Dec. 14, 1963 - The Packers kept their championship hopes alive today with long passes that edged the 49ers in San Francisco, 21-17. Green Bay had been 17-point favorites. The Lions must defeat the Bears tomorrow to give Green Bay its fourth consecutive Western Conference crown in the NFL. Fought to a standstill on the ground today, the Packers took to the air. Bart Starr found Boyd Dowler (pictured) behind the San Francisco secondary with passes that were good for 53 and 50-yard touchdowns. Jim Taylor gained 59 yards for Green Bay to bring his season total to 1,010 yards — the fourth consecutive year in which he has gained at least 1,000. Starr completed 17 of 27 passes for 206 yards. The Packers were calm as they awaited the Chicago-Detroit game at Chicago. “I won my game,” said Coach Vince Lombardi. “Now let George Halas and the Bears worry about winning theirs.” Lombardi, dismissing rumors that he might be coaching elsewhere next season, said, “I’ll be back with the Packers next year.” Regarding today’s victory, he would only say, “We played well enough to win.” Asked if he thought the Packers were slipping, he answered sarcastically: “Yeah, we’re slipping all right. We’ve lost three games in two years!” He said Dowler got loose on those long pass plays for touchdowns because the 49ers were jamming the Green Bay running game. “They were practically playing an 11-man line to stop our rushing,” he said. “We should have thrown more passes.” Lombardi had a good word for the 49ers. “Coach Jack Christiansen is doing a good job,” he said. “This is a better team than its record [2-12] shows. When they get a regular quarterback next year, they are going to be one hell of a ball club.”
