Johnny Unitas threw four touchdown passes to snap the Colts'three game losing streak with a 42-28 defeat of the Washington Redskins.
Washington,Oct. 29 –The Baltimore Colts,down fourteen points and riding a three game losing streak,bounced off the mat to rally past the Washington Redskins,42-28. The Redskins proved to be hospitable hosts with five turnovers that contributed to the Colts’revival. Bob Boyd stepped in front of A.D. Whitfield and intercepted Redskin quarterback Sonny Jurgensen with a minute and twenty-six seconds left in the first half. Boyd raced down the sidelines 33 yards for a touchdown. The clubs entered their locker rooms at halftime tied at 21.
The teams exchanged turnovers to open the second half,and Lou Michaels missed a 53 yard attempt midway through the third quarter. On the Colts’next possession,Jerry Hill plunged in from three yards to give Baltimore its first lead. The touchdown was set up by Unitas’33 yard pass to Tom Matte to the Redskins three yard line. However,the Redskins responded with a counterpunch of their own as Jurgensen found tight end Jerry Smith in the end zone for a 19 yard strike.
In the fourth quarter,Unitas led the Colts to the shadow of the Redskins’goal posts,but Michaels shanked an 11 yard attempt. Jurgensen gaffed on the subsequent play by fumbling the snap,and Dennis Gaubatz recovered for the Colts. After Matte scampered for eight yards,Unitas found his tight end,John Mackey,for a 10 yard touchdown. The frustrated Redskins were flagged for an intentional face-masking penalty on the play,but Michaels failed to pin the Redskins deep by kicking the ball in the end zone for a touchback. However,Boyd intercepted Jurgensen a second time and set Unitas and the Colts up at the Washington 41. Unitas converted a pair of third downs. The second conversion went for another touchdown as Unitas hit Mackey again for an 18 yard score. Scrambling away from the persistent Colts pass rush,Jurgensen fumbled away the Redskins final opportunity and Ordell Braase recovered for Baltimore. Matte,Hill,Jerry Lorick and Lenny Moore took turns running out the clock as the crowd at D.C. Stadium filed out.
The loss dropped the Redskins into a first-place tie with the Dallas Cowboys who defeated the Philadelphia Eagles,13-3. The Colts return home to host the undefeated Green Bay Packers.
This game story is dedicated to the boys at the Fell’s Point Diner.
