Packers Dominate Super Bowl, 33-14

Packers Dominate Super Bowl, 33-14

By Dave Brady
Washington Post Staff Writer
January 15, 1968

MIAMI, Fla., Jan. 14 — The Green Bay Packers became embroiled in a rousing defensive battle with the Oakland Raiders in the Super Bowl today but won their second straight AFL-NFL world championship, 33-14. The score hardly reflected the effort the Packers had to exert.

Four field goals in four tries by Don Chandler kept the National Football League champions far enough ahead so that the American Football League titleholders had to play catch-up ball throughout.

A 62-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bart Starr to split end Boyd Dowler established a 13-0 advantage for the Packers in their 13-point second quarter that ended 16-7. And a 35-yard pass by Starr to end Max McGee in the third period set up a two-yard scoring run by Donny Anderson that finally gave Packers a comfortable lead, 23-7.

Adderley Goes 60

Then it was that Coach Vince Lombardi evinced a bit of compassion for the Raiders, prompted to some degree by a jammed right thumb suffered by Starr during the final quarter, and inserted at quarterback Zeke Bratowski. It was only on his ninth and the Packers' final play, with 1:17 remaining, that Bratkowski tried a pass play. He was thrown for a ten-yard loss and from the Raiders 48-yard line, Donny Anderson punted and let the Green Bay defense take care of the last mopping-up operation.

Starr Shows Poise

Lamonica managed two touchdown passes to flanker Bill Miller, for 23 yards in the second quarter and 23 again in the final period.

The Raiders went into the game as the highest scoring team in the AFL, Lamonica was the league's leading passer, and Oakland was prideful of the nickname given its defenders, "The Eleven Angry Men."

Packers Impenetrable

Green Bay held the Raiders within the average of 15 points a game that the Packers have allowed this season.

On the other hand, the Oakland defenders could not contain the Packers within the Raiders' usual allowance of 16 points a game. Not with such Raiders mistakes as a safety man jumbling a punt in a critical area and Lamonica putting the ball up for grabs by Adderley, whom the Raiders thought they might be able to pick on today.

And so the Raiders had their winning streak stopped at 11 games. Except in their lone loss, 27-14 to the New York Jets. Oakland had never trailed any opponent by more than seven points until this sunny, 64-degree afternoon in the Orange Bowl.

There were grueling individual battles, for instance between guard Gale Gillingham of the Packers and defensive tackle Tom Keating, who was not even supposed to start with his gimpy ankle.

Blood soaked through a protective pad Gillingham wore on an elbow and Keating bled from a gash on his hand. Keating's silver pants were spattered as if he were a butcher boy.

The Raiders appeared to be trying to "psyche" the Packers before the game when they ran on the field, lined up facing some Packers loosening up, and ran through them with simulated wind sprints. But they were rarely able to do it once the whistle blew.

The Raiders also showed the Packers a formation that had tight end Billy Cannon lined up close to the interior linemen on one side with wide receiver Freed Biletnikoff slotted inside wide receiver Miller on the other side.

Miller troubled the Green Bay defense, catching five passes for 84 yards and two scores, despite a lack of blazing speed. But mostly the Packers overshifted a linebacker to help out on the side where he and Biletnikoff were positioned and survived the double threat.

The Raiders were forewarned that Starr would not hesitate to hit Dowler with a quick flip on third-and-one as he did for a 43-yard touchdown against Dallas in the NFL title game.

Today, it happened on first down for a 62-yard score. Later, Starr came up to third down and inches to go and he passed to McGee for a long-gainer that set up Anderson's two-yard scoring run. It was McGee making another clutch play in the Super Bowl, as he did last year.

Wilson Leads Rushers

He averaged 3.8 yards, Anderson 3.4 in 14 carries, and Travis Williams 4.5 in eight carries to help give Starr options in a game in which he threw only one touchdown pass among the 13 of 24 he completed for 202 yards.

Lamonica got powerful running from fullback Hewritt Dixon, who pounded out 52 yards in 12 attempts, but, as usual, the Packers gave up most of the Raiders' rushing yardage where it could not hurt Green Bay.

Lamonica was visibly affected by the steadily mounting pressure of the Packers' front four as the game wore on, was undermined by some fumble-fingered receivers on occasion and hit on less than 50 per cent of his passes, 15 in 34 attempts.

A Car for Starr

The pattern of the game was made clear to the sellout crowd of 75,546 at the outset when the Packers stopped the Raiders but had to settle for a 39-yard field goal by Chandler after traveling only 34 yards in nine plays and a penalty, from the Packers 34 to the Raiders 32.

The Packers then went 85 yards, starting in the first quarter after Mike Eischeid punted 45 yards and out of bounds on the Green Bay three-yard line. But again they had to settle for a field goal by Chandler, from 20 yards, early in the second period.

But in two minutes and two seconds they boosted their 6-0 lead with a seven-pointer.

The left side of the Packers' line – Ron Kostelnik and Willie Davis – forced a punt by throwing Lamonica for a nine-yard loss. Willie Wood ran the kick back four yards to his 38-yard line and Lombardi substituted rookie Travis Williams for Anderson at halfback.

Williams drew extra coverage as he ran a short pass pattern on first down, but Dowler was seen legging it down the center alley with a sudden big lead on safety Rodger Bird and middle linebacker Dan Conners. Starr ripped the ball to Dowler and the Raiders' 44-yard line and he merely swerved to his right to make pursuit more difficult from Oakland helpers on the other side of the field who had been drawn up by Williams.

The play went for 62 yards and a touchdown which gave Green Bay a 13-0 working margin when Chandler kicked his first of three conversions.

Then Lamonica began putting things together and moved 78 yards in nine plays, the final 23 on a pass that caught linebacker Dave Robinson trying to cover flanker Miller, who had gotten behind him.

A 14-mile-an-hour wind seemed to help life the ball over the leap of Robinson, who appeared to misjudge it. Safety Tom Brown got a shot at Miller at the goal line but it was too late and when 40-year-old George Bianda converted the Raiders had come as close to closing the gap as they would, at 13-7.

Twenty-three seconds before halftime safety Bird made the mistake of fumbling a fair catch of a punt by Anderson and there were quips about Lombardi's foresight when Dick Capp, the rookie tight end he had activated on Friday, recovered the ball on the Raiders' 45-yard line.

Dowler got Green Bay into long field-goal range with nine-yard catch that took him to the Raiders' 26-yard line, but only six seconds remained and the wind was against Chandler when he took aim at the goal post from 43 yards.

He made good and the Packers took a 16-7 lead into the dressing room.

In the third quarter, the Packers took flight for 82 yards in 11 plays, Starr's 35-yard, third-and-inches pass to 35-year-old McGee moving the ball to the Raiders' 25.

Starr connected on a difficult throw to flanker Carroll Dale with cornerback Kent McCloughan covering tightly at the left sideline for 11 yards to the 13. After overthrowing Anderson, all alone in the end zone, Starr came back nicely on the next play. He faked a handoff to Anderson, who smashed into the line but suddenly emerged as a receiver and took Starr's pass for 12 yards.

Once more, Starr and Anderson bungled a touchdown attempt when they collided on a handoff at the one-yard line and lost a yard. But the score evolved smartly on second down, when Anderson got a quick start toward his right corner and outflanked the Oakland defense as fullback Wilson bowled over linebacker Conners to spring the ball carrier.

Ball Hits Bar

In the first period, passing from his 48, Lamonica directed a pass against the wind toward Biletnikoff but Adderley picked it off, began making strides upfield behind a block by tackle Henry Jordan and completed the 60-yard scoring spring when Kostelnik leveled guard Gene Upshaw at the Raider ten.

Packers Relax a Bit
That put the Raiders out of it, although they still had enough fight in them to go 74 yards in four plays against a Green Bay defense running out of incentive.

The big gainer was a 44-yard pass play, which grew that big when halfback Pete Banaszak gathered in a short pass and broke out of the grasp of safety Wood, regarded as the best tackler in the NFL. Adderley caught Banaszak at the Packers 23.

On first down, Lamonica executed a simple drop-back and lofted the ball to Miller, who somehow had left Tom Brown out of touch in the end zone with 8:57 to go.

Blanda's second conversion might have been the last of his 18 season career. His $750 loser's share would make retirement a little more comfortable.

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