Malik Willis: A One-man Show at Lambeau

 By Eric Goska

Malik Willis in 2024
(photo by Eric Goska)

Malik Willis stands just a shade over six feet tall. But in one regard, he towers over every passer in Packers history.

Willis opened at quarterback for Green Bay against Baltimore Saturday. The 26-year-old right hander—filling in for Jordan Love (concussion)—lit up the night sky at Lambeau Field in a game in which the Ravens overran the Packers 41-24.

That the Packers dropped their third in a row should not take away from Willis’ performance. From his first pass, a 40-yard sideline shot to Romeo Doubs, to his last, a 7-yarder to Christian Watson for a first down, Willis was dialed in.

In making his first start of the season, Willis produced the first fail-safe 100 game of his career (minimum 20 attempts); that is, his passer rating never fell below 100. From his first throw to his last, his rating remained in triple digits.

Willis in action against the Ravens Saturday night.
(photo by Colin Schmenk)

Here is a snapshot of Willis’ evening as a passer:

• Willis started hot. He completed his first 11 passes for 195 yards and a touchdown. Only four other Packers—Aaron Rodgers (12 on Sept. 26, 2021; 13 on Oct. 23, 2011), Brett Favre (14 on Sept. 10, 2000; 13 on Oct. 23, 2005; 11 on Nov. 15, 1992), Don Majkowski (14 on Nov. 26, 1989) and Lynn Dickey (18 on Sept. 4, 1983)—have equaled or exceeded such a dead-on start. Willis’ streak ended when Chris Brooks dropped a short throw early in the third quarter.
• Willis went deep. He fired five passes of 30-plus yards to four different receivers: Watson (39; 31), Doubs (40), Jayden Reed (30) and Bo Melton (34). In doing so, the four-year veteran joined Rodgers (Nov. 30, 2014), Matt Flynn (Jan. 1, 2012), Favre  (Dec. 22, 2003), Dickey (Oct. 17, 1983), Babe Parilli (Oct. 19, 1958) and Cecil Isbell (Nov. 1, 1942) as the only players in team history to complete five passes of 30 or more yards in a game.
• Willis was accurate. His completion percentage (85.7) was the fourth highest in team annals. Only Dickey (90.5; 87.1) and Rodgers (86.4) had higher marks (minimum 20 pass attempts).

Clearly, Willis was effective through the air. But No. 2 used his legs as well.

(photo by Eric Goska)

Willis led the team with 60 yards (nine carries) on the ground. He gained 55 on four runs that accounted for all four of the Green and Gold’s rushing first downs.

The native of Georgia scored twice on runs of 22 and 11 yards. In doing so, Willis joined the aforementioned Isbell (Sept. 29, 1940) as the only players in club history to have thrown a touchdown pass, run for two scores while leading the team in rushing.

Willis kept humming into the fourth quarter. His team down 10, the mobile mover and shaker pushed the Packers to the Baltimore 35 on a 7-yard connection with Watson. Unfortunately, the throw aggravated the shoulder injury he had suffered a week earlier in Chicago, and Green Bay’s most dynamic player on offense was done for the evening.

Clayton Tune took over at quarterback for the Packers’ final eight plays.  

Willis’ performance was no aberration. He’s been nothing short of excellent since coming to Green Bay, having completed 70 of 89 passes for 972 yards and six touchdowns. His passer rating of 134.6 is far superior to that of any other Packer passer at the same point in their career.

He has not been intercepted during his time in Green Bay.

Unfortunately, Willis’ stay in the NFL’s smallest city is likely at an end. He’s played too well not to be signed by some other team in the offseason.

Losing Malik will hurt. Almost as much as the 307 rushing yards Green Bay surrendered to the Ravens, a total so abominable as to almost overshadow Willis’ last hurrah on the Frozen Tundra.

Top Guns at 90
The 10 passers who compiled a passer rating greater than 70 on their first 90 pass attempts as a Packer. Thirty-five players have thrown at least 90 passes for Green Bay. Willis will become the 36th to do so should he attempt at least one pass in the season-finale in Minnesota.

Name                          A-C-Yds-TD-HI          Rate
Malik Willis                  89-70-972-6-0              134.62
Brett Favre                    90-57-657-4-2              90.83
Anthony Dilweg           90-52-625-5-2              88.43
Aaron Rodgers             90-60-565-2-1              86.57
Jordan Love                  90-54-637-4-3              82.50
Irv Comp*                     92-46-662-7-4              80.98
Blair Kiel                       90-53-547-4-2             74.63
Mike Tomczak             90-53-685-5-6              73.61
Babe Parilli                   90-40-680-7-5             73.38
Lamar McHan              90-43-702-8-7             71.62

*Unable to determine Comp’s rating after 90 passes.

The 1962 Denver Broncos - the Team's Last, Best Hope (for quite a while) ...

 by Jeffrey J. Miller

The Denver Broncos of the American Football League do not get much love. Rightly so. They are the only one of the original eight AFL franchises which never made it to the post-season in the league’s ten-year existence. The Oilers, Chiefs/Texans, Chargers, Bills, Raiders and Jets all won league championships, while the Patriots at least made it to the post-season once.  But the Broncos?  Bupkis.

The sad-sack Broncos would, of course, go on to win three Super Bowls after the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, taking home the Lombardi trophy after the 1997, 1998 and 2015 seasons.  But the 1960s were not kind to Denver fans, as the Broncos posted nine seasons of sub-.500 ball in the league’s ten years.  There was one year, however, that gave football fans in the Mile High city hope, a year in which the club actually held a winning record going into the final game of the season.

The year was 1962, a season in which the AFL and many of its teams were still trying to find their footing. Broncos management were determined to improve their team’s on-field performance after going 4-9 and 3-11 in their first two seasons. The first step toward respectability was discarding the hideous vertically striped socks the players had worn during those first two years. The second was hiring Jack Faulkner, the former defensive backfield coach of the Los Angeles Rams and San Diego Chargers, as their head coach.    

Denver Broncos first-year head coach
Jack Faulkner, pictured during his time
with the Los Angeles Rams, late 1950s.

The changes appeared to work, at least initially. The Broncos season got off to a very fast start, going undefeated after to weeks of action with wins over San Diego and Buffalo.  After a Week 3 loss at Boston, the Broncos relit the fuse and won their next four, knocking off the Titans, the Raiders twice and, most impressively, the Houston Oilers (the previous year’s champions). Standing at 6-1, the Broncos then hosted the Bills and lost in a shootout, 45-38.  They bounced back the following week, defeating the tough Chargers for a second time this year to improve to 7-2.

But here is where the saddle fell off the horse, as the Broncos lost the final five games of their season to finish 7-7. It turned out to be the team’s only .500 record in the entire decade. It was also to be the latest in any season the Broncos would still be in contention for a playoff berth.  Sadly, it would be another 11 years before they posted an actual winning record (7-5-2 in 1973) and 15 seasons before Denver fans felt the thrill of real success as their beloved boys in orange finally made the playoffs AND the Super Bowl (though they lost to the Cowboys in SBXII).   

So what happened?  Why the collapse? How could a team starting with a 6-1 run end with a 1-6 mudslide? It doesn’t appear to have been the personnel.  Most of the team’s star players, such as split end Lionel Taylor, flanker Bob Scarpitto, tackle Eldon Danehauer and defensive back Goose Gonsoulin played in all 14 games. Taylor even led the AFL in receptions with 77. 

Lionel Taylor, 1961

The team’s biggest star, however, was 35-year-old quarterback Frank Tripucka. On paper, Tripucka appears to have had a fine season, leading the league in passing attempts and completions, total passing yards and average passing yards per game. Those numbers earned Tripucka a trip to the AFL All-Star Game.  

Broncos quarterback Frank Tripucka,
1962.

Tripucka started 13 of the Broncos’ 14 games that year, finishing with a 6-7 record. In the first eight games he started before the team’s collapse, Tripucka averaged 284 passing yards, throwing 14 touchdowns (1.75 per game) and 16 interceptions (2.0 per game). However, in the final five games (all losses), Tripucka’s passing-yards-per-game fell to128 (a 55% drop!), while he threw just three TDs (an average of just .6 per game) and nine interceptions (1.8 per game). 

This is not to place all of the blame on Tripucka. It says here the team’s overall on-field performance also fell sharply after Week 9. In those first nine games, the offense averaged nearly 28 points while the defense gave up 20. They averaged 371 yards of total offense in the first nine games while allowing 293. In the last five games, however, the Broncos managed just under 21 points per game while surrendering almost 31. Their total yardage-per-game fell by nearly 100 (273) while yardage allowed ballooned by almost 90 (381). 

Frank Tripucka on a quarterback keeper versus
the New York Titans, September 30, 1962.

One could also fault coach Faulkner’s failure to replace the struggling Tripucka while having veteran George Shaw—who had been victorious in his only start for the club that season—riding the pine.  However, bringing the Broncos to the brink of respectability, no matter how briefly, earned Faulker Coach of the year honors. Still, regardless of how one slices it, whether the quarterback, the offense, the defense, the coach, there was plenty of blame to go around. 

The Broncos were clearly never really that good during the 60s, but 1962 gave their fans something to cheer about, even if it was only for part of a season. They would have their time in the sun, it was just going to take a few years, and an awful lot of patience!     

TUESDAY TIDBITS: "We're World Champions"

By TJ Troup

Last weekend all of us were treated to another boatload of exciting, consequential games! Let's sure hope that continues, yet since the standings show probably which teams will make the play-offs, yet with not all of the division champions being decided there are plenty of games of meaning. Let's start with the strongest most competitive division the NFC West. Would relish all of your opinions, who wins the West? 

The Houston Texans & Los Angeles Chargers rank 1-2 in the key defensive passer rating category. Does this mean that the game will be low scoring and the passers will struggle? 

My friend Mr. Eric Goska is one helluva talented writer/historian (bet you knew that) and his column on the Bears vs. Packers discussed how long Green Bay had a lead in a game against the Bears before they surrendered the lead. Are you ready to go back to October 4th, 1953? 

Here we go. 

After Ed Sprinkle recovers a Packer fumble, the Bears run the ball six straight plays, and on 4th and 6 on the Packer thirty-four Blanda drills home a 40-yard field goal at 10:25. Green Bay drives 70 yards to score on nine plays when Rote delivers a strike to Bob Mann. Gib Dawson weaves and dashes 60 yards with a Fred Morrison punt halfway through the 2nd quarter thus the Packers lead at the half. 

The Bears with Romanik at quarterback now (O'Connell started) drive 39 yards but Blanda misses a 50-yard field goal attempt. Romanik is replaced by O'Connell, who throws an interception that Romanik returns to throw an interception early in the 4th quarter. 

Midway through the 4th, Blanda is now in at the triggerman position but he is also intercepted. Green Bay has 3rd down and twelve to go as Rote pitches to Breezy Reid on a circle route with Don Kindt in coverage -- the ball is tipped and George Figner latches on to the ball for the only interception in his short career. 

Blanda leads the Bears 51 yards to score as he lofts to Dooley for 16 yards in the left corner of the end zone at 3:35 of the 4th quarter. Thus, Eric's saga of the Packers having a lead for over 40 minutes before victory escapes their grasp. Having the accurate stats and the play-by-play of every game sure would serve the league well. 

Why the NFL has not reached out to historians who have this vital information mystifies me. This coming Sunday, the 28th, is one of those historical days all Baltimore Colts fans relish. Was the Championship game the greatest game ever played as Klein wrote about in his book? 

We all have opinions, yet no doubt the game captured the imagination of so many with not only compelling drama, but with iconic characters and Johnny Hightops long drives against the NYG defense. When Buzz Nutter enters the locker room he hands the ball to the team captain Gino Marchetti and proclaims, "We're World Champions!"

Gino Marchetti
Credit: Merv Corning

See ya next week!

Packers Blow Lead in Windy City

 By Eric Goska

DJ Moore's 46-yard TD reception in overtime
lifted Chicago past Green Bay 22-16.

How about this for a morning-after football head-scratcher: Would you rather your team trail for most of the game and lose, or would you prefer your team hold the upper hand for much of the game and succumb at the end?

The correct answer, of course, is neither. Who wants to lose?

The Packers chose the second option in the hypothetical above, sitting atop the scoreboard for most of their contest with the Bears Saturday night. Then, with the game on the line, they imploded, allowing Chicago to walk off with a 22-16 overtime victory at Soldier Field.

In a matchup that determined first place in the NFC North Division, Green Bay wilted. Up by 10 with just over five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the club again demonstrated its inability to close the door.

Here’s another question, one more practical than philosophical. Which of the following plays contributed most to the Packers’ downfall?

• Warren Brinson draws a 15-yard penalty for grabbing Caleb Williams’ facemask, a blunder that erases third-and-20 and allows the Bears to close to 16-9 on a 43-yard Cairo Santos’ field goal at the two-minute warning.
• Romeo Doubs fails to secure Santos’ subsequent onside kick, an offering that hits him in the hands. Chicago then mounts an 8-play, 53-yard drive to knot the score at 16-all late in the fourth quarter.
• A botched, fourth-down exchange between center Sean Rhyan and quarterback Malik Willis, a miscue that paves the way for Williams’ 46-yard, game-winning scoring pass to DJ Moore four plays later.

This was a game the Packers should have won. Even losing their starting quarterback, Jordan Love, midway through the second quarter did not faze them. Willis filled in admirably, completing 9 of 11 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. He rushed for 44 yards on 10 carries.

Green Bay struck first in this encounter, with Brandon McManus kicking a 26-yard field goal to put the Packers ahead with 12:45 remaining in the second period. By tacking on two more McManus field goals and a 33-yard TD pass from Willis to Doubs, the Green and Gold remained in front for the next 42:21.

Williams passed for 250 yards and two TDs.

Not until Williams tied the score with a 6-yard TD pass to Jahdae Walker with 24 seconds remaining in regulation did the Packers relinquish the lead.

Playing with the lead for so long – 40-plus minutes – has usually worked in Green Bay’s favor in this series. Until Saturday, the Packers were 56-2 when doing so against the Monsters of the Midway.

In fact, Green Bay had won its last 28 games against Chicago when it led for at least 40 minutes. It last slipped up on Nov. 8, 1987, when Kevin Butler’s 52-yard walk-off field goal lifted the Bears to a 26-24 win at Lambeau Field and tore the hearts out of Packers fans.

“Butler’s boot leaves Packers numb,” read the headline above Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Bob McGinn’s analysis. The kick, only the second success from 50 yards and beyond by the third-year kicker, rendered useless Green Bay’s 44:27 with the lead.

In Chicago, as in Denver, the Packers struggled in the red zone. After going 1-for-4 against the Broncos, they struck out (0-for-5) in Chicago.

Green Bay ran a season-high 19 plays in the red zone. It went 1-for-5 on third downs, and Love failed to connect with Christian Watson on fourth down early in the first quarter.

The team’s biggest slip-up inside the 20 occurred midway through the third quarter. Josh Jacobs ended a promising 9-play drive with a fumble at the 3-yard line. Tremaine Edmunds recovered to end the threat.

Swift led Chicago with 58 yards rushing.

Saturday was the second time this season that the Packers have led for more than 40 minutes and come away empty-handed. They were out front of the Browns for 41:52 only to lose 13-10 on Andre Szmyt’s 55-yard walk-off field goal on Sept. 21.

Uncomfortably Numb
Since 1921, the three regular-season games in which the Packers lost despite leading the Bears for more than 40 minutes.

TWL*        Date                         Location                       Result
48:10         Oct. 4, 1953             City Stadium               GB lost, 13-17
44:27         Nov. 8, 1987           Lambeau Field           GB lost, 24-26
42:21         Dec. 20, 2025          Soldier Field               GB lost, 16-22

*TWL = time with lead

TUESDAY TIDBITS: "It Was Won Yesterday in Philadelphia"

By TJ Troup 

So much is written online about the games in the NFL each week; and there are some statements that are not only valuable, they are intriguing. Where to begin? Historically, when a team is at least 9 games over .500 and ahead by at least 20 points, they have won 161 times without a loss until last Sunday! 

Who could lead such a comeback? Why none other than the reigning MVP Mr. Josh Allen! His teammates rallied around him, thus securing a decisive road victory. ESPN analytics state that Buffalo now has the 5th-best chance to win the Silver Trophy. 

Alright, all my ardent readers and knowledgeable fans out there; please share the handful of teams right now that actually have a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and why? There are times the schedule makers just get it right, and in two days we have a dandy in the Pacific Northwest as the Rams journey to Seattle. The Seahawks have won 26 of the last 47 times these teams have battled. Rams are 14-10 at home, but only 7-16 on the road. Who wins, and how do they get it done? The Eagles returned to playing physical football last Sunday on that new jv team from Las Vegas. We have to go back to December 4th, 1955 to find the last time the Eagles allowed so few offensive yards by an opponent. 

Philadelphia in '55 was not very consistent yet on this December Sunda,y the Cardinals gained just 61 yards passing, but lost 60 yards in sacks, while gaining just 48 yards rushing on 24 attempts. The Philadelphia defense that day was led by their two Pro Bowl defenders; linebacker Wayne Robinson & right defensive end Norm "Wild Man" Willey. Since the Eagles were mentioned; lets journey back 78 years today (by this time you all know history of the game is a joy for me). Either Washington or New York have won every division title in the Eastern Conference from 1933 through 1946 until '47. Philadelphia will go on to play in three consecutive championship games, but their first playoff game in team history is brought about due to a tie for the division crown. 

Johnny "Zero" Clement

How did these Pennsylvania teams get there you ask? Well, here goes. Since Dudley is traded to Detroit, and 14 rookies make the Steeler roster coach Sutherland has an opportunity to show he really can teach/coach this game, and his brand of single wing football. Leading the offense is tailback Johnny "Zero" Clement, and boy oh boy is he productive, effective, and clutch in moving the black & gold down the field. He finishes 5th in the passer rating category! Two guys named Luckman & Baugh are ahead of him. 

When he injures his right arm he is "replaced" in the line-up by rookies Walt Slater & Gonzo Morales. While both give maximum effort, they just cannot do what Johnny Zero could do. Pittsburgh at one point wins six straight during the year including a strong victory over the Eagles. The 6-2 Steeler defense is led by ten year veteran Chuck Cherundolo (born before Pershing is winning the Great War in Europe). 

The Eagles win the rematch late in the year as they have the best running back of his era in Steve Van Buren who gains over 1,000 rushing! The passing attack is led by quarterback Tommy Thompson who is one of the men who finishes ahead of Clement in the passer rating category. The Eagles punished the Steeler defense in their victory by gaining 219 yards rushing; and Doc Sutherland is not about to let that happen again. 

Al Wistert

The day before the game in a team meeting, every Eagle has a chance to speak, thus the title for today's saga comes from Captain Al Wistert. The Eagles are ready and Forbes field is packed (35,729) for the deciding game, but Pittsburgh has to punt the first two times they have possession. That second punt is blocked by the rookie end Pete Pihos (he has done this before, ask Sammy Baugh), and the ball bounces out of bounds. The Steeler defense is packed inside; thus Thompson flips a flare pass to Van Buren to the left and "Supersonic Steve" dashes 15 yards to score. 

Hall of Fame coach Earle "Greasy" Neale resorts to trickery during the game on a fake field goal with holder Allie Sherman throwing incomplete to Ferrante, but during the 2nd quarter Thompson zips a pass to Black Jack Ferrante between the two linebackers and away he goes with right corner Tony Compagno in hot pursuit. Compagno is joined by left corner Paul White and they are carried into the end zone on the 28-yard score. 

Just before the half, Clement finally breaks free on a 27-yard run, but the Steelers still cannot find paydirt. Pittsburgh punts in the 3rd quarter to Bosh Pritchard and the elusive halfback weaves, cuts, and sprints 79 yards to put the game away. Clement has his right elbow in a brace, and is rusty after a couple weeks on the sideline thus he completes only 4 of 16 for 52 yards. 

The rushing champion is bottled up as Van Buren gains just 45 yards on 18 carries (his long run is 9 yards), yet Thompson is decisive & accurate as he pinpoints 11 of 17 for 131 yards. Would be fun to see these two teams battle each other for the Silver Trophy this season, but doubtful that will happen?

Bo Nix Sizzles in Win Over Green Bay

 By Eric Goska

Neither Xavier McKinney (above) nor
any other Packer could intercept Bo Nix
Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High.
(photos by Eric Goska)

Four touchdown passes and no interceptions beats four field goals and no misses any day of the week.

The flick of an arm, not the swing of a leg, carried the day at Empower Field at Mile High Sunday. That the Broncos reached the end zone while the Packers split the uprights allowed Denver to soar past Green Bay 34-26 and register an 11th straight win.

In a game featuring top-tier defenses, Bo Nix shredded Green Bay’s. The second-year player completed 23 of 34 passes for 302 yards and four touchdowns while compiling a passer rating of 134.7, the highest allowed by the Packers this season.

Nix fired scoring passes on his 8th, 12th, 18th and 25th pass attempts. He threw 18 passes during that run, posting a rating of 149.8.

The second-year phenom connected on 13 passes of 10 or more yards. His throws brought home 16 first downs.

Not once was he sacked.

For Green Bay, Brandon McManus booted field goals of 53, 26, 35 and 37 yards without a miss. His four-for-four performance was his first as a Packer.

Brandon McManus didn't miss in Denver.

But repeatedly trotting out McManus meant Green Bay underwhelmed in the red zone producing just one touchdown in four trips there. Denver was a perfect four-of-four.

Given a choice between a can’t-miss kicker or a lights-out quarterback, always go with the hot hand.

Nix became the 13th player this season to launch four or more scoring passes with no interceptions. Like the others – with the exception of one outing by Patrick Mahomes – he came away a winner.

Throughout its history, Green Bay has wilted on the road when confronted by a quarterback who can sling four TD passes and not get picked. Nix became the ninth to do it and the first since Jameis Winston uncorked five in New Orleans’ 38-3 demolition of the Packers to start the 2021 season.

Nix inflicted the most damage during the heart of the game. During the second and third quarters combined, he completed 16 of 22 passes for 237 yards and four scores (147.2 rating).

Not surprisingly, Denver piled up 289 of its 391 yards and 16 of 21 first downs during those two periods. The yardage is the most Green Bay has allowed in consecutive quarters in one game all season.

The 25-year-old romped on second down. He completed 10 of 13 throws for 161 yards and three scores (157.4 rating).

Nix utilized four different receivers – Michael Bandy, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin – to reach the end zone.  Franklin’s grab on the last play of the third quarter put Denver ahead for good.

Franklin’s touchdown could have been prevented had Xavier McKinney intercepted Nix on the drive. The veteran defensive back had two opportunities – one on a pass intended for Evan Engram on the second play of the advance and one on a deep ball for Marvin Mims Jr. three plays later – but came up short both times.

That Nix riddled Green Bay even with Micah Parsons, on the field, was disconcerting. That the Packers will be without their top defensive player for the remainder of the season – Parsons tore his ACL two plays before Nix orchestrated his final TD throw – is cause for alarm.

In the next two weeks, Green Bay will face Chicago’s Caleb Williams and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson. Both quarterbacks have already thrown four TD passes with no interceptions in victory this season. Both would like nothing more than to duplicate their efforts against a Packers team that lost more than a game in Denver.

Take Cover
The nine QBs who threw 4 or more TD passes and no interceptions against a Packers team on the road.

Name                      A-C-Yds-TD      Rate    Team          Date                   Result
Tommy Kramer         25-16-241-6       135.2     Vikings        Sept. 28, 1986    GB lost, 7-42
Chad Pennington     24-17-196-4        134.7     Jets              Dec. 29, 2002      GB lost, 17-42
Peyton Manning      40-28-393-5       140.9     Colts            Sept. 26, 2004    GB lost, 31-45
Donovan McNabb   43-32-464-5       147.8     Eagles         Dec. 5, 2004        GB lost, 17-47
Drew Brees                26-20-323-4      157.5     Saints          Nov. 24, 2008     GB lost, 29-51
Marcus Mariota        26-19-295-4      149.8     Titans          Nov. 13, 2016     GB lost, 25-47
Cam Newton             31-20-242-4      128.0     Panthers     Dec. 17, 2017      GB lost, 24-31
Jameis Winston        20-14-148-5      130.8     Saints          Sept. 12, 2021    GB lost, 3-38
Bo Nix                         34-23-302-4     134.7     Broncos       Dec. 14, 2025     GB lost, 26-34

Remembering Bobby Ply's 1962 Season

by Jeffrey J. Miller

Bobby Ply, 1965

The recent play of Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford in which he scored defensive touchdowns in back-to-back games (a fumble return versus Pittsburgh on November 30 followed by an interception return against Cincinnati on December 7) was an outstanding accomplishment.  My good friend and colleague Terence Jon Troup tells me that players scoring defensive touchdowns in back-to-back weeks is extremely rare. We could only identify five other players since 1940 who have accomplished the feat, including four Hall-of-Famers in Tom Landry (1951), Dick Lane (1952), Herb Adderley (1965) and Ken Houston (1971). Benford is in exceptionally good company, indeed!

Buffalo's DB Christian Benford returning an intercepted
 Joe Burrow pass for a touchdown at Highmark Stadium,
December 7, 2025 

Benford’s exploits brought my mind back to a moment in time I had referenced in a Pro Football Journal article a few years ago.  In one of my “AFL Defensive Players of the Week” series of articles, I spotlighted a two-week performance by a little-known Dallas Texan defensive back named Bobby Ply. It inspired me to turn the spotlight back on Mr. Ply, who in back-to-back games right around this very time in December of 1962, pilfered a record seven (yes, 7!) enemy aerials.

 

Ply had been a college quarterback and safety at Baylor.  He led the Bears to the Gator Bowl in 1960, where he earned co-MVP honors in a 13-12 loss to Florida, completing a then-record 13 passes in the game.  The New York Titans tapped him with their fifth-round pick (37th overall) but traded him to the Texans a few weeks later. The NFL Pittsburgh Steelers selected Ply using their 16th-round pick (216th overall) but knowing his chances of even making the Steelers’ active roster were slim, made for an easy decision to go with the AFL team. 

 

The Texans intended to use Ply on the defensive side of the ball, but they already had two outstanding first-string rearguards in Johnny Robinson (the future Hall-of-Famer) and Bobby Hunt. Undeterred, Ply forged a spot for himself as the third safety and special teamer. But when Robinson was knocked out of the lineup with a late-season injury, Ply was ready to fill the void.  Ply’s first start came in Game 12 (December 2) against the Buffalo Bills, a 23-14 loss. 

 

He started again a week later (December 9) when the Texans faced off against the Denver Broncos at the Cotton Bowl. Ply had a huge game, recording three interceptions in leading the Texans to a 17-10 victory.  His interceptions of Denver passes on back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter sealed the win that bumped the playoff-bound Texans’ season record to 10-3.

 

Ply made a third straight start in the season finale against the San Diego Chargers (December 16), and not only did the heroics continue, he was even better!  After swiping three passes the previous week, Ply nabbed four against the Chargers, which tied the pro individual record for interceptions in a single game. The total of seven interceptions in successive games, however, is an individual record that stands to this very day.

 

Del Rio (TX) News-Herald,
December 17, 1962.

Despite the records, Ply found himself back on the bench the following week as Robinson returned to the lineup for the AFL Title Game between the Texans and Houston Oilers. The Texans prevailed, winning the league championship with a historic 20-17 double-overtime victory. That made for one incredible three-week stretch for Bobby Ply.

 

Unfortunately, Ply would never come close to recapturing the dizzying heights he reached in early December 1962. In fact, in the six years of professional football he was destined to play, Ply never appeared in an All-Star game or received an All-Pro mention. He started just 16 of the 77 games he played.  What makes Ply’s feat all-the-more curious is the fact that these seven picks were his total for the entire 1962 season, and he would record only two more the rest of his career!

 

So, even though no one would ever mistake Bobby Ply for teammate Johnny Robinson, for one glorious stretch during the 1962 campaign, Ply sure looked like it was he, rather than Robinson, who was destined for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.