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If, somehow, Atlanta spins that surprisingly close divisional loss at Dallas into an actual 'W', how do you think they make out from there?

Considering the serious egg that the Rams actually laid vs Dallas at the Coliseum in real-time, could Atlanta have possibly capitalized thus becoming the first 9-7 to make a Super Bowl one year earlier?? Always a chance Rams could have taken them lightly but likely not due to they being a rivalry and both did split with each other; the home team winning both. And if Atl were to win it, what a different 'look' that Super Bowl XIII would have had! Falcons vs Steelers instead (with the 'Burgh in their white jerseys, Atl in red)! Or would it have been Steelers/Rams one year earlier? Of course Steelers played both teams in '78, beating Falcons at home in Wk#6, 31-7; and losing in LA on Sunday Night in Wk#11, 10-7.

Thoughts?

Atlanta had never won in LA at that time and wouldn’t until 1984

Heck they had been shutout at the Coliseum in week 2

At first, I thought that Atlanta may pull off the upset (because the Rams were chokers back then). However, if they beat Dallas, there is a good chance that beating Dallas would have been their Super Bowl, and that they wouldn't have played well in LA.

It makes me think of 1996, when the Jags beat Denver. Turns out, that was their Super Bowl. The next week, they lost in New England 20-6. Natrone Means, who had 175 and 140 yards in wins over Buffalo and Denver, only had 43 yards rushing in Foxboro. Mark Brunell, who had two TD passes and a 112.0 rating in Denver, threw two INT's and had a 44.8 rating the next week. The Jags had four turnovers, including a fumble that was returned for a TD late in the game to seal the win.

The Rams had always worried about the Cowboys but would have taken care of business against the Falcons, I believe. Yes, Atlanta would have been sky-high but their offense didn't match well with the Rams defense and like was pointed out by CS, they couldn't win in the Coliseum or Anaheim. The Rams depth would have blown the game open by end of the game.

74_75_78_79_ wrote: ↑Thu Jul 25, 2024 4:37 am Considering the serious egg that the Rams actually laid vs Dallas at the Coliseum in real-time,

As CSkreager pointed out, the Falcons always lost to the Rams in LA. The 78 NFC championship game was weird. The Rams played really tough through 3 quarters. At half it felt like the Rams had the momentum. The Rams defense was really intense, and the Cowboys couldn't do much on offense. The Rams actually outgained the Cowboys but kept turning the ball over. The wheels came off in the 4th period, but it was probably a more competitive performance by the Rams compared to the 75 title game.

I just can't understand why the Cowboys could do so well against the Rams but not the Steelers? I know they lost in 1976 and 1979/80 ... but ...

They won easily in the Coliseum in 1975 and 1978/79 but couldn't control Swann-Stallworth in the SB ... did the two week layoff help the Steelers more? Could Renfro had been more a difference in the 1978/79 Super Bowl? Or did it not matter? Once postseason started, Bradshaw, Stallworth and Swann were on fire ... that's why they are in the HOF. Staubach was up for the challenge, but LC Greenwood was determined to get by Rayfield Wright and was the difference on defense IMO ...

Steelers, in a given year at the time, were either simply better than Big D, or they weren't better but had their # (e.g. '77 & MNF opener in '82). The '78 Steelers and the '89 Forty Niners are alike in that they each played great-enough in warranting themselves their 14-2 regular season marks, but once the playoffs began...forget it! They each jacked themselves up to 'All-Time Best' statuses!

So I guess no one here feels that the Falcons get it done in LA. I wasn't aware of Atl still being ISO their first ever victory there. All comments make sense. '28-0' is still '28-0' but the way the Rams were playing into the 3rd Q, along with that also good point about Falcons' "Super Bowl" being a win at Dallas (all 'out of gas' by then), likely the Rams end up winning in a convincer.

Then it would be, 'Heaven Can Wait'-style, the LA Rams appearing in SBXIII to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers! Sure-enough they would have played in their blue jerseys assuming that 'jinx' reasoning - not that it worked anyway, obviously - was why they played Dallas in their whites in real-time (sure-enough they would have played Atl in blue). A different 'look' that Orange Bowl event would have been instead as well, but not as 'weird' as Atl/Pit.

Just the same, being that the Steelers were quite an even-better team by the time the post-season began compared to how merely 'great' they were when they lost that Sunday Nighter more than two months prior, I say they definitely win. Not by a blowout but absolutely nothing at all like what we actually got in real-time between both those teams with a plethora of combined future-HOFers; and especially nothing like the following year which was, IMO and I'm sure most others agree, an actual better game!

Steelers by a couple TDs, I'd think. Bradshaw-to-Stallworth, Bradshaw-to-Swanny just as well!


PS - Claude must have been simply kicking himself not only upon his now-former team making the playoffs, not only they winning that very WCG (against his future-team), but upon they giving Big D everything they could throughout that entire divisional round contest! Now just imagine how he would have felt seeing his teammates being introduced out the tunnel at the Orange Bowl three weeks later in that 'last game' of the season!

Well, it turns out - in the end - that #87 had more playoff experiences and wins, an NFC title among them, in the years to come than his former team did in that time. A pretty good idea for a thread can be 'what-if' Humphrey stayed in Atlanta through '81? Do Falcons make the SB instead in 1980? Do Falcons make the playoffs in both '79 & '81 as well? Does he remain an every-down DL? Does he make it to Canton a bit quicker? Do Falcons actually get by Dallas in '78, etc??

'what-if' Humphrey stayed in Atlanta through '81? Do Falcons make the SB instead in 1980? Do Falcons make the playoffs in both '79 & '81 as well? Does he remain an every-down DL? Does he make it to Canton a bit quicker? Do Falcons actually get by Dallas in '78, etc??

If the 80 Falcons have Humphrey, maybe he gets better rush late in the game against Dallas. They had Mike Zele at NT with Don Smith (the normal NT) at DE. Didn't work. Zele shouldn't have been in there late in the game.

7DnBrnc53 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 31, 2024 11:28 pm If the 80 Falcons have Humphrey, maybe he gets better rush late in the game against Dallas. They had Mike Zele at NT with Don Smith (the normal NT) at DE. Didn't work. Zele shouldn't have been in there late in the game.

Reminds me a bit of the 1986 AFC Championship game drive. The Browns didn't really have a great pass rushing DE or OLB. DT Dave Puzzouli had the only sack of Elway during The Drive....and that was the only snap Puzzouli played. He subbed in, sacked Elway, and was immediately sent back to the bench for the remainder of the 4th period.