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1969: How would San Diego have done in the playoffs?
Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 1:35 am
by 7DnBrnc53
1969 was the only year that the AFL had four playoff teams. The two second place teams also went to the playoffs along with the division winners.
However, what if the Wild Card slots went to the two best non-division winners regardless of record?
If it did, 8-6 San Diego would have been in the playoffs instead of the 6-6-1 Oilers (who were blown out by Oakland in the first round of the playoffs).
Their first game would have been against the Jets or Raiders (they beat the Jets 34-27 in Week 3, and lost 24-12 and 21-16 to the Raiders) depending on how the format would have worked.
Re: 1969: How would San Diego have done in the playoffs?
Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 10:14 am
by BD Sullivan
The Chargers would have presumably gone to Oakland, since the Raiders had the best record.
Sid Gillman had quit for health reasons (ulcer, hiatal hernia) after they were blown out by the Chiefs (27-3) in Week 9--their third straight loss. The following week, they actually led the Raiders, 16-14 in the fourth quarter when Lamonica connected with Warren Wells with just under six minutes left to win it.
Gillman's illness wasn't helped by the fact that the Chargers had averaged FIVE points a game in their three previous games. After that second Raiders loss, their offense suddenly woke up by averaging almost 35 points a game. Of course it helped that the games were against Denver, Houston, Boston and Buffalo-teams that ended the season with a collective record of 19-34-3.
Out of the five games that San Diego played against winning teams (Oakland, KC and Jets), they had a 1-4 record. Their two losses against .500 teams came in Week 2 at Cincy (34-20) and Denver in Week 8. In the latter game, they only had 70 yards of offense.
To finish my long-winded analysis, despite their momentum, they were a team that hadn't been to the postseason in four years, with their only postseason victory being the 1963 championship blowout. Against a 12-1-1 Raiders team, they would come up short.
Re: 1969: How would San Diego have done in the playoffs?
Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 11:44 am
by ChrisBabcock
To finish my long-winded analysis, despite their momentum, they were a team that hadn't been to the postseason in four years, with their only postseason victory being the 1963 championship blowout. Against a 12-1-1 Raiders team, they would come up short.
I concur with said long winded analysis.
They probably would have met a similar fate as the Oilers did @ Oakland. That year the AFL was the Jets, Raiders and Chiefs and then everybody else.