Each Tremendous Bowl champion’s worst loss

Profitable battles however shedding wars, the Payments have managed the regular-season chapters of their Chiefs rivalry. Dispatched to Arrowhead Stadium in 2021 and ’22, the Payments gained each video games. Josh Allen outplayed Patrick Mahomes on this Week 6 encounter, throwing for 329 yards and three touchdowns — together with a go-ahead strike to Dawson Knox with 1:04 left. Massive-ticket free-agent signing Von Miller sacked Mahomes twice and pressured him on Taron Johnson’s game-ending INT. This sport might have given the Payments home-field benefit, however with the NFL canceling a Week 17 Payments-Bengals tilt after the horrifying Damar Hamlin scene, the Chiefs obtained a free go to the No. 1 seed at 14-3.

Each rising from the Mike Shanahan teaching tree, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay run variations of the identical offense. However the 49ers’ offensive whiz has loved a gradual run of upending the Rams’. The 49ers have overwhelmed the Rams in 9 straight regular-season video games. They accomplished a sweep of the eventual champs on a Week 10 Monday evening. Amid his operating again moonlighting season, Deebo Samuel scored dashing and receiving TDs. Jimmie Ward intercepted Matthew Stafford twice. This got here throughout a three-game Rams shedding skid. Whereas the 49ers interrupted the Rams’ late-season rally, Los Angeles avenged this loss with a slim NFC championship sport win.

For a lot of the 2020 season, Tom Brady’s journey to Tampa introduced speedbumps. This was the largest. Drew Brees and Co. handed Brady a two-score defeat within the season opener in New Orleans and soared to a 38-0 lead in Week 9. In Brees’ closing season, he sprayed TD passes to 4 totally different receivers. Brady threw three INTs, with Antonio Brown’s Bucs debut sputtering. This powered the Saints to the NFC South title, however with the COVID-19 pandemic protecting followers away or limiting attendance, the Saints’ home-field benefit was largely negated in January. Tampa Bay’s protection dominated the day in Spherical 2, ending Brees’ profession.

The Chiefs’ Steve Spagnuolo-era defenses have proven a propensity to begin slowly. The veteran DC’s first Kansas Metropolis unit was mired in a woeful run-defense stretch early, permitting at the very least 180 dashing yards in 4 straight video games. That put the Chiefs’ explosive offense in too massive a gap in Weeks 5 and 6, losses to the Colts and Texans. Houston rampaged for 192 dashing yards, with Carlos Hyde — whom the Chiefs traded to the Texans in August — main the way in which with 116. The Texans closed out the Chiefs with a five-minute drive. They had been additionally up 24-0 within the divisional-round rematch, however the eventual champs recovered in a warp-speed comeback.

The final of the Patriot groups to profit from a downtrodden AFC East, this model grew to become the one AFC group with fewer than 12 wins to safe a bye up to now 20 years. New England misplaced three video games by at the very least three scores, the worst coming in a Week 10 Nashville journey. In his closing season as Tennessee’s full-time starter, Marcus Mariota accounted for 270 yards, which included a 21-yard catch. This got here months after the Patriots trounced a Mike Mularkey-led Titans squad within the divisional spherical. Mike Vrabel’s first season concerned this battering of his mentor’s membership, and whereas these Pats pulled it collectively, the Titans ended Brady’s run with a wild-card upset the next season.

Russell Wilson’s solely non-playoff group over his first 9 seasons picked up a signature win in Week 13, handing the Eagles their second loss. This marked Carson Wentz’s closing full sport that season, as an ACL tear in Week 14 spoiled an MVP bid. Wentz threw for 348 yards however misplaced a vital fumble on the objective line in Seattle. Somewhat than a game-tying TD, Philly fell behind 17-3 and couldn’t comprise Wilson, who tossed three scoring strikes. Whereas these Seahawks weren’t as gifted because the early-2010s squads, the eventual 9-7 group tripped up an Eagles group that entered 10-1 with Wentz on the helm.

Tom Brady’s long-running Deflategate drama produced a 2015 injunction that delayed his four-game suspension to 2016. This led to the Patriots utilizing then-third-year QB Jimmy Garoppolo as their starter. However Garoppolo provided a sneak preview of an injury-prone profession, being unable to go in Weeks 3 and 4. Whereas the Pats used third-round rookie Jacoby Brissett and nonetheless routed the Texans in Week 3, Rex Ryan’s Payments supplied a actuality test in Week 4. This uneventful sport didn’t produce 400 mixed yards. The Patriots bounced again rapidly. They gained 14 of their closing 15 en path to probably the most exceptional comeback in Tremendous Bowl historical past. Ending 7-9, the Payments fired Ryan late in 2016.

This sport lives on on account of Peyton Manning breaking Brett Favre’s profession passing yardage report — and for the abysmal sport, the 18th-year QB had after doing so. It additionally marked a turning level for the Broncos. Enjoying on an injured foot that quickly required a six-week absence, Manning was simply 5-for-20 and threw 4 INTs. Pulled for Brock Osweiler, the 39-year-old passer started a rehab effort, giving solution to the unseasoned backup. Manning had gained seven straight over the Chiefs; this effort began Kansas Metropolis’s 16-game win streak over Denver. The Broncos went 4-2 underneath Osweiler, however Gary Kubiak reinserting Manning into the lineup in Week 17 helped Denver clinch home-field benefit.

This sport preceded Invoice Belichick’s “On to Cincinnati” presser, and lots of questioned if it was the tip of the Patriots’ run. The Chiefs ran wild on the Pats, and Brady — coming off an unremarkable (by his requirements) 2013 — regarded weak. Brady dedicated three turnovers, whereas Jamaal Charles mixed for 3 TDs. The Chiefs’ car parking zone neighbors, the Royals, gained a 12-inning wild-card sport throughout the road an evening later and rallied to the World Sequence. This, nonetheless, grew to become the one Andy Reid-era season through which the Chiefs didn’t make the playoffs. They went 9-7. It turned out Brady had some juice left, with Rob Gronkowski’s re-emergence keying one other Tremendous Bowl run.

In December 2012, the Seahawks crushed the Cardinals, 58-0, in one of the one-sided video games in NFL historical past. A yr later, first-year coach Bruce Arians led to Arizona handing Seattle its first residence lack of the Russell Wilson period. The ascending QB had gone 14-0 at residence earlier than this sport. This was not particularly fairly, with Carson Palmer throwing 4 interceptions towards the Seahawks’ No. 1-ranked protection. However this helped the Cardinals attain 10 wins in a season for simply the second time because the mid-Seventies. The Seahawks shook this off, earned the NFC’s prime seed and steamrolled to their first title. The Playing cards completed 10-6 however missed the playoffs.

For a lot of the 2012 season, the Texans loomed as the favourite for the AFC’s No. 1 seed. A rarity for a group in the course of the Brady-Manning interval. Houston flexed its muscle in Week 7, pummeling Baltimore. Connor Barwin notched a security, and a J.J. Watt tipped go led to a Johnathan Joseph pick-six. This was early in Watt’s historic breakout, resulting in the primary of his three Defensive Participant of the Yr slates. The Ravens endured main hiccups this season, together with a 17-point loss to the Broncos in December. They rebounded, upsetting Denver within the divisional spherical en path to their second Tremendous Bowl title. Houston misplaced to New England in Spherical 2.

This sport created a notable “what if?” for the Giants, who practically confronted the prospect of a Superdome return within the NFC championship sport. When the groups convened in Week 12, Drew Brees — throughout his best season — used his array of weapons to shred the guests. 4 Saints surpassed 50 receiving yards, with Brees throwing 4 TD passes — two to breakout tight finish Jimmy Graham — and including a dashing rating. A bewildered Giants group dropped to 6-5 after this Monday-night battering. They managed to get well and prevented a return journey to New Orleans because of the 49ers prevailing in a divisional-round basic.

This Packers version misplaced 4 video games by three factors and two video games by two. The opposite four-point loss got here towards the 14-2 Patriots and with out Aaron Rodgers. This Week 14 encounter noticed Rodgers — then in his third season because the Packers’ starter — endure a second concussion of the season. This got here earlier than the NFL instituted its concussion protocol, however the harm compelled Rodgers out. Matt Flynn changed him. The Lions, nonetheless, had Drew Stanton beginning for injured second-year QB Matthew Stafford. A fourth-quarter Stanton toss to tight finish Will Heller proved sufficient for Detroit. Rodgers missed one sport however returned to guide the Pack again to the playoffs.

By Week 17 of this season, the hovering Saints had already salted away home-field benefit. New Orleans began 13-0 this season however dealt a blow to the momentum crowd by shedding its closing three. Sean Payton sat Drew Brees for this Charlotte journey, sending in Seventeenth-year backup Mark Brunell. The ex-Jaguars starter threw for simply 102 yards. We’re halfway via the enduring DeAngelo Williams-Jonathan Stewart partnership right here, however Williams was out with a sprained ankle. Stewart gained 125 dashing yards on this meaningless sport, which featured Matt Moore within the lineup in Jake Delhomme’s closing sport with Carolina. 

On their solution to one of the stunning runs to a No. 1 seed, the Titans hounded Ben Roethlisberger in a comeback win. Jason Jones compelled three of Massive Ben’s 4 fumbles on this Week 16 matchup, one which led the Steelers to the AFC’s No. 2 line. Tennessee’s protection managed issues with out franchise-tagged D-tackle Albert Haynesworth, and security Michael Griffin additionally intercepted Roethlisberger twice. Justin Gage helped out Kerry Collins with a 100-yard day, however this rematch by no means occurred. A Titans turnover spree towards the Ravens saved them out of the AFC championship sport. The Steelers had been the one favourite to outlive the divisional-round weekend that yr.

One of many more unusual field scores this century, the Giants outgained the Vikings by greater than 50 yards but misplaced by three scores. Eli Manning threw three pick-sixes — to Darren Sharper, Dwight Smith and Chad Greenway — in a Vikings runaway. Being equipped super run assist, Vikes starter Tarvaris Jackson wanted solely 129 passing yards to maneuver previous the eventual champs. The Giants didn’t make a behavior of regular-season dominance throughout their Manning-era Tremendous Bowl runs; they wanted to emerge as a No. 5 seed because of the Cowboys’ 13-3 season. The Vikings missed the playoffs, at 8-8.

Following this sport, alarm bells sounded throughout the league in regards to the Colts’ Tremendous Bowl viability. Battling run protection, the Colts bottomed out by giving up an astounding 375 yards to a Jaguars group buzzing after including Maurice Jones-Drew to group with Fred Taylor. That Week 14 whole nonetheless ranks nineteenth all-time. Regardless of combining for under 24 carries, Jones-Drew reached 166 yards and Taylor 131; the duo mixed for 3 TDs. Attending to 8-5 after this win, the Jags misplaced their closing three. The Colts recovered and miraculously settled issues down towards the run, permitting not more than 111 dashing yards within the playoffs. The Jags completed 8-8.

The 2005 Colts’ expertise in all probability surpassed their ’06 version, with Edgerrin James on the franchise tag. In one of many Indianapolis triplets’ final hurrahs, James, Manning and Marvin Harrison shined on a Monday evening. James gained 124 on the bottom, whereas a pinpoint 80-yard Manning-to-Harrison strike set the tempo within the RCA Dome tilt. The Steelers couldn’t catch up, with Roethlisberger throwing for simply 133 yards. This got here in Week 12; the Steelers went 8-1 the remainder of the way in which. Needing to win 4 straight to make the playoffs in a loaded AFC yr, the Steelers squeaked in. The AFC’s No. 6 seed then took down the top-slotted Colts within the divisional spherical.

Counting the playoffs, the Patriots had gained 21 straight video games; that is still the general report by two video games. Whereas this Pats interval would encounter the Spygate cloud, the 2004 group might be Invoice Belichick’s greatest wire-to-wire squad. The Steelers dismantled it in Week 8. Rookie Ben Roethlisberger discovered Plaxico Burress, in his closing Steelers season, for 2 TDs to place the hosts up 21-3 within the first quarter. Joey Porter notched two sacks as properly. This got here halfway via a Steelers win streak that hit 15 video games. Massive Ben didn’t lose till the AFC championship sport, when the Pats exacted revenge by way of a 14-point win.

This changed into a direct revenge measure for Lawyer Milloy, who joined Drew Bledsoe in Buffalo as a Patriots castoff. Belichick shocked the soccer world — together with his personal group — by slicing Milloy, a Professional Bowler and two-time Pats Tremendous Bowl beginning security. Brady, who changed Bledsoe two Septembers prior, threw 4 INTs — certainly one of which led to mammoth nostril sort out Sam Adams’ 37-yard TD — and noticed his Pats predecessor outplay him. Albeit in hideous uniforms, the Payments dropped an all-time vengeance chapter. New England shook this off, going 14-2. Buffalo went 6-10 in Gregg Williams’ HC finale.

The 2000 and 2001 NFC playoff brackets featured Bucs journeys to Philadelphia…and Eagles victories. Derrick Brooks set an NFL report along with his fourth defensive TD that season. This got here in Week 7. However the Eagles restored the established order following the early Brooks rating. The Eagles’ pre-Brian Westbrook go-to again, Duce Staley stampeded for 152 yards. Donovan McNabb additionally accounted for 2 TDs, together with a game-sealing rating within the fourth quarter. The Eagles couldn’t maintain their dominance on this early-2000s rivalry, with a surging Bucs protection an excessive amount of for the No. 1-seeded group in an NFC title sport that doubled because the Veterans Stadium finale.

Tom Brady’s first begin produced a win over then-AFC East rival Indianapolis. Per week later, one other division foe smacked the eventual champs. With the Week 4 sport knotted at 10 on the half, the defending AFC East champions reeled off 20 straight. Neither Brady nor Dolphins QB Jay Fielder topped 90 passing yards in an unsightly sport. Because the Dolphins have throughout a lot of Invoice Belichick’s Pats tenure, they took care of enterprise at residence. Future Corridor of Famer Jason Taylor punctuated the win by scooping up a Brady fumbled snap for a 1-yard TD. The Dolphins went 11-5 in ’01 however endured a house loss to the Ravens within the wild-card spherical.

The Dave Wannstedt period started properly in Miami; the Dolphins produced back-to-back 11-5 seasons. The primary of these concerned a win over a not-yet-clicking Ravens juggernaut. Throughout Baltimore’s Tony Banks portion of the season, Miami prevailed in one other substance-over-flash show. Taylor sacked Banks 2.5 instances on a wet evening in Week 3, and Patrick Surtain intercepted the finally benched QB. Lamar Smith, who would produce an all-time nice workhorse effort at this stadium within the playoffs three months later, scored twice as properly. The Dolphins misplaced in Spherical 2. Baltimore’s historic protection ultimately lifted this operation, although Trent Dilfer was on the helm by then.

Just like the Saints 10 years later, the championship-winning Rams’ worst loss got here in a meaningless sport. Dıck Vermeil yanked MVP Kurt Warner late on this Week 17 matchup in Philadelphia, however each he and Marshall Faulk reached statistical milestones. Faulk broke Barry Sanders’ single-season scrimmage yards report, whereas Warner joined solely Dan Marino (at this level) in throwing 40-plus TD passes in a season. However then-rookie Donovan McNabb posted three TD tosses; and Al Harris tallied a pick-six on Rams backup Joe Germaine. Andy Reid’s first Eagles outfit went 5-11, however in two years, these groups met for the NFC championship.

4 years earlier than the present schedule format grew to become legislation, two of the best QBs ever coexisted within the AFC for 16 years and confronted off twice within the common season. A really weird incidence, however Dan Marino interrupted John Elway’s late-career heater in Week 16 of the best season in Broncos historical past. The Broncos had simply seen a sub-.500 Giants group upend their bid at perfection, dropping an opportunity for a historic Monday-night scene in Miami. Ex-Hurricanes nice Lamar Thomas bested the Broncos with a three-TD displaying, serving to the Dolphins erase a 10-0 deficit. This had no bearing on the perimeters’ divisional-round assembly, which Denver gained 38-3.

Additionally approaching a Week 16 Monday evening, the Broncos couldn’t deal with a considerably forgotten 49ers group that claimed the NFC’s No. 1 seed. This sport is greatest remembered for Jerry Rice making an unbelievable comeback from a Week 1 ACL tear — solely to reinjure his knee on a second-quarter TD reception — and for ABC cameras catching Invoice Romanowski spitting in J.J. Stokes’ face. Even within the pre-viral 1997 world, that obtained appreciable consideration. Sans Rice, the 49ers rode their protection to disrupt Elway and Co. Merton Hanks and Kevin Greene scored defensive TDs. The Chiefs gained the AFC West this season. Steve Mariucci’s 49ers voyaged to the NFC title sport however fell flat towards the Packers.

This changed into a wildly entertaining evening for kicking purists; for many followers, not a lot. Cowboys third-year kicker Chris Boniol obtained seven discipline objective alternatives and made all seven on this Week 12 Monday-nighter. These had been the one factors the Cowboys tallied on this sport, which didn’t function a Packers rating till a meaningless Brett Favre-to-Derrick Mayes fourth-quarter go. Boniol’s discipline objective septet broke a single-game report, although Barry Switzer giving his kicker a shot at No. 7 within the closing seconds irked some Packers. Although the defending champions had eradicated Inexperienced Bay in three of the earlier 4 seasons, Dallas misplaced within the divisional spherical.

This convening of elites didn’t function Steve Younger and concerned solely a handful of performs from Troy Aikman. Younger missed the sport, and Aikman left early with a knee harm. However the Cowboys had been in a 17-0 gap on this Week 11 matchup earlier than the three-time Tremendous Bowl champ left. Younger’s longtime backup, Elvis Grbac lit up the Cowboys — with a heavy Jerry Rice help. Amid his most prolific receiving season, the 33-year-old legend scored an 81-yard landing and was at 155 whole earlier than halftime. Grbac completed with 305 to maneuver the 49ers to 6-4. These 49ers ranked first in offense and second defensively, however the Packers impeded a fourth NFC title showdown with the Cowboys.

Younger suited up for this sport, however he didn’t end it. An Eagles group in transition decked the 49ers, going up 33-8 at halftime. Rookie (and future 49er) Charlie Garner scored twice and totaled 139 scrimmage yards on this Week 5 rout, with Randall Cunningham-era staple Calvin Williams including 122. Younger completed with 99 passing yards, and George Seifert yanked him as he was calling a play early within the fourth quarter. A visibly agitated Younger practically wound up in a sideline skirmish with Seifert throughout this ugly afternoon. These Eagles ended up 7-9, ending Wealthy Kotite’s four-year keep and wrapping Cunningham’s closing season as a full-time Philly starter.

In what amounted to a final hurrah of types for the Joe Gibbs-era staples, Washington ran away from a Cowboys group embroiled in an Emmitt Smith holdout. Smith skipped Dallas’ first two video games — each losses — and the method ultimately included Charles Haley slamming his helmet right into a locker-room wall in anger over the Cowboys needing to make use of a rookie backup to fill in. Mark Rypien’s troops took full benefit on a Week 1 Monday evening, hitting getting old “Posse” members Ricky Sanders and Artwork Monk for scores. The Cowboys dedicated 4 turnovers. Gibbs had retired after the ’92 season, and Richie Pettibon grew to become a one-and-done after Washington’s 4-12 season. This was the group’s clear peak.

Whereas the Cowboys are lauded for fleecing the Vikings in 1989’s Herschel Walker deal, the previous famous person bested his preliminary NFL group on this Week 5 Monday evening in Philly. Dropped by the Vikings in 1992, Walker signed with the Eagles. He tallied 100 scrimmage yards and scored twice, with the Eagles ending the sport on a 24-0 run. Aikman threw three INTs towards the Eagles’ closing Reggie White-led protection, offering an early roadblock for one of the best of the Nineties Cowboy squads. The Eagles ended up returning to the playoffs, after Cunningham’s ACL tear stonewalled a greater 1991 roster, however misplaced a divisional-round sport in Dallas.

Maybe the NFL’s most underrated nice group, this Washington squad entered its Week 13 Dallas rematch at 11-0. The group that will finish the season first in offense and protection fell behind 21-7 to a Cowboys group ending off its Jimmy Johnson-run rebuild. Dallas misplaced Aikman to what turned out to be a season-ending knee harm early within the second half — after a Hail Mary reference to Alvin Harper — however 1991 commerce pickup Steve Beuerlein held his personal. The opposite two Triplets helped stave off Washington, with Michael Irvin profitable a Corridor of Famer-Corridor of Famer matchup with Darrell Inexperienced. Beuerlein piloted the Cowboys to a wild-card win weeks later.

We wrap this NFC East-heavy portion of the record with one other Eagles blowout. The Giants entered the Week 12 conflict at 10-0, heightening anticipation for a Week 13 Monday-night showdown with the unbeaten 49ers. It seems, each NFC titans misplaced on this Sunday. Almost pulling off a 3,000-1,000 season, Cunningham accounted for 3 TDs and practically 300 yards. Versatile again Keith Byars gathered 128 receiving yards, and a Seth Joyner deflection ended up in linebacker Byron Evans’ palms for a pick-six. The Eagles pushed this momentum to the playoffs however misplaced to Washington within the wild-card spherical, ending Buddy Ryan’s Philly tenure.

Within the operating for the best group ever, this 49ers version continued the street win streak that ultimately reached 18. Candlestick Park contests grew to become a slight problem for this dynasty, and the 1989 matchup with the 5-5 Packers pitted the highest two MVP finishers towards one another. Don Majkowski’s most interesting season concerned a three-TD day in Week 11, with Brett Favre’s predecessor dashing for 2 scores — together with the game-winner on a QB draw. Sterling Sharpe added a juggling TD seize, and the Packers’ go rush hounded MVP Joe Montana for six sacks. Inexperienced Bay gained 5 of its closing six however missed the playoffs, in a traditionally robust NFC, at 10-6.

Occasions earlier throughout Week 16 gave the 49ers the NFC West title, by way of a three-way tiebreaker, however Joe Montana nonetheless performed lengthy sufficient to be sacked eight instances. Corridor of Famer Kevin Greene ran amok within the rivals’ Candlestick Park rematch, notching 4.5, and Invoice Walsh opted to make use of Steve Younger extensively with a first-round bye sewn up. Jim Everett threw 4 landing passes, three of which going to tight finish Damone Johnson, and the Rams completed the common season on a three-game win streak to clinch a wild-card spot. Los Angeles couldn’t edge Minnesota within the NFC wild-card sport, nonetheless.

In a rematch of the 1986 NFC wild-card sport, the Rams avenged their playoff loss. Utilizing Jay Schroeder as its starter for a lot of the 1987 common season, Washington obtained a glimpse at its stretch-run QB with Doug Williams beginning in reduction. Williams outplayed Everett on this Week 11 Monday evening in Washington, throwing for 305 yards, however a beforehand 2-7 Rams group prevailed. Olympic gold medalist-turned-wideout Ron Brown scored twice, together with on a 95-yard kick return, and Charles White — in place weeks after the Eric Dickerson commerce — rambled for 112 yards. The Rams completed 6-9 however planted seeds for a late-’80s resurgence.

The best Giants group within the Tremendous Bowl period opened its season with a loss, and a depleted offense bumped into extra bother within the Kingdome in Week 7. The Seahawks intercepted Phil Simms 4 instances, two of which coming by cornerback Dave Brown, and D-lineman Jacob Inexperienced sacked the eventual Tremendous Bowl XXI MVP 4 instances. The Seahawks, at 4-2, had been favored coming into this sport. And this loss dropped the Giants to 5-2 and behind Washington within the NFC East. The Giants didn’t lose once more, rampaging to their first Tremendous Bowl title. Chuck Knox’s Seahawks went 10-6 however missed the AFC playoffs.

Nonetheless the highest-rated “Monday Evening Soccer” broadcast, the Dolphins protected their 1972 version’s legacy by tripping up the unbeaten Bears in Week 13. With Jim McMahon battling an harm and enjoying minimally, Steve Fuller was tasked with matching Dan Marino. Whereas the Bears’ 46 protection was that storied group’s driving drive, Fuller threw two INTs. Marino operated extra as a rollout passer to keep away from the tooth of Buddy Ryan’s 46 and threw three TD passes — one involving a pleasant carom Mark Clayton took for a fourth-quarter rating. Favored to face the Bears and McMahon in Tremendous Bowl XX, the Dolphins misplaced to the Patriots within the AFC title sport.

This was the ’84 49ers’ solely defeat, and had been it not for a questionable go interference name, the 49ers would have been in place to pursue perfection. Down 17-10 going through a fourth-and-goal from the 49ers’ 6-yard line within the fourth quarter, the Steelers obtained a late flag after an incomplete Mark Malone-to-John Stallworth providing. A late flag on cornerback Eric Wright led to the Steelers tying the sport quickly after, and Gary Anderson gave the guests the lead on this Week 7 matchup at Candlestick Park. 49ers kicker Ray Wersching missed a 37-yarder with 7 seconds remaining. These Steelers practically compelled a Tremendous Bowl rematch however had been no match for Marino within the AFC title sport.

The Seahawks swept the Raiders in 1983, a season that noticed the group start the Jim Zorn-to-Dave Krieg transition. Chuck Knox started the Krieg period within the Week 9 Raider rematch. Undrafted out of Division III Milton Faculty, Krieg changed the longtime starter and saved the reins via 1991. Rookie Curt Warner supported Krieg with 132 scrimmage yards, and the Seahawks intercepted Marc Wilson — whom the Raiders had been nonetheless making an attempt to make occur at this level — 4 instances. Linebacker Shelton Robinson additionally notched a fumble-six for the second straight Raiders sport. Seattle went 9-7 and made a shock run to the AFC title sport, however Los Angeles exacted revenge in January.

Joe Gibbs’ second Washington season featured just one loss, and it doubled because the Cowboys’ sixth straight win over their NFC East rivals. Tom Landry picked up his two hundredth regular-season win on this Week 13 matchup, which got here after a gamers’ strike worn out 9 video games. Danny White threw for 216 yards and, in his twin function as Dallas’ punter, executed a pretend punt that buried the hosts on this December day. A blitzing Cowboys group intercepted Joe Theismann 3 times and glided to a 17-0 lead. The strike nixed the primary Dallas-Washington matchup, however the sides reconvened at RFK Stadium for the NFC championship — a 31-17 Washington win.

Invoice Walsh went 8-24 in his first two 49ers seasons, establishing a rebuild effort that was not anticipated to ignite in 1981. By Week 3, the 49ers had been 1-2; the defending NFC West champion Falcons ensured that with this romp at Fulton County Stadium. Atlanta went up 17-0 and by no means trailed, with Steve Bartkowski throwing three TD passes regardless of enjoying via a rib harm. The Falcons intercepted Joe Montana twice, and Walsh remarked postgame Atlanta had a shot to characterize the NFC in Tremendous Bowl XVI. Because it turned out, the 49ers misplaced one sport the remainder of the way in which and ended up doing that. The Falcons went 7-9.

Dan Pastorini’s Raiders stint is a footnote on the group’s journey to Tremendous Bowl XV, however with the Raiders and Oilers swapping QB1s that offseason, he was the group’s authentic plan. Buffalo stonewalled Oakland’s offense in a Week 4 sport in Orchard Park, holding the Raiders with out an offensive TD. Rookie sensation Joe Cribbs scored twice and totaled 126 scrimmage yards, and defensive finish Ben Williams posted two sacks and compelled two fumbles. The Payments moved to 5-0 per week later and pushed the Chargers to the brink within the divisional spherical. A Pastorini harm in Week 5 ended his season, starting Jim Plunkett’s memorable second act.

Whereas the Steelers’ late-season work prevented this Week 12 drubbing from turning into a torch go, the Chargers confirmed the firepower that will outline their memorable ascent. Recognized for its explosive offense, Don Coryell’s group dominated the Steelers on protection, intercepting 5 Terry Bradshaw passes to offer the offense quick fields towards a Metal Curtain crew that peaked in prior years. Woodrow Lowe and Ray Preston every intercepted two passes. Lowe returned one for a 77-yard rating — the one time the Steelers crossed the Bolts’ 30-yard line. San Diego couldn’t ebook a Pittsburgh rematch, enduring a surprising upset to a depleted Houston group within the divisional spherical.

Halfway via a trajectory-altering run that elevated a rebuild to the AFC championship sport, the Oilers knocked the Steelers from the unbeaten ranks on a Week 8 Monday evening. Rookie sensation Earl Campbell scored 3 times, the third of which punctuated a prolonged Houston drive that put the group up 24-10 on the AFC Central kingpin. Pittsburgh recovered a Campbell fumble on that drive, however an L.C. Greenwood offside name bailed out the guests. The Oilers protection held the Steelers henceforth, regardless of a profitable fourth-quarter onside kick, and improved to 5-3. The Oilers went 10-6 and misplaced 34-5 to the Steelers within the AFC title sport.

Though the Steelers didn’t end atop the AFC in 1977, their mastery over the Cowboys continued. That got here because of Franco Harris, who mowed down the eventual champions’ protection for a career-high 179 dashing yards. The Corridor of Fame-bound fullback added two TDs, together with a 61-yarder within the second quarter of the Week 10 matchup in Pittsburgh. Bradshaw discovered Lynn Swann and John Stallworth for a TD apiece as properly, and a Jim Allen INT arrange a Harris 2-yard game-clincher within the fourth quarter. The Steelers beat the Cowboys 5 straight instances from 1974-82, however their ’77 version misplaced to the Broncos within the divisional spherical.

En path to an sudden AFC East crown, the Patriots started the season with upsets over the 2 AFC blue bloods. New England downed Pittsburgh in Week 3 and routed Oakland in Week 4. Led by Steve Grogan’s five-touchdown day (three passing, two dashing), the Pats buried the Raiders in what grew to become the champions’ solely loss. Fullback Sam Cunningham totaled practically 200 scrimmage yards, and wideout Darryl Stingley turned each his receptions into TDs. The Pats had gone 3-11 in 1975. Their 1976 squad endured a controversial divisional-round loss to the Raiders in Oakland, with a still-debated roughing-the-passer name saving the Raiders from shedding twice to Chuck Fairbanks’ group.

Because the Steelers started to craft their dynasty footprint, O.J. Simpson represented a Week 2 hiccup. The Payments famous person gashed the Steelers for 227 dashing yards, probably the most the Metal Curtain-era Pittsburgh protection allowed to 1 participant. This Pittsburgh showcase marked Simpson’s third-highest whole, however contemplating the opposition, it’s powerful to beat. Simpson’s 88-yard sweep put the Payments up 23-0 within the third quarter, and the Steelers benched Bradshaw, who had already thrown a pick-six — on a lateral team-up between Earl Edwards and Mike Kadish. The Steelers responded by profitable their subsequent 10 video games; the Payments completed 8-6.

Bradshaw endured a bumpy path to stardom; the Steelers’ first Tremendous Bowl season started with Joe Gilliam on the controls. With Bradshaw honoring a gamers’ strike throughout coaching camp in 1974, Gilliam crossed the picket line and gained the job from the previous No. 1 choose. Gilliam performed properly early in 1974 however was 8-for-31 towards the Raiders, drawing Steeler followers’ ire within the Week 3 tilt at Three Rivers Stadium. Oakland intercepted three passes, with a George Atkinson theft establishing a brief Cliff Department second-quarter TD. No scoring occurred within the second half. Bradshaw emerged on this rivalry months later, serving to the Steelers beat the Raiders within the AFC title sport.

Though a No. 1 seed didn’t but imply home-field benefit within the playoffs, the Dolphins rested Bob Griese on this Week 13 divisional encounter in Baltimore. The one-loss group, which beat extra spectacular competitors in comparison with the 1972 unbeaten squad, couldn’t win with 39-year-old backup Earl Morrall on the helm. The Colts had additionally moved on from Johnny Unitas in 1973, beginning Marty Domres. A younger Lydell Mitchell rushed for 104 yards, and the Colts shut out the Dolphins via three quarters. Below new possession, the Colts completed 3-11. No group threatened the Dolphins’ most gifted group once more that season.

Belatedly extra well-known for siring two Twenty first-century QB icons, Archie Manning initially gained NFL notoriety for being trapped on numerous unhealthy Saints groups. The gifted passer, nonetheless, led an upset victory in Week 5 of his rookie yr. Throwing one TD go and dashing for 2 extra scores, Manning piloted the Saints to a 17-0 halftime lead towards a Cowboys group not sure of its QB course. Craig Morton began, however Tom Landry inserted Roger Staubach at halftime. Saints cornerback Delles Howell intercepted two passes on this victory. The Cowboys selected Staubach at QB briefly, however the legend didn’t totally take the reins till the 1973 season.

Because the NFL and AFL merged, the Colts agreed to be positioned within the AFC. Though the Chiefs didn’t make a powerful transition from the AFL after their Tremendous Bowl IV win, they’d lots for the Colts on the second sport in “Monday Evening Soccer” historical past. Len Dawson threw solely 12 passes; 4 of them went for touchdowns within the Week 2 matchup. The Colts yanked a battered Johnny Unitas after falling behind 24-0. Unitas and Morrall mixed for 5 INTs — all winding up within the palms of Corridor of Fame DBs Johnny Robinson (three) and Emmitt Thomas (two). The Chiefs went 7-5-2 in 1970 however had been again within the playoffs a yr later.

From the Chiefs’ finish, this was a blip as they charted a defense-powered course to Tremendous Bowl IV. For the Bengals, this sport modified their massive image. Promising rookie QB Greg Cook dinner, whom Cincinnati selected fifth total, suffered a shoulder harm on this Week 3 sport in Kansas Metropolis. Cook dinner returned in 1969, however it devolved into a fast career-ender and morphed right into a “what if?” for the franchise. Cook dinner had thrown a 73-yard TD go to Eric Crabtree, and backup Sam Wyche hit tight finish Bob Trumpy on an 80-yard rating to place the Bengals forward for good. Cook dinner’s absence quickly led the Bengals to go together with a brief pass-oriented assault that grew to become often known as the West Coast Offense.

Remembered extra for NBC’s seminal determination to cease its broadcast prematurely to air “Heidi,” this sport additionally featured a frantic Raiders comeback. Generally known as the “Heidi Sport,” the Week 11 occasion in Oakland featured 692 mixed passing yards and two Corridor of Fame receivers dueling. Don Maynard set a still-standing Jets single-game report with 228 receiving yards, whereas Fred Biletnikoff totaled 120 yards and caught two of Daryle Lamonica’s 4 TD throws. Lamonica’s 43-yard strike to Jim Smith gave the Raiders a late lead, and Preston Ridlehuber’s fumble-six on the following kick return — each performs occurring after the “Heidi” change — foiled a Jets comeback bid. The Jets avenged this loss within the AFL title sport.

Closing out a 4-9-1 season, the Steelers remained a constant NFL basement bastion at this level. However they caught a Packers group assured of a playoff spot in Week 14. A muddy Lambeau Area led to sloppy work from an offense solely partly led by Bart Starr, with Vince Lombardi utilizing all three of his QBs on this regular-season-ending loss. The Steelers produced two defensive touchdowns, from Ben McGee and Chuck Hinton, and the Packers fumbled six instances. After a win over the Rams in Milwaukee to begin the postseason, the Packers prevailed within the “Ice Bowl” to offer Lombardi a 3rd straight NFL title in his Inexperienced Bay finale.

Within the closing yr of a steadily dissolving partnership, Fran Tarkenton helped Norm Van Brocklin’s Vikings to an upset over the Packers. A superior squad to their “Ice Bowl” unit, the Packers completed this season 12-2. Of their sixth season of existence, the Vikings gained this Week 9 back-and-forth sport after a 1-yard TD run from fullback Invoice Brown within the fourth quarter. This sport additionally marked Jim Taylor’s closing regular-season rating as a Packer, with the perimeters separating over cash in 1967. The Vikings ended up firing Van Brocklin after the season, and Tarkenton sought a commerce he ultimately obtained (to the Giants) in March 1967.