Week 3, 1976: Washington 20 Philadelphia 17

Remembering the Longest Monday Night Football Game of the Decade.

On September 27, 1976, the Washington Redskins visited Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia and played in a marathon contest with their NFC East Division rivals, the Eagles. It was a battle which went into overtime, and it easily took the longest amount of time to finish than any other Monday Night Football game during the 1970s.

This struggle may have begun on September 27, but it took until the wee hours of September 28 to be completed. The Eagles tied the game at 17-17 with 1:07 remaining in the fourth quarter. Then came the overtime period. Thanks to the final Mike Boryla interception (he threw five of them in this contest!), Washington had one last chance to win before the fifth period would have expired. Redskins placekicker Mark Moseley (#3 in photo) managed to successfully boot a 29-yard field goal with just over a minute remaining in overtime, and Washington survived, 20-17.

This marathon officially ended at 12:59 a.m., causing many Philadelphians to be late for work later that morning. One main factor for the longevity of the game was the fact that both quarterbacks, Mike Boryla of Philadelphia and Joe Theismann of Washington, combined for a total of 37 incomplete passes, which stopped the game clock 37 times during the night/morning. They also threw a combined total of eight interceptions. Especially galling to the Eagles was the fact that they had no business losing this game. They outgained the Redskins by 188 yards (418 yards to 230 yards).