Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

1980 happens to be my favorite NFL season. One of the reasons is how tight the AFC playoff race was the last few weeks of the season with ultimately every playoff team finishing the regular season 11-5. This year is looking very similar. Moreso a few weeks ago though, since I think the Patriots and Chiefs have hit their stride and are about to pull away from the rest of the pack.

Here's a snapshot of the AFC playoff contenders in 1980 after the final few weeks of the season. (I don't know how actual tiebreakers would have played out after each week)...

Week 11... Bills, Oilers & Raiders all 8-3, Patriots, Browns, Steelers & Chargers all 7-4
Week 12... Bills 9-3, Patriots, Browns, Oilers, Chargers & Raiders all 8-4, Steelers 7-5
Week 13... Bills, Browns, Chargers & Raiders all 9-4, Patriots, Oilers & Steelers all 8-5
Week 14... Bills & Browns 10-4, Oilers, Chargers & Raiders all 9-5, Patriots & Steelers 8-6
Week 15... Bills, Browns, Oilers, Chargers & Raiders all 10-5, Patriots & Steelers 9-6 <--- I think the Steelers had already been eliminated in this second to last week IIRC. Maybe 74,75,78,79 can chime in on that.

The current state of things after week 14 (13 games in the 2021 AFC...
Patriots, Titans & Chiefs all 9-4, Ravens & Chargers 8-5, Bills, Browns, Bengals, Colts, Broncos all 7-6

1980 was a wild season, particularly in the AFC. You can make an argument that 5 or even 6 different clubs given a break here or there could have gone to the Super Bowl. The Falcons and Eagles were the 2 best teams in the NFC and would have loved to have seen them in a rematch in the NFC title game after Atlanta had beaten the Eagles in Philly on a GW FG by Tim Mazzetti.

The Patriots season in 1980 was spoiled by Montana and the 49ers in wk 14. Once Joe entered the lineup as starter in wk 12, the team won three of its last five games, with a tough loss to a playoff-bound Bills team ending the season but setting the stage for the Cinderella year of 1981 ...

That 1980/81 Postseason in the AFC was one of the best ever, with some great games.

During that exciting, 1980 AFC finish to the season was a tough loss for the Oilers to the Browns in wk 13. They might have won the division otherwise, though they still had tough games against the Steelers and Vikings which they won, allowing them to make the playoffs ...

Though I am a big fan of Brian Sipe, I felt Earl Campbell should have repeated as MVP of the league in 1980 because Snake threw way to many interceptions that year and Earl willed that team to 11 victories before running out of gas in Oakland ...

ChrisBabcock wrote:I think the Steelers had already been eliminated in this second to last week IIRC. Maybe 74,75,78,79 can chime in on that.

Pats beating the Saints on Week #16 at NO is what eliminated the ’Burgh. With a fine opportunity to end their season on a 2-game-winning-streak, Saints were up, 27-24, in the 4th. Had they held on, then Steelers/Chargers MNF the next day would have been a play-in game.

74-79 ... Do you remember the receiver Jim Smith for the Steelers ? He was becoming a prime target before the 1982 season derailed alot of players, seasons. You cant blame him for leaving for the money of the USFL but can you imagine him with Stallworth and Lipps in 84/85 ? After the Steelers missed out on Marino though in 1983, it may not have mattered anyway ...

Brian wolf wrote:74-79 ... Do you remember the receiver Jim Smith for the Steelers ? He was becoming a prime target before the 1982 season derailed alot of players, seasons. You cant blame him for leaving for the money of the USFL but can you imagine him with Stallworth and Lipps in 84/85 ? After the Steelers missed out on Marino though in 1983, it may not have mattered anyway ...

Yeah, both he and Theo Bell had their moments. Some of those catches they'd make, it seemed like Swann & Stallworth may have actually been inside those very unis - that MNF game vs Raiders in-particular. Steelers definitely had depth in '80, but in the end it just overall wasn't enough. Injuries once again with the vets yet another year older.

74_75_78_79_ wrote:

ChrisBabcock wrote:I think the Steelers had already been eliminated in this second to last week IIRC. Maybe 74,75,78,79 can chime in on that.

Pats beating the Saints on Week #16 at NO is what eliminated the ’Burgh. With a fine opportunity to end their season on a 2-game-winning-streak, Saints were up, 27-24, in the 4th. Had they held on, then Steelers/Chargers MNF the next day would have been a play-in game.

Interesting. This would have been the same scenario the Redskins had the year before... Win their last game and get the top seed, lose it and be out of the playoffs entirely.

Speaking of the 1980 Atlanta Falcons, I just watched a replay of a crazy week 8 matchup against the Rams, where the Rams had the Falcons down, 10-6 with only 1:47 left on the clock and the Falcons facing a 3rd and 38 deep in their own territory. After sacking Bartkowski twice before, the Rams only come with a three-man rush as the Atlanta QB completes a 27 yard pass. With 4th and 11, the Rams secondary believes Bartkowski will try for the first down but he throws another Big Ben bomb to Alfred Jackson for a 54 yrd TD to take the lead and win the game 13-10. By blowing this game, the Rams lose control of the division that the Falcons take by one game going into the playoffs ...