1978 Pittsburgh Steelers VS 1989 San Francisco Forty Niners

[74_75_78_79_]

I'm sorry if this was already a thread, but I'm sure-enough to my estimation that it wasn't. Just simply both being mentioned together numerous upon numerous times here.

If 1978 would have been my first year following football instead of 1980, then my opined 'best team since following' would, of course, be that very year's World Champ with the '89 Forty Niners quite a strong-2nd!

Both teams easier to compare to one another than, say, '75 Steelers & '89 Forty Niners due to both being on the other side of that 'Mel Blount Rule' line-of-demarcation of eras.

Some may declare these two the top-two ever of all-time. Or maybe simply the top-two simply since-'78. Or maybe not even top-two since-'78. Either way, though, both are Historic teams deserving of comparison with another. Many like myself may consider '78 Steelers as the better team of the two, with or without Pittsburgh having more HOFers. Many, though, see San Fran as better. I believe John Madden opined they were the 'best-ever' after annihilating Denver.

In either event...Let the DEBATE/analysis of both begin...

[Mark]

I have a magazine that ran simulations and included a box score of one of them. It had the 49ers winning in OT 30-27.

[ChrisBabcock]

The 49ers won a simulated matchup I ran just now on whatifsports 45-10. Neutral site at the Superdome.

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[ShinobiMusashi]

I think Montana does better against that Steelers defense than Bradshaw does against the 49ers defense. Even if just slightly. But if we're going 89 that's Seifert not Walsh, so Noll being superior more experienced head coach could be the deciding factor.

[7DnBrnc53]

I just like the Steelers here. The 89 49ers are overrated, especially on D-line, where Jim Burt and company get trapped to death by Franco and his offensive line.

Also, the Steelers have played against a similar offense than the 49ers had. The 70's Bengals ran the short passing offense with Virgil Carter and Ken Anderson.

Steelers 31-17.

[JuggernautJ]

The 49ers won a simulated matchup I ran just now on whatifsports 45-10. Neutral site at the Superdome.

That's an interesting simulation.
I wonder, if you played that out 10+ times, how many times Harry Sydney would go 2/42 yards rushing or that both teams would combine for 6 first downs rushing... or that the Niners would rush for 105 yards compared to the Steelers 71...
Bradshaw with twice as many pass attempts as Montana? The 49ers start the scoring by returning the opening kick off for a TD? Rathman scoring on a 51 yard reception when his career long was 36?*
I can see some of those stats being due to the game situation and the 49ers protecting a lead but they still seem somewhat unlikely to me.

Lastly, leading 42-10 I don't see the 49ers sending in Mike Cofer to kick a field goal with 0:00 left on the clock...



*In Strat-o-matic a player can't go longer than their season's longest pass/run...
Which seems like a reasonable rule considering some of these results.

[JuggernautJ]

I apologize if the above came off as in any way being a criticism of you, Chris.
I've always enjoyed your writing and respected your opinions and I intended no insult.

I just don't know how "What If..." does their simulations, what those stats are based on or how that prediction was arrived at...
I haven't played around at their site... it just seems that that one game predication seems (to me, imo) highly improbable.

[ChrisBabcock]

I apologize if the above came off as in any way being a criticism of you, Chris.
I've always enjoyed your writing and respected your opinions and I intended no insult.

I just don't know how "What If..." does their simulations, what those stats are based on or how that prediction was arrived at...
I haven't played around at their site... it just seems that that one game predication seems (to me, imo) highly improbable.

Oh no worries! Not taken in that way. If you noticed I used the emoji. Meaning... I think it would be REALLY unlikely for the 49ers to come away with a 45-10 victory. COULD a game with that above box score happen? Sure. But like you, I thought that was pretty shocking and hilarious. I didn't have time to run that simulation more but if I did, like you said, it would probably be close to a 50/50 split with a few outlier blowouts here or there.

[74_75_78_79_]

I apologize if the above came off as in any way being a criticism of you, Chris.
I've always enjoyed your writing and respected your opinions and I intended no insult.

I just don't know how "What If..." does their simulations, what those stats are based on or how that prediction was arrived at...
I haven't played around at their site... it just seems that that one game predication seems (to me, imo) highly improbable.

Oh no worries! Not taken in that way. If you noticed I used the emoji. Meaning... I think it would be REALLY unlikely for the 49ers to come away with a 45-10 victory. COULD a game with that above box score happen? Sure. But like you, I thought that was pretty shocking and hilarious. I didn't have time to run that simulation more but if I did, like you said, it would probably be close to a 50/50 split with a few outlier blowouts here or there.

As in real-life, anything can happen in just a one-game situation. Same with WIS. Look at my '82 simulation...the Packers going 14-2, Dolphins missing playoffs outright at 7-9! I only played each game once. Do it over again and very likely not the case with either team. As I said before, the '99 Rams are the definite best team on that site. And the '78 Steelers - nor '75 - are the best Steeler team. It's 1979 instead. Not sure who is 'better' between '78 Pit & '89 SF on that site. I think they have a ranking system based on every team playing every team thousands of times each.

In the 1990 Zander/Hollander preview handbook, San Fran coming off back-to-back/4th Title exactly like the Steelers a decade prior (both going for a three-peat), there's a fictional game between both the '89 Forty Niners and the...'79 Steelers! I believe they had Pittsburgh going up 14-0 early on, but a Montana Comeback winning it for them in the end. I remember being upset after reading it for the first time. Its in a basement somewhere, need to dig it back up, re-read it, and hope its a different result this time, lol.