13. The 1959 NFL Championship Game
Everyone remembers the famous game from a year earlier that changed the landscape of the NFL, but few offer vivid details of the rematch with the New York Giants played at Memorial Stadium in 1959 as many former Colts have admitted they struggle to remember the 1959 NFL Championship Game years later.
The only NFL Championship Game played in Baltimore, the 31-16 triumph is often viewed as a blowout, but the Colts trailed 9-7 going into the fourth quarter before picking off three passes. The defensive explosion that included one interception by safety Andy Nelson and two by defensive back Johnny Sample helped transform what was a tight game into a comfortable victory as Johnny Unitas ran for a score and threw touchdown passes to Lenny Moore and Jerry Richardson on the afternoon.
The 1959 game is an afterthought compared to what was witnessed in the Bronx a year earlier, but it wouldn’t be right to neglect such a huge event taking place at Memorial Stadium with Colts fans storming the field to tear down the goalposts in celebration.
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