It is one of the greatest NFL games you could ever ask for. Over 1,000 yards of offense, 95 points, a thrilling finish. But it only gets passing mention as a classic game.

The game pitted the defending Super Bowl 17 champion Washington Redskins visiting the extremely unpredictable Pack on Monday night October 17, 1983. The Redskins had won 5 straight since blowing a 20 point lead to Dallas opening night on MNF. The Packers had shown signs of extreme brilliance mixed with terrible futility. Three weeks prior they failed to score a touchdown in New York. Their answer the next week? An incredible 49 point first half vs Tampa Bay in Lambeau, another feat gone underappreciated in Packer history. Of course the next week the Pack got lambasted at Detroit, a game that turned the Lions season around.

A national audience was entertained by the “Jockocracy” in the Monday Night Football booth, for this game manned by the impressive group of Frank Gifford, “Dandy” Don Meredith, and filling in for Howard Cosell, O.J. Simpson. The stage was set.
The game started perhaps unlike any game in NFL history. Rookie kicker Eddie Garcia drove two straight kickoffs out of bounds. When Garcia finally straightened one out, the Packers set the tone on the third play. On third and long, the eventual league MVP, Joe Theismann, dumped the ball to the verstile Joe Washington. Immediately, middle linebacker Mike “Mad Dog” Douglass pounced on Washington and stripped the ball. As O.J. eloquently described in the booth, the new Packer Hall of Famer picked the ball up “like a loaf a bread” and the Pack had an early 7-0 lead. The fireworks had just begun.

Lynn Dickey had one of the most incredible seasons ever by a Packer QB—and, of course, like everything else about this team, it is grossly overlooked. He threw for 4458 yards, the first NFC quarterback to throw for over 4,000. And in an era that for some idiotic reason saw only 2 QB’s get Pro Bowl invites, Dickey lost out to Theismann and Joe Montana for his chance to get the recognition he deserved. On this night Dickey threw for 387 and three TD’s. Theismann had a field day as well, countering with 398 yards and two scores.

Paul Coffman created headaches for Washington the entire game. He snagged two scores from Dickey, and almost notched a third on a 36 yard option pass by the seemingly always underachieving Eddie Lee Ivery. The most underrated Tight End in Packers history finished with 124 yards on 8 receptions.

The Pack led 24-20 at halftime, and struck quickly as the second half began on a 24 yard gallop by Gerry Ellis (you guessed it, a workhorse before Dorsey Levens, and very underrated in Packer history). The Skins countered with a field goal, and after forcing the Pack’s first punt—coming well into the 3rd Quarter—Washington had a brilliant blitzing rush on the kick and got the block and possession well in Packer territory. Joe Washington’s 6 yard touchdown gave the Skins a 33-31 lead.

The Packers 1983 campaign overall was one of excitement, extreme disappointment, and unpredictability. The Packers alternated wins and loses through the first eight games of the season. The defense—among the worst in the league—was decimated by injury. Linebackers Mike “Mad Dog” Douglass and John Anderson had outstanding individual years, but got no support for the line and secondary. But on the other side of the ball, the Packers possessed an incredible array of talent everywhere. James Lofton and John Jefferson were world-class athletes at wide receiver. Paul Coffman was an all-pro tight end, giving bionic Quarterback Lynn Dickey perhaps the best 1-2-3 receiving combo in Packer history. Dickey was a medical miracle, coming off injuries such as a broken hip and leg, the latter of which caused him to sit out an entire year. In this season Dickey proved that when he was healthy he was an elite NFL Quarterback.

In the backfield, the 1983 Pack was very deep as well. Gerry Ellis had a very solid year, both running and receiving, coming up with some extremely clutch receptions in key games. Jesse Clark proved very effective in his rookie year. Mike Meade also made contributions, coming off a broken leg he sustained a year prior. Eddie Lee Ivery would have boosted the offense even more, but he left the team midseason because of substance abuse. Ivery was a spectacular talent, but unfortunate injuries (he blew out both of his knees) and personal problems hindered his Packer career.

The Pack literally jumped out to a 45-40 4th Quarter lead when Mike Meade leaped over Mark Murphy (the Skins version) and scored on a 3rd down pass from Dickey. With time running down, the Skins effectively drove once again on the Packers struggling defense. On a third and goal deep in Packer territory, Theismann found Joe Washington in the end zone once again, and the Skins took a 47-45 lead, quieting the 54,000 excited Packer faithful.

It didn’t look good on the ensuing possession when a third and long was facing Dickey and the offense. But Lynn came up with a Favre-esque laser beam that found Gerry Ellis on the run, resulting in a 56 yard gain inside the Washington 10. The only thing separating Ellis from the end zone was a Redskin rookie by the name of Darrell Green. Bart Starr was extremely cautious over the next three plays, setting up Jan Stenerud for the game winning FG. Stenerud had—you knew it was coming—an extremely underrated 1983 season for the Pack. He kicked 5 game winning field goals in 1983, including this one against the Redskins, giving the Pack what seemed to be a secure 48-47 lead with under a minute to go. Not so fast though.

Somehow, Theismann and the Skins found their way inside the Packer 25 and the clock was killed with :03 left. What an amazing stage for another underrated Packer performer to shine. Gary Lewis was an incredible asset for the 1983 Packers blocking field goals and extra points with ease all year. As Mark Moseley thought about his game winning 39 yard attempt do you think Lewis was in the back of his mind? The erratic but very successful Moseley had to at least given him a passing thought as he pulled his kick wide right and the Packers had beaten his Redskins. Had he kicked it straight? Gary Lewis seemed plenty high enough to send it right back to him. The Packers had won one of the most exciting—and underrated—games in NFL history.

The 1983 Pack ended up at 8-8, a rather fitting record considering their up and down nature. The way they were finally eliminated from playoff contention was gut wrenching. The Pack needed to beat the Bears in Chicago on the final week and hope for either a Rams win at New Orleans or a Tampa win vs. Detroit. Late in the game the Pack was clinging to a 21-20 lead when word was spread that the Rams had knocked off the Saints. The Pack now just needed to hang on—but they couldn’t. The Bears sealed the Packer fate 23-21 on a field goal with under 10 seconds remaining. It was the end of a fantastic season, and Bart Starr’s coaching career. Even with a frustrating defense that had a seemingly infinite amount of holes I get as much entertainment watching this team as any other in Packer history. It certainly was an underrated year.