Greetings, dear readers. At 2023 draws to a close, I thought it might be fun to take “GTGFTU” (Guess the Game from the Uniform) and have some fun with it. Today, I’ll be posting photos from a number of “bad weather games” in the NFL, and your job will be to identify the teams, date, location and final score (and if you want to throw in any interesting tid-bits on how you solved it, that’s always fun too).
Some of these are classic games (or photos) so they won’t be as difficult as your typical GTGFTU, but others may not be so easy. So in the comments below, please identify the game (by number) and then give the details.
Ready? Here we go:
#1:
#2:
#3:
#4:
#5:
#6.
#7:
#8:
#9:
#10:
#11:
#12:
#13:
#14:
15:
Good luck, and put your guess(es) down in the comment below!
QUIZ ANSWERS:
#14 Thanksgiving 1968 Eagles at Lions. Philadelphia won 12-0. That win along with another 10 days later cost the Eagles the chance to draft O.J. Simpson. Philly took Leroy Keyes with the second pick in the draft. Wrong choice-2 picks later the Steelers drafted an unknown defensive tackle named Greene.
I know all the easy ones. Too lazy to look up dates.
suuuuuuuure
My laziness is the stuff of folklore.
I love the photos! Recognized the teams, could guess the era, but not knowledgeable enough to know the exact dates.
#1. 1965 NFL Championship Game January 2, 1966 – Lambeau Field. First NFL game played in January. Jim Brown’s last game. Cleveland had a better record (GB/BAL had to play a play-in game) but because of the moronic rotating home playoff scheduling of the day had to play on the road.
Could be a photo essay entitled “Why We Love Football”.
Which happens to be the name of Joe Posnanski’s next book.
Indeed! While we still have rain and snow games, there’s less mud these days.
Only four with the Packers? I would have bet the over on that.
Surprised to not see the Packers-49ers playoff game in January 1997 on this list.
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Awesome mention! Candlestick sure had some muddy ones.
#4: Monday Night Football
1984 Season
Packers at Broncos – October 15, 1984
Was in attendance – (was only 19) snow came in fast and furious about an hour before kickoff making for a wild first half!
Only game I’ve ever left at halftime, my uncle wanted to drive home with as few cars on the road as possible – managed to watch second half at home.
The NFL was best when they had terrible weather conditions on terrible fields ( Cleveland Municipal, with mud and very little grass).
Can’t have that today. The youngins will cry too much ( the Vikings playing in a dome tells you all you need to know about toughness? in 2023).
# 12 is the 12/8/74 game between Philadelphia & the NY Giants, which the Eagles won 20-7. That’s Craig Morton at quarterback for Big Blue. I remember listening to this game on radio (it was blacked out on TV in New York, unthinkable today) as a 12 year old Giants fan. Just a dreadful game, unless you were a Philly fan. It was also the last regular season NFL game ever at the Yale Bowl & probably the last scheduled game ever played at a stadium with no lights.
#7. Noooooo! Not Leon Lett!!
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I’ll never forget that game. Thanksgiving night, day before my wedding. Saw that play just before I left our apartment to spend the night in a motel (so as not to see my future wife *before* the wedding day).
# 3 also looks like a New York Giants game. 11/15/64 at the St. Louis Football Cardinals. It ended in a 10-10 tie & was at the first Busch Stadium (renamed from Sportsman’s Park). Before my time, but they supposedly called it The Mud Bowl then. A real quagmire.
I’ll take an easy one off the board:
#10 – Buffalo(0) @ Cleveland 2.0 (8) 12/16/07- 2 FGs and a safety was all the scoring that dismal day.
Only game the Browns hosted those poorly-uniformed Bills in the 00s…while their navy period was their absolute low point uni-wise, they had the sense to do away with the white over blue look.
I’ll say one thing in those uniforms’ favor: I like how the NOB fits into the shoulder yoke; the Sabres did something similar around that time when they were wearing those eccentric uniforms with the weird number font.
The Arizona Cardinals, who have never really had good uniforms, also did this with their red yoke on the white jerseys. And the Packers handled their 1994 throwbacks, which suddenly required NOBs for today’s NFL, the same way. I’d like to see it more often; it looks far better than shoving the NOB downward and putting some little logo in there.
“The Arizona Cardinals, who have never really had good uniforms…”
Says you!
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I think only the Memphis Showboats (WhateverFL) will be the the only pro squad that will feature the yoke NOB, assuming they don’t change things up (still say they oughta go back to silver/scarlet) .
The wheelhouse logo on the silver helmet is a forgotten classic.
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During that game I white-knuckled my way to and from Boston Market to get dinner for Mom and Dad, who were visiting. When I got back I saw Phil Dawson’s 49-yarder in the snow and into the wind. He earned my everlasting respect after that.
I was kind of hoping the score would have remained 5-0, but 8-0 is pretty cool for football too.
And there was nothing wrong with Buffalo in red/white/blue. I miss those days, but not as much as I miss the early 70s white (with standing bison)/white/blue.
I think #2 is 12/1/85 with the Pack beating the Bucs 21-0. That would be Steve Young at qb for Tampa Bay
I really miss the hybrid Futura/Helvetica number font that NFL referees used to have back then. IIRC, a few of them (#9 Jerry Markbreit, maybe?) kept it long after most of the other refs had the block number style.
I’m shocked there was no pictures from the Fog Bowl between Chicago and Philadelphia.
It’s possible there will be a Part II to this…
Not every bad weather game could make this list of 15. There are A LOT (including some famous games) that didn’t make the cut
This one was so much fun, would love another installment…with an answer key entry after all the guessing is done.
I may update the post later tonight with the answers.
Can’t promise another installment, but I probably will do one at some point.
Thanks Cheis!
There were photos taken, turns out though you just couldn’t see a damn thing ;-)
#15 is Colts vs. Bills, Week 17, December 10 2017, also known as the Snow Bowl. You could barely see anything on the field because of all of the snow.
# 11 is one that (almost) everyone should get – The Ice Bowl, the 1967 NFL Championship Game on New Years Eve ‘67 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Packers 21 Dallas Cowboys 17. One of the true legendary games of all-time.
I am making a guess on # 5 (also the title picture) – 1/23/83 – the AFC Championship Game at the Orange Bowl in Miami. Dolphins 14 New York Jets 0. That looks like Miami wide receiver Duriel Harris taking a slide down into the muddy slop. Don Shula & Dolphins supposedly never covered the field with a tarp during a week of rain before, to slow down the speedier Jets (and it worked). This is something that couldn’t happen today.
I think that’s right- my research said that’s Tony Nathan, but he was not a wearer of the 2 bar.
Remember that game – not fondly thanks in part to AJ Duhe.
I’m taking a wild guess just for fun at #13: Boston (team nickname currently known as Commanders) 14 at NY Giants 0, at Polo Grounds, December 6, 1936. According to GUD, Big Blue wore a lot of red elements with white jerseys and helmets the entire season, and wore red pants with a white-blue-white stripe on the back of the legs. Kind of looks like the Polo Grounds stands in the background … or not?
#8: Seattle v. KC, 10/4/98. Game was halted since the weather was so bad.
Phil chose this photo “for who…for what?”
; )
Quiz has now been updated with answers.
“Bad” weather games?
More like fun weather games!
Even though it makes kicking field goals extremely difficult, I love a good snow or mud game. Thanks for doing this… hope there’s a Part Two!
#4 – last time I won a office pool on Monday nighter. Packers fumbled first two plays for Broncos scores. Furious second half rally by Pack, James Lofton ran wild, late sack and fumble with Lynn Dickey finally sealed Denver win.
#6 – Typical 1960s late-season mud game at Kezar Stadium.
#9 – Jaguars/Panthers around 2011?
Adds –
1969 Dolphins at Patriots (BC Stadium) – one end zone was literally flooded! Drunk fan at halftime ventured on field and took bath in the mud.
Lions at Packers (MNF – 11/1/1971) – One of many mud bowls at Milwaukee County Stadium where baseball infield not sodded.
Steelers at Dolphins (1989?) – Field was a swimming pool by middle of second quarter. Sun came out by end of game.
Steelers at Dolphins (1990s/2000s?) – Game moved from 1 pm to 8 pm due to hurricane exiting area. Still was rainy/windy/muddy mess with Marlins infield.
Buccaneers at Bengals (1980) – Week 1, started in hot, steamy sunshine. Severe thunderstorm came through late in third quarter, game not suspended. Ground zero lighting strikes, kids showing off running around field. Then Tampa Bay forced to punt in end zone and punter AWOL! Should of just taken a safety:) Sun back out a half hour later.