A WEEK IN HISTORY
We are in week eight which means we have finally reached the half-way point in the season. I mean, look at us. Who would’ve thought we’d actually get this far? Not me, but time sure does fly when you’re reading articles about the past? Let’s continue that trend so by the time you read the last article in this series, we have moved way past the monstrosity that is 2020. This week we’ll be ripping open the very fabric of space and time once again to take a quick peak at all the memorable moments in NFL history from 10/29-11/4. We’re off to see the wizard!
*Games not played in the eighth week of that season but between 10/29-11/4 as a result of the schedule changing over time.
#7* Oct. 29, 1950: Marion Motley has the highest ypc in a game. Rushing only 11 times against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Cleveland Browns running back rushed for a total of 188 yards resulting in an astonishing 17.1 yards per carry for the game. Cleveland ended up winning the game 45-7 on their way to a 10-2 season and eventual win in the NFL Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams. Motley had three total touchdowns including a pass from Otto Graham near the goal line against the Steelers to cap off a breakout performance. Other big leaders in terms of ypc include Joey Galloway with 86 ypc on a single carry in 1995, Jim Brown with 11.6 ypc on 20 carries in 1963 and Adrian Peterson with 9.9 ypc on 30 carries in 2007 where he set the record for most yards in a game at 296.
#6* Oct. 30, 1988: Jets get first win against the Steelers. The New York Jets got their first win against the Pittsburgh Steelers after 9 straight losses. The two teams first met in 1970 where the Steelers beat the Jets 21-17. However, the curse was finally broken in the tenth go around between the two teams as the Jets pulled out a 24-20 victory over the black and yellow bruisers. The two teams have faced a total of 26 times with the Steelers having won 20 of those times including twice in the playoffs. The Steelers have also outscored the Jets over that time 574-338.
#5* Oct. 31, 1988: First Monday Night Football game in Indianapolis. In a game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos, the Colts proved to be the superior equine species, trampling over the Broncos in a 55-23 victory. It was the highest attended game at the Hoosier Dome that year, having 60,544 fans in attendance. The Colts would finish the season at 9-7 and not make the playoffs. Ten years later, the Colts would get a little-known quarterback named Peyton Manning and the rest is history.
#4 Nov. 1, 1964: Jim Brown becomes first player to rush for 10,000 yards. In a game between the Cleveland Browns and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Brown rushed 23 times for 149 yards and caught the ball 5 times for 37 yards. His 149 rushing yards pushed him past the 10,000-mark giving him 10,135 total rushing yards. It was his 47th game in which he ran for more than 100 yards. He ranks number 11 all time with 12,312 yards and is one of four players over 10,000 yards to do it with one team. He is a hall of famer and basically paved the way for so many that came after him. He is as pivotal to running backs as Hitchcock is to directors, to put it lightly.
#3* Nov. 2, 1997: Eric Metcalf gets second game with at least two punt return TDs. In a game between the San Diego Chargers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Metcalf found the endzone twice, but the Chargers still ended up losing 38-31. The return man made it into the endzone on runs of 67 and 85 yards. He also returned two punts for touchdowns in October of 1993. He is one of three players to return two or more punts for touchdowns in multiple games. He is tied with hall of famer Jack Christiansen and Jermaine Lewis. Christiansen did it twice in the same year in both October and November of 1951 while Lewis did his in December of 1997 and December of 2000. There must be something about the colder weather that allows people to return for touchdowns, so much like the ominous presence of Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You,” these specific stats seem to only spike in the latter quarter of the year.
#2* Nov. 3, 1996: Jerry Rice becomes first player with 1,000 career receptions. In a game between the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints, Rice cemented his legacy as one of the best wide receivers and players to ever play the game. The 49ers would beat the Saints 24-17 with Rice catching three passes for 45 yards and a touchdown. Rice would finish his career with 1,549 receptions which is an NFL record. He also holds the record for most receiving yards with 22,895 and most receiving touchdowns with 197. He holds countless other records and much like Jim Brown was to running backs, Jerry Rice is to receivers. He is as synonymous with the receiver position as Norman Lear is to television comedy.
#1 Nov. 4, 1973: Saints get first shutout victory. The New Orleans Saints recorded their first shut-out victory on this day against the Buffalo Bills in a 13-0 win. The Saints entered the league as an expansion team in 1966 with their inaugural contest occurring in 1967 against the Los Angeles Rams. For all intents and purposes, the Saints were a terrible team during their early years and through the majority of the 20th century. That all changed in 2006 when they received both Sean Payton and Drew Brees. They helped build up a broken city and gave them a Superbowl in 2009. Fittingly, given where the team’s name is derived, Brees seemingly came in like an angel from the heavens and bolstered the franchise to becoming one of the better teams over the past decade and a half.
