European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 20, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Suhfjn\7 tuesday september 20, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 23 rams bengals redskins surprised As nil opens its regular season play by United press International the much touted debut in a los Angeles rams uniform of Broadway Joe Namath failed to follow the prepared script As an other former University of Alabama quarterback guided the Atlanta Falcons to a 17 6 upset of the rams As the National foot Ball league opened its regular season play  it was any Consolation for the supposedly super bowl bound rams they were not the Only upset victims in sunday s action. In Cincinnati Larry Poole ran 12 Yards for a score and Don Cockroft kicked Field goals of 41 and 25 Yards to Send the Cleve land Browns to a 13-3 upset Over the punch less bengals and the new York giants handed Washington Redskin coach George Allen his first Ever opening Day loss 20-17, on Joe Danelo s 30-Yard Field goal with three seconds left. In other nil games the defending super bowl Champion Oakland raiders blanked the san Diego chargers 24-0, Dallas beat Minnesota 16-10 in overtime Denver edged St. Louis 7-0, Baltimore rolled Over Seattle 29-14, new England nipped Kansas City 21-17, Chicago out lasted Detroit 30-20, Houston shut out the new York jets 20-0, Green Bay beat new Orleans 24-20, Philadelphia downed Tampa Bay 13-3, and Miami stopped Buffalo 13-0. The Pittsburgh Steeles were to play the san Francisco 49ers monday night. At Atlanta it was supposed to be a Bright Start for an sex Alabama Quarter Back but no one expected that quarterback to be Scott Hunter instead of Namath. Hunter playing because Steve Bartkow ski has a knee injury completed 10 of 17 passes and went Over for the game Clinch ing touchdown. Hunter directed a 76-Yard drive Early in the third Quarter capped by his own 1-Yard plunge to give the Falcons their second score. The rams favored by two touchdowns got their Only Points in the first Quarter when Namath making his official debut in a los Angeles uniform threw a 27-Yard to pass to Harold Jackson. I feel like my main responsibility is to help our Guys get better said Hunter. Consistency is the name of the game. We Don t want to go through the peaks and Val Leys that Hurt us so much last  we did not play Good football said ram coach Chuck Knox. We played like end of run Dennis Boyd of the Seattle sea Hawks pulls Baltimore s Lydell Mitchell Down after a Short gain in the first Quarter of a National football league game in Seattle. The Colts won 29-14. A photo nil scoring summaries cowboys 16, Vikings 10 patriots 21, chiefs 17 Broncos 7, cardinals 0 Dallas 3307 61b Minnesota 7 003 0-13 my Foreman 18pass from Tarkenton Cox kick dal f3 herrera40 dal p. Pearson 7 pass Iro staubach Herrera kick mm-f3cox31  -staubjch4ruh no kick a 47,678 giants 20, redskins 17 Kansas cily 14 0 0 3-17newengland 7 7 7 3-21 pc Lane 1 run Stener cd kick pc Reed 10 run Stenerud kick be Stingray 34 run Smith kick be Stingley 21 pass from Grogan i Smith kick  11 run Smith kick kcfgstenerud22 a -58,185 St. Louis Denver Den Armstrong 10run Turner kick a-7j,002 3 0 0 0-3 3 3 7 0-7 Washington 3 0 0 17-17 new York 7 0 3 10-23 ny3 Martin 33 interception return  kick neg Fig danelo22 Wash Thomas 3 run Moseley kick Wash Riggs Spass fro n Kilmer Mosek y kick wa5h-Fgmoseley 51 neg shirks a 3s from Goslen Dan to kick nyg-f5 danelo30a -76,346 bears 30, Lions 20 Detroit 7 i i 7-20 Chicago 20 0 3-30 Del Bussey 1 run Mike Mayer kick cd -musb02 run Thomas kick pm sch left 73 punt return Thoma Kkt Chi Payton 1 run kick failed Chi Payton 2 run Thomas kick Del -f3 Mike Mayer 35 Del Fig Mike Mayer 38del Bussey 5 run Mike Mayer kick Chi Fig thomai35 a -51,533 dolphins 13, Bills 0 Miami 0 1 13 0-13buffalo o j 000 Mia Fig Yepremian 32 Mia Fig Yepremian 37 Mia Bulaich 20 run Yepremian kick a-76,097 eagles 13, buccaneers 3 Tampa Bay 0 030-3 Philadelphia 7 6 0-13 pm. I Sullivan 7 pass from Jawor Siu Muni Mam kick to Fig Green 22 Phil Kreple 17 pass from Jiworsky Kik failed a-61,549 packers 24, saints 20 14 1j.0 0grean Bayne Orleans go Smith 2 run Marcel kick go Harrell 75 punt Reljin Marco kick go Payne 15 pass from Dickey Marco k a go of Marcol 19 no Muncie 2 run Szaro kick no Muncie 3 run Szaro kick no -childi60, from Manning kicked failed a-56,250 0-216 -23 7 5 7 0 Colts 29, sea Hawks 14 Baltimore Seattlebalt-mccauley6run Emhart kick sea Testerman 1 pass from Zorn  kick bait leaks Lorun Emhart kick Ball safety blocked punt out of end Cone balt-fglinhart38balt-fglinhart42 sea Beamon 17 blocked punt return Leypoldt kick bait Carr 21 pass from Jones Emhart kick a-58.991 10-29 7 14 raiders 24, chargers 0 san Diego 3 0 Oakland 7 13 Oak Branch 7 pass from stapler Mann kick Oak Fugmann 20 Oak Casper 1 pas5 from Stabler Mann ick Oak band Zak 2 run Mann kick a -51,022 oilers 20, jets 0 new York 0 j -1 Houston. 0 0 13 20 Hou Hardemon i run  Kilk Hou pastor i 1 run Butler Nick Hou Carpenter 1 run kick Lai de a 39,438 Browns 13, bengals 3 Cleveland of j j Cincinnati j 0 3 0 j Cle Fig Cockroft 41cle of Cockroft 25 Cle Poole 12 run Cockroft kick Cin Fig Bahr 25 a -52,847 Falcons 17, rams 6 Losangeles b 0 0 0� Atlanta 0 10 7 j--17 la Jackson 27 pass from Namath kick failed All Stanback 1 run Mike Mayer kick at Fig Mike Mayer 33 at Hunter i run Mike Mayer kick a-55,756 we did in the 1-5 preseason. The reason we did t look any better was the Falcons did a very Good Job said Namath who hit on 15 of 30 passes for 141 Yards. Browns 13, bengals 3 highly favored Cincinnati losing the first Home opener in the club s 10-year his tory could manage Only a 25-Yard Field goal by Chris Bahr. Brown coach Forrest Gregg Felt the bengals might have been a Little overconfident for the opener after leading the nil in scoring during the preseason. It probably was a Little bit hard to keep them from being overconfident said Gregg. But our defense was not to be denied. They controlled the game. It was 60 minutes of struggle. My team worked hard and never  their defense handled  said Bengal quarterback Ken Anderson. We did t play very Well today and that about sums it  they came Down Here to do a Job on us Bengal coach Bill Johnson said and Damn it they did it. The True test of a Good football team is How you react in times of adversity and this sure As hell is a time of adversity for  giants 20, redskins 17 Joe Danelo s 30-Yard Field goal with three seconds left lifted the giants Over Washington and handed redskins coach George Allen his first Ever opening Day loss. Danelo s kick climaxed a 10-Point rally in the closing minutes that won the game and followed Harry Carson s recovery of Mike Thomas Fumble. I think it was Fate said Carson. Somebody was looking Down on us. Maybe we prayed a Little  raiders 24, chargers 0 Oakland showing it has lost Little since its super bowl Victory in january combined two to passes from Ken Stabler with a Strong defensive Effort in shutting out san Diego. Stabler who led the nil with 27 to passes last year hit Cliff Branch from seven Yards out and threw a one yarder to Dave Casper. Cowboys 16, Vikings 10 quarterback Roger staubach ran 4 Yards for a score Midway through the sudden death overtime to lift Dallas Over Minnesota. Staubach s run came at 6 14 and climaxed a 47-Yard drive. Heisman trophy Winner Tony Dorsett carried four times for 11 Yards in his nil debut. Broncos 7, cardinals 0 Otis Armstrong churned around end for 10 Yards and the game s Only score and Denver s defense made it stand up against St. Louis pressure As the Broncos beat the cardinals. St. Louis was unable to score from the Denver four and Star kicker Jim Bakken missed two Field goal attempts and had two More blocked. Colls 29, sea Hawks Bert Jones 21-Yard to pass to Roger Carr with less than six minutes left to play boosted Baltimore out of Seattle s reach. The to pass came after Seattle Cut the score to 22-14 when safety Autry Beamon returned a blocked Colt punt 17 Yards for a to. Patriots 21, chiefs 17 Jess Phillips barged 11 Yards for the game winning to and Darryl Stingley marked his birthday with two ads in new England s Victory Over Kansas City the chiefs took a 14-0 Lead before Stingley scored on a 34-Yard reverse and then caught a 21-Yard to pass from Steve Grogan. Bears 30, Lions 20 Walter Payton rushed for 159 Yards and two ads and Steve Schubert had a 70-Yard punt return for a score in Chicago s win Over Detroit. Payton who had a 73-Yard run to set up Jolany Musso s 2-Yard to scored on dashes of 3 and 2 Yards. Schu Bert s punt return was a club record. Oilers 20, jets 0 Don Hardeman Dan pastor Ini and Rookie Rob Carpenter each scored on 1 Yard plunges and Houston s defense stifled new York s offence to Lead the oilers Over continued on Page 24