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Billy Kilmer

1973 Washington Redskins: A Tumultuous Road To The Playoffs

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The 1973 Washington Redskins were coming off a Super Bowl trip, and had consecutive playoff seasons in their two years with George Allen as head coach. 1973 was a good year—they again made the playoffs in an era when only four teams per conference qualified—but inconsistency at bad times, the loss of the running game and a merry-go-round at quarterback prevented them from reaching the previous year’s heights.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
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Running back Larry Brown was the league MVP in 1972, but struggled through much of ’73. The problems of the running game—no Pro Bowlers on the offensive line—were overshadowed by Allen’s juggling of veteran quarterbacks, Sonny Jurgensen and Billy Kilmer.

The latter started most of the games, but “Jurgy” was a fan favorite in the twilight of his career and still started some of the Redskins’ biggest games. Even with the running game going in starts and stops and the quarterbacks seemingly in rotation, the Redskins were still able to produce the sixth-most points in the NFL.  A Pro Bowl year from veteran receiver Charley Taylor marked him as a steady contributor amidst the chaos.

It seems odd that the offense ranked the same as the defense, because the D was a little more stacked. Linebacker Chris Hanburger was a first-team All-Pro and the secondary was filled with ballhawks. Ken Houston was an All-Pro at strong safety, Brig Owens roamed at free safety while Pat Fischer and Mike Bass manned the corners.

The Redskins opened the year with a soft schedule, but did not take full advantage. A season-opening route of the San Diego Chargers was followed by a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, on their way to a 4-9 season. It was here that Jurgensen began getting a lot of playing time, as he threw 18 passes, while Kilmer threw 22.

Jurgensen got the start at Philadelphia and threw two touchdowns in a 28-7 win. It set the stage for a Monday Night battle in RFK Stadium with the Dallas Cowboys coming to town. The Redskins had beaten the Cowboys in the NFC Championship Game the year before, and Dallas was 3-0.

The game was a defensive war, and Dallas led 7-0 in the fourth quarter. Jurgensen stayed in the game the whole way, testament to how much more rope he had than Kilmer. Jurgy flipped a one-yard scoring pass to Taylor to tie the game.

Washington was getting destroyed on the ground, but they were making up for it with stellar pass defense. Fittingly, the game’s decisive play was Owens picking off a pass and taking it 26 yards to the house. The Redskins won 14-7.

Easy victories over the New York Giants and a revenge home game with St. Louis moved the Redskins to 5-1. Then a disastrous road trip to New Orleans went down. Both quarterbacks played and neither played well. Running against a bad defense, Brown carried 12 times for six yards. The Redskins lost 19-3 in a game that would haunt them all the way into the postseason.

To make matters worse, the loss came right before a road trip to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night. The “Steel Curtain” that would win four Super Bowls in six years in the 1970s wasn’t in full bloom, but it was close—the Steelers had made the playoffs the year before and it was one year after this that the dynasty run would begin. The Monday Night game in the Steel City was not well-played, with four turnovers apiece, and the Redskins lost 21-16.

Washington was able to right the ship and win four games against beatable opponents. Kilmer played extremely well in San Francisco, throwing for 267 yards and beating the 49ers 33-7. The running game finally had a big breakout on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit. Brown and Charlie Harraway led an attack that piled up 202 yards at old Tiger Stadium in a 20-0 win.

But the most notable game in this four-game stretch again involved a quarterback change. The Redskins fell behind the Giants 24-13 in RFK. Kilmer was 6-for-15, though he had thrown for 138 yards. Allen called Jurgy’s number and the old vet came through, as did Brown. Washington drove for two fourth quarter touchdowns, with Brown running for one and catching a 16-yard toss from Jurgensen to win the game 27-24.

There were two games left and though Washington was 9-3, they weren’t home free for the postseason. They had a road trip to play the 8-4 Cowboys coming up, and Dallas would take the tiebreaker if they won—a consequence of the Redskins losing that game in New Orleans. Furthermore, the surprising Atlanta Falcons and could jump up and steal the wild-card spot.

It was a late Sunday afternoon kickoff in Dallas and the game couldn’t have gone worse. The Cowboys again pummeled the Redskin defense on the ground. Washington again could not answer with a running game of their own. And this time, Staubach was sharp, while Jurgensen was not. The final was 27-7, with the Redskins’ only points coming on a blocked punt in the fourth quarter.

Fortunately, Atlanta had also lost, so Washington was in good position to still make the playoffs. Although here again, losing to New Orleans had introduced an element of chance—the tiebreaker would come down to net points, and while Washington looked in good shape there, it was close enough that Atlanta could still make it interesting.

Redskins fans with the benefit of current knowledge are painfully aware that the 1979 team was in great shape on the points differential battle coming into a season finale, only to get their hearts ripped out.

The easy way to deal with all that was to win the game in Philadelphia. It didn’t start well—the Eagles jumped out to a 10-0 lead, but after a tumultuous year, Kilmer took over. He threw for 251 yards and rifled four touchdown passes. Brown stepped up at the big moment and ran for 150 yards. The Redskins won 38-20 and were going to the playoffs. Dallas took care of St. Louis to win the NFC East.

Divisional round weekend began Saturday afternoon in Minneapolis, with the Redskins meeting the Vikings outdoors at old Metropolitan Stadium. Brown ran like his 1972 self, producing 115 yards and rushing for a second quarter touchdown that made it 7-3. Kicker Curt Knight drilled a 52-yard field goal and a 42-yarder, and Washington led the NFC’s top seed 13-10 in the fourth quarter.

Then Fran Tarkenton ripped the hearts out of the nation’s capital. The scrambling quarterback, one of the best in the league, threw for 222 yards on the day, a high number in this era of running offenses and physical defenses. He found John Gilliam twice for touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Kilmer threw a 30-yard scoring pass of his own to Roy Jefferson, but the Vikings won 27-20.

It was a changing of the guard in the NFC, as Minnesota would go on to do what Washington did—first defeat Dallas in the NFC Championship Game, then lose to the Miami Dolphins in the Super Bowl.

The 1973 Washington Redskins were a good team, and anything but boring. The ending was disappointing, but Allen continued to deliver playoff berths.

1972 Washington Redskins: A Super Bowl Trip For A Hungry Coach & Fan Base

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The arrival of George Allen in the nation’s capital had brought winning football for the first time since World War II, as Allen led the Redskins to the playoffs in 1971. But Allen had still never won a playoff game, either here or in an otherwise successful run with the Los Angeles Rams. The city of D.C. was thirsting for more. The coach and the fan base got more, when the 1972 Washington Redskins became the first team in franchise history to reach the Super Bowl.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
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Washington opened the season with a high-profile Monday Night visit to Minnesota and old Metropolitan Stadium to face Bud Grant’s Minnesota Vikings. Special teams made the difference—Bill Malinchak blocked a first quarter punt for the Redskins and recovered it for a touchdown and an early 7-0 lead.

The ‘Skins fell behind 14-10 in the third quarter, but a pair of fourth quarter touchdown drives put them in control and they hung on 24-21. The stat sheet wasn’t pretty—quarterback Billy Kilmer struggled to a 7/17 for 57 yards outing, while counterpart Fran Tarkenton was 18/31 for 233 yards. Washington got strong running from Larry Brown, with 105 yards, but a tag-team of Viking backs had 182. Turnovers were not decisive. It was the blocked punt that really swung the game.

It sounds strange to say this, given Washington won a high-profile MNF game and then won 10 of their first 11 games, but the ‘Skins did not start the season well. Minnesota would end up struggling to a 7-7 finish, one of the rare instances through the 1970s that they didn’t own the NFC Central (the current teams of the NFC North). Nor were the next two weeks all that impressive

After beating a bad St. Louis Cardinals team 24-10, Washington inexplicably lost to the woeful New England Patriots, blowing a 14-0 lead. The Redskins trailed 24-21 and Malinchak almost saved the day again, blocking a punt in the end zone. But it rolled out the back for a safety and Washington lost by a point. The Redskins were 2-1 and looking most unimpressive in the process.

A quarterback controversy was now in place. Sonny Jurgensen, now 38-years-old, was still beloved the Redskin faithful and Allen gave him the job over Kilmer. “Jurgy” led the team past a terrible Philadelphia Eagles team 14-0, and then the offense finally got untracked in a 33-3 win at St. Louis. The Redskins looked to be coming together as the Dallas Cowboys—the defending Super Bowl champions—arrived at RFK Stadium in a battle for first place in the NFC East.

Dallas came out of the gates strong, with three good drives. But the Redskins defense made key stops in the red zone and the game was still a manageable 13-0 when Washington started to turn it around. Jurgensen threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Brown. With the score 20-7, Brown took off on a 34-yard scoring jaunt. And trailing 20-17, Charlie Harraway ran in for a fourth quarter touchdown and a 24-20 win. Washington was alone atop the division.

Jurgensen was an effective 11/16 for 180 yards, but the story of the game was Brown. The 25-year-old running back ran for 95 yards and 100 more receiving, in an era where all-purpose backs were decidedly not the norm. Brown ended the year with over 1,200 yards rushing and won the MVP award. It’s fair to say that the first big push of his MVP campaign came in this October 22 win over Dallas.

The town was in love with Jurgy and rightly so, for the way he was playing. It had the making of a storybook season for the old veteran. But Hollywood endings often clash with real life, and this was one of those cases. Early in the following week’s game at the New York Giants, Jurgensen tore an Achilles tendon. He was done—for all practical purposes, his career over. Kilmer had to take over what was again a very promising season.

Kilmer had plenty going for him. The defense was the third-best in the NFL, anchored by 1st-team All-Pro linebacker Chris Hanburger. In addition to Brown’s MVP year, the Redskins had a quality veteran receiver in Charley Taylor, bound for the Pro Bowl himself. And center Len Hauss was the best on the offensive front. All of these component parts continued to mesh after the injury to Jurgensen, and Kilmer himself drastically elevated his play.

Brown took over the Giant game after the injury to Jurgy and rushed for 191 yards, a 23-16 Redskin win that really wasn’t that close. Kilmer completed 7/16 passes the following week at the New York Jets, but those seven completions produced a whopping 222 yards, and included a 70-yard scoring strike in a 35-17 win. The Redskins completed a three-week Big Apple trifecta by again beating the Giants, this time with Kilmer throwing for 256 yards.

A Monday Night home date with the mediocre Atlanta Falcons saw the Redskins fall behind early, 10-0, but Kilmer threw third-quarter touchdown passes to Brown and tight end Jerry Smith. The defense forced four turnovers in a 24-13.

Dallas had been keeping pace, remaining one game out, but on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys lost at home to the San Francisco 49ers. The door was open for the Redskins to take firm control of the NFC East, but they had to beat the Central-leading Green Bay Packers. They did just that in a 21-16 home win. Neither team ran the ball well, but Kilmer was 14/21 for 158 yards and no interceptions.

Washington had the tiebreaker advantage on Dallas, due to a superior conference record, and they could clinch the division on December 3 in Philadelphia. If the Redskins didn’t get it done here, the lead would be cut to one game, the tiebreaker dynamics would shift back to the Cowboys (by virtue of Washington losing a divisional game) and set up a battle the following Saturday in Big D for the division.

The Redskins made sure that didn’t happen. They took a 10-7 lead in the first half at Philly, and then took over the second half. Kilmer’s renaissance continued, with a sharp 12/15 for 155 yards performance. Washington won 23-7, and at 11-1 had clinched the division.

Homefield advantage was not a factor, as the NFL used a rotation system among division winners to determine playoff matchups and venue, so there was nothing left to play for. Washington dropped its final two games and got ready for the playoffs.

Christmas Eve Sunday came, and the Packers were back in D.C. for the divisional playoff round. After a scoreless first quarter, Green Bay drove into the red zone, but settled for a field goal. Kilmer then stepped up and hit wide receiver Roy Jefferson on a 32-yard touchdown strike.

It was all the Redskins defense needed. They collared the Packer running game, allowing just 78 yards on the ground. Green Bay quarterback Scott Hunter was out of his element against this defense. Brown ground out 101 yards and Washington churned out a 16-3 win.

Now it was time for a showdown with Dallas. Redskins Nation came to RFK on New Year’s Eve hoping to have two reasons to party at night. The combination of Kilmer and the defense did it again.

Another scoreless first quarter gave way to a second quarter where a deep Washington drive ended in a field goal. Then Kilmer rifled a touchdown pass to Taylor. The Redskin defense was again collaring an opposing running game. Washington didn’t run well themselves—Brown had 88 yards, but it took 30 carries to get them—but Kilmer was completely outplaying his counterpart Roger Staubach.

Staubach was held to 9/20 for 98 yards, while Kilmer coolly completed 14/18 for 194 yards. And he threw one more touchdown pass to Taylor, a 45-yard strike. Taylor had a huge day, with seven catches for 146 yards. Washington pulled away to a 26-3 win and it was time to start the party in D.C.

Two weeks later in the Los Angeles Coliseum, the party ended at the hands of the undefeated Miami Dolphins. Kilmer threw three interceptions and Washington couldn’t stop Dolphin running back Larry Csonka, who rushed for 112 yards. The most aggravating interception came early in the fourth quarter—trailing 14-0, Kilmer saw Smith wide open in the end zone. The pass hit the crossbar, which was then situated on the goal line and fell incomplete. One play later, Kilmer was picked. The final was 14-7.

Washington may not have won a Super Bowl, but they had built on the previous year’s success, won playoff games and at least won an NFC crown. Brown, Kilmer and Allen enjoyed their career high points in 1972.

The 1976 Washington Redskins: Billy Kilmer’s Last Shining Moment

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The 1976 Washington Redskins were a team of proud veterans struggling to hang on in a tough division at a time when playoff berths were at a premium. They made it to the postseason for the fifth time in six years thanks to a memorable stretch drive led by 37-year-old quarterback Billy Kilmer.

GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTS
Start reading today. 


Washington was coming off an 8-6 year (it was not until 1978 that the NFL began playing 16 regular season games). Head coach George Allen had led the team to the playoffs in his first four years in charge (1971-74) and the Super Bowl following the 1972 season. But the age of the defense, the non-playoff year and tough NFC East rivals in the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Cardinals—at a time when only one wild-card berth per conference was available—didn’t augur well for ’76.

The Redskins won four of their first six games, but there were reasons to be concerned. The schedule was soft, with five of the games against teams that would be sub-.500 and another against the soon-to-be 7-7 Chicago Bears. What’s more, the wins against the woeful New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles were by the hair of the ‘Skins teeth. At a time when parity in the NFL was nowhere close to what it is today, a team couldn’t use the “just win and go home” mantra quite as easily as today.

Monday Night, October 25, saw a downpour hit Washington D.C. as the Cardinals came to town for a big game for an ABC audience. St. Louis was 5-1. Dallas had won the previous day to get to 6-1. If the ‘Skins lost this game at home tonight, you might as well put another non-playoff year in the books.

Washington trailed 10-6 in the third quarter, but St. Louis was having a little trouble hanging on to the football—like eight lost fumbles worth of trouble. Plus two more interceptions. I’m going to take a cautious guess that the historical track record of teams that lose the turnover battle 10-3 is not very good.

The Redskins got the lead 13-10 on a touchdown run by Mike Thomas, on his way to an 1100-yard season and Pro Bowl trip. Then Eddie Brown electrified the crowd at old RFK Stadium with a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown that sealed a 20-10 win and kept the season alive.

Subsequent events made it look like Washington had only gotten a stay of execution rather than really saving their season. Kilmer had thrown for fewer than 100 yards in the St. Louis game. The weather might have provided a valid excuse in that game, but there was none when he turned in a similar clunker on November 14 against the Giants. The ‘Skins lost 12-9, fell two games back in the playoff race with four to play and young Joe Theisman was starting to get snaps at quarterback.

November 21 was the chance to make a last stand. Washington traveled to St. Louis where the wind was blowing at 17 mph. Allen, notorious for relying on veterans, chose Kilmer to make the start. The game didn’t begin well, with Jim Hart tossing a 48-yard touchdown pass to explosive running back Terry Metcalf, but the ‘Skins fought back.

This was a team with a lot of proud veterans on defense—Linebacker Chris Hanburger and strong safety Ken Houston would make the Pro Bowl at ages 35 and 32 respectively. Pat Fischer, 36-years-old, was still fighting the good fight at corner. Diron Talbert was 32 and still anchoring a defensive tackle spot. Allen even brought in an old enemy—free safety Jake Scott had been Super Bowl MVP for the undefeated Miami Dolphins in 1972 when they beat the Redskins. 1976 saw Scott come over to the burgundy and gold.

It was a defense that had built its reputation under Allen as “The Over-The-Hill Gang.” This writer’s father loved them. I wore a Hanburger sweatshirt and Redskins helmet to go trick-or-treating every year and have stayed a Redskins fan to this day. And this defense wasn’t going to go quietly into the good night.

The Over-The-Hill Gang kept St. Louis out of the end zone the rest of the game. Kilmer relied on his running game, with Thomas and 27-year-old John Riggins leading the way for an attack that piled up 247 yards. The Redskins won 16-10. They were still a game back of St. Louis and needed help with three weeks to go, but Washington still had life.

Kilmer still had life too. Washington took care of two easy games, but unlike the start of the year, they looked like a real playoff-caliber team. Kilmer threw six touchdown passes in the two games, the offense put 51 points on the board and when Dallas knocked off St. Louis, the Redskins got control of their playoff destiny when they entered the season finale at 9-4.

What the Cowboys giveth the Cowboys could taketh away though. Washington would have to win in Dallas in Week 14, and while their archrival had clinched the NFC East, the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs was still up for grabs.

Washington trailed 14-10, but with Kilmer providing some real air support for the offense, the runners eventually found room to move. Thomas would rush for 66 yards and catch seven passes. Riggins ran for 95 yards, and the ground game took it over down the stretch. The Redskins won 27-14 and had made the playoffs.

It was an unlikely run for Kilmer and a most deserving one for a quarterback that always had to fight for everything, first against franchise legend Sonny Jurgensen and then the up-and-coming Theisman. It all came to crashing an end six days later in Minnesota. The Vikings dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides, built a 35-6 lead and won 35-20. Kilmer threw for 298 yards, but just didn’t have the help on this day.

What the wily veteran quarterback had done though, was author one last great memory in a fine career, as the improbable four-game win streak and playoff berth is an underappreciated moment in Washington Redskins history.