The Pythagorean NFL

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for the second 1989 NFC Divisional Playoff from Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Game time temperature is 41 degrees, with fair-skies and a west-southwest wind at 15 MPH.

The Saints opened the scoring midway through the opening quarter. Bobby Hebert continued to show the hot hand he displayed in last week's win over the Redskins, as he found Lonzell Hill for a twenty-six yard gain. He then fired over the middle to Eric Martin, who broke no less than three Giants tackles on his way to a forty-nine yard gain and a first and goal at the New York ten-yard line. From there, Hebert continued his hot streak by finding Brett Perriman for the touchdown. Morten Andersen added the extra point, and with 9:01 left in the opening period the Saints had taken a 7-0 lead.

The visitors extended their lead with another touchdown on their next possession. Another catch-and-run by Martin, this one for twenty-seven yards, brought the ball across midfield, and Dalton Hilliard covered the drive's final forty-one yards on consecutive draw plays. The touchdown came from twenty-two yards out, and another Andersen extra point extended the New Orleans lead to 14-0 after one quarter of play.

The Giants were able to get back in the game quickly with a pair of touchdowns midway through the second period. The first one came on offense. Dave Meggett's punt return gave them the ball at their own forty-four, and quarterback Phil Simms connected with wideout Odessa Turner for seventeen yards and a first down at the Saints' thirty-one. From there, it was up to running back Ottis Anderson, as we hear from Pat Summerall:

"First and ten from the Saints' thirty-one. Anderson the setback, with (Maurice) Carthon the fullback. Anderson......cuts back to the left, and there's a hole! Twenty-five, twenty, block at the fifteen, ten, five, and he will score for the Giants!...……..Thirty-one yard run by Ottis Anderson, and the Giants are right back in this game, John."

John Madden: "This was a great run by Anderson, but it's Maurice Carthon that makes this touchdown possible. Watch him, he's Number 44 for the Giants, as he just runs over (linebacker) Sam Mills, Number 51 for the Saints. BOOM! A perfect from block, and Anderson can just cruise into the end zone. He might have scored regardless, but blocks like that make it easier."

Kicker Raul Allegre added the extra point, and the Saints' lead was now 14-7 with 10:13 to play in the first half.

The Giants' defense forced an immediate three-and-out, and Saints punter Tommy Barnhardt had to kick to Meggett:

Summerall: "Not a good kick, wobbly, end-over-end, and it's fielded by Meggett at the thirty. Thirty-five, forty, and he's found the wall. He's across midfield and into Saints' territory! Thirty, twenty-five, and Barnhardt's no match! Dave Meggett will take it the distance! Seventy yards!"

Madden: "An awful kick by Tommy Barnhardt, Pat, but look at the blockers for Meggett. No one got within five yards of him except for Barnhardt himself, and he falls over trying to lunge for Meggett's legs. You can't blame him, though; I've never met a kicker or punter who could tackle worth a darn on a regular basis, not even Ray Guy."

Allegre added another extra point, and with about eight minutes left in the first half we were suddenly tied at fourteen.

The Saints retook the lead with a field goal just before the half. Hebert connected with Hill for a seventeen-yard gain, and fullback Buford Jordan's eleven-yard gain on a draw play put the Saints in range for Andersen, who converted from thirty-three yards out to give the Saints a 17-14 halftime advantage.

There was only one score in the second half, and it occurred on the Saints' first possession. The biggest plays were a pair of Hebert passes: a twelve-yard screen to backup fullback Craig "Ironhead" Heyward that went for a first down and a forty-six yard bomb to Hill that gave the Saints a first down at the New York fourteen. The drive died at the eight, but Andersen was good from twenty-five yards out to establish our final score: Saints 20, Giants 14. The Saints will now oppose their NFC West rivals the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game next Sunday at Candlestick Park. A victory will make the Saints the third team to both host and play in the same Super Bowl on January 28 in Super Bowl XXIV at the Superdome. As you'll recall, the other two participating hosts ('81 Lions, '84 49ers) won.

Hebert and Hilliard shared the game's MVP award as presented by CBS. Hebert completed fourteen of twenty-three for 259 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Hilliard carried twenty-six times for 135 yards and a touchdown. Martin was the Saints' leading receiver with five catches for 109 yards, while Hill added three catches for eighty-nine yards. Anderson had a hundred-yard game in a losing cause for Big Blue, gaining 112 yards on twenty carries with a touchdown, but Simms managed only ten of seventeen passing for 105 yards and was sacked three times. Turner was the Giants' leading receiver with three catches for fifty-nine yards. Defensive end Leonard Marshall recorded a pair of sacks for the Giants, while Meggett had a combined 206 kick return yards, including a punt return for a touchdown.

Next: The NFC Championship Game.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for the 1989 NFC Championship Game from Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Game time temperature is 61 degrees, with mostly cloudy skies and a north wind at 10 MPH.

The Saints started on their opening possession, driving twelve plays and over seven minutes for a field goal. Ironhead Heyward started things off by gaining eleven yards on a draw play, and Dalton Hilliard gained thirteen more yards on another. Buford Jordan exploited a huge hole off left tackle for eleven yards, then Hilliard ran a sweep around left end for sixteen. A ten-yard pass from Bobby Hebert to Lonzell Hill gave the Saints a first and goal at the Niner ten, and the drive reached the eight before it stalled. Morten Andersen hit a twenty-five yard field goal, and the Saints led 3-0 with 7:23 left in the opening period.

The Niners tied the game with a field goal of their own just before the end of the quarter. Roger Craig began the drive with a twenty-yard burst off left tackle, and he followed that up with a ten-yard gain up the middle. Quarterback Joe Montana completed passes of twelve yards to wide receiver Mike Wilson and eleven yards to tight end Brent Jones, and backup running back Terrence Flagler put the Niners in field goal range with an eleven-yard gain on another draw play. The drive got as far as the New Orleans nine-yard line, and Mike Cofer was called on from there to attempt a twenty-six yard field goal, which he made to tie the game at three after one quarter.

The Saints took command again midway through the second quarter. Hebert connected with Eric Martin for thirteen yards and Hoby Brenner over the middle for eighteen more, and Hill contributed a twenty-three yard catch-and-run. Hilliard's eleven-yard burst off right tackle gave the Saints a first and goal at the Frisco one-yard line, and Hillliard again knifed off right tackle on the next play for the touchdown. Andersen converted the extra point, and the Saints took a 10-3 lead with 8:47 left in the first half.

The Niners took advantage of a New Orleans turnover to add a field goal just before the half. Heyward was stripped of the ball by linebacker Matt Millen, who came out of a scrum with the ball at the Saints forty-two. Fullback Tom Rathman chugged up the middle for thirteen yards and a first down on the first play of the drive, and Montana hit future Hall of Famer Jerry Rice over the middle for seventeen yards to put the Niners in Cofer's range. Cofer was eventually called on from the New Orleans six for a twenty-three yard attempt, and he made it to cut the Saints' lead to 10-6 at the half.

The Niners cut into the Saints' lead further with another field goal late in the third quarter. The kay plays were a pair of passes from Montana to wide receiver John Taylor, one for seventeen yards and the other for twenty-one. Cofer eventually converted a thirty-two yard attempt, and with 3:41 left in the third the Saints' lead was down to one point at 10-9.

The Niners got the ball back within seconds when Hebert's first-down pass was picked off by strong safety Chet Brooks, who returned the ball to the Saints' thirty-nine. A handoff to Craig gained seventeen yards up the middle and a first down, and Montana hit Rice for twelve more yards and another first down. Craig eventually scored by burrowing up the middle from three yards out, and Cofer tacked on the extra point to give the Niners a 16-10 lead as time ran out in the third quarter.

The Saints ended the scoring with a field goal on their first drive of the final period. Hilliard had an eighteen-yard catch-and-run out of the backfield, and Hebert completed passes of sixteen yards to Martin and fourteen yards to Brenner. The drive was stopped at the Frisco nineteen, but Andersen's thirty-six yard field goal attempt was right down the middle, and the Saints were back to within 16-13 with plenty of time left in the game. But they could only manage one more serious scoring drive, which was foiled when Andersen's attempt from forty-nine yards out with less than a minute left hooked wide left. Our final score: San Francisco 16, New Orleans 13. The Niners will try to defend their world championship two weeks from today, when they take on either the Denver Broncos or the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXIV at the Louisiana Superdome.

Hilliard was named Player of the Game in a losing cause by CBS. He was the game's leading rusher, gaining eighty-five yards on twenty-four carries with a touchdown. Hebert completed sixteen of his twenty-three passes for 224 yards with an interception, and Martin was his leading receiver with sixty-six yards on five catches. Montana's day was rather pedestrian: thirteen of seventeen for 166 yards. Taylor caught four balls for sixty yards, and Rice added five catches for fifty-two. Craig led the Niners on the ground with seventy-two yards on fifteen carries and a touchdown.

Next: The AFC Championship Game.

Thoughts?

 

[stratonapba]

Looks like the Saints failed to go out this decade with a bang by hosting the Super Bowl at home, although we had the Lions in '81 and the Niners in '84, wondering if the NFL Dream Season on ESPN had gone ITTL, #justthinking

 

[Garrett Garlits]

There's no reason why it wouldn't have, although some of the teams would undoubtedly have to be changed. You'd have to include one of the two Lions teams, one or both of the Vikings teams from the seventies, and a couple of the Bears teams from the pre-merger days, if NFL Films could find enough footage of them. It's also a given that the '82 Jets would have been included because they were from New York, even though they've been proven to be a one-hit wonder.

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Sad story, guys: I made total hash out of the Bills-Broncos sim I was working on, so I've scrapped it and will do it over tomorrow. In the meantime, let's move on to the standings for 1990. We begin with the AFC East:

Buffalo Bills: 12-4 (-1)
Miami Dolphins: 11-5 (-1)
New York Jets: 7-9 (+1)
Indianapolis Colts: 6-10 (-1)
New England Patriots: 2-14 (+1)

The Bills repeat as division champs despite dropping a game, and the Fins still finish in second pace and strong wild card contention despite doing the same. The Jets and Colts flip-flop due to the Jets gaining a game in Rich Kotite's first year as coach and the Colts shedding a game, and the Pats actually gain a game, but still finish deep in the basement in their first and only year under head coach Rod Rust. Former Syracuse coach Dick MacPherson will take over in 1991.

Now to the AFC Central:

Houston Oilers: 11-5 (+2)
Pittsburgh Steelers: 10-6 (+1)
Cincinnati Bengals: 8-8 (-1)
Cleveland Browns: 3-13 (0)

The Oilers pick up a pair to take the division crown, which isn't really a surprise. The surprise comes from Pittsburgh, where the Steelers gain a game to finish second despite a horrific offense for most of the season. The Bengals shed a game and fall from first to third, while the Browns go from playoff team to the division basement in just one year.

Finally, the AFC West:

Kansas City Chiefs: 11-5 (0)
Los Angeles Raiders: 10-6 (-2)
San Diego Chargers: 9-7 (+3)
Seattle Seahawks: 9-7 (0)
Denver Broncos: 7-9 (+2)

The Raiders' two-game slide allows the Chiefs to back into the division title without making a move, while the Bolts take a three-game leap to force a third-place tie with the Seahawks. The Broncos add a pair, but still go from at least the AFC Championship Game to a losing record and last place.

We go to the expected wins tiebreaker to settle the tie for third, and it goes to the Chargers, 9.1 to 8.6.


Keep in mind that there are now six playoff teams and three wild cards.

Seeds:

1. Bills (AFC East champs): 12-4
2. Chiefs (AFC West champs): 11-5
3. Oilers (AFC Central champs): 11-5
4. Dolphins (AFC East second place): 11-5
5. Raiders (AFC West second place): 10-6
6. Steelers (AFC Central second place): 10-6

The Raiders hold the expected wins tiebreaker over the Steelers for the second wild card, 10.1 to 9.8.

The Chiefs hold the expected wins tiebreaker over the Oilers for the two seed over the Oilers, 11.2 to 10.5.

Here's the Wild Card Weekend schedule:

Saturday, January 5:

Raiders-Dolphins, 4, ABC, Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf, Lynn Swann (sideline reporter)

Sunday, January 6:

Steelers-Oilers, 4, NBC, Don Criqui, Bob Trumpy

Next: We look at the NFC.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now let's look at the NFC. We begin in the East:

New York Giants: 12-4 (-1)
Philadelphia Eagles: 11-5 (+1)
Washington Redskins: 10-6 (0)
Dallas Cowboys: 6-10 (-1)
Phoenix Cardinals: 5-11 (0)

The Giants drop a game, but still successfully defend their division title. The Eagles add a game to break their tie for second with the Skins and strengthen their playoff position, while the Skins stay where they are and finish third by themselves. The fourth-place Boys drop a game, while the Cards say where they are and finish in the basement under new coach Joe Bugel.

Now to the Central:

Chicago Bears: 10-6 (-1)
Minnesota Vikings: 9-7 (+3)
Detroit Lions: 7-9 (+1)
Green Bay Packers: 6-10 (0)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5-11 (-1)

The Bears drop a game, but hang on to win the Central despite the Vikes' three-game leap, The Lions add a game and finish third, the Pack stays where they are and finishes fourth, and the Bucs shed a game and drop into the basement despite firing coach Ray Perkins with three games left. Interim coach Richard Williamson has been retained on a full-time basis for 1991.

Finally, the West:

San Francisco 49ers: 12-4 (-2)
New Orleans Saints: 8-8 (0)
Atlanta Falcons: 8-8 (+3)
Los Angeles Rams: 6-10 (+1)

The Niners drop a pair but still trounce the Saints, who stay where they are, and Falcons by four games despite the Falcons' three-game improvement under new coach Jerry Glanville. That means that the Rams finish in the basement despite their one-game improvement.

We go to the expected wins tiebreaker to settle the tie for second, and the Saints prevail, 8.0 to 7.5.

Seeds:

1. Giants (NFC East champs): 12-4
2. 49ers (NFC West champs): 12-4
3. Bears (NFC Central champs): 10-6
4. Eagles (NFC East second place): 11-5
5. Redskins (NFC East third place): 10-6
6. Vikings (NFC Central second place): 9-7

The Giants hold the expected wins tiebreaker for the top seed over the 49ers, 12.0 to 11.5.

In the first Wild Card Game on January 5, a pair of Mark Rypien touchdown passes were the difference in the Redskins' 20-6 win over the Eagles at Veterans Stadium. One went to Gary Clark, the other to Art Monk. Neither of these gentlemen were the leading receiver for Washington, though; that was Earnest Byner, who caught seven passes for seventy-seven yards. Meanwhile, Randall Cunningham was sacked five times and held to fifteen of twenty-nine passing for 205 yards, though he did gain eighty yards on seven carries. Tight end Keith Jackson caught five passes for 116 yards in a losing cause.

The other Wild Card Game will take place on Sunday, January 6 at Soldier Field, as the Bears host the Vikings. Kickoff is at 12:30 PM Eastern on CBS, with Verne Lundquist (filling in for an ill Pat Summerall) and John Madden calling the action. If the Vikings win, they'll take on the Giants in the divisional round; if the Bears win, they'll take on the Niners.

Next: The 1989 AFC Championship Game.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for the 1989 AFC Championship Game from Mile High Stadium in Denver. Game time temperature is 50 degrees, with partly cloudy skies and a southwest wind at 6 MPH.

The Broncos opened the scoring on the very first play from scrimmage. It's first and ten at the Denver thirty-three as we join Dick Enberg:

"The Three Amigos are all present and accounted for, as (Vance) Johnson is to the left, with (Ricky) Nattiel and Mark Jackson to the right. (Sammy) Winder is in the backfield, as Elway drops back. He has time, he's going long right away...….Johnson makes the catch! Twenty-five, twenty, fifteen, and he's going all the way for a touchdown! Sixty-seven yards, and the Broncos take the lead just nineteen seconds into this AFC Championship Game."

Bill Walsh: "The man Johnson beats so badly is the left cornerback, Number 47 Kirby Jackson. Jackson can't even check Johnson at the line of scrimmage, and he's three steps in the clear by the time Elway throws the ball. The Bills will be run out of the stadium if this is all the better they can do on defense."

David Treadwell added the extra point, and just like that the Broncos led 7-0.

The Broncos added a field goal later in the first quarter. The big play of the drive was a thirty-nine yard gain by Winder on a pitchout to the right that gave the Broncos a first down at the Buffalo eleven. The drive was eventually stopped at the three, but Treadwell hit a twenty-yard field goal to give the home squad a 10-0 lead at the end of one quarter.

The Broncos extended their lead with another field goal midway through the second quarter. This time the big play was courtesy or running back Bobby Humphrey, who ripped through the middle of the Billls' defense for a forty-yard gain on a draw play before he was brought down at the Bills' twenty-two. Elway found Johnson for eleven more yards and another first down, and though the Broncos' next three offensive plays lost a yard, Treadwell was good from twenty-nine yards out to extend the Denver lead to 13-0 with 7:59 to play in the first half.

The Bills got back into the game with a touchdown drive just before the half. Jim Kelly completed a pair of key passes; one went to Don Beebe for seventeen yards, while the other was a thirty-one yard catch-and-run by Andre Reed. The touchdown came from nine yards out, as Kelly connected with veteran wideout James Lofton for the score. Scott Norwood's extra point reduced the Broncos' lead to 13-7 at halftime.

The home squad added another field goal late in the third quarter after the Bills' attempt to convert a fourth down deep in their own territory failed. As a result, the Broncos got the ball at the Buffalo thirty-one, and three plays later Treadwell boomed a forty-six yard field goal to increase the Denver lead to 16-7 with five and a half minutes to play in the third quarter.

The Bills went three-and-out on their next possession, and the Broncos responded by scoring a touchdown in just two plays. First, Humphrey gained eleven yards around right end. Then, on first and ten from the Broncos' thirty-five, Steve Sewell carried the ball for just the second time today:

Enberg: "The Bills need a stop desperately as time ticks down here in the third quarter, trailing 16-7. Sewell's the second man through......cuts back to the left, forty-five, fifty, into Bills territory, and look at him turn on the speed! Thirty, twenty-five, twenty, and no one's gonna catch him! TOUCHDOWN, STEVE SEWELL!...….Officially, a sixty-five yard run, and the Broncos may have just stamped their ticket for Bourbon Street."

Walsh: "Sewell's mostly a blocking back, so the Bills should have had him at the line of scrimmage. His turn of speed is surprising, but the Bills have been tackling and pursuing poorly all day long, and it's caught up to them again."

Treadwell added the extra point, and after three quarters the Denver lead was 23-7.

The Broncos' defense provided an exclamation point midway through the final period:

Enberg: "Second and ten from the Bills' forty-seven, coming up on seven minutes remaining, so Kelly has to put it up...….going long for Reed...….IT'S PICKED OFF BY TYRONE BRAXTON!......he's over midfield, down to the forty-five, the forty, thirty, he's got a wall of blockers, it's up to Kelly to push him out of bounds...….he can't! This one's going all the way for a touchdown!...…….Mile High Stadium is going wild, as the Broncos are going back to the Super Bowl thanks to Tyrone Braxton's sixty-two yard interception return."

Walsh: "Kelly had to throw and the Broncos knew it, so the cornerback Braxton's able to step right in front of Andre Reed and pick the ball off. Then the rest of the defense forms a wall of blockers, and that's basically it. Kelly hustles downfield to try to at least push Braxton out of bounds at about the ten, but just doesn't quite make it."

Treadwell's extra point established our final score: Broncos 30, Bills 7. The Broncos will take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV two weeks from today at the Louisiana Superdome.

Johnson was named Player of the Game by NBC. Of the eight passes Elway completed on the day, Johnson caught five for ninety yards and a touchdown. Humphrey was another force to be reckoned with, as he gained ninety-three yards on eighteen carries. Elway had another subpar day statistically, as he completed just eight of his eighteen passes for 126 yards and the long touchdown to Johnson.

Kelly didn't fare much better than Elway; he completed just ten of his eighteen throws for 120 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Reed was his leading target with five catches for sixty-four yards, but Thurman Thomas was a non-factor, gaining just thirty-seven yards on nineteen carries. The Buffalo defense managed to sack Elway four times in a losing cause.

Two weeks later, the trouncers became the trounced, as the Niners destroyed the Broncos 55-10 to successfully defend their world championship. Joe Montana became just the third player to be named Super Bowl MVP twice, completing twenty-two of his twenty-nine passes for 297 yards and five touchdowns, while Elway and backup Gary Kubiak were sacked a combined six times and threw a pair of interceptions. Jerry Rice caught seven passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns, and the Niners added three more scores on the ground, two by Tom Rathman and one by Roger Craig. Elway completed just ten of his twenty-six passes for 108 yards, but as a consolation prize, he scored the Broncos' only touchdown on a three-yard run in the third quarter.

The Niners have now joined the Steelers as the only organizations to win four Super Bowls, and they're the first organization to win Super Bowls under three different head coaches: Monte Clark, Bill Walsh, and George Seifert.

As we close out the eighties, twenty-four Super Bowls have been contested, and the NFC has a 14-10 advantage, including seven out of ten for the decade of the eighties and five out of the last six.

Next: To be determined.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for the second 1990 AFC Wild Card Game from the Astrodome in Houston:

The Oilers scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Fullback Lorenzo White rumbled up the middle for eleven yards on a draw play, then caught a short pass out of the backfield from quarterback Warren Moon and blasted his way through the Steeler defense, breaking four tackles on his way to a fifty-three yard gain and a first down at the Pittsburgh twenty. A fifteen-yard pass to wide receiver Haywood Jeffires gave the Oilers a first and goal at the five, and on second and goal Moon found wide receiver Ernest Givins in the end zone for the score. Kicker Teddy Garcia added the extra point, and the Oilers led 7-0 with 9:10 to play in the opening quarter.

The Steelers answered with a touchdown of their own the next time they had the ball. The biggest play of the drive was a thirty-six yard run up the middle by running back Tim Worley. Quarterback Bubby Brister followed that up with a thirteen-yard completion to wide receiver Louis Lipps, and the Oilers added to the misery when defensive tackle Ray Childress was penalized fifteen yards for dumping Hoge on the back of his head while making a tackle. (Fortunately, Hoge wasn't seriously hurt.) Two plays later, Worley scored from three yards out, and Gary Anderson's extra point tied the game at seven after one quarter of play.

The Steelers took the lead early in the second quarter with a field goal set up when Moon's pass intended for receiver Drew Hill was picked off by cornerback Dwayne Woodruff, who returned it to the Oilers thirty-seven. Three plays later, Anderson hit a forty-seven yard field goal to put the Steelers up 10-7 with 8:54 left in the first half.

The next time the Oilers had the ball, Moon was picked off again, this time by cornerback Larry Griffin, who returned it to the Oilers' twenty-two. Hoge barged up the middle for thirteen yards and a first down, and even though an illegal motion penalty cost the Steelers a realistic shot at a touchdown, Anderson converted from twenty-seven yards out to give the Steelers, who were ten-point underdogs coming into the game, a 13-7 halftime lead.

The Steelers added another field goal in the opening moments of the third quarter. Oilers coach Jack Pardee ordered an onside kick to start the second half, but rookie running back Barry Foster made the recovery for Pittsburgh at the Oilers' eighteen. The Houston defense didn't allow a yard in the next three plays, but Anderson converted from thirty-five yards out to extend the Steeler lead to 16-7 with thirteen and a half minutes left in the third quarter.

Then came the play that changed the game. As we pick up the call of Don Criqui, the Oilers have just punted, and it's first and ten for the Steelers at their own thirty-nine:

"Bubby Brister and the Steelers looking to deal the knockout blow with the clock just past ten minutes to play here in the third quarter and up 16-7. Hoge and Worley in the backfield with Lipps to the left and Derek Hill to the right, and you have to watch out for (tight end) Eric Green as well. Brister back to throw, pressure up the middle, steps up and throws...…..picked off by (safety) Terry Kinard! He's at the forty, the thirty-five, the thirty, twenty-five, and he's going to go right on in for the touchdown, with no flags! The Oilers are right back in this game, as they now trail 16-13 with the extra point upcoming."

Bob Trumpy: "Brister's out cold at the line of scrimmage, Don. (Linebacker) Al Smith caught him right underneath the chin as he threw that ball, and he's not moving."

Criqui: "There you see the backup quarterback for the Steelers, Rick Strom, and he's getting ready quick, fast, and in a big hurry. There was no flag on the hit by Smith, but that's no consolation to the Steelers and their fans. By the way, the pass was intended for Green."

After several minutes, Bubby was revived and helped off the field, but he wouldn't return today. Meanwhile, Garcia's extra point cut the Steelers' lead to 16-14, and that was the score after three quarters.

The Oilers took the lead early in the final period. Moon completed passes of twenty yards to Givins and twenty-one yards to Hill, and running back Mike Rozier popped off the right side for twenty-two yards and a first down. The drive died at the Pittsburgh thirteen, but Garcia converted from thirty yards out to put the Oilers up 17-16 with 6:22 left in regulation.

The Oilers held their lead until the game's final seconds. They faced a third and one from their own twenty-eight with less than a minute left. Moon wanted to complete a short pass to Smith to get the game-clinching first down. The throw was on target, but cornerback D.J. Johnson ripped the ball out of Smith's arms and took it back to the Houston ten-yard line. It took just one play for the Steelers to score from there, as Strom found Hoge at the five and Merril bulled his way into the end zone for the winning score with just seventeen seconds left. Anderson kicked the extra point to make it 23-17 Pittsburgh, and after a second onside kick recovery, the Steelers had pulled the big upset.

Hoge was named MVP by NBC, mostly for scoring the game-winning touchdown. He carried thirteen times for forty-nine yards and caught three passes for forty yards. Lipps was the leading receiver for Pittsburgh with fifty-three yards on four catches. The quarterbacks combined to complete just eleven of twenty-seven passes for 116 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, with Strom hitting just four of thirteen for sixty-eight yards with a touchdown and an interception. Moon ended his day eighteen of thirty-six for 264 yards and a touchdown, but he was also intercepted four times. Jeffires was his leading receiver with seventy-four yards on five catches, with White catching two balls for sixty-three yards and Givins catching five for fifty-nine yards and a score. White led all rushers with sixty-seven yards on seventeen carries. Kinard was responsible for both Houston interceptions.

As the sixth seed, the Steelers are guaranteed to play the top-seeded Buffalo Bills in the first AFC Divisional Playoff next Saturday at Rich Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 PM Eastern on NBC, with Marv Albert and Paul Maguire calling the action. This means that the winner of yesterday's Raiders-Dolphins game will play the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

Next: The Raiders meet the Dolphins in the other AFC Wild Card Game.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

I feel like I owe a bit more of an explanation as to why I'm not doing positional scheduling, which unlike the draft I could easily do with WhatIfSports. It's not determining the matchups that's the problem; it's having to tear apart the real NFL schedule and remake it week by week, watching out for baseball conflicts and seeing that teams don't get too many home or road games in a row, plus figuring out which of the new games should or shouldn't be primetime games, Saturday specials, or even Thanksgiving games. Even simply plugging in the new games where the old games were would have been tough, and that's impossible, because where one game is changed, at least two or three others have to be changed too. If someone else who has a knack for that sort of thing wants to try it, he or she has both my admiration and pity, plus a solemn promise to read his or her timeline and comment whenever I have a chance until the day he or she goes irretrievably wacky.

More coming soon. Stay tuned!

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for the first 1990 AFC Wild Card Game from Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami. Game time temperature is 80 degrees, with partly cloudy skies and an east-southeast wind at 13 MPH.

The Dolphins scored first when reserve defensive back Kerry Glenn picked off Raiders quarterback Jay Schroeder's pass on the second play from scrimmage and returned it to the LA twenty-four yard line. Quarterback Dan Marino completed an eighteen-yard pass to wide receiver Mark Duper to give the Fins a first and goal at the eight, and on third and goal from the two running back Sammie Smith powered his way into the end zone for the touchdown. Kicker Pete Stoyanovich added the extra point, and the home squad led 7-0 with 12:14 left in the opening quarter.

The Fins added another touchdown on their next possession. Marino hooked up with the other half of the Marks Brothers, Mark Clayton, on a pair of passes totaling thirty-two yards, one for seventeen, the other for fifteen. Both of them converted third downs. Reserve running back Marc Logan gained ten more yards and another first down on a power sweep to the left. The touchdown came from eighteen yards out, as wide receiver Tony Martin made a diving end zone catch of a Marino underthrow for the touchdown. Stoyanovich converted the extra point, and it was 14-0 Dolphs with 5:52 left in the opening period.

The home squad wasn't done in the first quarter. After the Raiders went three-and-out, Martin returned the ensuing punt all the way to the Raiders' forty-six. Marino's thirteen-yard pass to tight end Ferrell Edmunds put the Fins in range for Stoyanovich, who connected from forty yards out to increase the Miami lead to 17-0 with about two and a half minutes to play in the opening quarter.

The Fins added another field goal before the end of the quarter. Another Raiders three-and-out led to another fine punt return by Martin, who set the offense up at its own forty-three. A ten-yard pass to Clayton brought the ball across midfield, and Smith's eleven-yard pop off the right side netted the Fins another first down. Marino then fired the home run ball for little-used wideout James Pruitt, who made a one-handed catch out of bounds at the two for a gain of thirty. A false start penalty and the stiffening Los Angeles defense combined to push them back to the ten, but Stoyanovich hit from twenty-seven yards out on the final play of the period. Our score after one: Dolphs 20, Raiders 0.

The Fins converted an LA turnover into three more points late in the second quarter. Fullback Steve Smith mishandled quarterback Jay Schroeder's handoff, and linebacker Hugh Green made the recovery for Miami at the Fins' thirty-nine. The key play of the ensuing drive was a thirty-one yard catch-and-run by wide receiver Jim Jensen. Stoyanovich was right down the middle from forty yards away, and the Fins led 23-0 with 5:27 still to play in the first half.

The Raiders only had the ball for two plays on their next possession before they turned it over again. Green was again involved, as he clobbered Marcus Allen, who promptly fumbled. Fellow linebacker John Offerdahl made the recovery, and Marino was in business once more at his own thirty-eight, His passes to Edmunds for thirteen and Duper for sixteen put the Fins back in field goal range, and Stoyanovich's attempt from forty-eight yards just cleared the crossbar to give the home squad a 26-0 halftime lead.

The Fins added another field goal toward the end of the third quarter. For the third time, Martin set it up with one of his punt returns, this one to the Los Angeles thirty. A ten-yard pass to Jensen got the Dolphs into the red zone, and although the offense lost three yards on the next three plays, Stoyanovich hit his fifth consecutive field goal from forty yards out to put the Fins up 29-0 at the end of three quarters.

Martin had one more fabulous punt return in him, and it set up a sixth straight Stoyanovich field goal early in the final quarter. The return set the Fins up at the LA twenty-eight, and Stoyanovich eventually hit from forty-one yards out to make it 32-0 Miami with about ten minutes remaining.

Logan was the star of the final Miami field goal drive, as he gained twenty-seven yards on a pitch to the right, then bolted up the middle for thirteen more. The piece de resistance was his thirty-four yard catch-and-run that put the Dolphs in field goal range one last time. Stoyanovich converted his seventh and final field goal of the day from thirty-three, and we had our final score: Dolphins 35, Raiders 0.

ABC named co-MVPs for this game: Stoyanovch for his playoff record seven field goals and Marino for his passing. He completed twenty-four of forty-one for 309 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Clayton led the way with five catches for sixty-seven yards, while Pruitt added three for sixty-four and Duper five more for fifty-two. Smith was held to fifty-one yards on twenty-two carries, but that was still good enough to lead the Miami ground game. Linebacker David Griggs was also stellar, as he sacked Schroeder three times. Martin's combined punt return yardage added up to only eighty-two yards, but four of his nine returns directly set up scores.

By contrast, Schroeder had one of the worst passing performances in postseason history, completing just four of twenty-one for a measly thirty-seven yards, with three sacks and two interceptions. Allen managed seventy-seven yards in ten carries, but Bo Jackson was held to twenty-one yards on nine carries in what turned out to be his final NFL game. He injured his hip during an offseason football workout just prior to baseball spring training and never played football again. The defense was the Raiders' lone bright spot, as they sacked Marino five times. Defensive tackle Scott Davis (no relation that I know of to Al) led the way with a pair.

The Dolphins kept their Super Bowl hopes alive the following week in the divisional round, stunning the Chiefs 17-16 at Arrowhead. Dan the Man led his troops on a fourth-quarter comeback from a 16-3 deficit, throwing touchdown passes to Clayton and running back Tony Paige, with the Clayton toss being the game-winner. Marino finished nineteen of thirty for 221 yards and two touchdowns, but was outpassed by Steve DeBerg, who was seventeen of thirty for 269 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a losing cause. The Chiefs' Christian Okoye outgained Smith on the ground as well, 83-82.

The Fins will take on the winner of the previous day's Divisional Playoff between the Steelers and the Bills next Sunday in the AFC Championship Game. If the Bills win, they'll travel to Rich Stadium. If the Steelers win, the game will take place right here at Joe Robbie Stadium. Regardless, Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh will be on hand to call the action for NBC. Kickoff time has been set for 12:30 PM Eastern.

Next: The Steelers take on the Bills.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for the first AFC Divisional Playoff from Rich Stadium in Orchard Park, New York. Game time temperature is 33 degrees, with cloudy skies and a west-northwest wind at 13 MPH.

The Bills scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Jim Kelly and Andre Reed had their chemistry going early, as they connected for gains of twelve, fourteen, and twelve yards. Kelly also found Keith McKeller for a fourteen-yard gain. The touchdown came from three yards out, as running back Kenneth Davis took a handoff and scurried around left end and into the end zone from three yards out. Unfortunately, Scott Norwood's extra point was no good, so the Bills had to settle for a 6-0 lead with 10:58 to play in the opening period.

The Steelers answered with a field goal just before the end of the first quarter. Kelly tried to hit Reed one too many times, and his pass bounced off of Andre's shoulder pads and into the arms of future Hall of Famer Rod Woodson, who returned the ball to the Buffalo eighteen. The Pittsburgh offense lost three yards on the next three plays, but on the final play of the first quarter Gary Anderson hit a thirty-eight yard field goal to cut the Bills' lead to 6-3.

The Steelers scored the only points of the second quarter thanks to an eleven-play drive that lasted over five minutes. All three of their main backs contributed key runs: Hoge and Worley each broke draw plays for twelve yards, while Warren Williams ran a sweep to the left for eleven. The drive went all the way down to the Bills' eight-yard line before it broke down, and Anderson tied the game at six by converting from twenty-five yards out. That was our score as we headed to halftime.

The Steelers took the lead with a touchdown late in the third quarter. Bubby Brister, who was only named the starter on Friday by coach Chuck Noll after battling concussion symptoms for most of the week (he wouldn't have played under 2018's rules) started things off with a sixteen-yard completion to wide receiver Dwight Stone. The running game took care of the rest, as Hoge gained elven on a sweep to the left, Worley exploited a giant hole in the middle of the Bills' defense for twenty-five, and Williams barged through a similar hole to Worley's for the touchdown from sixteen yards out. Anderson added the extra point, and after three quarters it was Pittsburgh 13, Buffalo 6.

The Black and Gold scored again midway through the final period. Woodson's punt return set up the offense at the Buffalo forty-five, and the big play of the drive was a fourteen-yard strike from Brister to tight end Eric Green. The touchdown came from seventeen yards out, as Brister hit wide receiver Derek Hill at the five and Hill scampered into the end zone for the score. Anderson's extra point put the Steelers up 20-6 with 6:38 left in regulation time.

The Steelers finish off their second straight gigantic upset with another touchdown just after the two-minute warning. Woodson set things up with another punt return that put the Steelers at the Bills' twenty-seven, and the key play of the drive was Brister's fourteen-yard completion to wide receiver Louis Lipps. On third and nine from the eleven Green broke between two Bills defenders, and Brister hit him in stride for the touchdown. Anderson hit one last extra point, and the Steelers had scored a convincing 27-6 upset of the top-seeded Bills. Their next stop is Miami, where they'll face Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins next Sunday at Joe Robbie Stadium.

Woodson was named MVP by NBC for recording seven tackles and intercepting Kelly twice. The offense wasn't much to write home about statistically; Hoge was Pittsburgh's leading rusher with fifty-five yards on sixteen carries, and Brister played like he still had cobwebs in his head for almost three quarters before his pair of touchdown passes in the final period. He finished eleven of twenty-three for 117 yards and two touchdowns. He was also sacked four times, with Bruce Smith recording a pair. But the vaunted K-Gun offense didn't do much better; Thurman Thomas only rushed for fifty-eight yards on seventeen carries, and despite not being sacked Kelly was hounded and hit all day and finished ten of twenty-nine for 117 yards and two interceptions. Reed led all receivers with three catches for thirty-eight yards, all of which came in the game's opening drive.

Next: The Steelers meet the Dolphins in the AFC Championship Game.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for the 1990 AFC Championship Game from Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami. Game time temperature is 73 degrees, with cloudy skies and a south wind at 10 MPH.

The Dolphins scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Danny Marino was on fire early, completing passes of seventeen yards to Mark Duper, twelve yards to Mark Clayton, and nineteen yards to Jim Jensen. The drive made it all the way to the Pittsburgh thirteen, and Pete Stoyanovich made his ninth field goal of the postseason from thirty yards out to give the home squad a 3-0 lead after one quarter.

The Fins added two more field goals in the final two minutes of the first half. The first was set up when Steelers quarterback Bubby Brister overthrew tight end Eric Green by five yards; his pass was pilfered by free safety Louis Oliver, who picked the ball off just over the goal line and returned it to the Miami eighteen-yard line. Marino connected with Clayton for gains of fifteen and seventeen, and later in the drive Jensen caught a sixteen-yarder to get the Dolphs into field goal range, This drive ended at the Steelers' seventeen just after the two-minute warning, and the Fins settled for a thirty-four yard field goal by Stoyanovich to extend their lead to 6-0 with 1:48 left in the first half.

The Steelers' offense was just beginning o pick up steam on its next drive when Brister was picked off once again by Oliver, whose return set the Fins' offense up at the Pittsburgh twenty-one. Only a timely sack by reserve linebacker A.J. Jenkins prevented a touchdown; as it was, Stoyanovich's thirty-one yard attempt on the final play of the first half was right down the middle, and the score at halftime was Dolphins 9, Steelers 0.

The Fins added yet another field goal because of a horrible decision by Brister on the opening drive of the second half. Facing a third and twenty-five from his own four, Bubby disdained a safe running play that would have given Dan Stryzinski room to punt safely and instead looked foor Green downfield. Reserve defensive end Eric Kumerow was stunned to find the ball in his hands on the interception, and he fell down where he caught it at the Pittsburgh twenty-nine. Three plays later, Stoyanovich converted a forty-five yard attempt to give Miami a 12-0 lead with about twelve and a half minutes left in the third quarter.

Brister's day ended on the Steelers' next possession, when he threw a lollipop intended for Merril Hoge out of the backfield that was picked off by Oliver, his third of the day. The key play of the drive was a nineteen-yard pass to Clayton, and Marino later connected with Ferrell Edminds from twenty-five yards out to finally put a touchdown on the board for the Dolphins. Stoyanovich added the extra point, and with 7:49 to play in the third quarter the Fins were firmly in command, 19-0.

The Steelers got on the board with a touchdown before the end of the third quarter thanks to backup quarterback Rick Strom, who led the offense on its most productive drive of the day so far. His longest passes on the drive were a pair of thirteen-yarders, one to Green and the other to Louis Lipps. The touchdown came from eight yards out, as Strom connected with Derek Hill in the end zone. Gary Anderson added the extra point, and after three quarters the Steelers had closed their deficit to 19-7.

The Dolphs put their final touchdown on the board midway through the fourth quarter after a forty-nine yard field goal by Anderson hooked wide left. The home squad got the ball at their own thirty-nine, and a sixteen-yard pass to Edmunds got the ball across midfield. Then came the big play, as Smith tore through the middle of the Steeler defense for thirty-seven yards and a first down at the Pittsburgh eighteen. Smith later got the touchdown from two yards out despite fumbling just before the ball crossed the plane. A mad scramble ensued, and Smith beat strong safety Carnell Lake to the recovery to preserve the score. Stoyanovich added one last extra point, and the Fins had wrapped up their 26-7 victory and a spot in Super Bowl XXV opposite the NFC champion next Sunday at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida. Game time is set for 6PM Eastern on ABC, with Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf set to call the action.

I lost the sim before I could compile the final stats, but I do remember that Oliver was the game's MVP because of his three interceptions. Also, it was revealed years later that Brister should never have played, as he was battling severe concussion symptoms all week long, including vomiting on the bench in between drives.

Next: We begin the NFC playoffs with the Wild Card Game between the Vikings and the Bears.

Thoughts?

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

Probablyh the Dolphins' best year after 1984, they had built up a decent defense. I ope Marino gets a ring.

Cunningham was injured for a fair amount of the seasno in 1991, but what will the sim do? Given you had Schroeder in '87 instead of Williams, my ues is the injury won't be as severe and you'll be able to start him come playoff time. Now that was a really good defense! Of course, it also might be the REdskins' last best hope for a ring.

Unless they can pull off some upsets this year.

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Thanks for telling me about Cunningham's injury. I'll have to look out for that if the Eagles make the playoffs. By the way, I wasn't as far off as I thought on Schroeder and Williams; Schroeder actually replaced Williams for a few plays in Super Bowl XXII when Williams started slowly.

I was as shocked as anyone by the AFC results in '90. The real-life Steelers showed flashes here and there toward the end of the year, but not nearly enough to beat the Oilers and Bills on the road in postseason games, let alone beat the Bills by three touchdowns with a quarterback who barely knew where and who he was. Results like these are why most what-if articles in newspapers or magazines that use sims run a hundred or a thousand instead of just one like I do. On the other hand, upsets come out of nowhere in real life all the time, so why should the Pythagorean universe be any different?

Marino's chances for a ring in '90 depend on who comes out of the NFC. The Giants barely beat the Bills, so the Fins may have an easier time with them. Than again, maybe not!

The Skins' best chance to get out of the NFC is if the Bears beat the Vikings in the Wild Card Game. If that happens, they'll go to New Jersey to face the Giants in the divisional round. If the Vikes win, the Skins are headed for San Francisco, which is an automatic loss since the Niners beat them in the real-life playoffs.

Note to self: Start Hostetler instead of Simms in Super Bowl XXV!

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for the second NFC Wild Card Game from Soldier Field in Chicago. Game time temperature is 23 degrees, with mostly cloudy skies and a north-northwest wind at 10 MPH. The wind chill a kickoff is thirteen degrees.

The Vikings scored first after taking the opening kickoff. Quarterback Rich Gannon completed passes of twelve yards to wide receiver Hassan Jones and seventeen yards to tight end Steve Jordan, then avoided the Bears' pass rush by scrambling for twelve yards and a first down at the Bears' thirty-yard line. That was where the drive ended three plays later, and kicker Fuad Reveiz was sent out to attempt a forty-seven yard field goal. At first the kick seemed to be wide left, but it hooked back through the uprights just in time, and the visitors led 3-0 with 10:42 left in the opening period.

After a Chicago three-and-out, the Vikes caught a break when Leo Lewis' punt return set the offense up at its own forty-nine. The big play of the drive came from Jordan, who broke three tackles during a twenty-three yard catch-and-run for a first down. The touchdown came from the sixteen, as running back Herschel Walker busted through the middle on a draw play and found the end zone with ease. Reveiz added the extra point, and the Vikes led 10-0 with 8:17 left in the opening period.

The Vikes added another field goal before the end of the first quarter. Another great punt return by Lewis gave them the ball at the Bears' forty, and Gannon's legs came into play once more when he somehow twisted out of the grasp of future Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary and ran for eleven yards and a first down. (Later replays showed that Singletary should have been awarded a sack under the in-the-grasp rule.) This gave the Vikes a first and goal at the five, but they lost two yards on the next three plays, which led at a twenty-four yard field goal by Reveiz which gave the Vikes a 13-0 lead after one quarter.

The Vikes added another field goal in the second quarter. Another fine punt return by Lewis gave them the ball at their own forty-three, and a thirteen-yard screen pass to running back Rick Fenney brought the ball across midfield. Later, Walker broke the same draw he'd run for a touchdown, this time for fifteen yards and a first down at the Chicago seventeen. Gannon was sacked by cornerback Donnell Woolford for six yards on second down in the next series, but Reveiz was good from forty yards out a play later to put the visitors up 16-0 at the half.

The Bears got on the board with a field goal late in the third period. Quarterback Jim Harbaugh completed passes of eleven yards to wideout Wendell Davis and fourteen yards to tight end James Thornton, and running back Neal Anderson provided the big play with his forty-two yard burst up the middle that gave Chicago a first down at the Minnesota seventeen. The drive got as far as the nine before kicker Kevin Butler made a twenty-six yard field goal. After three quarters, it was Minnesota 16, Chicago 3.

The Bears got back into the game midway through the final quarter. Harbaugh found fullback Brad Muster out of the backfield for gains of fifteen and twelve to get the drive started. As we pick up the call from Verne Lundquist, it's first and ten for the Bears at the Minnesota thirty-nine:

"Three wide receivers and Anderson the lone setback. Anderson gets the call. Thirty-five, thirty, LOOK AT THE HOLE! He's down to the twenty-five, the twenty, and he's gone! No one will catch Neal Anderson! TOUCHDOWN CHICAGO!...……….Thirty-nine yards on the run, and we now have a ballgame with 8:34 left in regulation, John."

John Madden: "It might be crazy to say this, Verne, but that's a Walter Payton-esque run by Neal Anderson. He's not quite as nifty as Walter was, but he hits the hole with force and keeps the acceleration going. No one in the secondary's gonna head him off, and the Bears are right back in this thing with plenty of time left."

Butler added the extra point, and the Bears had climbed with six at 16-10.

The Monsters of the Midway forced a three-and-out, and the Bears got the ball back with six minutes still left to play. Then, disaster struck:

Lundquist: "Harbaugh back to throw on first down, pressure right in his face......what on earth was that? It's intercepted, whatever it was, and that's Al Noga, the defensive end, running with the ball. He's at the thirty, the twenty-five, the twenty, a LATERAL, of all things, and now it's cornerback Carl Lee down the sideline, and if the play stands, it's a touchdown...…...They're signaling touchdown, but this will be reviewed."

Madden: "That was an awful lateral, and it may have been a forward pass when it hit the ground. Noga probably should have just stepped out of bounds. I know he wanted to score, but he needed to let the offense take care of it rather than risk another turnover."

Instant replay ruled Noga's lateral was backward, and the touchdown from forty-one yards out stood. One last Reveiz extra point established our final score: Vikings 23, Bears 10. The Vikings will take on the New York Giants next Sunday at Giants Stadium in the second NFC Divisional Playoff. Kickoff is set for 12:30 PM Eastern on CBS, and Pat Summerall will return from his illness to call the game alongside John Madden.

Anderson was named MVP in a losing cause by CBS. He finished with 161 yards on nineteen carries with a touchdown. He gained just eight fewer rushing and receiving yards than the rest of the Bears' offense combined. Harbuagh finished eleven of twenty-two for 108 yards and a pair of interceptions, Davis led all receivers with four catches for forty-four yards to lead all receivers. Gannon wasn't any great shakes for the Vikes, either: ten of twenty for 112 yards, although he did scramble four times for thirty-seven yards. Walker led the ground game with forty-nine yards on thirteen carries. The star of the game for Minnesota may have been linebacker Chris Doleman, who recorded two of the Vikes' five sacks.

The winner of the Vikes-Giants game will take on the 49ers, who defeated the Redskins 28-10 in the first NFC Divisional Playoff at Candlestick Park on Saturday, January 12. Joe Montana finished twenty-two of thirty-one for 274 yards and two touchdowns, one each to Jerry Rice and wide receiver Mike Sherrard. Tight end Brent Jones was his leading receiver with four catches for 103 yards. Tom Rathman scored a touchdown on the ground, and nose tackle Michael Carter returned an interception sixty-one yards for a touchdown. Skins quarterback Mark Rypien threw for 361 yards and a touchdown to Art Monk in a losing cause, but was also intercepted three times, including Carter's pick six. Monk finished with ten catches for 163 yards and a touchdown to lead all receivers.

Next: The Vikings take on the Giants.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Fun fact: I'm fairly sure that the '90 Vikings are the worst real-life team to win a playoff game in the Pythagorean universe. They finished in a four-way tie for second in the NFC Central at 6-10 behind the Bears.

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

Thanks for telling me about Cunningham's injury. I'll have to look out for that if the Eagles make the playoffs. By the way, I wasn't as far off as I thought on Schroeder and Williams; Schroeder actually replaced Williams for a few plays in Super Bowl XXII when Williams started slowly.

Thing about his injury is I read it was an ACL so I doubt you can say he's back in time for the playoffs, even with him hurting it in Game 1 - but I can't tell for sure because they didn't even make the playoffs I don't think, so who knows if he's back in time for a later round playoff game. Look at Terrell Owens in their 2004 Super Bowl run.

I'm trying to think if you've ignored other injuries only because it'd be fun to see just how good that Eagle team would be without the injury. Then again, look at the Eagles last year when Wentz was hurt. Who knows what'll happen.

 

[Garrett Garlits]

I don't set out to ignore injuries, but I've gotten tripped up before when WhatIf lists a quarterback who was injured. The best example so far was the '79 Rams; I've watched Super Bowl XIV often enough to know that Pat Haden was out for the Rams' entire playoff run, but in both playoff games they played in this universe, I started him, then had to find an excuse to bring Vince Ferragamo in. I should have just started Ferragamo in the first place and had done with it. (By the way, Jim McMahon is the Eagles' listed starter for '91, so he'll be the starter if the Eagles make the playoffs.) As for the rest of the offensive and defensive players, I'm not going nuts figuring out who might have been banged up in real life; if I know about an injury ahead of time, I include it. Otherwise, they play unless I choose to injure them myself.

Since I follow the Steelers, I'll know a lot more about their injuries than any other team's, so for the most part their injuries will be authentic . The two big exceptions so far were Terry Bradshaw's eye injury in '74, which was mostly an excuse to start Joe Gilliam (who was WhatIf's listed starter that year), and Bubby Brister's concussion in '90.

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time for the second NFC Divisional Playoff from Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Game time temperature is 31 degrees, with mostly cloudy skies and a north-northwest wind at 17 MPH. Wind chill at kickoff is twenty degrees.

The Giants scored first after Vikings running back Allen Rice fumbled the ball in the open field without being hit. Linebacker Gary Reasons recovered for Big Blue at its own forty-eight, and quarterback Jeff Hostetler went to the air immediately. Tight end Mark Bavaro caught his pass at the Vikings' thirty-five and broke three tackles before finally being pushed out of bounds at the twelve. Two plays later from the seven, Hoss dumped it off to running back Rodney Hampton, who broke a tackle and sped into the end zone for the touchdown. Matt Bahr added the extra point, and with 8:15 left in the opening period the Giants led 7-0.

The G-Men added another touchdown later in the quarter by taking advantage of another Minnesota turnover. Vikes quarterback Rich Gannon tried to hit tight end Steve Jordan, but the ball glanced off of his fingertips and into the arms of linebacker Pepper Johnson, who returned the ball to midfield. The big play of the drive was a nineteen-yard completion from Hostetler to wide receiver Mark Ingram, and the touchdown came from eighteen yards out when Hostetler connected with small but mighty wideout Stephen Baker, who was wide open in the end zone. Bahr added another extra point, and after one quarter the home squad led 14-0.

The Giants added to their lead midway through the second quarter. Dave Meggett's punt return set up the offense at the Minnesota thirty-nine, and Hostetler hit Baker for sixteen yards and wide receiver Lionel Manuel for elven more. On second and goal from the eight, it was Hostetler to Bavaro for the touchdown. Bahr added his third extra point of the day, and with about eight minutes left in the half it was New York 21, Minnesota 0.

The Vikes finally got on the board with a field goal on their next possession. Gannon's biggest pass play was a twenty-one yard completion to wide receiver Hassan Jones. and Herschel Walker gained fifteen yards on a draw play to put the visitors in field goal range. Fuad Reveiz was good from forty yards out, and with four and a half minutes left in the second quarter the Giants' lead was cut to 21-3.

The Giants put the final points of the game on the board just before the end of the first half. Hostetler found Baker for nineteen yards and Bavaro for eleven to set up Bahr's forty-seven yard field goal attempt on the final play of the half. His kick just squeaked through the uprights, and the Giants led 24-3 at the half. That was also the final score, and the Giants will host the 49ers in next Sunday's NFC Championship Game. Kickoff is set for 4PM Eastern on CBS, with Pat and John on hand to call the action.

Hostetler was named Player of the Game by CBS. He completed fourteen of twenty-seven passes for 237 yards and three touchdowns. Ingram was the game's leading receiver with three catches for eighty-three yards, while Bavaro added three more for fifty-nine yards and a touchdown and Baker three more for fifty-three and another score. Defensively, future Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor sacked Gannon twice. Speaking of Gannon, he was held to seven of eighteen passing for just ninety-six yards and a pair of interceptions. Walker led all rushers with fifty-one yards on fifteen carries, As for defense, Hostetler was sacked four times, with defensive tackle Ken Clarke notching a pair. The Vikes also bottled up running back Ottis Anderson, holding him to forty-two yards on sixteen carries.

The following week, it took five field goals from Bahr, including a forty-two yarder on the game's final play, to get the Giants past the Niners and into Super Bowl XXV. Hostetler finished fifteen of twenty-seven for 176 yards, and Anderson managed sixty-seven yards on twenty carries. Joe Montana was held to 190 yards passing and sacked three times, but he managed a sixty-one yard touchdown pass to John Taylor. The image of the stands at Giants Stadium emptying onto the field after Bahr's game-winner is one of the most iconic in NFL history. Final score: Giants 15, Niners 13.

It's on to Super Bowl XXV in Tampa next Sunday, as the Giants will face Danny Marino and the Miami Dolphins. The game will be simmed at a later date.

Next: The standings for 1991.

Thoughts?

 

[Garrett Garlits]

Now it's time to look at 1991 in the AFC. We begin in the East:

Buffalo Bills: 11-5 (-2)
New York Jets: 9-7 (+1)
Miami Dolphins: 8-8 (0)
New England Patriots: 5-11 (-1)
Indianapolis Colts: 1-15 (0)

The Bills drop a pair, but still take the East by a pair over the Jets, who improve by one. The Fins go from the Super Bowl to .500 and third place, the fourth place Pats drop a game, and the Colts start 0-5 under Ron Meyer, then rche's espond to interim coach Rick Venturi by going 1-10. Help is on the way, however, as Ted Marchibroda will return as head coach in 1992 to see if he can recreate the magic that he did a decade and a half ago in Baltimore.

Now to the Central:

Houston Oilers: 12-4 (+1)
Cleveland Browns: 8-8 (+2)
Pittsburgh Steelers: 7-9 (0)
Cincinnati Bengals: 4-12 (+1)

The Oilers pick up a game, thus taking the Central by four games over the Browns, who improve by a pair under new head coach Bill Belichick. The Steelers stay where they are record-wise, but fall to third place thanks to the Browns' surge. They also bid farewell to the Emperor Chaz, as Chuck Noll retired after twenty-three years, just a year after taking an overachieving Steeler team all the way to the AFC Championship Game in what some consider his best coaching job ever. The Bengals also bid farewell to a successful coach, as their one-game improvement doesn't save them from the cellar, nor does it save Sam Wyche's job. He'll be replaced by Don Shula's son David, while Pittsburgh native Bill Cowher will replace Noll.

Finally, to the West:

Denver Broncos: 10-6 (-2)
Kansas City Chiefs: 10-6 (0)
Seattle Seahawks: 9-7 (+2)
Los Angeles Raiders: 8-8 (0)
San Diego Chargers: 6-10 (+2)

The Broncos' two-game slide lands them in a tie for the division title with the Chiefs, who stay where they are. The Seahawks pick up a pair to leapfrog the frozen Raiders and move into third, while the Bolts' two-game improvement still leaves them in the basement, two games behind the Silver and Black.

We go to the expected wins tiebreaker to settle the division title, and the Broncos narrowly prevail, 10.4 to 10.3. The Chiefs are still in excellent position to be one of the wild cards.

Seeds:,

1. Oilers (AFC Central champs): 12-4
2. Bills (AFC East champs): 11-5
3. Broncos (AFC West champs): 10-6
4. Chiefs (AFC West second place): 10-6
5. Jets (AFC East second place): 9-7
6. Seahawks (AFC West second place): 9-7

The Jets hold the expected wins tiebreaker for the second wild card over the Seahawks, 8.7 to 8.5.

Here's the schedule for Wild Card Weekend in the AFC:

Saturday, December, 27:

Jets-Chiefs, 12:30, ABC- Brent Musburger, Dick Vermeil, Lynn Swann (sideline reporter)

Sunday, December 28:

Seahawks-Broncos, 4, NBC- Marv Albert, Paul Maguire

Note: In situations where I have to sim both Wild Card games in a conference, I'll always do the 6/3 matchup first because it clarifies the bracket. Remember, the lowest remaining seed always plays the highest remaining seed in the divisional round, while the other two remaining teams play each other.

Next: We look at the NFC.

Thoughts?