Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

CSKreager wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2026 2:45 am 1993 Jets vs Bills Week 17

What if they actually didn’t rule Thurman Thomas’ fumble a touchdown (this play has been mentioned a few times here)

Even if the Jets lose at Houston, they would have gotten in at 9-7

Meanwhile the Bills fall to 11-5, Houston gets the #1 seed, KC #2 (H2H tiebreaker) thus we would get….. Bills at Jets round 3 in a wild card game

Coslet making the playoffs provably saves his job, which means no Carroll and probably no Kotite

Perhaps the Jets end up taking a different but less painful road to Parcells?

And even if Buffalo beats the Jets, they have to go to KC where they had already lost in November (and the Arrowhead playoff curse wasn’t a thing yet)

Conversely, what becomes of a Raiders/Houston divisional round game (assuming LA/DEN plays out the same)? It’s the Raiders on a fast track indoors, but I don’t know if Hostetler has the same fear factor ala Joe Cool for that red hot Oilers team

And who plays Dallas in SB 28?

CSKreager wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2026 2:45 am 1993 Jets vs Bills Week 17

What if they actually didn’t rule Thurman Thomas’ fumble a touchdown (this play has been mentioned a few times here)

Even if the Jets lose at Houston, they would have gotten in at 9-7

Meanwhile the Bills fall to 11-5, Houston gets the #1 seed, KC #2 (H2H tiebreaker) thus we would get….. Bills at Jets round 3 in a wild card game

Coslet making the playoffs provably saves his job, which means no Carroll and probably no Kotite

Perhaps the Jets end up taking a different but less painful road to Parcells?

And even if Buffalo beats the Jets, they have to go to KC where they had already lost in November (and the Arrowhead playoff curse wasn’t a thing yet)

Conversely, what becomes of a Raiders/Houston divisional round game (assuming LA/DEN plays out the same)? It’s the Raiders on a fast track indoors, but I don’t know if Hostetler has the same fear factor ala Joe Cool for that red hot Oilers team

And who plays Dallas in SB 28?

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2026 10:44 pm

CSKreager wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2026 2:45 am 1993 Jets vs Bills Week 17

What if they actually didn’t rule Thurman Thomas’ fumble a touchdown (this play has been mentioned a few times here)

Even if the Jets lose at Houston, they would have gotten in at 9-7

Meanwhile the Bills fall to 11-5, Houston gets the #1 seed, KC #2 (H2H tiebreaker) thus we would get….. Bills at Jets round 3 in a wild card game

Coslet making the playoffs provably saves his job, which means no Carroll and probably no Kotite

Perhaps the Jets end up taking a different but less painful road to Parcells?

And even if Buffalo beats the Jets, they have to go to KC where they had already lost in November (and the Arrowhead playoff curse wasn’t a thing yet)

Conversely, what becomes of a Raiders/Houston divisional round game (assuming LA/DEN plays out the same)? It’s the Raiders on a fast track indoors, but I don’t know if Hostetler has the same fear factor ala Joe Cool for that red hot Oilers team

And who plays Dallas in SB 28?

I love this one, I had no idea about any controversial call in that Bills/Jets game. My Oilers '93 What If has always been the early season game against the Chargers where they ruled a clear touchdown completion in the back of the end zone out of bounds that would have given Houston the win, which would have put them at 13-3 and given them #1 seed.

I'm confident that the Oilers would have knocked Hostetler out of the game in the divisional round in this hypothetical universe and defeated the Raiders. So we would have lost to Montana a week later, unless Buffalo can make it to the AFCCG. I think Buffalo was out of gas after 4 years of high profile games and had they had to play on the road in the 93 playoffs they would not have made it to the Super Bowl.

CSKreager wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2026 12:12 am

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2026 10:44 pm

CSKreager wrote: ↑Fri May 22, 2026 2:45 am 1993 Jets vs Bills Week 17

What if they actually didn’t rule Thurman Thomas’ fumble a touchdown (this play has been mentioned a few times here)

Even if the Jets lose at Houston, they would have gotten in at 9-7

Meanwhile the Bills fall to 11-5, Houston gets the #1 seed, KC #2 (H2H tiebreaker) thus we would get….. Bills at Jets round 3 in a wild card game

Coslet making the playoffs provably saves his job, which means no Carroll and probably no Kotite

Perhaps the Jets end up taking a different but less painful road to Parcells?

And even if Buffalo beats the Jets, they have to go to KC where they had already lost in November (and the Arrowhead playoff curse wasn’t a thing yet)

Conversely, what becomes of a Raiders/Houston divisional round game (assuming LA/DEN plays out the same)? It’s the Raiders on a fast track indoors, but I don’t know if Hostetler has the same fear factor ala Joe Cool for that red hot Oilers team

And who plays Dallas in SB 28?

I love this one, I had no idea about any controversial call in that Bills/Jets game. My Oilers '93 What If has always been the early season game against the Chargers where they ruled a clear touchdown completion in the back of the end zone out of bounds that would have given Houston the win, which would have put them at 13-3 and given them #1 seed.

I'm confident that the Oilers would have knocked Hostetler out of the game in the divisional round in this hypothetical universe and defeated the Raiders. So we would have lost to Montana a week later, unless Buffalo can make it to the AFCCG. I think Buffalo was out of gas after 4 years of high profile games and had they had to play on the road in the 93 playoffs they would not have made it to the Super Bowl.

I think getting past the divisional round hump might have taken a weight off Houston’s back, especially knowing they would have had homefield.

Just getting to the AFC CG would have probably eased them up a bit. Plus, if they play KC off a win instead of a bye, that would certainly help

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2026 2:56 am

CSKreager wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2026 12:12 am

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Mon May 25, 2026 10:44 pm

I love this one, I had no idea about any controversial call in that Bills/Jets game. My Oilers '93 What If has always been the early season game against the Chargers where they ruled a clear touchdown completion in the back of the end zone out of bounds that would have given Houston the win, which would have put them at 13-3 and given them #1 seed.

I'm confident that the Oilers would have knocked Hostetler out of the game in the divisional round in this hypothetical universe and defeated the Raiders. So we would have lost to Montana a week later, unless Buffalo can make it to the AFCCG. I think Buffalo was out of gas after 4 years of high profile games and had they had to play on the road in the 93 playoffs they would not have made it to the Super Bowl.

I think getting past the divisional round hump might have taken a weight off Houston’s back, especially knowing they would have had homefield.

Just getting to the AFC CG would have probably eased them up a bit. Plus, if they play KC off a win instead of a bye, that would certainly help

I just don't see any conceivable way that Raiders team could have beat Houston in the Astrodome in those playoffs with Hostetler and no running game on that offense and the personnel they had at linebacker/secondary against what Houston had going on on offense. With the Raiders giving up 38 sacks that year I got to believe Hostetler joins the list of the 6 or 7 other QB's Buddy Ryan's 46 knocked out of games that season, we would have seen Vince Evans on the field.

As scary as that Houston-D was, they did not face an O-LINE like Big D's; and not to mention all those Big Names! Aikman may have been 'off' vs Buffalo IRL, but I'm confident that had the Bills still threatened in the 2nd-half, that Troy surely would have upped his game when it mattered most and Cowboys still win; and not by nail-biter. With full anticipation and preparation going in, #8 would have made extra-sure to be on his toes going into that wrath of Buddy Ball; and come out on the winning side.

More important to me is that DALLAS-D with their speed, talent, and swagger...look what they did to San Fran's #1 offense (coming off a...44-3 playoff win)!! Sure-enough they score at least one TD themselves whether it's a pick-six or a fumble-return.

And considering Pardee's playoff struggles otherwise, he vs JImmy Johnson for all-the-marbles?

74_75_78_79_ wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2026 11:12 am

ShinobiMusashi wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2026 2:56 am

CSKreager wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2026 12:12 am

I think getting past the divisional round hump might have taken a weight off Houston’s back, especially knowing they would have had homefield.

Just getting to the AFC CG would have probably eased them up a bit. Plus, if they play KC off a win instead of a bye, that would certainly help

I just don't see any conceivable way that Raiders team could have beat Houston in the Astrodome in those playoffs with Hostetler and no running game on that offense and the personnel they had at linebacker/secondary against what Houston had going on on offense. With the Raiders giving up 38 sacks that year I got to believe Hostetler joins the list of the 6 or 7 other QB's Buddy Ryan's 46 knocked out of games that season, we would have seen Vince Evans on the field.

A real beat-up Montana, or no Joe at all, and Houston ought to take KC in a hypo-AFCCG. But with or without winning a divisional game/"getting over the hump" (yes, Raiders not at all getting it done), a Joe Cool just as good as what he was IRL in that very '93 divisional, and the buck stops right there for the Oilers, IMO, and the Chiefs go to the Super Bowl instead.

It doesn't matter to me whoever represented the AFC that year. Dallas was winning-it-all anyway (Joe Montana actually...losing a Super Bowl). With the '79 Steelers being best-of-them-all, the '93 Cowboys are a Mt Rushmore 12-4 team (a 14 or even 15-win team in-disguise).

As scary as that Houston-D was, they did not face an O-LINE like Big D's; and not to mention all those Big Names! Aikman may have been 'off' vs Buffalo IRL, but I'm confident that had the Bills still threatened in the 2nd-half, that Troy surely would have upped his game when it mattered most and Cowboys still win; and not by nail-biter. With full anticipation and preparation going in, #8 would have made extra-sure to be on his toes going into that wrath of Buddy Ball; and come out on the winning side.

More important to me is that DALLAS-D with their speed, talent, and swagger...look what they did to San Fran's #1 offense (coming off a...44-3 playoff win)!! Sure-enough they score at least one TD themselves whether it's a pick-six or a fumble-return.

And considering Pardee's playoff struggles otherwise, he vs JImmy Johnson for all-the-marbles?

Maybe Oilers make it a game in this 'Super Battle of Texas'/JJ's-chance-at-'revenge' over Buddy, but if Big D wins by more than a TD (or even a 'close' 14-pt win as would be the case 3 years later, Packers/Pats), that wouldn't be a surprise to me.

I don’t think the 93 Cowboys are as good as they’re made out to be. Other than NYG/SF, who did they REALLY beat before SB 28?