After an interference call, Meredith stumbled but recovered with self-effacing candor. "Now that didn't sound real right," he said. "We're going to try that again later on, folks. You're not supposed to do it. I know that."
The Cosellian sound was abundant, especially during his halftime narration; so were opinions that made each team's fans believe he was their enemy. Cosell and Meredith engaged in one exchange that defined the banter that underscored their partnership.
"They're controlling the ball," Cosell said during a Jets drive during the second half. "That means Cleveland can't score."
"Good point," Meredith said, puncturing a Cosell banality with two words.
The game's artistic peak was a perfectly framed live shot that Chet Forte, the producer-director, held for seven seconds: a shocked Namath, his shoulders slumped, arms akimbo, after an interception was returned for a game-deciding touchdown.
The image was replayed again, for 30 more seconds, as time ran out on Cleveland's 31-21 victory and Jackson promoted the next week's game -- the second Monday in what will be 555 Mondays when ABC's final regular-season game ends on Dec. 26.
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