American Football League playoffs

From 1960 to 1968, the American Football League determined its champion via a single playoff game between the winners of its two divisions (although ties in the standings during the 1963 and 1968 seasons necessitated a divisional playoff game). In 1969, a four team tournament was instituted, with the second place teams in each division also participating.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame and the National Football League include AFL playoffs in their statistics for the NFL playoffs.

1960 Championship

NFL single game infobox
name=1960 AFL Championship Game


caption=
visitor=Los Angeles Chargers
visitor abbr=LA
visitor coach=Sid Gillman
visitor record=10-4
home=Houston Oilers
home abbr=HOU
home coach=Lou Rymkus
home record=10-4
visitor qtr1=6
visitor qtr2=3
visitor qtr3=7
visitor qtr4=0
visitor qtr5=
visitor total=16
home qtr1=0
home qtr2=10
home qtr3=7
home qtr4=7
home qtr5=
home total=24
date=January 1, 1961
stadium=Jeppesen Stadium
city=Houston, TX
referee=
attendance=
odds=
network=
announcers=|

Houston Oilers 24, Los Angeles Chargers 16:"January 1, 1961 at Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, Texas"

Scoring
*LA - Field goal Agajanian 38 LA 3-0
*LA - Field goal Agajanian 22 LA 6-0
*HOU - Smith 17 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) HOU 7-6
*HOU - Field goal Blanda 18 HOU 10-6
*LA - Field goal Agajanian 27 HOU 10-9
*HOU - Groman 7 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) HOU 17-9
*LA - Lowe 2 run (Agajanian kick) HOU 17-16
*HOU - Cannon 88 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick) HOU 24-16

1961 Championship

NFL single game infobox
name=1961 AFL Championship Game


caption=
visitor=Houston Oilers
visitor abbr=HOU
visitor coach=Wally Lemm
visitor record=10-3-1
home=San Diego Chargers
home abbr=SD
home coach=Sid Gillman
home record=12-2
visitor qtr1=0
visitor qtr2=3
visitor qtr3=7
visitor qtr4=0
visitor qtr5=
visitor total=10
home qtr1=0
home qtr2=0
home qtr3=0
home qtr4=3
home qtr5=
home total=3
date=December 24, 1961
stadium=Balboa Stadium
city=San Diego, CA
referee=
attendance=
odds=
network=
announcers=|

Houston Oilers 10, San Diego Chargers 3:"December 24, 1961 at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California"

Scoring
*HOU - Field goal Blanda 46
*HOU - Cannon 35 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick)
*SD - Field goal Blair 12

1962 Championship

NFL single game infobox
name=1962 AFL Championship Game


caption=
visitor=Dallas Texans
visitor abbr=DAT
visitor coach=Hank Stram
visitor record=11-3
home=Houston Oilers
home abbr=HOU
home coach=Pop Ivy
home record=11-3
visitor qtr1=3
visitor qtr2=14
visitor qtr3=0
visitor qtr4=0
visitor qtr5=3
visitor total=20
home qtr1=0
home qtr2=0
home qtr3=7
home qtr4=10
home qtr5=0
home total=17
date=December 23, 1962
stadium=Jeppesen Stadium
city=Houston, TX
referee=
attendance=
odds=
network=
announcers=|

Dallas Texans 20, Houston Oilers 17 (2OT):"December 23, 1962 at Jeppesen Stadium, Houston, Texas"

Scoring
*DAL - Field goal Brooker 16
*DAL - Haynes 28 pass from Dawson (Brooker kick)
*DAL - Haynes 2 run (Brooker kick)
*HOU - Dewveall 15 pass from Blanda (Blanda kick)
*HOU - Field goal Blanda 31
*HOU - Tolar 1 run (Blanda kick)
*DAL - Field goal Brooker 25

1963 playoffs

:"A tie in the Eastern Division standings necessitated an Eastern Division playoff game"

Eastern Division playoff

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Patriots
R1=10
R2=6
R3=0
R4=10
RT=26
Home=Bills
H1=0
H2=0
H3=8
H4=0
HT=8

Boston Patriots 26, Buffalo Bills 8:"December 28, 1963 at War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York"

Scoring
*BOS - Field goal Cappelletti 28
*BOS - Garron 59 pass from Parilli (Cappelletti kick)
*BOS - Field goal Cappelletti 12
*BOS - Field goal Cappelletti 33
*BUF - Dubenion 93 pass from Lamonica (Tracey pass from Lamonica)
*BOS - Garron 17 pass from Parilli (Cappelletti kick)
*BOS - Field goal Cappelletti 36

1963 Championship

NFL single game infobox
name=1963 AFL Championship Game


caption=
visitor=Boston Patriots
visitor abbr=BOS
visitor coach=Mike Holovak
visitor record=8-6-1
home=San Diego Chargers
home abbr=SD
home coach=Sid Gillman
home record=11-3
visitor qtr1=7
visitor qtr2=3
visitor qtr3=0
visitor qtr4=0
visitor qtr5=
visitor total=10
home qtr1=21
home qtr2=10
home qtr3=7
home qtr4=13
home qtr5=
home total=51
date=January 5, 1964
stadium=Balboa Stadium
city=San Diego, CA
referee=
attendance=
odds=
network=
announcers=|

San Diego Chargers 51, Boston Patriots 10:"January 5, 1964 at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California"

The Chargers championship win is noted for being the only and most recent major sports championship won for the city of San Diego. No other city with at least two professional sports teams has a championship drought as long as of 2008 (45 Years). This is also the only time that the Chargers have beaten the Patriots in a postseason game.

Scoring
*SD - Rote 2 run (Blair kick)
*SD - Lincoln 67 run (Blair kick)
*BOS - Garron 7 run (Cappelletti kick)
*SD - Lowe 58 run (Blair kick)
*SD - Field goal Blair 11
*BOS - Field goal Cappelletti 15
*SD - Norton 14 pass from Rote (Blair kick)
*SD - Alworth 48 pass from Rote (Blair kick)
*SD - Lincoln 25 pass from Hadl (Pass failed)
*SD - Hadl 1 run (Blair kick)

1964 Championship

NFL single game infobox
name=1964 AFL Championship Game


caption=
visitor=San Diego Chargers
visitor abbr=SD
visitor coach=Sid Gillman
visitor record=8-5-1
home=Buffalo Bills
home abbr=BUF
home coach=Lou Saban
home record=12-2
visitor qtr1=7
visitor qtr2=0
visitor qtr3=0
visitor qtr4=0
visitor qtr5=
visitor total=7
home qtr1=3
home qtr2=10
home qtr3=0
home qtr4=7
home qtr5=
home total=20
date=December 26, 1964
stadium=War Memorial Stadium
city=Buffalo, NY
referee=
attendance=
odds=
network=
announcers=|

Buffalo Bills 20, San Diego Chargers 7:"December 26, 1964 at War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York"

Scoring
*SD - Kocourek 26 pass from Rote (Lincoln kick)
*BUF - Field goal Gogolak 12
*BUF - Carlton 4 run (Gogolak kick)
*BUF - Field goal Gogolak 17
*BUF - Kemp 1 run (Gogolak kick)

Mike Stratton's hit on San Diego Chargers Running Back Keith Lincoln set the stage for the Buffalo Bills and their first AFL championship.

1965 Championship

NFL single game infobox
name=1965 AFL Championship


caption=
visitor=Buffalo Bills
visitor abbr=BUF
visitor coach=Lou Saban
visitor record=10-3-1
home=San Diego Chargers
home abbr=SD
home coach=Sid Gillman
home record=9-2-3
visitor qtr1=0
visitor qtr2=14
visitor qtr3=6
visitor qtr4=3
visitor qtr5=
visitor total=23
home qtr1=0
home qtr2=0
home qtr3=0
home qtr4=0
home qtr5=
home total=0
date=December 26, 1965
stadium=Balboa Stadium
city=San Diego, CA
referee=
attendance=
odds=
network=
announcers=|

Buffalo Bills 23, San Diego Chargers 0:"December 26, 1965 at Balboa Stadium, San Diego, California"

This was the last AFL Championship Game before the Super Bowl era began the following season. This is also the most recent championship won by a professional Buffalo sports team.

Scoring
*BUF - Warlick 18 pass from Kemp (Gogolak kick)
*BUF - Byrd 74 punt return (Gogolak kick)
*BUF - Field goal Gogolak 11
*BUF - Field goal Gogolak 39
*BUF - Field goal Gogolak 32

1966 Championship

NFL single game infobox
name=1966 AFL Championship Game


caption=
visitor=Kansas City Chiefs
visitor abbr=KC
visitor coach=Hank Stram
visitor record=11-2-1
home=Buffalo Bills
home abbr=BUF
home coach=Joe Collier
home record=9-4-1
visitor qtr1=7
visitor qtr2=10
visitor qtr3=0
visitor qtr4=14
visitor qtr5=
visitor total=31
home qtr1=7
home qtr2=0
home qtr3=0
home qtr4=0
home qtr5=
home total=7
date=January 1, 1967
stadium=War Memorial Stadium
city=Buffalo, NY
referee=
attendance=
odds=
network=
announcers=|

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Chiefs
R1=7
R2=10
R3=0
R4=14
RT=31
Home=Bills
H1=7
H2=0
H3=0
H4=0
HT=7

Kansas City Chiefs 31, Buffalo Bills 7:"January 1, 1967 at War Memorial Stadium, Buffalo, New York"

The Bills went into the 1966 AFL Championship having already won the game the previous two years. Though the game was to be played in Buffalo, the visiting Kansas City Chiefs were three-point favorites, mainly because of their explosive and innovative offense led by Head Coach Hank Stram. The Bills were a more conventional team with a solid defensive line and a running mindset on offense.

A Bills fumble on the opening kickoff gave the Chiefs a short field to work with, and Quarterback Len Dawson immediately took advantage of it, hitting Fred Arbanas for the game's first score. Jack Kemp's first pass for the Bills was a 69 yard score to Elbert Dubenion. Late in the second quarter and trailing 14-7, Kemp led the Bills to the Kansas City 10. Bobby Crockett was open in the endzone, but Kemp's pass was intercepted by Johnny Robinson, who returned the ball 72-yards, setting up a Mike Mercer field goal to close out the first half.

Buffalo found no offensive rhythm in the second half, and the Chiefs closed the game out in the fourth quarter with Dawson found Chris Burford for a 45 yard gain, setting up a one foot touchdown run by rookie Mike Garrett. Garrett scored his second touchdown less than two minutes later following another Bills fumble.

Scoring
*KC - Arbanas 29 pass from Dawson (Mercer kick)
*BUF - Dubenion 69 pass from Kemp (Lusteg kick)
*KC - Taylor 29 pass from Dawson (Mercer kick)
*KC - Field goal Mercer 32
*KC - Garrett 1 run (Mercer kick)
*KC - Garrett 18 run (Mercer kick)

This was the first AFL Championship Game to determine which team would represent the league in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs lost 35-10 to the NFL champion Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl I.

1967 Championship

NFL single game infobox
name=1967 AFL Championship


caption=
visitor=Houston Oilers
visitor abbr=HOU
visitor coach=Wally Lemm
visitor record=9-4-1
home=Oakland Raiders
home abbr=OAK
home coach=John Rauch
home record=13-1
visitor qtr1=0
visitor qtr2=0
visitor qtr3=0
visitor qtr4=7
visitor qtr5=
visitor total=7
home qtr1=3
home qtr2=14
home qtr3=10
home qtr4=13
home qtr5=
home total=40
date=December 31, 1967
stadium=Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
city=Oakland, CA
referee=
attendance=
odds=
network=
announcers=|

Oakland Raiders 40, Houston Oilers 7:"December 31, 1967 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California"

The Oakland Raiders were ten and a half point favorites over the Houston Oilers in the 1967 AFL Championship Game. Quarterback Daryle Lamonica, acquired in a trade from the Buffalo Bills in the offseason, led the Raiders to a 13-1 record, throwing 30 touchdown passes in the process. The Oilers went from last place in the Eastern Conference in 1966 to first in '67, beating out the New York Jets by a game. Most of the Oilers' offense centered on big fullback Hoyle Granger, and a midseason quarterback trade for the shifty Pete Beathard (sending their own starter, Jacky Lee, to the Kansas City Chiefs) proved to be the spark that turned Houston's season around.

The previous meeting between the two teams had been a close game won 19-7 by the Raiders, with Lamonica struggling offensively. This was not the case in the rematch. Oakland took a 10-0 lead in the second quarter on a 69 yard run down the left sidelines by Hewritt Dixon, and on a fake field goal attempt Lamonica passed to Dave Kocourek for the 17-0 halftime margin. Former Oilers quarterback George Blanda, who had led Houston to the AFL's first two championships, kicked four field goals for the Raiders. Houston did not score until the fourth quarter, when they already trailed 30-0.

Scoring
*OAK - Field goal Blanda 37
*OAK - Dixon 69 run (Blanda kick)
*OAK - Kocourek 17 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
*OAK - Lamonica 1 run (Blanda kick)
*OAK - Field goal Blanda 40
*OAK - Field goal Blanda 42
*HOU - Frazier 5 pass from Beathard (Wittenborn kick)
*OAK - Field goal Blanda 36
*OAK - Miller 12 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)

Oakland lost Super Bowl II to the NFL champion Green Bay Packers.

1968 playoffs

:"A tie in the Western Division standings necessitated a Western Division playoff game"

Western Division playoff

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Chiefs
R1=0
R2=6
R3=0
R4=0
RT=6
Home=Raiders
H1=21
H2=7
H3=0
H4=13
HT=41

Oakland Raiders 41, Kansas City Chiefs 6:"December 22, 1968 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California"

Scoring
*OAK - Biletnikoff 24 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
*OAK - Wells 23 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
*OAK - Biletnikoff 44 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
*KC - Field goal Stenerud 10
*KC - Field goal Stenerud 8
*OAK - Biletnikoff 54 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
*OAK - Wells 35 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
*OAK - Field goal Blanda 41
*OAK - Field goal Blanda 40

1968 Championship

NFL single game infobox
name=1968 AFL Championship Game


caption=
visitor=Oakland Raiders
visitor abbr=OAK
visitor coach=John Rauch
visitor record=13-2
home=New York Jets
home abbr=NYJ
home coach=Weeb Ewbank
home record=11-3
visitor qtr1=0
visitor qtr2=10
visitor qtr3=3
visitor qtr4=10
visitor qtr5=
visitor total=23
home qtr1=10
home qtr2=3
home qtr3=7
home qtr4=7
home qtr5=
home total=27
date=December 29, 1968
stadium=Shea Stadium
city=New York, NY
referee=
attendance=
odds=
network=
announcers=|

New York Jets 27, Oakland Raiders 23:"December 29, 1968 at Shea Stadium, New York City, New York"

Scoring
*NY - Maynard 14 pass from Namath (Turner kick)
*NY - Field goal Turner 33
*OAK - Biletnikoff 29 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
*NY - Field goal Turner 36
*OAK - Field goal Blanda 26
*OAK - Field goal Blanda 9
*NY - Lammons 20 pass from Namath (Turner kick)
*OAK - Field goal Blanda 20
*OAK - Banaszak 4 run (Blanda kick)
*NY - Maynard 6 pass from Namath (Turner kick)The Jets went on to win Super Bowl III to become the first AFL Super Bowl champion.

1969 playoffs

Divisional playoffs

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Chiefs
R1=0
R2=3
R3=3
R4=7
RT=13
Home=Jets
H1=3
H2=0
H3=0
H4=3
HT=6

Kansas City Chiefs 13, New York Jets 6:"December 20, 1969 at Shea Stadium, New York City, New York"

Scoring
*NY - Field goal Turner 27
*KC - Field goal Stenerud 23
*KC - Field goal Stenerud 25
*NY - Field goal Turner 7
*KC - Richardson 19 pass from Dawson (Stenerud kick)

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Oilers
R1=0
R2=0
R3=0
R4=7
RT=7
Home=Raiders
H1=28
H2=7
H3=14
H4=7
HT=56

Oakland Raiders 56, Houston Oilers 7:"December 21, 1969 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California"

Scoring
*OAK - Biletnikoff 13 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
*OAK - Atkinson 57 interception return (Blanda kick)
*OAK - Sherman 24 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
*OAK - Biletnikoff 31 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
*OAK - Smith 60 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
*OAK - Sherman 23 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
*OAK - Cannon 3 pass from Lamonica (Blanda kick)
*HOU - Reed 8 pass from Beathard (Gerela kick)
*OAK - Hubbard 4 run (Blanda kick)

1969 Championship

Kansas City Chiefs 17, Oakland Raiders 7:"January 4, 1970 at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California"

Scoring
*OAK - Smith 3 run (Blanda kick)
*KC - Hayes 1 run (Stenerud kick)
*KC - Holmes 5 run (Stenerud kick)
*KC - Field goal Stenerud 22

This was the final AFL Championship Game, as well as the final game played between two AFL teams before the merger with the National Football League. The Chiefs won Super Bowl IV as the last AFL champion.

AFL Championship Game appearances 1960-69

References

*"NFL Record and Fact Book" (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
*"Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League" (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)