Clinchers winning finale vs must-win teams

[74_75_78_79_]

As is the case with the Raiders beating Cincy in '76 or Raiders LOSING to Giants in '89, what other historic examples are there of a team ALREADY in the playoffs still beating a team in the season finale who HAD TO win to make the post-season? Better than that if you can name teams, like the '76 Raiders, whose exact playoff seeding was ALREADY set-in-stone, win OR lose, yet STILL beat their must-win opponent. '89 Giants, of course, NOT the case because losing their finale would have made them a wild card (to Philly) instead.

[Rupert Patrick]

Going into the final week of the 1979 season, Dallas, who had already clinched a playoff spot, was hosting the Redskins. Washington had not yet clinched a playoff spot, but a win would not only put them into the playoffs, but would also give them the NFC East and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. If the Redskins lost, and Chicago blew out the Cardinals by 33 points or more (which was going on at the same time), the Redskins would be on the outside looking in and Dallas would be the number one seed. As the Washington Dallas game went into the second half, the Bears were piling it onto St. Louis (Chicago won 42-6) and it was clear Washington had to win to get into the playoffs.

The double comeback game between Dallas and Washington did not go the Redskins way, as they lost 35-34 on a Dallas TD in the final minute of regulation. I've come to the conclusion that the 1979 Dallas Washington game may have been the single greatest regular season game in pro football history, when you consider what was at stake, the historical implications (Staubach leading a double comeback in his final regular season game) and the game that ensued. The only game I think that approaches it may be the 1958 Browns Giants game in the snow with the Pat Summerall long FG to win the game.

[conace21]

2004 Steelers at Bills. Buffalo needed a win and some help; they actually ended up getting the help. Pittsburgh sat Big Ben. Tommy Maddox started and later gave way to Brian St. Pierre. A number of other backups played. Pittsburgh 29, Buffalo 24.
One note, with Buffalo leading 17-16, the Steelers' 4th string running back burst free for 58 yards to set up a FG.. On the next possession, a backup LB who had been repeatedly cut returned a Bledsoe fumble for a score. On the next Steelers drive, that RB carried 10 times on a 14 playvdrive that chewed up almost 9 minutes and led to a FG. Buffalo would score again, but ran out of time, due to that long drive.
The RB was Willie Parker. The LB was James Harrison.

[Rupert Patrick]

In 1981, the Packers came into Week 16 with an 8-7 record, and a win over the Jets would have given them a wild card spot, but the Jets won 28-3 and the Giants got the final wild card spot in the NFC.

[Gary Najman]

In the final game of the 1984 season, Dallas had to win at Miami to win the final NFC wildcard slot in place of the N.Y.Giants. With the Dolphins leading 21-14 with less than two minutes to play, the Cowboys tied the game with an improbable 66-yard TD fom Danny White to Tony Hill that bounced off Don McNeal and appeared to be incomplete. But the Dolphins came right back with a 63-yard TD pass from Dan Marino to Mark Clayton to secure home field advantage in the AFC over the Denver Broncos and leave Dallas out of the playoffs for the first ime in 10 years.

Here's the Cowboys TD pass:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXSLxXTNGes

[Rupert Patrick]

In 1984, the Redskins had already locked up a playoff spot going into week 16, and hosted the Cardinals, with the winner clinching the NFC East title, while a St. Louis loss would end their season. In what was the game of the year, the Redskins barely hung on to beat St. Louis 29-27.

[Bob Gill]

Gee, this thread keeps reminding me that the Redskins used to play games that mattered -- and games that people remembered. That went on for more than 20 years -- but now it's been more than 20 years since they played a game that anybody cared about. Not quite true, of course, but close enough.

[Rupert Patrick]

In 1981, the Packers came into Week 16 with an 8-7 record, and a win over the Jets would have given them a wild card spot, but the Jets won 28-3 and the Giants got the final wild card spot in the NFC.

I believe I was incorrect about this game - this game was essentially a play-in game, where the winner would be in the playoffs and the loser would be out, only with the two teams in different conferences. The only other time I believe this happened with the teams in different conferences in the final week of the season was in 1989, when Minnesota and Cincinnati met on Monday Night in the final game of the regular season. The winner went into the playoffs and the loser's season was over. Minnesota pulled out a 29-21 victory. Play-in games are a separate topic of their own.

[Evan]

I believe that in the last game of the 1978 season, the Rams beat the Packers to secure homefield advantage, and knocked the Packers out of the NFC playoffs.

I remember going in to that weekend, the Vikings and Packers were tied at 8-6-1, with the Vikings having the tiebreaker in head-to-head games. I was already celebrating the NFC Central title as even though I knew there was no way the Vikings would beat the Raiders, I also figured there was no way the Packers would beat the Rams.

[74_75_78_79_]

In 1981, the Packers came into Week 16 with an 8-7 record, and a win over the Jets would have given them a wild card spot, but the Jets won 28-3 and the Giants got the final wild card spot in the NFC.

I believe I was incorrect about this game - this game was essentially a play-in game, where the winner would be in the playoffs and the loser would be out, only with the two teams in different conferences. The only other time I believe this happened with the teams in different conferences in the final week of the season was in 1989, when Minnesota and Cincinnati met on Monday Night in the final game of the regular season. The winner went into the playoffs and the loser's season was over. Minnesota pulled out a 29-21 victory. Play-in games are a separate topic of their own.

Yes, that's correct. Jets lose and it'd be Denver at Buffalo in the Wild Card Game. I can remember my dad seeing GB as a team that was getting better each year and thinking they would beat the Eagles the following week if they beat the Jets even if it was at the Vet. The Pack swept the Giants in '81. Both were 5th place teams previous year.

And yes, the fond memory of that final Monday Night game in '89. A nice late-night Christmas gift. They kept going back and forth via-satellite from Dwayne Woodruff's apartment (he and another teammate were sitting there, forgot who, kids from neighborhood crowding behing the couch they were sitting on) and Majkowski's living room. Tony Mandarich and other teammates present.

It was a shame for the Pack, being they were 10-6 and not 9-7 like Pittsburgh but first, that is the breaks. Second, as the season wound down after losing at home 0-20 to Chicago to now be 4-6, Steelers IMO became the better team. They became a solid, and even more-so physical, 5-1 team going into the post-season with that one loss a close one at home (at the time seeming like a moral victory) to Houston. Just a bit too much...'strange Majik' about some of those GB wins that year, lol. With both teams not playing each other that year despite both Central divisions being matched up (Pack was 5th place in '88), 1989 ended up being a sign of winning things to come years later for both franchises.

I miss MNF being final week of regular season. Yes, I understand the reasoning behind it not being the case anymore but still...