The 1976 Washington Redskins: The Over-The-Hill Gang’s Last Playoff Push
The 1976 Washington Redskins were a team of proud veterans struggling to hang on in a tough division at a time when playoff berths were at a premium. They made it to the postseason for the fifth time in six years thanks to a memorable stretch drive led by 37-year-old quarterback Billy Kilmer and a defense known as The Over-The-Hill Gang.
Washington was coming off an 8-6 year in 1975 (it was not until 1978 that the NFL began playing 16 regular season games). Head coach George Allen had led the team to the playoffs in his first four years in charge, starting in 1971 and including a Super Bowl appearance following the 1972 season. But the age of the defense, the non-playoff year in ‘75 and tough NFC East rivals in the Dallas Cowboys and St. Louis Cardinals—at a time when only one wild-card berth per conference was available—didn’t augur well for ’76.
GROUND POWER
The offense was built around 23-year-old running back Mike Thomas, who rushed for over 1,100 yards and made the Pro Bowl. John Riggins provided more punch in the backfield, gaining nearly 600 yards. Both backs did it in spite of running behind a rather pedestrian offensive line. Frank Grant led the receivers with 50 catches for over 800 yards.
But there was instability at quarterback. Kilmer’s stats—52% completion rate, 6.1 yards-per-attempt and 12-10 TD/INT ratio aren’t as bad as they might look to modern readers. In the context of the era, where the rules let defenses get a lot more physical and the structure of passing games was very different, they were manageable. But still mediocre.
Joe Theismann, the 27-year-old backup who represented the future the front office was anxious to get started on, got five starts. But with a 49% completion rate, 6.4 yards per-attempt and ten interceptions of his own, there were still growing pains going on.
The strength of the running game made the Redskin offense above average, but they still ended up 11th in a 28-team league for points scored.
THE DEFENSE: PROUD, AGING – AND STILL DANGEROUS
This was a team with a lot of proud veterans on defense—linebacker Chris Hanburger and strong safety Ken Houston made Pro Bowl at ages 35 and 32 respectively. Pat Fischer, 36-years-old, intercepted five passes as he fought the good fight at the cornerback spot. The defensive line was led by 37-year-old Ron McDole at end and 32-year-old Diron Talbert up the middle.
Allen even brought in an old enemy—free safety Jake Scott had been Super Bowl MVP for the undefeated Miami Dolphins in 1972 when they beat the Redskins. 1976 saw Scott come over to the burgundy and gold.
Not everyone was on the wrong side of age 30. Corner Joe Lavender was 27-years-old and a ballhawk. He intercepted eight passes. The Redskin defense finished ninth in the league for points allowed.
All of that is solid—but as mentioned, there was only one wild-card spot. That meant just eight teams overall made the playoffs—and you may have noticed the ‘Skins ranked outside the top eight for both total offense and total defense. That meant they would have to do what proud veterans are supposed to and find a way to squeeze out wins and punch above their statistical weight.
LOOKING SHAKY AGAINST A SOFT SCHEDULE
Washington opened the season at home against a horrible New York Giants team. The Redskins did not play well and trailed 17-12 in the fourth quarter. McDole’s third-quarter safety, combined with two interceptions by Houston, gave Kilmer a chance to win it late. The veteran quarterback flipped a five-yard touchdown pass to Thomas to escape with a 19-17 win.
The Seattle Seahawks were in their first year of existence and they came to old RFK Stadium next. Kilmer threw three TD passes to three different receivers. The running game muscled up for 243 total rush yards, 143 by Thomas. Washington cruised to a 31-7 win.
A road trip to Philadelphia to play a bad Eagles team was tougher than expected. Philly was in the first year of a rebuilding project under Dick Vermeil. In wet weather, Kilmer was just 11/33 for 96 yards. But the defense intercepted five passes, two of them by Lavender. It was enough to get out of town with a 20-17 overtime win.
After flirting with disaster against some bad teams, the Redskins imploded against a mediocre opponent. Playing in Chicago, Washington dug a 20-0 hole, turned the ball over five times and were blown out 33-7.
The poor showing got Theismann into the Bear game and it got the young quarterback a start the next week at home against the subpar Kansas City Chiefs. Theismann played well, going 20/37 for 270 yards, with Grant catching eight balls for 138 yards. The problem was on defense. The secondary was carved up, they didn’t force turnovers and the Redskins blew a 33-30 decision.
Another sub-.500 opponent in the Detroit Lions came to RFK. Washington’s offense took a half to get moving, but the defense rebounded and stayed in control throughout. The Redskins bounced back with a 20-7 win.
The record was 4-2, but the schedule had been soft. There was every reason to be concerned as St. Louis, the two-time defending NFC East champ came to the nation’s capital for Monday Night Football.
MONDAY NIGHT IN THE RAIN
St. Louis was 5-1. Dallas had won the previous day to get to 6-1. If the ‘Skins lost this game at home tonight, you might as well put another non-playoff year in the books. It was against this backdrop that a downpour hit Washington D.C. and The Over-The-Hill Gang took the field in front of the ABC audience.
Washington trailed 10-6 in the third quarter, but St. Louis was having a little trouble hanging on to the football—like eight lost fumbles worth of trouble. Plus, two more interceptions. I’m going to take a cautious guess that the historical track record of teams that lose the turnover battle 10-3 is not very good.
The Redskins got the lead 13-10 on a touchdown run by Thomas. Then Eddie Brown electrified the crowd at old RFK Stadium with a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown that sealed a 20-10 win and kept the season alive.
PUSHED TO THE BRINK AGAIN
Six days later, Dallas came in and made Monday Night look more like a stay of execution rather than season-saving. The offense was horrible, with both Kilmer and Theismann struggling. The Redskins lost the turnover battle 3-zip and lost the football game 20-7.
Another must-win game was now on-deck. The San Francisco 49ers were 6-2 and in a fight with the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West. A loss here would realistically put the wild-card beyond Washington’s grasp after the Dallas loss had effectively done the same with the NFC East.
Oddsmakers weren’t believers, and the Redskins were (+7) underdogs in old Candlestick Park. But Theismann hit tight end Jean Fugett on touchdown passes from 18 and 33 yards, and later flipped him a three-yard scoring toss for good measure. Grant didn’t get in the end zone, but he completely went off for 11 catches and 200 receiving yards. Theismann finished 20/32 for 302 yards. On a team of proud veterans, the young quarterback was a hero in the 24-21 win.
But as fast as Washington saved their season, they looked just as anxious to wreck it. A road trip to the Meadowlands was an utter disaster. Theismann went 12/30 for 153 yards. The Redskins lost three fumbles, kicker Mark Moseley missed three field goals and on a day when the defense allowed just three completed passes, Washington managed to lose a 12-9 decision.
ONE LAST STAND
The Redskins were 6-4. The Cowboys were 9-1 and the Cardinals were 8-2. The saving grace was this—Washington still had a game with St. Louis left and controlled their destiny to cut the deficit in half and control the tiebreaker. The 49ers were down to 6-4 themselves, and the ‘Skins also had that tiebreaker. They were in trouble with four games left, but they weren’t dead.
November 21 was the chance to make a last stand. Washington traveled to St. Louis where the wind was blowing at 17 mph. Allen, with his back to the wall, chose to put his chips on Kilmer at quarterback.
The game didn’t begin well, with Jim Hart tossing a 48-yard touchdown pass to explosive running back Terry Metcalf, but the ‘Skins fought back. This defense wasn’t going to go quietly into the good night.
The Over-The-Hill Gang kept St. Louis out of the end zone the rest of the game. Kilmer relied on his running game, with Thomas and 27-year-old John Riggins leading the way for an attack that piled up 247 yards. The Redskins won 16-10. They were still a game back of St. Louis and needed help with three weeks to go, but there was life.
Philadelphia came to D.C. for the rematch. Kilmer went up top for a 41-yard touchdown pass to Grant. Kilmer later found Thomas on TD throws from 17 and 14 yards. The quarterback played efficiently, going 10/18 for 119 yards and no mistakes. The defense was locked in and the Redskins won 24-0.
In the meantime, Dallas beat St. Louis. The Redskins now controlled their fate for the wild-card spot.
They went to old Shea Stadium to play the New York Jets where Lou Holtz was making an ill-fated experiment at being an NFL coach. Holtz would quickly go back to college and become a legend. In the meantime, Washington dismantled his NFL team. Kilmer hit Fugett and Roy Jefferson with early touchdown passes for a quick 17-0 lead. Both teams ran for over 200 yards, but Kilmer was a sharp 13/17 for 142 yards and no mistakes. The ‘Skins cruised 37-16.
DOING IT IN BIG D
Dallas was the last opponent and the Cowboys were still playing for the #1 seed in the NFC bracket. The final Sunday of the season opened with St. Louis surviving a tough challenge from the Giants. It meant that Washington needed to win this late afternoon battle in Dallas to make the playoffs.
After a scoreless first quarter, a good Redskin drive ended with a short Moseley field goal. Trailing 7-3, Kilmer would find Fugett on a short TD pass to give Washington a 10-7 lead at the half.
Dallas moved back in front 14-10, and another good Redskin drive ended with a short field goal. Trailing 14-13, were they missed red zone chances going to cost Washington?
Nope. The proud vets dug deep and did it one more time. The Over-The-Hill Gang held the great Roger Staubach to just five completions on the afternoon. Kilmer went 14/30, but made those completions count for 199 yards. A 15-yard touchdown run by Calvin Hill put the ‘Skins in front and a TD from Riggins sealed it. A 27-14 win completed a special four-game run that put Allen and his veterans in the playoffs again.
LEGACY
It all came to crashing an end six days later in Minnesota in a Saturday afternoon game that opened the Divisional Round. The Vikings dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides, built a 35-6 lead and won 35-20.
The Redskins were still a good team in 1977, but they missed the playoffs and the tension between Allen and the front office over veterans and youth—as epitomized by the quarterback debate—boiled over. 1976 was the last great success for the head coach and his proud old warriors.
The final four regular season games had been an unlikely run for Kilmer and a most deserving one for a quarterback that always had to fight for everything, first against franchise legend Sonny Jurgensen and then the up-and-coming Theismann. The 1976 playoff push is an underappreciated moment in Washington Redskins history.
This article is one part of our The Over-The-Hill-Gang compilation, which tracks the Redskins through each game from 1971-77. It can be downloaded free, along with over 30 other compilations at The OUAT Museum. Click here to visit and gain free access.