The Biggest Kick

As seen on the home screen by an estimated 45 million viewers, the National Football League play-offs were more like playlets. Each of the four games had its own distinct plot, each its own cast of likely and unlikely heroes.

On the first day of Christmas the Minnesota Vikings gave the Dallas Cowboys four intercepted passes, three costly turnovers, two bonus field goals and a fumble in a careless spree. During the regular season, the Vikings boasted the stingiest defense in the league (average points allowed per game: ten), but they were not able to contain the Cowboys' explosive offense. Calling a near perfect game, Dallas Quarterback Roger Staubach mixed his pinpoint passes (ten completions in 14 attempts) with the slashing running of Duane Thomas to lead the Cowboys to a 20-12 victory.

Later that afternoon--and well into the evening--the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs staged their own version of The Longest Day. Led by Quarterback Bob Griese and Wide Receiver Paul Warfield, the Dolphins came from behind to tie the game 24-24 and send it into a sudden-death overtime. Sudden it was not, however, as the two teams battled on and on and on in the longest game in U.S. pro football history. Finally, after 82 min. 40 sec., Miami won the marathon 27-24 with a sixth-period field goal.

Next day the Baltimore Colts stampeded over the hapless Cleveland Browns. Led by End Bubba Smith, the Colt defense blocked two field-goal attempts, intercepted three passes and smeared Brown Quarterback Bill Nelsen four times. The big difference, though, was Colt Running Back Don Nottingham, a squat (5 ft. 10 in., 210 Ib.) rookie from Kent State who was the 441st of the 442 players picked in last year's pro football draft. Called in to replace injured Norm Bulaich, "Bowling Ball" Nottingham rolled for 92 yds. and two touchdowns as the Colts outclassed the Browns 20-3.

Losing Gamble. Shortly thereafter, the San Francisco 49ers met the Washington Redskins, the team of resuscitated old pros that Coach George Allen had drilled in the fundamentals of conservative football. Surprising everyone, Allen gambled on a fourth-down-and-inches situation in the third quarter. Leading 10-3, the Redskins went for a first down rather than for a seemingly surefire field goal. The play backfired into a 2-yd. loss. From then on it was all downhill for Allen's Over-the-Hill Gang as 49er Quarterback John Brodie connected on two quick scoring passes. Adding another touchdown on a fourth-quarter fumble recovery in the end zone, the 49ers outlasted the Redskins 24-20.

When the clash of the muscular giants was over, the biggest star of the weekend was the littlest player, 5 ft. 7 in., 160 lb. Garo Yepremian of the Miami Dolphins. More unlikely still, he is a left-footed, soccer-style placekicker from Cyprus who never even saw a pro football game until he was 22. Now 27, Yepremian felt more than the usual sense of rivalry going into the Kansas City game. Though he led the league in scoring with 117 points, he was bypassed for the A.F.C.'s all-pro team in favor of Kansas City Kicker Jan Stenerud, a former ski-jumping champion from Fetsund, Norway. Eager to show up his rival, the balding Yepremian got his chance after the hard-charging Dolphins blocked a 42-yd. Stenerud attempt in the overtime period. Then, when Dolphin Running Back Larry Csonka rambled around right end for 29 yds., it was Garo's turn to try from 37 yds. out. Realizing that "this one kick could make or break me," he caught the ball squarely on the instep of his size 7 soccer shoe and lofted it through the uprights. Next day, as 25,000 Miamians turned out to cheer the return of the Dolphins, one expectant mother announced that she was calling her unborn child Garo. Why? "Because it kicks so hard."

This week's matchups--Miami v. Baltimore, San Francisco v. Dallas --will determine who will go to the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Jan. 16 to play for the biggest kick of all --the $15,000 that will go to each member of the winning team.

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