74_75_78_79_ wrote: ↑Thu Nov 27, 2025 10:28 am
ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Wed Nov 26, 2025 8:49 pm
What if in 1993 instead of the Super Bowl being in the Georgia Dome the NFL went back to the old way where the team with the best record hosted the title game in their home stadium? Could the Cowboys have beat Buffalo in Buffalo in this scenario? Were the 90 Giants, 91 Redskins, (92 the Bills beat the Dolphins in Miami in AFCCG, but hell swap the Oilers out with the 92 Cowboys in that Wild Card game in that stadium on that day), 93 Cowboys good enough to beat the Bills in Buffalo?
It, actually, used to be each conference champ 'taking turns' hosting the League Championship Game. Since the 1970 merger, the NFC champ is the designated 'home' team in even numbered years, the AFC champ in odd years. In Super Bowl V, Dallas was made to wear their blue jerseys because they were the 'home' team; they couldn't choose what jerseys to wear as normal. But the League backed off from that sometime shortly after - Dallas got to play in white 'at home' against Pittsburgh at the Orange Bowl on Sunday, January 21, 1979.
As for your mentioned SBXXVIII what-if scenario...Bills are the 'home' team anyway given the odd-numbered year at hand. Bills host Washington two years prior as well. They were such a superior team at home during that era, but we never got to see them host an
NFC power in a high-stakes game. IMO, Bills still lose both these games at Rich. Maybe they play a little better than they did IRL at both neutral sites, but neither game at all a nail-biter either. Also, IMO, the Steelers and especially Raiders win at Minny in Jan '75 & Jan '77 respectively.
Interesting to think of all those hypo SBs with NFC (even) and AFC (odd) taking turns hosting the Big Game.
Ones that come to mind first-and-foremost are Rams AT Tennessee and Pats AT Seahawks. Both very close games which may have (or maybe not anyway) have yielded a different result in such a scenario. Steelers AT Seahawks and Rams AT Bengals also are very worthy bring-ups.
As for the Forty Niners playing AT Riverfront outside instead of inside the Pontiac Silverdome? The weather wasn't necessarily like anything two Sundays prior, but the temp on January 24, 1982 was a high of 23 in Cincy; not far from Detroit which WAS real bitter as well so no surprise. I think San Fran still wins anyway. Gregg would still create that uptight atmosphere going into the game, Walsh loosening things up (still dressing as a bellhop giving his players their luggage), and Bengals likely having a false sense-of-security that the weather would assist them.
Admittedly, IMO, Dallas still wins at Three Rivers in SBXXX. Colts still win at Soldier Field thus Peyton still gets his Ring.
PS - If da
'85 Bears play at Foxboro, and San Fran at Mile High four years later, both lose - just kidding.
EDIT - my mistake with the Steelers “AT” Seahawks. They in their white jerseys (because they
chose to) fooled me for a sec.
