Top 10 regular season Power Rankings, 1982
Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 12:25 am
Ten teams normally made the playoffs during this time, so a 'top 10' this should be. I'd like to think all the 3-loss-or-less teams make the top-10. This especially goes for who, I feel, are the real movers like Dallas, Cincy, SD, Miami and the Jets who I think - had '82 gone 16 games - they'd more-or-less finish with the same records as the year before.
Some may say that Bart Starr's only playoff year in GB as a HC was a product of an abbreviated season. Seeing what they did to StL in the 1st Rd (41-16), and then going to Big D and giving them quite a game, makes me think otherwise. But even judging them strictly on the 9-game regular-season (which these Power Rankings should be based on), I see no reason to assume that January-ball wouldn't have still been in order had '82 played out fully.
That blemishing tie vs Colts aside, you had the 3-0 start which included beating a good-again Vikings team, giving Jets at Shea some hell the following week but then following it up with a 4th 'W' vs a then 3-1 Bills team. Penultimate week they bury 5-2 Falcons on the road, 38-7, to clinch the playoffs which ought to allow you to discount their (2nd loss) to the Lions in the finale although Dickey and Lofton, among others, in the starting lineup still played. Yes, the Pack will make my top-10.
But will my very own Steelers? Perhaps, but not without considering their unimpressiveness once the games began again after that horrific 57-day wait. If ESPN had their weekly Power Rankings back in '82...Steelers (with defending-Champ San Fran at 0-2 out the way) would be Numero Uno with a Bullet after Week #2! Beat Dallas at Big D MNF opening week and then beat defending AFC-champ Cincy the following week in OT (snapping a 4-game skid to them)..."they're Back!"
Not quite. Whether the 57 days was the reason or not, they just weren't the same once things started up again. Yes, they extend things to 3-0 first week back, but by allowing a horrific Houston team to stay in the game into the 4th Q! Then those two shutout-defeats at Sea & Buf (and that paltry-as-hell showing at Cleveland)...yeah, not pretty. But convincing wins vs respectable Pats then avenging things vs Browns last two weeks may get them in. However, in hindsight, that home-loss 1st Rd vs SD shouldn't be considered an upset at all.
That '82 Steelers campaign, though enough of the '70s studs were still around, is basically before-the-strike-heavy (VERY much so). And this may beg to question just how much stock we should place in those first two-weeks compared to the seven remaining weeks once the season started up again. Kind of like the '81 MLB strike; and that weird '1st half' division champ vs '2nd half' division champ playoff structure.
Tampa Bay could very well be that 5-4 team that makes the cut! They went 0-2 before it all stopped, but both losses were close ones to playoff-participants-to-be, Vikings and Redskins (then again, just about everyone played league-MVP Moseley's 'Skins close in that regular season). Tampa suffered another close loss at Big D first week back (now 0-3) then go 5-1 there-on-out starting with a win vs...Miami; and then at a then 3-1 (before faltering) New Orleans. And how about Seahawks? They also start out 0-2. Win at Denver first week back then pitch that shutout vs the 'Burgh, but lose to 'big boys' Raiders & Bengals (and even Pats). Yeah...perhaps they need Warner next year.
You got the Bills (playoffs in '80 & '81) who start 4-2 then bust-out rest of way. Lions started 2-0, but from there just two more wins; both vs GB, one of them in finale if you even want to count it or not. Bum's Saints staring 3-1 which - believe me - I was really excited about at the moment, but all for nothing as they lost heavy to quality compettion down-stretch including to Washington which wasn't a close, "field-goals" Moseley loss (Wash beat 'em at Superdome, 27-10!).
Washington? Yes. they did come out-of-nowhere although that 8-3 finish the year before should have warned us all. That OT opener-win at (white-jerseys) Philly should have given the further reminder. I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure if memory serves correctly - while I was watching that very opener at the Vet - that one of the announcers (not sure who it was) predicted out loud a Redskins/Broncos Super Bowl. Week #2, Wash then went to another playoff team from year prior, Tampa, and done them in too to start 2-0! There-on-out, it was just they..."winning by field goals". Their only REAL competitor...DALLAS! And they beat 'Skins at RFK, 24-10! Understandable that many saw them as a - possible - 'paper tiger' going in to the playoffs.
And there are some who may feel the 8-1 Raiders weren't "that" great either. I may have felt the same too. However, beating defending-Champs on road in the opener and the following week seriously belting Falcons at Fulton; and then later on sweeping SD...yeah, maybe not 'best' but right up there. Better reg-season resume than Wash at least.
On the cold early-January basketball courts, a serious-delirious-die-hard-Cowboys-fan friend of mine was saying the day after that Dorsett 99-yard-TD-in-vain-MNF-finale-loss to Vikes was, "Yeah, Dallas just lost those last two games because they already knew they were in the playoffs!" "Yeah right!" I responded but couldn't help but secretly agree. During the last year's SB at Pontiac my Dad (who hates Big D, btw) said that "Dallas is going to be awesome next year." Then I responded, "You mean better than San Francisco?" and then he very confidently shook his head yes. Yes, not knowing that Riggo and others instead of just Moseley would take over once it all truly mattered, I couldn't help but see Big D as the top-dog going into it all. This being that I normally would hold a closing skid (even a two-gamer) against a team.
And then you had had all those other big movers who also were in the playoffs the previous year. Yes, Raiders were 8-1 sweeping SD but did lose at Cincy. And Cincy got scalped by SD on MNF (Freezer Bowl 'revenge')! Jets had the swagger but did get swept by Dolphins. However, going into AFCC, my 6th grade attitude was that Phins couldn't hat-trick such a fine team. But the Rain and a man named Duhe had other ideas!
Any 4-5s, by weird chance, break in? I think likely not. Very, very respectable SF and Eagles each at 3-6 at least worth mention, but I'd have to lean heavy on "a loss is a loss" and unfortunately not have to consider either. This despite the former being defending-Champs (likely a division-winner had '82 played out fully) and the latter being 21 pts from being...8-1!
And, hey, Giants were quite gritty and respectable and worthy of 'almost' mention here as well! Knowing that full '82 Steelers schedule since the day my Dad gave me a pocket version of it from the beer distributor 35 years ago this August...IMO the 'Burgh have themselves a letdown in Week #3 after that @Dal/Cincy double-triumph had '82 went as scheduled. G-men win at Three Rivers, Ham and Lambert shake hands with (hand Torch to) Lawrence Taylor. LT/Perkins/Tuna/Erhardt/Hoodie/Crennel may have had themselves a consecutive playoff berth in '82!
A very tough regular season, and of such small and unbalanced sample sizes for such teams, to perhaps properly analyze.
Some may say that Bart Starr's only playoff year in GB as a HC was a product of an abbreviated season. Seeing what they did to StL in the 1st Rd (41-16), and then going to Big D and giving them quite a game, makes me think otherwise. But even judging them strictly on the 9-game regular-season (which these Power Rankings should be based on), I see no reason to assume that January-ball wouldn't have still been in order had '82 played out fully.
That blemishing tie vs Colts aside, you had the 3-0 start which included beating a good-again Vikings team, giving Jets at Shea some hell the following week but then following it up with a 4th 'W' vs a then 3-1 Bills team. Penultimate week they bury 5-2 Falcons on the road, 38-7, to clinch the playoffs which ought to allow you to discount their (2nd loss) to the Lions in the finale although Dickey and Lofton, among others, in the starting lineup still played. Yes, the Pack will make my top-10.
But will my very own Steelers? Perhaps, but not without considering their unimpressiveness once the games began again after that horrific 57-day wait. If ESPN had their weekly Power Rankings back in '82...Steelers (with defending-Champ San Fran at 0-2 out the way) would be Numero Uno with a Bullet after Week #2! Beat Dallas at Big D MNF opening week and then beat defending AFC-champ Cincy the following week in OT (snapping a 4-game skid to them)..."they're Back!"
Not quite. Whether the 57 days was the reason or not, they just weren't the same once things started up again. Yes, they extend things to 3-0 first week back, but by allowing a horrific Houston team to stay in the game into the 4th Q! Then those two shutout-defeats at Sea & Buf (and that paltry-as-hell showing at Cleveland)...yeah, not pretty. But convincing wins vs respectable Pats then avenging things vs Browns last two weeks may get them in. However, in hindsight, that home-loss 1st Rd vs SD shouldn't be considered an upset at all.
That '82 Steelers campaign, though enough of the '70s studs were still around, is basically before-the-strike-heavy (VERY much so). And this may beg to question just how much stock we should place in those first two-weeks compared to the seven remaining weeks once the season started up again. Kind of like the '81 MLB strike; and that weird '1st half' division champ vs '2nd half' division champ playoff structure.
Tampa Bay could very well be that 5-4 team that makes the cut! They went 0-2 before it all stopped, but both losses were close ones to playoff-participants-to-be, Vikings and Redskins (then again, just about everyone played league-MVP Moseley's 'Skins close in that regular season). Tampa suffered another close loss at Big D first week back (now 0-3) then go 5-1 there-on-out starting with a win vs...Miami; and then at a then 3-1 (before faltering) New Orleans. And how about Seahawks? They also start out 0-2. Win at Denver first week back then pitch that shutout vs the 'Burgh, but lose to 'big boys' Raiders & Bengals (and even Pats). Yeah...perhaps they need Warner next year.
You got the Bills (playoffs in '80 & '81) who start 4-2 then bust-out rest of way. Lions started 2-0, but from there just two more wins; both vs GB, one of them in finale if you even want to count it or not. Bum's Saints staring 3-1 which - believe me - I was really excited about at the moment, but all for nothing as they lost heavy to quality compettion down-stretch including to Washington which wasn't a close, "field-goals" Moseley loss (Wash beat 'em at Superdome, 27-10!).
Washington? Yes. they did come out-of-nowhere although that 8-3 finish the year before should have warned us all. That OT opener-win at (white-jerseys) Philly should have given the further reminder. I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure if memory serves correctly - while I was watching that very opener at the Vet - that one of the announcers (not sure who it was) predicted out loud a Redskins/Broncos Super Bowl. Week #2, Wash then went to another playoff team from year prior, Tampa, and done them in too to start 2-0! There-on-out, it was just they..."winning by field goals". Their only REAL competitor...DALLAS! And they beat 'Skins at RFK, 24-10! Understandable that many saw them as a - possible - 'paper tiger' going in to the playoffs.
And there are some who may feel the 8-1 Raiders weren't "that" great either. I may have felt the same too. However, beating defending-Champs on road in the opener and the following week seriously belting Falcons at Fulton; and then later on sweeping SD...yeah, maybe not 'best' but right up there. Better reg-season resume than Wash at least.
On the cold early-January basketball courts, a serious-delirious-die-hard-Cowboys-fan friend of mine was saying the day after that Dorsett 99-yard-TD-in-vain-MNF-finale-loss to Vikes was, "Yeah, Dallas just lost those last two games because they already knew they were in the playoffs!" "Yeah right!" I responded but couldn't help but secretly agree. During the last year's SB at Pontiac my Dad (who hates Big D, btw) said that "Dallas is going to be awesome next year." Then I responded, "You mean better than San Francisco?" and then he very confidently shook his head yes. Yes, not knowing that Riggo and others instead of just Moseley would take over once it all truly mattered, I couldn't help but see Big D as the top-dog going into it all. This being that I normally would hold a closing skid (even a two-gamer) against a team.
And then you had had all those other big movers who also were in the playoffs the previous year. Yes, Raiders were 8-1 sweeping SD but did lose at Cincy. And Cincy got scalped by SD on MNF (Freezer Bowl 'revenge')! Jets had the swagger but did get swept by Dolphins. However, going into AFCC, my 6th grade attitude was that Phins couldn't hat-trick such a fine team. But the Rain and a man named Duhe had other ideas!
Any 4-5s, by weird chance, break in? I think likely not. Very, very respectable SF and Eagles each at 3-6 at least worth mention, but I'd have to lean heavy on "a loss is a loss" and unfortunately not have to consider either. This despite the former being defending-Champs (likely a division-winner had '82 played out fully) and the latter being 21 pts from being...8-1!
And, hey, Giants were quite gritty and respectable and worthy of 'almost' mention here as well! Knowing that full '82 Steelers schedule since the day my Dad gave me a pocket version of it from the beer distributor 35 years ago this August...IMO the 'Burgh have themselves a letdown in Week #3 after that @Dal/Cincy double-triumph had '82 went as scheduled. G-men win at Three Rivers, Ham and Lambert shake hands with (hand Torch to) Lawrence Taylor. LT/Perkins/Tuna/Erhardt/Hoodie/Crennel may have had themselves a consecutive playoff berth in '82!
A very tough regular season, and of such small and unbalanced sample sizes for such teams, to perhaps properly analyze.
