked like they were going to be able to make a comeback very early in the third quarter. Spurrier's second pass attempt of the half was intercepted by Cornell Green, and Dallas had the ball inside San Francisco territory. Fritsch made his second field goal of the game, and the Cowboys were now only down by a score of 14-6. However, that would be as close as they would get on this day. On their next drive, Morton was brought down by Dave Wilcox in the end zone, giving two more points to the 49ers. In the fourth, Morton could not get the stagnant Dallas offense moving again. Fritsch missed his third field goal of the game, and when Walt Garrison fumbled at the Dallas 30, it marked the end of the road for the two time champions. San Francisco celebrated, while Dallas was left to pick up the pieces and try to make it back to the Super Bowl next season.
Final Score: San Francisco-16 Dallas-6
Real Life Score: Dallas-30 San Francisco-28
Washington Redskins (11-3) vs.
Green Bay Packers (10-4)
RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.
The Green Bay Packers emerged as surprising winners of the NFC Central division in 1972, as head coach Dan Devine preached a strong defensive game, and rode the legs of running backs John Brockington and MacArthur Lane. Meanwhile, the Redskins used the triple threat of quarterback Billy Kilmer, NFL MVP Larry Brown and receiver Charley Taylor to abuse opposing defenses, while their defense gave up the third fewest points in the NFL.
In the opening quarter, it looked as if defense would in fact win the day. Neither team could get a sustained drive, as the Redskins used a five man offensive line to stop Brockington's powerful runs and force quarterback Scott Hunter to try and beat them with his arm. Of course, Washington also had to try and move the ball, and neither Larry Brown nor Billy Kilmer was able to do much of that early in the game.
The second quarter showed that at least one team had begun to figure out how to move the ball. Midway through the quarter, the Packers finally began gaining small stretches of yardage, as the Redskins moved back into a traditional four man defensive line. Brockington's running got the Packers into field goal range, and Chester Marcol hit from 40 yards away, giving Green Bay the first points of the game. With just 17 seconds remaining in the half, he would do it again, this time hitting a 48 yarder to put the Packers up 6-0 at the half. Washington's powerful offense had been stopped cold by the now ancient Ray Nitschke and the rest of the Packers' defense, but it would not stay that way.
The third quarter showed signs that Washington was ready to break through, though nothing came of it. The Redskins' opening drive of the half went deep into Green Bay territory, but Charley Taylor fumbled, and the Packers recovered. Neither team would score in the quarter, as Green Bay used Brockington and Lane to run the clock down and the Redskins' passing game slowed to a halt. It was clear that both teams needed a jolt, and it was just a matter of which one would get it first in the fourth quarter.
It turned out that Washington would. On Green Bay's first drive of the final quarter, Scott Hunter's pass was intercepted by Brig Owens, ending a Packer drive. With Billy Kilmer struggling and slightly injured, George Allen put Sonny Jurgensen into the game, and he responded by completing his first two pass attempts for 83 yards, including a 39 yard touchdown pass to Charlie Harraway that gave the Redskins the lead for the first time. On their next drive, with Kilmer back in the game, Washington put the Packers back on their heels, once again driving right down the field. Harraway caught another touchdown pass, this one from six yards away, and the Redskins were now up 14-6 with just 4:18 to play.
Just then, it seemed as if the spirit of former Packers' coach Vince Lombardi entered the Green Bay sideline. Backup quarterback Jerry Tagge completed his only pass attempt of the game, a 56 yarder to Jon Staggers, on the first play of the Packers' next drive. Just one play later, Brockington plowed into the end zone, making the score 14-13 in favor of the Redskins. On the very next Washington drive, Sonny Jurgensen was back in the game, but this time, he was run over by Bob Brown and fumbled at the 16. The Packers recovered, and Brockington scored on the very first play, putting Green Bay on top 20-14 with just 2:25 to play. Shocked at the two touchdowns in under two minutes, the Redskins collapsed. After failing to convert a fourth down, they allowed the Packers to kick a field goal that made it a two possession game. With no energy left, Washington folded up, and the Packers were headed back to the NFC title game for the first time since 1967.
Final Score: Green Bay-23 Washington-14
Real Life Score: Washington-16 Green Bay-3
NFC Championship Game
Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI
Green Bay Packers (10-4) vs.
San Francisco 49ers (8-5-1)
A chance to play the undefeated Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VII was on the line in the NFC Championship, as both the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers fought for the right to appear in the Super Bowl for the first time.
The game started out quickly, as the Packers utilized their running attack that was so successful the week before against Washington. MacArthur Lane and John Brockington bashed the San Francisco defensive line, which did not use a five man front, as Washington had done in the first half of their game. With the running game working well, Scott Hunter was able to use Lane as a decoy near the end zone, faking the handoff to to him and then finding him with a two yard touchdown pass that gave the Packers the lead. The 49ers were able to respond when Steve Spurrier buckled down and led them 75 yards in 14 plays. Larry Schreiber scored on a three yard sweep, and the game was tied heading into the second quarter.
The Packers again showed their dominance in the running game in the second quarter. Both Brockington and Lane found ways around San Francisco defenders, and their running set up two Chester Marcol field goals in the quarter that would put the Packers up 13-7 at the half. San Francisco's offense had stalled out in the second quarter, as they were bullied by Green Bay's ferocious defense. As they left the field, however, Spurrier was frustrated, but confident that his team could get the job done.
Sure enough, on the 49ers' first possession of the third quarter, they did just that. After an excellent punt return left them at the Green Bay 13, Spurrier needed just three plays before he found Ted Kwalick in the end zone for an 11 yard touchdown that put San Francisco on top by a point. However, the Packers were able to return the 49er kickoff all the way back to the San Francisco 7, and Scott Hunter hit John Brockington with a screen pass that turned into a 7 yard touchdown just 30 seconds after San Francisco had taken the lead.
After that, the Packers were able to use their defense once again to stop the 49ers from getting any closer. Spurrier finished the day 13 of 29 for only 113 yards, while Green Bay's running back duo of John Brockington and MacArthur Lane ran for a combined 173 yards on 30 carries as they ran the clock down on any chance at a 49er comeback. Kicker Bruce Gossett missed a field goal that would have put San Francisco within three points midway through the fourth, and when Spurrier's last minute heave towards the end zone fell innocently to the ground, the Packers were headed to their first Super Bowl.
Final Score: Green Bay-20 San Francisco-14
Real Life Score (In Washington): Washington-26 Dallas-3