There was a lot of optimism surrounding the New York Giants heading into the 1971 season. They were coming off their first winning season since 1963, going 9-5 under head coach Alex Webster and finishing second in the NFC East.
But things weren’t exactly on the upswing as they seemed for Big Blue. They lost all six preseason games, and there was talk of their legitimacy as a contender. Quarterback Fran Tarkenton was coming off another Pro Bowl season, but his patience was running thin and he would request a trade after the season.
The Giants made one of the most infamous picks in NFL draft history when they chose West Texas State running back Rocky Thompson with the 18th overall selection.
Star running back Ron Johnson was injured playing a pickup basketball game during the offseason and would miss the first six games of the regular season.
The opening game of the ’71 season was at Lambeau Field against a Green Bay Packers team that was having its own issues. They were three seasons past the Vince Lombardi era and had replaced his replacement, Phil Bengston, with college coach Dan Devine in the offseason after Bengston went 20-21-1 and failed to qualify for the postseason.
The Packers still had some of their championship core on the roster such as wide receiver Carroll Dale, linebacker Ray Nitschke, safety Willie Wood, running back Donny Anderson and quarterback Bart Starr, who was sidelined with an injury.
The game was marred by weather, but it didn’t dampen either team’s ability to score. The Packers took a 7-0 lead on a 100-yard return by Ken Ellis of a missed field goal. In the second quarter, the Giants would score four answered touchdowns to take a 28-7 lead on two touchdown passes from Tarkenton to wideout Rick Houston and fumble recoveries in the end zone by linebacker Ralph Heck and defensive back Joe Green.
Green Bay narrowed the score to 28-14 when quarterback Zeke Bratkowski hit Dave Hampton for 19 yards right before the half.
Bratkowski was relieved in the third quarter by Scott Hunter, who led the Packers on field goal and touchdown drives, but the Giants had a comfortable 42-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter after two more touchdown passes from Tarkenton — a third to Houston and one other to fullback Tucker Frederickson.
The Giants did not score in the final frame. The Packers scored all 16 points, falling short, 42-40, with linebacker Jim Files intercepting a Hunter pass to seal the game and open the season with a victory.
Tarkenton’s four touchdowns highlighted the Giants’ effort, and Houston’s six receptions for 151 yards were the second-most he would ever gain in a single game in his short Giants career.
That would be one of the few highlights of the season for the Giants, who would win just three more games the rest of the season and finish 4-10.
Devine’s Packers career got off to a bad start as he suffered a broken leg on the sideline during the game. The Packers finished 4-8-2 on the season but did qualify for the playoffs the next season under Devine, who left for Notre Dame in 1975.
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