Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

NFL Throwback on You Tube released a video on this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcxE_gDZmr8

Just to let you know, the 1967 Colts were the only pre-merger team on this list.

Sure, the 1963 Packers (11-2-1) were nowhere near as good as all those 9-7 teams from the last 20 years that were cheated out of the 6th playoff spot.

For others on the board who would know better, what about the 1962 Lions? The only thing I know about them (that was before my time) was the Tobin Rote debacle and the blowout against GB on Thanksgiving.

2008 Patriots at 11-5

7DnBrnc53 wrote:For others on the board who would know better, what about the 1962 Lions? The only thing I know about them (that was before my time) was the Tobin Rote debacle and the blowout against GB on Thanksgiving.

Not Tobin Rote! He was in Canada in 1962. You must be thinking of Milt Plum.

Aside from that, the 1962 Lions are also good contenders for any list like this. Staying right in that tight window, the 1963 Browns might deserve a look too.

Bob Gill wrote:Sure, the 1963 Packers (11-2-1) were nowhere near as good as all those 9-7 teams from the last 20 years that were cheated out of the 6th playoff spot.

1963 Packers didn't miss the playoffs.

the 1981 Broncos were pretty good, 10-6
Top 10 defense
Maybe offense in the middle

1985 they were 11-5
Top 10 offenes
Defense in the middle

JohnTurney wrote:the 1981 Broncos were pretty good, 10-6
Top 10 defense
Maybe offense in the middle

1985 they were 11-5
Top 10 offenes
Defense in the middle

I think the mid-80's had so many perpetually bad teams that you'd regularly see double-digit win teams miss the postseason.

One of the teams I remember missing out was the 1985 Redskins who went 10-6. They weren't the 'best' team to miss the playoffs, but they were interesting. Joe Thiesmann had been terrible for most of the year, got his leg broken against the Giants, then Jay Schroeder leads the Redskins to a 5-1 finish. But they still miss out on the playoffs and lose the division tiebreaker to the Cowboys, who were also 10-6 but had a couple of bad losses late in the year (44-0 to Chi, 50-24 to Cin).

Another team was the 1986 Seahawks. They were very good and well-rounded. They beat both the Giants and Broncos in 1986, but missed the playoffs at 10-6 while the Jets (5 game losing streak) and Chiefs (Mike Pruitt!) make them instead with the same record. The Seahawks started hot at 5-2, ended the year with a 5 game winning streak...but were done in by a 4-game losing streak in midseason. Chuck Knox applied an extremely short leash to Dave Krieg, benching him for two games in favor of the immortal Gale Gilbert. Not surprisingly, the Seahawks lost both of Gilbert's starts and that is probably what cost them a postseason opportunity.

IMO the top two would be '67 Colts and '62 Lions. That's pre-merger. Post-merger...man, there's too many to sort out.

I've never given much thought to '63 Packers. But 11-2-1 w/o Hornung...Pack's only 2 losses were to Bears...reverse one of those losses and it's 12-1-1 GB vs. NYG in title game for third year in a row.

RichardBak wrote:IMO the top two would be '67 Colts and '62 Lions. That's pre-merger. Post-merger...man, there's too many to sort out.

I've never given much thought to '63 Packers. But 11-2-1 w/o Hornung...Pack's only 2 losses were to Bears...reverse one of those losses and it's 12-1-1 GB vs. NYG in title game for third year in a row.

I recall seeing the November 17 Bears-Packers game on TV. It was made the "national" game that week. Both teams were 8-1 going in. This was the "big game" of the year and was anticipated by press and fans for weeks. The Bears won 26-7. I've never thought the Packers missed Hornung that much.

JFK was assassinated five days later.