Professional Football Researchers Association Forum

The one "good" year in Titletown nestled between, otherwise, championship-caliber campaigns.

Not just the '77 Steelers and '96 Cowboys having a certain thing in common, but these guys can join the two. This thing, of course, being that they were just a plain "good" team yet still defeated that year's champ during the regular season.

What-if there was just a couple more teams that were allowed to make the playoffs in 1964 - a la the '69 AFL format? Not, really, an impossibility that the Pack beat Cleveland in a rematch albeit the game being in Cleveland this time. And assuming the Colts at least take care of their business in a semifinal event vs StL, and given Shula's inability to win-it-all with ’72/’73 still years away, perhaps yet another Title in '64 despite having just a "good" regular season?

And GB played Balt tough in each narrow loss to them in ’64 making a Colts hat-trick over Vince not a given.

74_75_78_79_ wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2024 12:33 pm The one "good" year in Titletown nestled between, otherwise, championship-caliber campaigns.

Not just the '77 Steelers and '96 Cowboys having a certain thing in common, but these guys can join the two. This thing, of course, being that they were just a plain "good" team yet still defeated that year's champ during the regular season.

What-if there was just a couple more teams that were allowed to make the playoffs in 1964 - a la the '69 AFL format? Not, really, an impossibility that the Pack beat Cleveland in a rematch albeit the game being in Cleveland this time. And assuming the Colts at least take care of their business in a semifinal event vs StL, and given Shula's inability to win-it-all with ’72/’73 still years away, perhaps yet another Title in '64 despite having just a "good" regular season?

And GB played Balt tough in each narrow loss to them in ’64 making a Colts hat-trick over Vince not a given.

I wouldn’t be stunned if Green Bay won it all; if so, they’d fourpeat.

As for the 77 Steelers, I notice that their defense only ranked 17th by total points; granted it was a very stacked year for defense.

Any idea why they’d regress as much as they did defensively?

As for the 96 Cowboys, solid team, but similarly, I notice That their offense ranks 25th in 96 after finishing third in 95.
Any idea why that would be the case?

The 96 Cowboys were the only NFC team from 1992-1997 to lose in the divisional round to a team that wasn’t the 49ers, Cowboys or Packers.

The 96 Panthers of whom were the only team other than those three to make an NFC Championship Game in that six year span.

I feel complacency hurt the Cowboys more than anything in 1996. The offensive line didnt play as well and Switzer even thought Emmitt Smith had lost a step. Williams at receiver wasnt as productive as 1995 and losing Jay Novachek was huge.

Brian wolf wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2024 4:46 pm I feel complacency hurt the Cowboys more than anything in 1996. The offensive line didnt play as well and Switzer even thought Emmitt Smith had lost a step. Williams at receiver wasnt as productive as 1995 and losing Jay Novachek was huge.

Wasn’t 96 the year Irvin was suspended for a bit?

Yes, and only scored two TDs when he came back. The defense continued to lose depth as well.

It's a shame there was no playoff system in the NFL in the first half of the sixties. Perhaps the Packers win more championships, perhaps they win fewer! Instead there was that awful Bert Bell Benefit Bowl - which, on another note, would be a great topic to write on. I'm not sure if there's ever been a Coffin Corner article about it - I only go back to 2020 or so - but the stories of those Playoff Bowl teams might be interesting enough to squeeze out an article.

Crazy Packers Fan wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2024 6:20 pm It's a shame there was no playoff system in the NFL in the first half of the sixties. Perhaps the Packers win more championships, perhaps they win fewer! Instead there was that awful Bert Bell Benefit Bowl - which, on another note, would be a great topic to write on. I'm not sure if there's ever been a Coffin Corner article about it - I only go back to 2020 or so - but the stories of those Playoff Bowl teams might be interesting enough to squeeze out an article.

Initiate the '69 AFL playoff format into the NFL early/mid-'60s and this is what you get...

And, of course, this would mean the top-two teams from each division getting in; third-place finishers can't get in no matter what the record. Each division-winner hosting the second-place team from the other division in the semifinal round.

1960:
7-5 Lions at 10-2 Eagles
8-3-1 Browns at 8-4 Packers

1961:
8-5-1 Lions at 10-3-1 Giants
10-4 Eagles at 11-3 Packers

1962:
11-3 Lions at 12-2 Giants
9-5 Steelers at 13-1 Packers

1963:
11-2-1 Packers at 11-3 Giants
10-4 Browns at 11-1-2 Bears

1964:
8-5-1 Packers at 10-3-1 Browns
9-3-2 Cardinals at 12-2 Colts

1965:
10-3-1 Colts at 11-3 Browns
7-7 Cowboys at 10-3-1 Packers

1966:
9-5 Colts at 10-3-1 Cowboys
9-5 Eagles at 12-2 Packers

Hmm, I forgot about 7-7 Dallas actually finishing in second in their division in '65! Perhaps the 'Boys give GB a game in that hypo-semi thus hinting contendership to immediately come in the Landry Era. The 9-5 third-place Bears would be the '69 Chargers in this scenario. And considering that ties didn't count at the time, the 6-4-2 Giants in '60 would have also been 'the Chargers' as well.

The most intriguing of all these games, to me, is Detroit at Giants in '62! Yes, Giants beat them at the Stadium during the regular season, 17-14, but would Sherman's bunch have been able to do it again?? If not, what a nice rubber-band match we would have had for the LCG!

The following year, I feel that Green Bay wins at the Stadium in a hypo-semifinal! They simply OWNED the G-men! As much as I feel Chicago was truly the best in '63/one of the decade's very best, hat-tricking the Pack would have been SUCH a tall task. Yes, quite doable. Threeps have happened throughout sports history between two teams of championship-caliber, but it would have been tough for Papa Bear & Co.


As for '64 - in all fairness to who actually did finish on top (burying that juggernaut, 27-0, the ultimate exclamation point) - though GB has a fine shot in a hypo-they-in-the-playoffs event, I think its more likely that Cleveland stops them; especially with the game being at home. Just like I think that Green Bay would have taken Dallas in a hypo-NFCCG date in '96.

Lions at Giants 1962? Sign me up! Wouldn't it have been fantastic for the Lions and Packers to go at it for that 1962 title? Someday EA Sports is going to get the rights to all NFL alumni and put them in a game of Madden. Then we'll get to simulate these games and see what happens. In my mind, Green Bay wins it all in 1964 but might lose to the Lions in 1962.

Crazy Packers Fan wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2024 6:20 pm ...I'm not sure if there's ever been a Coffin Corner article about it - I only go back to 2020 or so - but the stories of those Playoff Bowl teams might be interesting enough to squeeze out an article.

Volume 44, first issue. 2022.
I'd post a link but it is in the members only section and I can never get my password to work there...

Yeah, I found that too right before you posted that! I'm sure I read it and had it totally slip my mind. Thanks!