The Half of It
The Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions combined for 63 points in the first half of their Week 3 game (NFL.com Game Center: PHI 56, DET 21).
It marked the second most combined points in league history trailing only the 70 points scored in the first half of 1963 AFL game between the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers.
December 22, 1963
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Blanda |
Powell |
The Oakland Raiders won their eighth straight game when Mike Mercer kicked a 39-yard field goal with 4:37 remaining in the fourth quarter to break a 49-49 tie.
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The Raiders were led by the passing of quarterback and future head coach Tom Flores who threw for 407 yards and 6 TDs. The offense was also powered by running back Clem Daniels who rushed for 158 yards and end Art Powell who had 10 catches for 247 yards and 4 TDs. Powell’s single-game receiving yardage and touchdown receptions still remain a team record today.
The Oilers were guided by Hall of Famer George Blanda who had 342 yards passing and threw 5 TD passes.
Oakland
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7
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28
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7
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10
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-
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52
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| Houston |
14
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21
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14
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0
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-
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49
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Scoring Summary
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First Quarter
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OAK – Gibson 68 punt return (Mercer kick) |
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HOU – Hennigan 4 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) |
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HOU – Smith 2 run (Blanda kick) |
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Second Quarter
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HOU – Dewveall 12 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) |
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OAK – Herock 7 pass from Flores (Mercer kick) |
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OAK – Daniels 56 pass from Flores (Mercer kick) |
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HOU – Smith 25 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) |
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OAK – Powell 80 pass from Flores (Mercer kick) |
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HOU – Tolar 2 run (Blanda kick) |
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OAK – Powell 20 pass from Flores (Mercer kick) |
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Third Quarter
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OAK – Powell 44 pass from Flores (Mercer kick) |
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HOU – Dewveall 31 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) |
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HOU – McLeod 21 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) |
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Fourth Quarter
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OAK – Powell 22 pass from Flores (Mercer kick) |
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OAK – Mercer 39 field goal |
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Statistics
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| Rushing |
Oakland – Daniels, 22 for 158; Miller, 4 for 10; Flores, 1 for 7; Roberson, 1 for 6. Houston – Tolar, 12 for 65, 1 TD; Smith, 8 for 43, 1 TD; Tobin, 5 for 25. |
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| Passing |
Oakland – Flores, 17 of 29 for 407, 6 TDs, 2 INTs. Houston – Blanda, 20 of 32 for 342, 5 TDs, 2 INTs. |
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Receiving
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Oakland – Powell, 10 for 247, 4 TDs; Daniels, 2 for 76, 1 TD; Miller, 2 for 59; Herock, 1 for 21, 1 TD; Roberson, 1 for 4. Houston – Dewveall, 7 for 137, 2 TDs; Smith, 4 for 94, 1 TD; McLeod, 3 for 64, 1 TD; Tolar, 3 for 19; Hennigan, 2 for 14, 1 TD; Tobin, 1 for 14. | |||||
NFL Record – Most Points, First half:
70 – Houston (35) vs. Oakland (35) 12/2/63
63 – Detroit (21) vs. Philadelphia (42) 9/23/07
62 – NY Jets (41) vs. Tampa Bay (21) 11/17/85
– Indianapolis (35) vs. Cincinnati (27) 11/20/05
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Three games account for 227 points Photo: Hall of Fame QB Len Dawson threw 4 TDs in the ’63 regular season finale. |
Related Links:
Raiders Team History
Titans (Oilers) Team History
HOF Bio: George Blanda
NFL.com Historical Players: Mike Mercer | Clem Daniels | Art Powell
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