Chiefs v Dolphins - 1971 AFC Divisional Playoff

Miami beats Kansas City in the longest NFL game ever.

[@BrianVanBuren-tu2ef]

what a game nbc classic

[@1thepner]

Thank you for the GREAT UPLOAD. I've never seen this version. Simply excellent !!! Jan 2024

[@michaelleroy9281]

This was also the first time the Dolphins beat the Chiefs since both teams came into the AFL/ NFL

[@s.l.nicholson4240]

That was my first year watching football. An absolute epic of a football game. This game was played under the old sudden death overtime rules. The first team that scores wins the game, period! Yet it still stands as the longest NFL game ever played.

[@spinner9057]

This is the longest game in NFL history and it didn't even get its own Greatest Games documentary like The Drive, Ghost to the Post and The Catch. That's something I cannot wrap my head around.

[@michaelleroy9281]

Ghost to the Post has it's Greatest Games video

[@TheShahofLugash]

When fullbacks ruled the Earth …

[@GeorgeWolfeIV-ir6de]

In its aftermath, Miami would eventually win back-to-back Super Bowls 7 & 8 after losing Super Bowl 6, while Kansas City wouldn’t even make the playoffs again until 1986.

[@michaelleroy9281]

And to this day still the longest game ever played

[@michaelleroy9281]

The Dolphins radio announcers thought they lost when Podolak returned that kickoff

[@JeffF-gc3df]

Rick Weaver, wasn't it? I was a young, budding 10-yr old Dolphins fan then. I still have a cassette recording or two, somewhere, of Rick Weaver calling Dolphins games. He would say, "he really got rap-a-tapped" after a big hit...Ha! Good memories!.

[@ericradford2142]

RIP Don Shula, Hank Stram

[@garynolte4231]

Stenerud is a HOF but he cost them a chance to when a superbowl!

[@bufnyfan1]

I vividly remember this game was on NBC with Curt Gowdy doing the play-by-play--as he said when it was over-it was a shame someone had to lose--this game was the last game played at Municipal Stadium in KC-the Chiefs moved to Arrowhead the following season-and lost their home opener to Miami 20-10 (Miami's first win of the "perfect" season that followed)

[@knick5032]

My first memories of Christmas & Football

[@chrisuncleahmad]

If Stenerud makes that kick, is the AFC Championship Game In Baltimore or KC?

[@eddiesimms9301]

I watched that game and was a BIG KC CHIEFS FAN. At that time I was just a young 13 yr old. It was the BEST playoff football came I had ever watched and still to this day I haven't seen a game that has come close to matching that one. That was unfortunately the LAST winning season for the Chief until 2019!

[@kamehamehey22615]

The Chiefs had a decent number of winning seasons between 1971 and 2019.

[@Tom-c7p1h]

Schottenheimers Chiefs won a ton of games in the late 80's and early Nineties with Dick Vermeil. Just not the playoffs.

[@michaelleroy9281]

RIP Len Dawson

[@bufnyfan1]

Municipal Stadium had many quaint and unique features that were essentially lost when it closed--the groundskeeper-George Toma (The "God of Sod") used to put the helmet logos of the Chiefs and that week's opponent on each side of the 50 yd line--they had a horse ("Warpaint") run up and down the sideline to excite the crowd (especially after a Chief's score)-they had the Pardo "swing band" playing throughout the game--and when the Chiefs came onto the field before a game there would be red-jacketed fans greeting them in the endzone--these fans were awarded the jackets as they were the ones who had sold the most season tickets each year

[@michaelparish9645]

Lenny Dawson called this the best team he played for. I believed they would beat the Cowboys in the Super Bowl. 🙏 Mr. Dawson

[@bufnyfan1]

Mr. Dawson was class personified. When his first wife Jackie suffered a stroke in her early 40s he took control of her care and rehabilitation. He took her to all her doctor's appointments/assisted in her physiotherapy and recovery and cared for their young children. Sadly (according to Jan Stenerud who was close to the Dawson family) Mr. Dawson came home to find Jackie had passed away in the shower of their home

[@michaelleroy9281]

That would have been a game between the former and current team in Dallas

[@bruceproctor1112]

One of the greatest games of all time. Miami closed Municipal Stadium and opened up Arrowhead the 72 season.

[@michaelleroy9281]

Both with victories

[@russelljohnson7067]

This game was played 50 yrs ago ,seems like 10yrs ago

[@mr.majestic2667]

Nah, its dated for sure look at the crowds .

[@michaelleroy9281]

This was the beginning of the end of the good Chiefs teams of late 60s early 70s with the loss

[@jackprecip5389]

This was a good result for the Kansas City bookies as everyone in Kansas City bet their Chiefs in big games, especially when it was on Christmas Day (KC bookies got famously destroyed 2 years earlier when the Chiefs won the Super Bowl). Unfortunately for most of Kansas City that didn't make it to Memorial Stadium (last Chiefs game ever player there), the NFL in those days blacked out the TV broadcasts in the towns that hosted games (even when sold out), so they had to listen to the game on radio.

[@hammer44head]

Most exciting game i ever watched along with Raiders vs Dolphins in 74 playoffs.

[@bena.3955]

Back when ESPN was awesome! I miss these NFL films not being on ESPN anymore.

[@adamdorgant9454]

Ben A. Agreed!!

[@danpajer2842]

Now there's nothing but BS from HACK ANNOUNCERS

[@hammer44head]

yep they were very good at one time, gave in to political pressure and a bunch of jerkoff talking heads. You knew it was gonna happen when Disney bought them.

[@DiegoOspina86]

The announcer is John Facenda?

[@GeorgeWolfeIV-ir6de]

No.

[@michaelleroy9281]

John Doremus, he also did a piece on the Sea of Hands Dolphins Raiders playoff game in 1974

[@bufnyfan1]

many of Chiefs from that game to this day are still traumatized by the loss--Jan Stenerud will not talk about this game when ever it is brought up--the fact that the game happened on Christmas day makes it harder from many of the surviving Chiefs to deal with it

[@graciemaemarie11jones16]

stenerud and podolak's fumble lost it

[@jbstonesfan]

With your Championships now it must be easier. For us Phin fans it’s been decades since greatness.

[@jimlampert2897]

Hardest KC loss to ever take.KC team D was so much better the Fins.Bur Robinson didnt play 2nd half & KC turnovers.

[@michaelleroy9281]

​@@jbstonesfanThere was a perfect season one year later

[@louissegarra1583]

This must be from the NFL Films "longest games ever" film. I remember watching this as a kid. Great stuff!

[@ericcollins8794]

Me too

[@drbonesshow1]

This was the year of Roger Staubach. No one had a chance against the Cowboys when Staubach took over a 4-3 team. Won 10 games in a row. The next year, the Dolphins would go 17-0. Maybe some Staubach rubbed off on them during the 24-3 SB VI loss in 1972.

[@michaelleroy9281]

Superbowl VI was a learning experience for the Dolphins, the same thing didn't happen the next year

[@drbonesshow1]

@@michaelleroy9281 Sort of like dropping a heavy stone on your foot. The dumber you are the higher you hold the stone. If you are now wiser you don't drop it on your foot again.

[@pep590]

Maybe the Cowboys were unstoppable, but the chiefs would have given them a better game.

[@drbonesshow1]

@@pep590 Few teams in NFL history were truly unstoppable (I won't even include the '72 Dolphins because the '73 team was better) and therefore I only need to mention two: (1) the 1985-86 Bears and (2) the 1976-77 Raiders. Now that would have been a great Super Bowl: Bears v. Raiders.

[@davidpridham3741]

@@drbonesshow1 the 76 raiders and 85 Bears were each demolished in their single losses. The raiders in 76 were pummelled by the Patriots n reg season and were badly outplayed by Pats in playoffs - but were given lied by refs on phantom roughing the passer call n stabler. The 85 Bears were famously torched by Marino on Monday night football ....the game was not close. I would not put those teams above the 72 or 73 Dolphins. The 73 team lost a nail bier on the road 12-7 against raiders early in rhe season and a meaningless reg season finale to Baltimore ( some say to save former Shula assistant Shnellenberger’s job with Colts). The ‘72 Miami team ran the table at 17-0- with back- up QB for most of the season. Would the raiders have gone 16-1 without stabler ?

[@tombradley37]

Ed Podolak is Gary Dolphins color man for Iowa Hawkeye football radio

[@headshotsongs9465]

235 lb. fullback fake up the middle, and the defense bit on it. My, my my.

[@kevinlandess1327]

Wow!!! U had bobby belll Len Dawson big buck Buchanan jonhhy Robinson Otis Taylor hank stram they should of won iconic team they lost to more iconic. Team the 70 's dolphins

[@michaelleroy9281]

John Doremus outstanding

[@adamdorgant9454]

Michael Leroy Yes he was!!!!

[@adamdorgant9454]

Great game, what can I say!!!

[@ronbowlingjr6122]

Curious to know where the AFC Championship game would have been played had Miami played Cleveland and not Baltimore.

[@mikehinkle6537]

The rules back then were different. If 2 Divisional winners played in the Divisional round of the playoffs and the visiting team won, that team would host the Conference Championship game no matter the outcome of other Divisional round game. So in this case, the Dolphins would have faced the Browns at home in the Orange Bowl. And by the way, had the Raiders defeated the Steelers in the Immaculate Reception Divisional playoff game, the Dolphins would've had to travel to Oakland for the Championship Game despite being undefeated.

[@michaelleroy9281]

Home Field advantage was not used at the time , Championship games rotated by divisions for a while

[@graciemaemarie11jones16]

podolak's fumble before halftime doomed the chiefs.that and the fact thay had no pass rush.after jerry mays, their best defensive lineman by far, retired, they lostmuch of their pass rush.the other factor is that otis taylor was a non factor. if you look at the chiefs 1969 super bowl run,it was otis taylor who was the difference maker in their three playoff games.in 71 vs miami,he was basically,a non factor.b

[@carlosa.sanchez896]

I watched that game with my dad and brother, incredible 82 minutes of pure pain for both teams. Podolak was terrific, imagine a RB also returning kicks today or 2 white guys playing safety? Another anomaly was Yepremian's holder was backup WR, Karl Noonan. I think the Dolphins really did leave everything out on that field that night, given their 24-3 ass whooping loss 1 week later against the Cowboys in the SB. The next season, was sweet revenge, the only undefeated NFL team ever and it ended in a sB win over the Redskins!

[@CCMSingles]

This game was the Divisional Round, not the AFC Championship (which the Dolphins won 21-0 over the Colts), so it's unlikely this game carried over to the Super Bowl.

[@graciemaemarie11jones16]

yes,i can imagine 2 great white guys playing safety...remember when one of the 'white guys', anderson intercepted off , what, 2 or 3 passes....? 1,or 2, for touchdowns.....off of saintly black joe gilliam? huh? do you remember? huh? i do...yes,one of those 'white guys' safety's HUMILIATED the 'saintly black qb,joe gilliam.........fyi, anti white racist...the best safeties have been WHITES.... johnny robinson....larry wilson....jake scott....dick (i intercepted 2 passes for td's against saintly joe gilliam)

[@sampavlick9081]

They didn’t play in the Super Bowl one week later - they beat the Colts 21-0 - and were only down 10-3 at halftime in the Super Bowl.

[@pep590]

Jan Stenerud had been missing kicks all year and the Chiefs ignored it. He nearly missed the first one and that was a 29 yarder. I had a feeling he might miss it. This wasn't that big of a surprise for knowledgeable fans, but made us all so angry that his misses had been allowed to go this far unchallenged. Then Lin Elliot in 1995 was allowed by the Chiefs to do it all again and repeat history.

[@gerrieburke1316]

This game should have kept Jan Steneroud OUT of the HOF

[@howardcosell2022]

Jan made the Hall to promote the game in Europe as he was born in Norway

[@michaelleroy9281]

He made just about every other attempt just not this one reminds me of Gary Anderson in1998 NFC Championship Game Falcons vs Vikings