Sunday, July 10, 2016

Ranking the Super Bowls, #18: Super Bowl III

(photo credit: nfl.com)
"We're gonna win the game. I guarantee it" an intoxicated Joe Namath stated just a couple of days before Super Bowl III.  The New York Jets came into the Jan. 12, 1969 match-up huge underdogs to the Baltimore Colts.  The AFL which the Jets came from was considered the lesser quality of the two leagues when compared to the NFL and the first two Super Bowl match-ups seemed to prove that.  The Green Bay Packers had won both Super Bowl I and II pretty easily.  Of course at this time, the Super Bowl wasn't even called a Super Bowl and it was still the AFL-NFL Championship game but Super Bowl III would become the first actual Super Bowl to boast the Super Bowl name.

Colts starting quarterback Earl Morrall threw three interceptions before being benched for Johnny Unitas.  Unitas had been benched all season due to an injury he suffered to his arm during the 1968 preseason.  Earl Morrall started for the Colts all season and lead them to Super Bowl III while also being named Super Bowl III. The Colts were coming into the Super Bowl pretty confident after boasting a 13-1 regular season record.

None of this mattered to Namath, who completed 17 of 28 passes for 206 yards and being named the MVP of the game.  Many believe that overall Namath didn't really have a great game but his team backed up his "guarantee" after going up a 16 point lead into the fourth quarter before the Colts scored their only touchdown of the game. The Jets built this lead from a touchdown run by Matt Snell and three field goals by their kicker Jim Turner. Matt Snell carried the ball 30 times on that January day for 121 yards while Namath was still crowned MVP.  Namath is the only despite not throwing or running for a single touchdown.

The guarantee Super Bowl victory by Namath has since become one of the most iconic Super Bowl moments of all time.  It is a phrase that to this day is still shocking that he would say something like that but the game proved that the AFL could compete for the NFL and after the two leagues merged the NFL would change for the better.

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