Thursday, Nov. 22
Bears Stadium, Denver
Titans 46, Broncos 45

By Anthony Holden
CBS SportsLine Historian
This was the quintessential game for the AFL in its infancy stage, the type of entertainment the league had become known for during its first three years of existence. And on Thanksgiving Day with the national television audience watching, the AFL served up a classic shootout.

"We put on a decent show offensively, we put a lot of points on the board," said Denver wide receiver Lionel Taylor of those infamous AFL scoring fests. "The NFL was playing three yards and a cloud of dust, and we couldn't come in and do the same thing. That wasn't going to get the fans.

Don Maynard is yet another player who was cut by an NFL team who went on to star in the AFL and eventually enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (AP)

"We had better skill people at that time than we did offensive and defensive linemen because it takes a little more time for line play to mature."

The Broncos had won just seven of their first 28 AFL games in 1960 and '61, but after a memorable day when new coach Jack Faulkner burned a huge pile of the team's hideous vertical-striped socks, the team's fortunes seemed to be changing.

They surged to a 6-1 start at the midway point of the season and seemed primed for a run at the Western Division title. But three losses in four games -- including a 24-3 defeat at home against Dallas -- dropped the Broncos to 7-4 and two games behind the Texans as they took the field to play the Titans.

Still, there was hope that a victory over a New York team mired in last place in the East would put some pressure on the Texans, especially considering that the Broncos were scheduled to conclude the regular season in Dallas two weeks later.

However, after rallying from 17-0 and 24-7 deficits to take a 45-32 lead late in the fourth quarter, the Broncos folded as New York's Johnny Green threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final 3 1/2 minutes to pull out the victory. This defeat sent them on their way to a 7-7 record, and the Broncos did not enjoy their first winning season until 1971?

New York bolted out to a 14-0 lead, as two pass interference penalties against the Broncos keyed their first two possessions, which ended with a Bill Mathis TD run and a six-yard Green to Dick Christy TD pass, respectively.

Bill Shockley kicked a second-quarter field goal to make it 17-0, and the crowd of 15,776 began booing their Broncos. Denver broke through on Frank Tripucka's 35-yard TD pass to Bob Scarpitto, but within minutes, the Jets answered as Green threw a 50-yard pass to Art Powell to set up his four-yard TD toss to Powell for a 24-7 cushion.

The momentum turned in Denver's favor when Gene Mingo kicked two field goals in the final 45 seconds of the half, with the second coming after John McGeever intercepted a Green pass and returned it to the New York 2.

Bud McFadin's 69-yard fumble return for a touchdown early in the third cut the Broncos' deficit to 24-20. And after Jim McMillian intercepted a Green aerial and returned it to the New York 20, the Broncos were primed to take the lead on Scarpitto's six-yard TD reception from backup quarterback George Shaw, who replaced the injured Tripucka.

On the ensuing possession, New York drove to the Denver 1 only to be stuffed on downs, but on the Broncos first play, Shaw was tackled for a safety, cutting Denver's lead to 27-26.

Green fired a 35-yard TD pass to Don Maynard to give the lead back to the Titans, but then Denver responded with 18 straight points in the fourth quarter. Taylor caught a TD pass from Shaw, then Wahoo McDaniel picked off a Green pass and lateraled to McMillian, who raced 48 yards for a touchdown.

Mingo's third field goal made it 45-32 with 5:57 remaining, but then the mercurial Green closed the show on a high note. He thew his fourth and fifth TD passes of the game within 71 seconds. The fourth, to Christy, capped a 56-yard drive, and the fifth, to Powell, came after Al Frazier fumbled and New York's Lee Riley recovered at the Denver 20.

Denver had one last gasp drive and it reached the New York 30, but a critical penalty cost the Broncos precious yardage, and Mingo's 52-yard field goal attempt fell short with 35 seconds remaining.