The 1972-73 Miami Dolphins -- Undefeated -- for the moment
Today, it's the NFL's turn. Remember: Super Bowl winners and pre-1966 League Champions only. So, no Atlanta Falcons, no Carolina Panthers, no Cincinnati Bengals, no Houston Texans, no Jacksonville Jaguars, no Minnesota Vikings, no Tennessee Titans. The Chicago Cardinals, yes; the Arizona Cardinals, so far, no.
Since the 1960s AFL was fully merged into the NFL, I'll include its champions, but not any of the other leagues' titlists.
My cutoff point is 1933, the start of official NFL Championship Games, and the start of the modern passing game.
Teams will be listed with their seasons. In other words, while the Jets won Super Bowl III on January 12, 1969, they were AFL Champions for 1968. If a team won multiple championships in an era, I pick the one that had the best record. And, geographically, putting them into Divisions didn't really work out, so I'm just going to have an AFC and an NFC.
I ended up with 24 teams for the AFC, so I needed a play-in round and 8 byes. I ended up with 32 teams for the NFC, which worked out right. And, again, I tweaked some seeds, so I didn't have a franchise play another version of itself in the 1st Round.
AFC
1. 1972 Miami Dolphins, 14-0
2. 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers, 14-2
3. 1998 Denver Broncos, 14-2
4. 2003 New England Patriots, 14-2
5. 2016 New England Patriots, 14-2
6. 1976 Oakland Raiders, 13-1
7. 1964 Buffalo Bills, 12-2
8. 1983 Los Angeles Raiders, 12-4
9. 2006 Indianapolis Colts, 12-4
10. 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers, 12-4
11. 2019 Kansas City Chiefs, 12-4
12. 2015 Denver Broncos, 12-4
13. 2000 Baltimore Ravens, 12-4
14. 1970 Baltimore Colts, 11-2-1
15. 1968 New York Jets, 11-3
16. 1969 Kansas City Chiefs, 11-3
17. 1963 San Diego Chargers, 11-3
18. 1962 Dallas Texans, 11-3
19. 1950 Cleveland Browns, 10-2
20. 1964 Cleveland Browns, 10-3-1
21. 1961 Houston Oilers, 10-3-1
22. 2012 Baltimore Ravens, 10-6
23. 1958 Baltimore Colts, 9-3
24. 1955 Cleveland Browns, 9-2-1
NFC
1. 1984 San Francisco 49ers, 15-1
2. 1985 Chicago Bears, 15-1
3. 1989 San Francisco 49ers, 14-2
4. 1991 Washington Redskins, 14-2
5. 1986 New York Giants, 14-2
6. 1962 Green Bay Packers, 13-1
7. 1992 Dallas Cowboys, 13-3
8. 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 13-3
9. 1996 Green Bay Packers, 13-3
10. 1999 St. Louis Rams, 13-3
11. 2009 New Orleans Saints, 13-3
12. 2013 Seattle Seahawks, 13-3
13. 2017 Philadelphia Eagles, 13-3
14. 1977 Dallas Cowboys, 12-2
15. 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 12-4
16. 1949 Philadelphia Eagles, 11-1
17. 1963 Chicago Bears, 11-1-2
18. 1971 Dallas Cowboys, 11-3
19. 1941 Chicago Bears, 10-1
20. 1942 Washington Redskins, 10-1
21. 1936 Green Bay Packers, 10-1-1
22. 1953 Detroit Lions, 10-2
23. 1960 Philadelphia Eagles, 10-2
24. 1933 Chicago Bears, 10-2-1
25. 2007 New York Giants, 10-6
26. 2010 Green Bay Packers, 10-6
27. 1945 Cleveland Rams, 9-1
28. 1947 Chicago Cardinals, 9-3
29. 1938 New York Giants, 8-2-1
30. 1956 New York Giants, 8-3-1
31. 1951 Los Angeles Rams, 8-4
32. 1935 Detroit Lions, 7-3-1
*
AFC 1st Round
9. 2006 Indianapolis Colts vs. 24. 1955 Cleveland Browns. Peyton Manning vs. Otto Graham. This game could have a basketball score. But the Colts have a better defense. Colts win.
10. 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. 23. 1958 Baltimore Colts. Johnny Unitas, Lenny Moore and Raymond Berry could beat Chuck Bednarik, Sam Huff and Dick "Night Train" Lane, so they're not going to be afraid of James Harrison and Troy Polamalu. Ben Roethlisberger, meet Gino Marchetti. Colts win.
11. 2019 Kansas City Chiefs vs. 22. 2012 Baltimore Ravens. Can Ray Lewis stop Patrick Mahomes? Maybe. Can John Harbaugh outcoach Andy Reid? Certainly. Ravens win.
12. 2015 Denver Broncos vs. 21. 1961 Houston Oilers. The passing attack of George Blanda to Charley Hennigan faced nothing like the modern Bronco defense -- until the '62 Texans, '63 Chargers and the '64 Bills, and that's when they stopped winning. Broncos win.
13. 2000 Baltimore Ravens vs. 20. 1964 Cleveland Browns. I love this matchup: Jim Brown vs. Ray Lewis. The Browns will have to keep the ball on the ground, to avoid the Ravens' punishing secondary. But the '64 Browns had a defense good enough to shut down prime Johnny U. Shutting down Trent Dilfer is going to be a piece of cake. Browns win.
14. 1970 Baltimore Colts vs. 19. 1950 Cleveland Browns. Both teams won the title on a last-30-seconds field goal -- in the Colts' case, on the last play. But we're avoiding injuries this time, so Unitas can play the whole game. Can Mike Curtis stop Marion Motley? Maybe, but Graham had a better overall receiving corps than Unitas. Browns win.
15. 1968 New York Jets vs. 18. 1962 Dallas Texans. The Texans needed a 2nd overtime to beat the Oilers for the AFL title. The Jets beat the Raiders in regulation, then shut the Colts down for most of the Super Bowl. The Texans would become the Chiefs, but they weren't yet ready to take on these Jets. Jets win.
The 1968-69 New York Jets
16. 1969 Kansas City Chiefs vs. 17. 1963 San Diego Chargers. The Chargers were the more exciting team. But more exciting doesn't necessarily mean better. The Chiefs were very deep, and that will give them the victory. Chiefs win.
NFC 1st Round
1. 1984 San Francisco 49ers vs. 32. 1935 Detroit Lions. Joe Montana against a 1930s defense? In the immortal words of Ariana Grande, "Thank you, next." 49ers win.
2. 1985 Chicago Bears vs. 31. 1951 Los Angeles Rams. This Ram squad was the original "Greatest Show on Turf," the natural kind. The most exciting team of its era. But... Bob Waterfield, meet Mike Singletary. Elroy "Crazy Legs" Hirsch, meet Gary Fencik. Rams defense, meet Walter Payton and William "the Refrigerator" Perry. This game is won by a certain team which is known as... Da Bears!
The 1956 New York Gaints
3. 1989 San Francisco 49ers vs. 30. 1956 New York Giants. A great matchup: The 1st great NFL defense against maybe the best-ever offense. But if Montana and company could beat a Giant defense led by Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson, they could beat one led by Sam Huff and Andy Robustelli. 49ers win.
4. 1991 Washington Redskins vs. 29. 1938 New York Giants. The Hogs pushing aside a 1930s defense? Tuffy Leemans trying to keep up with the Fun Bunch? No. Redskins win.
5. 1986 New York Giants vs. 28. 1947 Chicago Cardinals. The '47 Cards had the original "Million Dollar Backfield": Quarterback Paul Christman, and running backs Charley Trippi, Pat Harder and Marshall "Biggie" Goldberg. The '86 Giants had the Big Blue Wrecking Crew. Giants win.
6. 1962 Green Bay Packers vs. 27. 1945 Cleveland Rams. The 1st Rams title team wouldn't have a chance against Vince Lombardi's power sweep. Packers win.
7. 1992 Dallas Cowboys vs. 26. 2010 Green Bay Packers. I'd like to think that Aaron Rodgers and company would have a chance against "The Triplets." But it wouldn't be a great chance. Cowboys win.
8. 1994 San Francisco 49ers vs. 25 2007 New York Giants. If the Giants could beat Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, and the 18-0 Cheatriots, they could beat anybody, right? Not necessarily: Steve Young and Jerry Rice might torch them. 49ers win.
9. 1996 Green Bay Packers vs. 24. 1933 Chicago Bears. The NFL's greatest rivalry, but can Red Grange and Bronko Nagurski beat Brett Favre and Reggie White? I don't think so. Packers win.
The 1933 Chicago Bears. Red Grange (77) holds the ball.
Bronko Nagurski (3) is above him.
10. 1999 St. Louis Rams vs. 23. 1960 Philadelphia Eagles. "The Greatest Show On Turf" playing in the 1923-built Franklin Field? Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk would have enough trouble 2 years later with the Patriots. What would Chuck Bednarik do with them? "This (George Carlin word)ing game" would be over quickly. Eagles win.
11. 2009 New Orleans Saints vs. 22. 1953 Detroit Lions. The Saints provided a great moment, but they weren't as good a team as the balanced '50s Lions. Lions win.
12. 2013 Seattle Seahawks vs. 21. 1936 Green Bay Packers. Don Hutson vs. Richard Sherman? You love to see it. But the 'Hawks would have too much for this old time Packer bunch. Seahawks win.
13. 2017 Philadelphia Eagles vs. 20. 1942 Washington Redskins. Another shootout, between Nick Foles and Slingin' Sammy Baugh. But I don't think the 'Skins have enough of a defense to win this one. Eagles win.
14. 1977 Dallas Cowboys vs. 19. 1941 Chicago Bears. Doomsday vs. the Monsters of the Midway. Roger Staubach vs. Sid Luckman. The Cowboys have the higher seed, so this game is at Texas Stadium. But what could Luckman and his attack do with artificial turf adding to their speed? Probably not enough. So unless the Bears can get through the line and knock Staubach on his perfectly-starched ass, I don't see them winning. Cowboys win.
15. 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. 18. 1971 Dallas Cowboys. Tampa Bay, winning the Super Bowl? As the bartender said when the priest, the minister and the rabbi walked in, "Is this some kid of joke?" No, the Bucs actually did win one. But against the old Cowboys? This won't be funny. Cowboys win.
16. 1949 Philadelphia Eagles vs. 17. 1963 Chicago Bears. The Bears never made the Playoffs when they had Gale Sayers and Dick Butkus. But a team with Willie Galimore and Bill George should be able to beat one with Steve Van Buren and a young Bednarik. Bears win.
*
AFC 2nd Round
1. 1972 Miami Dolphins vs. 23. 1958 Baltimore Colts. Could Johnny U beat the undefeated Dolphins? The '72 Redskin "Over-the-Hill Gang" almost beat them. And the '58 Colts were better that. No champagne. Colts win.
3. 1998 Denver Broncos vs. 20. 1964 Cleveland Browns. Would Jim Brown teach Bill Romanowski some manners? Probably not. Would Brown teach Romanowski a lesson? Maybe. But the Browns don't have a secondary capable of stopping a passing attack led by John Elway. Broncos win.
4. 2003 New England Patriots vs. 19. 1950 Cleveland Browns. Can Paul Brown out-think Bill Belichick? Yes. Will that be enough? Against a modern offense, no. Patriots win.
5. 2016 New England Patriots vs. 16. 1969 Kansas City Chiefs. These Pats needed a huge comeback to beat the '16 Falcons. The '69 Chiefs were a lot better than the '16 Falcons. Cheating doesn't work this time. Chiefs win.
6. 1976 Oakland Raiders vs. 15. 1968 New York Jets. The Jets were good. The Raiders were good and deep. Joe Namath may have avoided Ted Hendricks when he was with the Colts in the Orange Bowl in '69, but with Hendricks playing for the Raiders in the Oakland Coliseum in '76, with a better overall defense around him? In the immortal words of Billy Joel, "I've seen the lights go out on Broadway." Raiders win.
7. 1964 Buffalo Bills vs. 12. 2015 Denver Broncos. The '64 Bills might have had the best chance of any pre-Super Bowl AFL team of beating the NFL Champions (the Browns). But that doesn't mean they were a better overall team than these Broncos. Broncos win.
8. 1983 Los Angeles Raiders vs. 9. 2006 Indianapolis Colts. The Raiders totally shut down Joe Theismann and the Redskin "Fun Bunch." I don't think they would have had much trouble shutting down Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison. Raiders win.
NFC 2nd Round
1. 1984 San Francisco 49ers vs. 23. 1960 Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles beat Lombardi's Packers, who might have been the greatest team of all time. But the Packers weren't there yet. The 49ers might already have been one of the best team ever. 49ers win.
2. 1985 Chicago Bears vs. 22. 1953 Detroit Lions. Bobby Layne against the 46 Defense? This could get ugly. Bears win.
3. 1989 San Francisco 49ers vs. 18. 1971 Dallas Cowboys. People forget that the Niners also had a good defense, known as the Gold Rush. You think Bob Hayes was too fast for Ronnie Lott? Think again. 49ers win.
5. 1986 New York Giants vs. 14. 1977 Dallas Cowboys. Wouldn't you love to see LT knock Staubach out? Giants win.
6. 1962 Green Bay Packers vs. 13. 2017 Philadelphia Eagles. As much as I would love to see the Eagles win, against Lombardi's Pack, it's just not gonna happen. Packers win.
7. 1992 Dallas Cowboys vs. 12. 2013 Seattle Seahawks. Michael Irvin vs. Richard Sherman? Yes, please. Russell Wilson vs... Oh, that's right, the Cowboys don't yet have Deion Sanders. Sorry, but the Cowboys had a better record in '92 than in '95. How 'bout them Seahawks?
8. 1994 San Francisco 49ers vs. 9. 1996 Green Bay Packers. These Niners did have Deion, and he can give Robert Brooks and Antonio Freeman a hard time. 49ers win.
*
AFC Quarterfinals
2. 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. 23. 1958 Baltimore Colts. Jim Parker was one of the best guards who ever lived, but he will have his hands full with Mean Joe Greene, and that means Johnny U is going to have to scramble in those black high-tops. Meanwhile, one of those Colts' few weaknesses was their secondary. Bradshaw, Swann and John Stallworth are going to have some fun. Steelers win.
3. 1998 Denver Broncos vs. 16. 1969 Kansas City Chiefs. Terrell Davis running against Willie Lanier and Bobby Bell would be a sight to see. But the Chiefs had a great all-around offense, and I think that makes the difference. Chiefs win.
4. 2003 New England Patriots vs. 12. 2015 Denver Broncos. You knew there had to be a Tom Brady vs. Peyton Manning game in here, but you might not have expected it to be the Broncos instead of the Colts. Well, no Spygate or Deflategate here. The Pats will have to win on merit. They will not. Broncos win.
6. 1976 Oakland Raiders vs. 8. 1983 Los Angeles Raiders. This is like the Hell's Angels taking on a heavy metal band. Ken Stabler was a better quarterback than Jim Plunkett, and John Madden was a better coach than Tom Flores. '76 Raiders win.
NFC Quarterfinals
1. 1984 San Francisco 49ers vs. 12. 2013 Seattle Seahawks. Bill Walsh can outcoach Pete Carroll. 49ers win.
2. 1985 Chicago Bears vs. 8. 1994 San Francisco 49ers. Maybe the Montana Niners could have beaten the Ditka Bears. The Steve Young Niners can't. Bears win.
3. 1989 San Francisco 49ers vs. 6. 1962 Green Bay Packers. You know what, call off the other games. This is the all-time Super Bowl right here. Not only will Montana have to avoid Willie Davis and Ray Nitschke, but Rice will have to get open against Herb Adderley and Willie Wood. But these Niners also had Romanowski, and Charles Haley. I don't think that's enough defense to stop Bart Starr, Paul Hornung and Jim Taylor at their peak. Packers win.
4. 1991 Washington Redskins vs. 5. 1986 New York Giants. The Hogs stopped LT & company a few times. They could do it again. Whereas the Redskin defense could gobble up Phil Simms and Joe Morris. Redskins win.
*
AFC Semifinals
2. 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. 16. 1969 Kansas City Chiefs. The last AFL Champions have had a good run. It ends here, driven into the plastic turf of Three Rivers Stadium. Steelers win.
6. 1976 Oakland Raiders vs. 12. 2015 Denver Broncos. Peyton Manning is going to see a lot of white shirts knocked down by Jack Tatum. Raiders win.
The 1976-77 Oakland Raiders
NFC Semifinals
1. 1984 San Francisco 49ers vs. 6. 1962 Green Bay Packers. Yes, the game will be at Candlestick Park, but the 49ers did lose some home games in the Playoffs. Too much offense for this San Francisco defense. Packers win.
2. 1985 Chicago Bears vs. 4. 1991 Washington Redskins. Hogs vs. 46 Defense. Talk about your "Big Uglies in the Trenches." But even when Mark Rypien gets his passes off, the Chicago D could make life miserable for him. The track-meet matchup of Willie Gault vs. Darrell Green would be interesting, but the 'Skins would have to stop Walter Payton. The Bears did lose some Playoff games at Soldier Field, but this won't be one of them. Bears win.
The 1985-86 Chicago Bears
*AFC Championship Game: 2. 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. 6. 1976 Oakland Raiders. Chuck Noll vs. John Madden. The Steelers beat the Raiders in the Playoffs at Three Rivers in 1972 and 1975, and at the Coliseum in 1974. The Raiders beat the Steelers in the Playoffs at the Coliseum in 1973 and 1976. Does knowing that help? Not really: The Steelers got better after all of that. And this game is at Three Rivers. Pittsburgh won't need an Immaculate Reception to win this one. Steelers win.
NFC Championship Game: 2. 1985 Chicago Bears vs. 6. 1962 Green Bay Packers. I suppose the NFC just had to come down to the Monsters of the Midway vs. the Creatures from the Frozen North. The Green Bay offense just might have enough to top the Chicago defense. I don't see the Chicago offense having enough to top the Green Bay defense. Packers win.
*
All-Time Super Bowl: AFC 2. 1978 Pittsburgh Steelers vs. NFC 6. 1962 Green Bay Packers. Both teams won a Super Bowl at the neutral site of the Orange Bowl in Miami -- in the Steelers' case, 2 of them. Both teams will be playing on the same field (real grass), in the same weather (unseasonably cool and dry), with all the knowledge of how football can be played up to and including Super Bowl LVI in 2020, and with all the footage of each other that they could ever want (but no secretly taped practices).
Vince Lombardi, is Hornung right? "I hope so, but it should have been, 'Not smarter than I.'"
The Packer power sweep was both guards, in this case Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston, pulling out of the line to block, so that Hornung or Jim Taylor could run an end-around. Are Kramer and Thurston good enough to block any 2 of the following: Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes and Dwight White? Maybe if Greene isn't 1 of them. But if he isn't, it's probably because he's already broken through past center Jim Ringo, or maybe gotten around tackle Forrest Gregg.
So the Packers will have to switch to the air. Starr will throw to Max McGee, Boyd Dowler, Carroll Dale and Marv Fleming. But Mel Blount and Donnie Shell are capable of stopping them.
So what can the Pittsburgh offense do against the Green Bay defense? Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier will be running against Willie Davis, Henry Jordan and Ray Nitschke. Terry Bradshaw will be passing to Lynn Swan and John Stallworth, and they will have to get past Herb Adderley and Willie Wood. Sounds as tough as anything they had to face in their time.
The Packers won 3 NFL Championship Games, 37-0, 16-7 and 23-12, and then 2 Super Bowls, 35-17 and 33-14. The Steelers won 4 Super Bowls, 16-6, 21-17, 35-31 and 31-19. Both teams were capable of winning slugfests, defensive struggles, and blowouts.
Vince Lombardi was on the coaching staff of Red Blaik at Army. Chuck Noll played for Paul Brown with the Cleveland Browns. Each was a genius in his own way, having learned from another. Each imbued his team with a sense of pride, that they were playing for something larger than themselves.
And there's no home-field advantage. It may come down to a last-minute field goal. Hornung had been the Pack's main kicker, but in 1962 made only 6 field goals, the longest being 45 yards, in just 10 attempts. Kramer became the new kicker, making 9 of 11, but his longest was just 39 yards. But that's still better than the Steelers' Roy Gerela: In 1978, he made only 12 of 26, the longest being 44. No wonder they got Matt Bahr for the next season.
Green Bay Packers 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 21.
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