Monday Night Football Early Years (1985

Before we jump into Monday Night Football from 1985 thru 19991, if you haven’t checked it out yet, we recommend reading the articles covering 70′-73′, 74′-78′, and 79′-84′ first.

You can also listen to Mark and Dave on Yesterday’s Sports reliving MNF throughout the years. Below is part 1 of the conversation.

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1985

More changes took place in the announcer’s booth in 1985 after Don Meredith’s retirement. Joe Namath replaced him. Gifford remained as the play-by-play announcer, with Namath and Simpson providing color commentary.

Week Eleven: This game will always be remembered for one of the most gruesome injuries in NFL history. The Giants and Redskins were tied 7–7 in the second quarter when Lawrence Taylor sacked Joe Theismann. I will not describe the injury in detail except to say that Theismann’s leg snapped like a pretzel. Taylor, hearing the bone snap, immediately signaled for help. Theismann’s career ended that night, and his replacement was Jay Schroeder, who completed 13 of 20 passes for 221 yards and one touchdown. The Redskins won 23–21, but the game seemed a lot less important in light of such a horrific injury.

Week Thirteen: The 12–0 Chicago Bears faced the 8–4 Miami Dolphins. The Bears were having an incredible season, and many believed they could go undefeated. Only one other team in NFL history had completed a perfect season, and it happened to be the Miami Dolphins. Several players from that 1972 Dolphins team attended the game at the Orange Bowl that night, rooting for the 1984 Dolphins.

The Miami defense registered six sacks and forced four turnovers in a 38–24 victory. The Bears’ defense had no answer for Dan Marino, who threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns. However, the Bears had the last laugh, as they went on to win the Super Bowl while the Dolphins lost the AFC Championship to the underdog New England Patriots.

1986

Namath and Simpson had left, and Al Michaels joined Frank Gifford. Michaels handled the play-by-play, while Gifford provided the color commentary.

Week One: The Giants and Cowboys faced off at Texas Stadium in what turned out to be a great game, with the momentum swinging back and forth. After neither team scored in the first quarter, the Cowboys took the lead with a 14–0 advantage in the second quarter, but the Giants responded with two touchdowns of their own. Dallas added a field goal for a 17–14 halftime lead.

By the end of the third quarter, the Giants led 21–17, but the Cowboys regained the lead with a touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter. The Giants quickly countered to retake the lead 28–24. With the ball on the Giants’ ten-yard line and 1:20 remaining, the Cowboys ran a draw play to Hershel Walker, who carried it into the end zone for the winning score. The Giants lost only once more for the rest of the season and went on to win the Super Bowl.

Week Eight: Early in the third quarter, the Giants held a comfortable 20–3 lead over the Redskins, but by the fourth quarter, Washington had tied the game. However, with just under two minutes left in the game, Joe Morris ran for a 13-yard touchdown to secure a hard-fought 27–20 victory for the Giants. During the game at Giants Stadium, it was announced that the New York Mets had just won Game 7 of the World Series, drawing a loud ovation from the fans.

Morris carried the ball 31 times for 181 yards and added another 59 receiving yards. Redskins quarterback Jay Schroeder threw for 420 yards. His main target was Gary Clark, who caught eleven passes for 241 yards and also scored a touchdown. The two teams met again in the NFC Championship, with the Giants winning 17–0.

Week Thirteen: The 49ers led the Giants 17–0 at halftime at Candlestick Park. The 49ers had completely shut down the Giants’ running game, and there didn’t seem to be much hope for a comeback, but comeback they did. Phil Simms, who had thrown two interceptions in the first half, torched the 49ers’ defense in the second half.

In the third quarter from midfield, Simms connected with tight end Mark Bavaro on a simple ten-yard pass. After breaking two tackles, Bavaro carried safety Ronnie Lott and two other defenders for another twelve yards. The play inspired Bavaro’s teammates, and on the very next play, Simms threw a touchdown pass to Joe Morris. Later, facing a fourth-and-one from midfield, Joe Morris ran 17 yards to give the Giants a first down from the 33-yard line.

From there, Phil Simms connected with Stacy Robinson for another touchdown. The Giants’ defense shut down the 49ers on their next possession, and once again, they found themselves with the ball at midfield. Simms hooked up with Stacy Robinson again on a 49-yard pass. From there, Otis Anderson punched it in for the touchdown. While both teams moved the ball in the fourth quarter, neither could score any points.

The final score was New York 21, San Francisco 17. Phil Simms completed 27 of 38 passes for 388 yards. The teams met again in the playoffs, but this time it was a blowout, with the Giants winning 49–3.

1987

Dan Dierdorf teamed up with Michaels and Gifford in the broadcast booth.

Week One: The 1985 Super Bowl Champion Chicago Bears faced off against the 1986 Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. This was a highly anticipated game, but it lost some of its luster with another player’s strike looming. The game did not meet expectations as the Bears won easily, 34–19. Chicago outgained the Giants in yards, 493 to 203, and sacked Phil Simms nine times. One week later, the players went on strike. All games for Week Three were canceled, and replacement players played the next three games. The defending Champion Giants failed to make the playoffs, while the Bears were eliminated in the first round.

Week Twelve: The game between the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks was memorable for only one reason. It was only the second NFL game played by rookie sensation Bo Jackson, and he put on a show. Jackson gained 221 yards on 18 carries and scored two touchdowns, one for 91 yards. The 3–7 Raiders easily defeated the 7–3 Seahawks 37–14, rushing for 356 yards while allowing only 37.

1988

Week Eight: In another highly anticipated game, the 5–2 49ers faced the 6–1 Bears. It was a low-scoring, hard-hitting contest. The Bears led 10–7 at halftime, and the only scoring in the second half was a safety by the 49ers. The teams combined for just 450 yards. The 49ers got revenge in the NFC Championship game, beating Chicago 28–3.
1990

Week Ten: Eagles 28, Redskins 14. This game is remembered as the “Body Bag Game.” Eagles Coach Buddy Ryan, who was never at a loss for words, not only predicted a victory for his team but also that the Redskins “would have to be carted off in body bags.” The Eagles’ defense held the Redskins to a total of just 200 yards. Nine Redskins players were injured, including both starting quarterbacks. Eagles running back Heath Sherman carried the ball 35 times for 124 yards.

Week Ten: The 10–1 Giants faced the 10–1 49ers at Candlestick Park in what many saw as a preview of the NFC Championship. It was a tough, defensive battle, with neither team able to establish a solid running game, and the passing game didn’t fare much better.

Phil Simms was sacked four times, and Jerry Rice was limited to just one reception for 13 yards. The 49ers led 7–3 at halftime, and that score held for the rest of the game. As expected, the teams met again in the NFC Championship in another tough, defensive fight. The Giants won 15–13 and advanced to win the Super Bowl.

1991

Week One: What better way to start the first Monday Night game of the season than with the defending Super Bowl champions facing the team they narrowly defeated in the NFC Championship game? It was the third meeting between the Giants and 49ers in the last nine months, and like their previous two encounters, it was a low-scoring, hard-hitting game.

In the first quarter, Jerry Rice scored on a 73-yard touchdown pass from Steve Young. However, the 49ers couldn’t generate much of an offensive attack for the rest of the game. With only ten seconds remaining, kicker Matt Bahr kicked the game-winning field goal to give New York a 16–14 victory. Few would have believed that neither team would make the playoffs.

Mark Morthier is the host of Yesterday’s Sports, a podcast dedicated to reliving memorable sports moments from his childhood days and beyond. He grew up in New Jersey just across from New York City, so many of his episodes revolve around the great sport’s teams of the 70s for the New York area.

He is also an author of No Nonsense, Old School Weight Training (Second Edition): A Guide for People with Limited Time and Running Wild: (Growing Up in the 1970s)