I was watching a video by SB Nation about the Davidson-Dawson incident the other day:
and I thought: What if there was no brawl after Ben Davidson speared Len Dawson? Say the benches still clear, but instead of going after Davidson, Otis Taylor keeps his cool and everyone simply focuses on separating Davidson from Dawson. Taylor wouldn't have been called for a personal foul, meaning the first down still stands. IMO, the Chiefs probably win that game ITTL. For the sake of discussion, let's say that the extra momentum gained by actually winning that game leads to the Chiefs tying the Raiders in week 13 (as opposed to OTL, where the Raiders beat the Chiefs 20-6). IOTL, the Chiefs ended up going 7-5-2 and missing the playoffs, while the Raiders ended up going 8-4-2 and winning the division. ITTL, though, the roles are reversed: KC goes 8-4-2 and wins the AFC West, and Oakland misses the playoffs with a record of 7-5-2. How would this affect the playoffs (and the following year's draft)?
Also, let's say the NFL realizes after the game that had Taylor gone after Davidson, the resulting penalties would have forced the Chiefs to repeat third down, potentially leading to the Raiders winning in overtime (as in OTL). For the sake of discussion, let's say the NFL decides to change the personal foul rules after the game (instead of after the season).
How would all of this change the history of the NFL from that point forward?