1981 AFC Playoffs without San Diego

[CSKreager]

If the Buccaneers had beaten San Diego in week 15 or Denver beat Chicago in week 16, how differently do you think the ‘81 playoffs perhaps go if the Chargers don’t Make it?

What happens in a Denver/Miami AFC playoff game? I don’t think that would have been an Epic. As great as Morton played in 1981, as good as Steve Watson, I can’t see them going up 24-0 after the first quarter.

Would the Killer B’s have matched up better with the Broncs? How does that Orange Crush defense do against Woodstrock? How does Denver fare in the scorching Orange Bowl humidity?

And assuming BUF/CIN still plays out the same..... could either the Broncos or Dolphins have fared any better in the Freezer Bowl?

[BD Sullivan]

Denver was something of a paper tiger, given that only two of their 10 wins came against teams with winning records (SD/KC). They were inconsistent, largely because they went undefeated at home and had a miserable 2-6 record on the road. That would have meant Miami goes to the Freezer Bowl and gets pounded.

[74_75_78_79_]

I've opined before that a hypo-'81-Den@Mia divisional would have been a good game. Certainly no 'epic' though. Dolphins didn't play Bengals in '81 but Broncos did. They lost to them Week #12 at Riverfront, 38-21. Buffalo gave Cincy all they could handle twice - both games on the road. First they brought them into OT early in the season, and then again almost beat them in the divisional. I think the Jets are the only other AFC playoff team that would have given Bengals a good game in Riverfront as well. They did pummel them there the following year's playoffs.

[Rupert Patrick]

It doesn't change much, no matter who goes into Cincinnati for the AFC Championship game for the Freezer Bowl, they're going to lose. I think Miami's defense is too much to Denver; Miami 24 Denver 13.

[74_75_78_79_]

Instead of starting yet another thread, there are quite a few hypo-NFC playoff matchups from '81 that would have been nice to see. For instance, Detroit beating TB in the finale...likely-enough Lions give Dallas quite a better game in the divisional round along with better pre-game hype in that Lions beat Dallas during regular season in that '12-man' fiasco. Eagles completing their comeback vs G-men in that wild card game would have led to a Vermeil/Walsh showdown. Green Bay (who swept G-men and Lions) winning just one more game thus getting into the playoffs - albeit a WC date at Philly, or at Dallas in the divisional - would have been interesting as well.

[7DnBrnc53]

Denver was something of a paper tiger, given that only two of their 10 wins came against teams with winning records (SD/KC). They were inconsistent, largely because they went undefeated at home and had a miserable 2-6 record on the road. That would have meant Miami goes to the Freezer Bowl and gets pounded.

I don't think they were a paper tiger, but I do agree that they were bad on the road. However, three of those six road losses were in the division (two against winning teams), one was against 12-4 Cincinnati, and one was against AFC-West killer Chicago (who won @KC and Oakland and beat SD at home as well).

Here's the thing, though: The Dolphins were a bigger paper tiger. That team shouldn't have been better than 9-7 with average QB's, an average running game, and a below-average secondary. And, Denver was 1-0 that year in Florida, so I give them a fairly good chance to win that game if they take care of the ball.