NFC CHAMPIONSHIP: '73-Rams 16, '70-Lions 9

Welcome to the NFC Championship Game…..the 1st place Rams play host to the Detroit Lions, who are coming off their fresh playoff upset against the 2nd place Vikings. There is no wind – and the weather is perfect here in LA.

First Quarter: The Rams win the toss – but Dave Chapple was forced to punt with a quick 3 & out. Detroit began the game with a bang by getting 2 quick First Downs on 2 big carries of 7 yards and 14 yards from Mel Farr. However, in the next set, Steve Preece broke through the line for a sack & and a forced Fumble right at midfield. The Rams wasted no time here, as Hadl threw a 30-yard strike to Harold Jackson – and on the very next play, Lawrence McCutcheon scored on a 20-yard burst. The Rams scored on 2 plays in 54 seconds. The Rams led 7-0 with 9:04 left in the First Quarter.
The Lions got the ball back deep in their territory, as they started at their own 8 yard line. However, the Lions came ready to play. Landry scrambled from the pocket and scampered 17 yards. Then, Landry threw a 39-yard Bomb to Larry Walton – and the Lions were quickly on the Rams 31. The Rams D tightened up and held; however, Errol Mann missed the 30-yard FG attempt. The Lions hustled 69 yards down the field and came up empty. That would seem to be the theme for tonight’s game.
The Rams then marched 73 yards themselves with the help of a 19-yard outside run from Tony Baker and a 27-yard pass to Bob Klein – down to the Lions 7 in order to set up for an easy 14-yard FG for David Ray. The Rams now led 10-0, as the First Quarter came to a close.

Second Quarter: The Lions methodically moved down the field using some conservative plays, and held the ball for 5 minutes to set up for a 40-yard FG from Mann. The Lions were now on the board – but trailed 10-3. The Rams came back with some more tricks in the bag. It began with a 44-yard run from Bertelsen – and pretty much ended with an 11-yard pass to McCutcheon. The Lions D held the Rams to another David Ray FG (23 yards). The Rams now led 13-3.
The Lions had a quick 3 & out – but on this Ram possession, Jerry Rush (no pun intended) sacked Hadl on the 38 and forced a Fumble deep in Rams territory with 2:36 left in the half. Landry threw a 17-yard rope to McCullouch – and the Lions had a 1st & Goal on the Rams 5. But, “fate” reared its ugly head and the Rams D stepped up again to hold the Lions and actually knocked them back 4 yards to force a 16-yard FG from Mann – with 27 seconds on the clock. The Rams were content and headed into the locker room with a narrow 13-6 lead.

Third Quarter: The Lions got the ball back, but they seemed haunted by the Rams D – and those missed opportunities to reach the end zone. Determined to do something, Landry hit Charlie Sanders for 24 yards – and that was followed by a 23-yard run from Steve Owens. Landry then hit McCullouch twice in a row – one for 18 yards to give the Lions a First Down on the Rams 13 and one for 7 yards to give the Lions a Second Down & 3 on the Rams 6. However, the Rams D held once again – and the Lions settled for another Mann FG (17 yards). The Rams led 13-9.
The Rams O did not rest. Larry Smith ran for 16 yards and Hadl hit McCutcheon for 27 more yards – to have the Rams sitting on the Lions 18. The Lions D now stepped up and held, including getting Hadl for another sack. But, the Rams still came away with a FG from Ray (23 yards) – to extend the Rams lead 16-9 with 6:42 left in the
Third Quarter. The Rams D held the Lions to 2 sets and 40 yards – and Herman Weaver came out to punt for the first time today with 2:57 left in the Third Quarter. With a couple of short runs from Baker, the Rams ran out the clock.

Fourth Quarter: The Rams only held the ball for another minute before Chapple came out to punt for the Rams – only his second of the game. Remember, his first was on the very opening drive of the game. The Lions could fair no better in this series and were also forced to punt again. There was some drama here as Dave Elmendorf Fumbled the punt on the Rams 37 – but recovered his own Fumble. The Rams were obviously a bit shaken on that one – and had another quick 3 & out – with only 9:19 left to play in the game – only this time Chapple pinned the Lions deep on their own 6.
The field position did not seem to matter, as the Lions came out roaring – they needed to march 94 yards for a tying score. This was their season on the line. Landry hit Sanders for 20 yards on the very first play. The Lions meant business. The Rams were playing a conservative D, as they only wanted to force a punt. Landry then threw a flare pass to Altie Taylor for another 13 yards. It was now First Down on the Lions 47 – with 7:20 left to play. Then, Altie Taylor ran down the line for another 12 yards to the Rams 41. The Lions were just eating up the yardage – but the Rams continue to play conservative D. Altie Taylor scrambled for another 10 yards – down to the Rams 28 – with only 5:37 left to play. Landry then hit Sanders for 8 yards, which was followed by another 8 yard strike to McCullouch. The Lions were now faced with a First & Goal at the Rams 7 – with just 2:31 left to play. That is when Landry tried to force a pass to Altie Taylor – and Isiah Robertson intercepted the pass on the Rams 3 – with only 2:24 left to play !!!
The Rams fed McCutcheon for 6 yards to get it to the 2-Minute Warning. But, the Rams then mixed it up with a nice 18-yard strike to Harold Jackson to give the Rams some breathing room – and to force the Lions to call their 1st timeout with 1:49 left. The Rams kept feeding McCutcheon to run the clock out – and to preserve the 16-9 win.

The Rams did surrender 370 yards, but the D did not break when it mattered the most – and they held the Lions to just 9 points. The Lions kept knockin’, but the Rams would not let them in. The Rams have won the privilege to face the mighty Dolphins for the Super Bowl.
-contributed by Georges Bseraini-