Flashback: Packers RB Jim Taylor Enjoys a Career Day In a Comeback Win Over the Giants

Green Bay Packers running back Jim Taylor enjoyed a Hall of Fame career. He played for the Packers between 1958 and 1966. He had five seasons with at least 1,000 yards rushing and made five Pro Bowls. The LSU alum was also the NFL’s MVP in 1962 and the only player to gain more rushing yards in a season than Jim Brown during Brown’s NFL career. But Taylor’s best single game as a pro came in a crucial late-season contest against the New York Giants late in the 1961 season. This was a career day for Jim Taylor in a comeback win for the Pack over the Giants.

Packers RB Jim Taylor Enjoys a Career Day in Comeback Win over the Giants: The Buildup

The Packers were trying for their first championship under Vince Lombardi in 1961. The previous season, they reached the NFL Championship Game but fell a few yards short in a tough loss to the Eagles.

The Packers entered the game with a 9-2 record and had won their last three games. With a win, the Pack could clinch the Western Division title and guarantee a return to the NFL title game. The Pack was facing the Giants, who were fighting for first place in the East and also had a 9-2 record. Allie Sherman’s club had won four straight and had just beaten the powerful Cleveland Browns 37-21 on the road the previous week.

Lombardi was prepared to face his former team where he had served as offensive coordinator. The game was played at Milwaukee County Stadium on a cool, 38-degree December day and both teams had a lot at stake.

The Packers Lead Early

The Packers took the opening kickoff and marched down the field. They got as far as the Giants 15 where the drive stalled. On 4^th-and-2, Paul Hornung kicked a 23-yard field goal to put the Packers ahead 3-0. Hornung was playing after receiving a weekend pass from the Army.

The Giants answered immediately on their next drive. Quarterback Y.A. Tittle led the Giants on a seven-play 71-yard, scoring drive. Key plays included 12 and 24-yard passes to Joe Walton. The drive culminated with a one-yard quarterback sneak by Tittle. The Packers trailed 7-3.

Now it was the Packers turn. Quarterback Bart Starr made key completions to Boyd Dowler and Max McGee while Taylor kept pounding the football through the tough New York defense. A dropped pass by Taylor forced the Packers to settle for another Hornung field goal and the Giants lead was cut to 7-6.

The Packers forced a turnover on the ensuing kickoff. Ken Iman hit return man Joel Wells from behind and knocked the ball out. Willie Davis recovered the fumble, and the Packers took over at the Giants 34.

On first down, Hornung threw a halfback option to Ron Kramer for a 20-yard gain. Then, Taylor ran off right tackle for a 14-yard touchdown. The Packers were ahead 13-7 after the first quarter.

Packers RB Jim Taylor Enjoys a Career Day in Comeback Win over the Giants: The Giants Dominate the 2^nd Quarter

The Giants took control in the second quarter. They took the ensuing kickoff and drove 70 yards on seven plays including passes of 20 and 40 yards to Kyle Rote. That set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Bob Gaiters that put New York back in the lead at 14-13.

The Packers tried to answer back and got as far as the Giants four, but Taylor mishandled a handoff from Starr and Erich Barnes recovered at the Giants 10 to end the drive.

The Giants had just enough time left before the half to set up a 41-yard field goal by Pat Summerall to lead 17-13 at halftime.

The game was physical and full of penalties. The Giants committed three penalties for 45 yards while the Packers were called for eight penalties for 102 yards. Each team also committed three turnovers in the game.

The Thrilling Finish

The Packers had their chances to pull ahead in the third quarter, but Starr threw an interception at the goal line that Jimmy Patton returned to the Giants 20.

But in the fourth quarter, the Packers made a big turnover. The Giants Alex Webster took a handoff and headed around right end on a long run. But Green Bay defensive back Jesse Whittenton came from the right side and literally stole the ball from Webster’s arms at the Giants 30. “I was lucky,” Whittenton said after the game. “If I had missed, he might have run for 10 or 15 minutes.”

“It was a one-in-a-million shot,” Webster said. “I still don’t know how he did it.”

A roughing the passer call moved the ball 15 yards ahead on the ensuing drive. Then the Green Bay running game took over. Taylor and Hornung gained six yards each before Taylor scored on a three-yard dash behind a strong block by Fuzzy Thurston who pushed Rosie Grier out of the way. The Packers led 20-17.

The Giants had two chances to tie the game. On the first try, Summerall missed a field goal. Then, after a 43-yard run by Taylor helped the Packers get back into the red zone, but Starr was again intercepted in the end zone, this time by Joe Morrison.

The Giants reached the Green Bay 23 but fumbled on a double reverse which Davis again recovered. Taylor and Hornung kept moving the football on the ground and ran out the clock.

Packers RB Jim Taylor Enjoys a Career Day in Comeback Win over the Giants: The Aftermath

The Packers won the game because of their outstanding running. As a team, the Packers gained 270 rushing yards on 42 carries. Taylor led the way with a career-high 186 yards and two touchdowns. Hornung added 54 yards on 11 attempts. Meanwhile, the Green Bay defense held the Giants to 69 yards on 20 carries.

Lombardi was impressed with the Packers ability to run the ball against the highly rated Giants defense. “We ate up the best football player in the country,” he said, referring to the Giants Andy Robustelli.

With the win the Packers clinched the division title and locked up a berth in the NFC Championship Game. They would face the Giants again in that game later in the month. The Packers would crush the Giants 37-0 to win their first of five titles under Lombardi.