Chapter 17
On the road to the Super Bowl, the finals of the AFC pitted the Rams against the Patriots. The Pats with a record of 16-1 had lost only to the Buccaneers in the second game of their regular season. That game was won in sudden death in the third overtime period to a Buck’s 60-yard field goal. The Patriots vindicated that loss by trouncing the Buccaneers 45-7 in their second meeting of the season.
Now, in the AFC championship game, the Patriots had home field advantage, and made good use of it. Every time the Rams had the ball, the roar of the crowd made signal calling almost impossible. In spite of it, the Rams with Albright passing and Aries receiving scored on their first possession. The Pats matched the score after taking the ensuing kickoff. By the end of the first half, it was obvious that this was going to be a battle down to the wire. The Rams had an explosive passing game, but a weak defense. The Patriots were more evenly balanced. They had gotten where they were because they could score points as well as keep the other team out of their end zone. The score at halftime was Rams 35 Patriots 30. The difference was that the Patriots had to settle for a pair of field goals on their possessions, while the Rams scored touchdowns. Even so, it was shaping up to one of the highest scoring games in playoff history.
A light rain blew in as the second half started. The temperature dropped to the low twenties and the rain turned to sleet—a typical New England sleet storm, expected to last the rest of the day. After the ball slipped out of Albright’s hands for the second time when he tried to pass, the coach called for a timeout.
“Okay, men,” said Jones. “Game plan’s changed. From here on in we run the ball on every play.”
He took Max out, and the backfield, in addition to the quarterback, consisted of a pair of running backs and a blocker.
The Patriots followed the same pattern, but their running game and their defensive line were far better than those of the Rams. With both teams slogging through the muddy field, the Patriots soon pushed their way into the Rams end zone to go ahead 37-35.
Max fidgeted on the bench. He desperately wanted to get back in the game, but a pass receiver needed a passer. As good a passing quarterback as Todd Albright was, unless he could get a good grip on the ball he couldn’t get the ball to his flanker.
For most of the fourth quarter, the score remained unchanged. The runners on both teams slipped and slid on the wet and muddy turf. Each series of downs became “three and out.” It came down to which team would outlast the other, and the Patriots held the advantage in the score. When the two-minute warning whistle sounded, it looked as though the Rams’ season was coming to an end. The ball belonged to the Patriots. When play would resume they’d have it fourth down, six to go for a first down on the Rams 25-yard line.
The Patriots coaches huddled on the sideline trying to come to a decision. If they chose to run the ball for a first down and failed, they’d turn the ball over to the Rams with more than a minute to play. To punt the ball from their position on the field would likely put the ball in the Rams end zone for a touchback bringing it out to the 20-yard line where the Rams would have it, first down. Even with the horrible weather conditions, in the time remaining the Rams could get down the field and win the game with a field goal. On the other hand, a Patriots field goal would just about ice the game since they’d be five points ahead, and the Rams would need a touchdown to win. Normally, at this distance, a field goal would be little more than a chip shot for the Patriots’ talented kicker. They decided to go for the field goal. But these were not normal conditions.
The two-minute warning came to an end, and the teams lined-up. The ball was snapped to the place kick holder, but it slipped from his grasp, rolled around in the mud and ended up at the bottom of a pile of players of both teams. When the referee finally untangled the mess, the ball was firmly in the grasp of one of the Rams. Although they had recovered the fumble, they were still more than sixty yards from the Patriots’ goal line, and with the defense the Patriots had put up until now, there seemed little hope that the Rams could get close enough for a field goal and much less likely to score a touchdown.
Max was unable to remain seated. He paced in front of the bench like a lion in a cage. Somehow he had to get back in the game. He knew he could pull the game out for his team, although just how, he hadn’t figured out.
On the playing field, both teams were now reaching the point of exhaustion. Playing in normal conditions is tiring enough. Trying to maintain footing in a sea of mud over a period of time requires super human effort. With one minute remaining, the Rams had the ball on their own 40-yard line.
Three attempts at running the ball got them nowhere. With six seconds remaining, Coach Jones called their final timeout and huddled with the team on the sideline. Although a field goal would be enough to win, the range of their kicker Hajak was, at most, fifty yards. An attempt from the Rams’ present line of scrimmage was out of the question. Unless the Patriots committed a rules infraction, this would be the final play of the game “Okay men, it’s Hail Mary time. Max, get back in there.”
The Rams’ quarterback lined up in shotgun formation, about five yards behind center. All eligible receivers, including Max, were ready to charge downfield; the rest of the players would block opposing linemen hoping to give the receivers enough time to get downfield before Albright unleashed his pass and throw it up for grabs. Albright’s range under ideal field conditions was about 60 yards. Under today’s weather conditions, he’d be lucky to pass it 50 yards. The plan was for the receivers to gather at the Patriots’ 15-yard line where Albright’s pass would likely fall. If one of the Rams was lucky enough to get his hands on the ball, he had the option of running or, if he were about to be tackled, he with his teammates in the area could attempt a series of lateral passes to get the ball into the Pat’s end zone. The “ifs” involved were mind-boggling. Gamblers who had bet on the Patriots were counting up their winnings.
The Patriots had no doubt regarding the Rams’ intentions. They line up for a three-man rush. Everyone else was downfield to cover for the expected Hail Mary pass.
Albright had taken off his soggy gloves; the referee placed a dry ball down on the line of scrimmage, scurried away and blew his whistle. It was now or never.
Max was poised to run when, from the corner of his vision, he saw the center’s snap squirt through Albright’s hands. The quarterback, spinning around to try to recover the ball, slipped and fell on his back. Max immediately braked and dashed back. He got to the bouncing ball moments before the onrushing Patriot linemen. He evaded the linemen then reared back as though to pass. The opposing linemen stopped and threw their hands up to try to block Max’s pass. They blocked empty air; Max had faked the pass.
What happened next will live on forever as legend wherever football is discussed.
Max took a few steps to the side, and dropped the ball to the turf on one of its pointed ends, then kicked it. A dropkick.
The football soared high in the air, unerringly on its way to the back of the end zone. Someone later said a gale force wind that blew momentarily toward the Patriots goal helped the ball along. In any case, the ball split the goalpost uprights passing over the crossbar with three feet to spare. The Rams had done the impossible; they’d scored a winning field goal from close to ninety yards. They had won the AFC championship. Super Bowl, here we come!