Best Games (or interesting matchups) that Never Happened

[BD Sullivan]

1969 NFL title game: Browns at Rams

Browns were coming off a dominating game over the Cowboys and Rams would have come off a huge victory over the powerful Vikes (they had a 17-7 halftime lead). Instead of the game being played in 8-degree weather, the climate isn't a factor since the game is in L.A., which means that no Brown DB slips on an icy field like they did at The Met. The Browns had definitely had their flaws (having gotten destroyed 51-3 by the Vikes during the year), but George Allen (with the exception of 1972) and the postseason was never a great mix.

[7DnBrnc53]

1973 AFC Title Game: Broncos@Dolphins. If Denver would have defeated the Raiders in Week 14, I see this happening (I think the Broncos take Pittsburgh at home in the AFC Divisional Round). The Dolphins probably win, but the Broncos had some offensive weapons (Moses, Odoms, Floyd Little, Otis Armstrong, Gene Washington, etc...) and a good QB in Charley Johnson, so they may have made it interesting.

1977 AFC Title Game: Dolphins@Broncos. If the Pats don't get jobbed in Week 14 in Baltimore (with the bad fumble call), I see this matchup happening (the Dolphins would have defeated the Raiders in the OB).

[Rupert Patrick]

1983 AFC Championship game - Miami at LA Raiders - The Raiders would have hosted the game due to their 27-14 win in week 3. I think it would have been a close game.

1984 AFC Championship game - Denver at Miami. Elway and Marino only met on the field three times in their career; it would have been nice to see them meet in a championship game.

[74_75_78_79_]

1983 AFC Championship game - Miami at LA Raiders - The Raiders would have hosted the game due to their 27-14 win in week 3. I think it would have been a close game.

1984 AFC Championship game - Denver at Miami. Elway and Marino only met on the field three times in their career; it would have been nice to see them meet in a championship game.

What would have made that hypo-Mia/LA ’83 AFCC matchup interesting would be Dan playing the entire game. That Week #3 loss you mention, #13 didn’t get in the game for Woodley until late, making the 27-0 deficit into that 27-14 final throwing two TDs in the 4th Q. Just the same, IMO, I think that game wouldn’t have been lopsided, but no nail-biter either. Raiders were simply the best in ’83 in disguise of that 12-4 record. Raiders were in the midst of having their way with Miami. They beat them 6 straight times from ’79 thru ’86; three of those wins (’79, ’81 & ’84) when Miami finished the season with a better record than they - the latter two in the Orange Bowl.

Den/Mia ’84 mentioned so many times on this site as should be. Steeler fandom aside, quite a shame it didn’t take place. As I said plenty of times already, I think Reeves pulls it out as he would 14 years later against another more ‘flashier’ favorite. I guess the football gods realized they let plenty non-Steeler-fans down by putting them against Miami so they made up for it ten years later by disallowing a Classic (4-0 vs 4-0, Blitzburgh vs Young) Super Bowl XXIX. Yes, I would trade Steelers not being in ’84 AFCC for they playing SF “for the thumb” any day!

[Terry Baldshaw]

I suppose this game that wasn't might not be widely accepted, but Steeler fans who recall the 1976 season will pine for a Steelers-Vikings Super Bowl. With only one healthy running back and no placekicker for the AFC championship game at Oakland, Steeler faithful can only ask what might have been.

[TanksAndSpartans]

SB 20 (85-86) Bears/Dolphins. The Pats defeated the Dolphins in the AFC championship but weren't very competitive in the SB. The Dolphins were the only team to defeat the Bears that season.

[SixtiesFan]

SB 20 (85-86) Bears/Dolphins. The Pats defeated the Dolphins in the AFC championship but weren't very competitive in the SB. The Dolphins were the only team to defeat the Bears that season.

In an ESPN show on the 1985 Bears, OL Jimbo Covert was one of the interviewees. He had been Dan Marino's roommate at Pittsburgh. Covert told how going into the Bears game at Miami, Buddy Ryan said something like "We'll attack Dan Marino with an all-out blitz." Covert replied, "If you do that, he'll kill you."

[Some Guy From Mars]

1977 NFC Championship - Dallas vs. Los Angeles

I am of the crowd that feels 1977 represents Tom Landry's best Cowboys team. That said, Dallas potentially had too much of a cakewalk to the Super Bowl championship that year in that they managed to sidestep many of the teams that could have challenged them the most, including the Rams.

Yes, I understand that Dallas had the better of the Rams the better part of the decade during the post season - can you say 73, 75 & 78? - but the Rams did manage to beat the Cowboys in the divisional round of the playoffs in 1976. Besides, I cannot help but think Los Angeles would have given the Cowboys a better game in the NFC championship than an aging Vikings team with Bob Lee playing in place of an injured Fran Tarkenton.

Finally, I know this belongs in the 'do you believe in miracles?' category, but let's say Tarkenton is healthy and manages to get the Vikings past the Cowboys- how do the Vikings match up with Denver in the Super Bowl? Perhaps Bud Grant, Tarkenton and company finally get their first ring?

[7DnBrnc53]

1992 AFC Playoffs (either divisional or AFC Title Game): Buffalo at San Diego.

The Bills seemed to have Miami's and Pittsburgh's numbers at the time, and the Oilers were chokers. However, the Bills hadn't played the Chargers since 1985, and the Chargers seemed to run somewhat of a Redskin-style offense. They had Bernstine and Butts at RB to hammer at that soft Bill defense, and they had the Boltergeist defense with Mims, O'Neal, Seau, and Co.

[Bryan]

1) 1949 Browns vs. 1949 Eagles in Super Bowl 0.5 - a healthy Eagles team versus a somewhat different Browns team
2) 1952 Browns vs. 1952 Rams in NFL title game - first two title games were both classics...this 'rubber match' would probably have another great game
3) 1969 Raiders vs. 1969 Jets in "The Last Championship" - like Browns/Rams, games between these two teams were great theater
4) 1998 Vikings vs. 1998 Broncos in Super Bowl - it was somewhat deflating when Falcons upset Vikings...would have liked to see their offense compete with a great Broncos team