Is anyone going to actually place Dan's more-"exciting" Dolphins over San Fran? I won't. Though I thought at the time that Mia/SF would be close, I still saw SF as #1 by regular-season's end (especially with a recent Lombardi to boot along with just barely missing the Bowl the year prior). I'm sure there's at least one person here who'll put more-balanced Denver ahead of Miami (maybe more than one). Heck, if this is '84 Power Rankings 'after Week 14', Seattle could very well be #1!
I guess Cards, or maybe even the Pats, will supplant the Steelers on many lists. Then again, being the only team to beat You-Know-Who (on the road) and winning at Raiders in finale are two BIG feathers in the Burgh's cap! Do Packers, Bengals & Chiefs' 7-1, 8-3 & 3-0 (vs Den then Sea) respective finishes at least include them in the convo? Not knowing the divisional-round outcome, I'd guess Gibby's seasoned Redskins will be ahead of Ditka's new-to-playoffs Bears.
And while on subject...anyone see that, paraphrasing, "1984, the Season that saved the NFL" doc narrated by Rob Lowe? Wasn't aware, at the time, that the NFL was at a significant "low" during that time (I do, however, remember watching "The Burning Bed" when it aired - on a Monday Night). IMO, I think it's da SB-Shuffle Bears a year later that delivered the "shot in the arm". Casual and even non-football/sports-fans tuned in; and still to this day remember them, even if they went back to not following a year later.
Top 10 NFL regular season Power Rankings, 1984
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74_75_78_79_
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Top 10 NFL regular season Power Rankings, 1984
Last edited by 74_75_78_79_ on Mon Dec 12, 2016 2:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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ChrisBabcock
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Re: Top 10 NFL regular season Power Rankings, 1984
1. 49ers
2. Dolphins
3. Broncos
4. Redskins
5. Raiders
6. Seahawks... could have been as high as #3 on this list if not for dropping their last 2.
7. Cardinals... I forgot how potent their offense was this year. They would have been REALLY great if not for a lull in November.
8. Rams
9. Packers
10. Bears
2. Dolphins
3. Broncos
4. Redskins
5. Raiders
6. Seahawks... could have been as high as #3 on this list if not for dropping their last 2.
7. Cardinals... I forgot how potent their offense was this year. They would have been REALLY great if not for a lull in November.
8. Rams
9. Packers
10. Bears
Re: Top 10 NFL regular season Power Rankings, 1984
I'm gonna throw another non-playoff team into that list. The Chargers. Yes, 7-9, but remember the AFC West of 1984 may have been the best single-season division in NFL history. San Diego, for what it's worth, was 7-1 in non-divisional games that year (And they did beat MIA/CHI)74_75_78_79_ wrote:Is anyone going to actually place Dan's more-"exciting" Dolphins over San Fran? I won't. Though I thought at the time that Mia/SF would be close, I still saw SF as #1 by regular-season's end (especially with a recent Lombardi to boot along with just barely missing the Bowl the year prior). I'm sure there's at least one person here who'll put more-balanced Denver ahead of Miami (maybe more than one). Heck, if this is '84 Power Rankings 'after Week 14', Seattle could very well be #1!
I guess Cards, or maybe even the Pats, will supplant the Steelers on many lists. Then again, being the only team to beat You-Know-Who (on the road) and winning at Raiders in finale are two BIG feathers in the Burgh's cap! Do Packers, Bengals & Chiefs' 7-1, 8-3 & 3-0 (vs Den then Sea) respective finishes at least include them in the convo? Not knowing the divisional-round outcome, I'd guess Gibby's seasoned Redskins will be ahead of Ditka's new-to-playoffs Bears.
Re: Top 10 NFL regular season Power Rankings, 1984
1. Broncos
2. 49ers
3. Dolphins
4. Redskins (Their strong finish and a decent resume of wins helps)
5. Seahawks
6. Raiders
7. Rams
8. Bears
9. Steelers (Yes, they beat SF/Raiders, but some of their losses were real head-scratchers)
10. Chargers (Little controversial, but keep in mind they were in an all-timer of a division and lost only once outside the AFC West that year and did beat CHI/MIA. 0-8 in a brutally competitive AFC West, but )
11. Cardinals
12. Cowboys
Yup, I actually dropped SF a bit because of that schedule. SF didn't exactly beat anyone of real significance other than Washington in week 2 MNF and maybe the 9-7 Rams/Giants. Look at their schedule! Terrible AFC Central, worst Viking team ever, Tampa, Philly. I would have thought at the time they were a soft-ish schedule 15-1. And the NFC West's ATL/NO combo was probably at its worst from 1981-1990 that year
Denver had more what I like to call impressive skins on the wall (Swept Raiders, won at Kingdome)
2. 49ers
3. Dolphins
4. Redskins (Their strong finish and a decent resume of wins helps)
5. Seahawks
6. Raiders
7. Rams
8. Bears
9. Steelers (Yes, they beat SF/Raiders, but some of their losses were real head-scratchers)
10. Chargers (Little controversial, but keep in mind they were in an all-timer of a division and lost only once outside the AFC West that year and did beat CHI/MIA. 0-8 in a brutally competitive AFC West, but )
11. Cardinals
12. Cowboys
Yup, I actually dropped SF a bit because of that schedule. SF didn't exactly beat anyone of real significance other than Washington in week 2 MNF and maybe the 9-7 Rams/Giants. Look at their schedule! Terrible AFC Central, worst Viking team ever, Tampa, Philly. I would have thought at the time they were a soft-ish schedule 15-1. And the NFC West's ATL/NO combo was probably at its worst from 1981-1990 that year
Denver had more what I like to call impressive skins on the wall (Swept Raiders, won at Kingdome)
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74_75_78_79_
- Posts: 2489
- Joined: Sat Oct 11, 2014 1:25 pm
Re: Top 10 NFL regular season Power Rankings, 1984
1) Forty Niners
2) Dolphins
3) Broncos
4) Seahawks
5) Raiders
6) Redskins
7) Rams
8) Cardinals
9) Bears
10) Steelers
Today, knowing what I know, I feel Broncos win a hypo-AFCC as I've opined a few times on this site. But going into the '84 playoffs and not knowing just how much San Fran would indeed expose Miami, and not knowing that Reeves would be a regular SB-participant in a few years (and what he would do in '98 against a 'heavy-favorite', also just one win better), I would think Marino-to-Duper, Marino-to-Clayton, Shula at helm (12-4 last year, SB two years prior), a FWIW statistically at-least good D ranked at #7 in pts-allowed, would have been enough to get them to the Super Bowl. I respect your Denver-over-SF, CSK, but Walsh/Joe & Co winning-it-all 3 years earlier, just barely missing the Bowl a year prior, 15-1, #2 offense in-pts, #1 D in pts-allowed...yeah, to me, nothing but #1.
Anyways, Giants losing their last 2, falling into playoffs, while Steelers step-up when needed at Raiders in finale is enough to box Tuna out of this list. Wouldn't have expected G-men to go to LA and post a 'W' in the wild card.
2) Dolphins
3) Broncos
4) Seahawks
5) Raiders
6) Redskins
7) Rams
8) Cardinals
9) Bears
10) Steelers
Today, knowing what I know, I feel Broncos win a hypo-AFCC as I've opined a few times on this site. But going into the '84 playoffs and not knowing just how much San Fran would indeed expose Miami, and not knowing that Reeves would be a regular SB-participant in a few years (and what he would do in '98 against a 'heavy-favorite', also just one win better), I would think Marino-to-Duper, Marino-to-Clayton, Shula at helm (12-4 last year, SB two years prior), a FWIW statistically at-least good D ranked at #7 in pts-allowed, would have been enough to get them to the Super Bowl. I respect your Denver-over-SF, CSK, but Walsh/Joe & Co winning-it-all 3 years earlier, just barely missing the Bowl a year prior, 15-1, #2 offense in-pts, #1 D in pts-allowed...yeah, to me, nothing but #1.
Anyways, Giants losing their last 2, falling into playoffs, while Steelers step-up when needed at Raiders in finale is enough to box Tuna out of this list. Wouldn't have expected G-men to go to LA and post a 'W' in the wild card.