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Quiz about Greatest Games SD 41 Miami 38
Quiz about Greatest Games SD 41 Miami 38

Greatest Games: S.D. 41, Miami 38 Quiz


Comebacks, seesawing leads, heroic performances, both teams coming close to finishing off the other but falling short. Most who saw this 1981 divisional playoff game thought it was one of the most exciting games in history!

A multiple-choice quiz by d2407. Estimated time: 4 mins.
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Author
d2407
Time
4 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
199,690
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
6 / 10
Plays
749
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 98 (9/10), Guest 173 (6/10), jwake73 (9/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. How did the Dolphins and the Chargers finish the 1981 regular season? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. What was the largest lead either team had in this playoff game? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. How did a hook and ladder figure in the game? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Who was Miami's starting quarterback in this playoff game? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Which player listed below was not among the five players to have more than 100 receiving yards in the game? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Besides catching 13 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, which other important contribution did San Diego tight end Kellen Winslow make in the game? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Who was the game's leading rusher? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The Chargers and Dolphins combined to set a number of records for two teams in a postseason game up to that point. Which of the following was not one of them? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Rolf Benirschke kicked two field goals including the game-winner. What had almost ended his football career just two seasons before? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. By beating the Dolphins, the Chargers advanced to the AFC championship game, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl runner-up Cincinnati Bengals. In what season did each team next play in an AFC championship? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Mar 27 2024 : Guest 98: 9/10
Mar 07 2024 : Guest 173: 6/10
Feb 04 2024 : jwake73: 9/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. How did the Dolphins and the Chargers finish the 1981 regular season?

Answer: Both won their divisions

The 11-4-1 Dolphins won the tight AFC East race that year, beating the 10-6 Bills in the final week of the season to lock up the division. The 10-6 Chargers had the same record as their division rival Denver Broncos, but won the AFC West by virtue of a better record within the division.
2. What was the largest lead either team had in this playoff game?

Answer: Chargers, 24-0

The Chargers scored 24 first quarter points to open up a 24-0 lead. Miami then tied it at 24 in the third quarter. San Diego then went up 31-24. The Dolphins went up 38-31 and were deep in Charger territory with less than five minutes to go when they fumbled and San Diego recovered. The Chargers drove 82 yards to tie the game with less than one minute left.
3. How did a hook and ladder figure in the game?

Answer: It was the trick play that Miami used to score just before halftime

The "hook and ladder", alternately referred to as a "hook and lateral", was used by Miami to end the first half with a touchdown. After a San Diego punt, the Dolphins started at their 37 with less than a minute in the half. On the San Diego 40 with six seconds left, Shula ordered the team to execute the "87 lateral curl", the play's official name. Dolphin receiver Duriel Harris ran downfield and curled back toward the line of scrimmage (the "hook" part) to receive Strock's pass.

As he was about to be tackled, he lateraled (the "ladder" part) to running back Tony Nathan, who ran untouched into the end zone, bringing Miami to within 24-17 at halftime, and giving them incredible momentum going into the locker room.
4. Who was Miami's starting quarterback in this playoff game?

Answer: David Woodley

Woodley and Strock had both started games for the 1981 Dolphins. Promising second year quarterback Woodley started the game but was ineffective (two-for-five, 20 yards, one interception). Dolphins coach Shula pulled Woodley for Strock, who had the game of his career: 29 of 43, 403 yards, three TD, one INT.
5. Which player listed below was not among the five players to have more than 100 receiving yards in the game?

Answer: Jimmy Cefalo

Jimmy Cefalo of the Dolphins caught three passes for 62 yards, trailing Chargers Kellen Winslow (166 yards), Charlie Joiner (108), and Wes Chandler (106), and his teammates Tony Nathan (114), Duriel Harris (106), and Bruce Hardy (89).
6. Besides catching 13 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, which other important contribution did San Diego tight end Kellen Winslow make in the game?

Answer: Blocked a field goal at the end of regulation time that would have won the game for the Dolphins

After the Chargers tied the score at 38 with under a minute to go, Strock rushed the Dolphins down the field to the Charger 26, from which they attempted a 43-yard field goal that would have won the game. Winslow got enough height to block the kick, forcing overtime.

He then suffered several minutes of cramps up his entire body from dehydration and the stretching to block the kick. Winslow literally needed his teammates' help to walk off the field several times during the game, and took several hits of oxygen.

The temperature and humidity, both around 85%, took a massive toll on all the players, but probably none more than Winslow. "I've never felt so close to death before", he said after the game, paraphrasing Muhammad Ali after one of his fights with Joe Frazier.
7. Who was the game's leading rusher?

Answer: Chuck Muncie

Muncie's 120 yards on 24 carries out-gained the combined efforts of the rest of the players in the game, who together rushed for only 107 yards.
8. The Chargers and Dolphins combined to set a number of records for two teams in a postseason game up to that point. Which of the following was not one of them?

Answer: Longest game

The NFL's longest game when the two teams played this playoff, was the 1971 double-overtime Miami Dolphins victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, in a game quite similar to this one, except that it lasted almost nine minutes longer. The playoff records set in this game included most total points by both teams (79), most total yards (1,036), and most passing yards (809).
9. Rolf Benirschke kicked two field goals including the game-winner. What had almost ended his football career just two seasons before?

Answer: Most of his digestive tract had been removed

Benirschke suffered painful recurring digestive problems during the 1979 season, resulting in an ileostomy, removal of most of his lower intestine. He returned to play full time in 1980, retiring after the 1986 season with 766 points, making him the leading scorer in the team's history. In 2000, he was named to the all-time San Diego Chargers team.
10. By beating the Dolphins, the Chargers advanced to the AFC championship game, where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl runner-up Cincinnati Bengals. In what season did each team next play in an AFC championship?

Answer: Chargers 1994, Dolphins 1982

The reward for the Chargers' uplifting victory was that they got to travel to Cincinnati the following weekend, playing the Bengals in a 59 degree wind chill, quite a change from the sweltering heat in the Miami game. Their next two playoff appearances were in the 1982 and 1993 playoffs, winning a first round game both times before losing in the divisional playoffs.

They finally made it to the AFC Championship and Super Bowl for the 1994 season. The Dolphins, perennial powers, played in the 1982 and 1984 Super Bowls, and had several other appearances in the AFC championship.
Source: Author d2407

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Nightmare before going online.
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