1989 Playoffs...... with a 3rd wild card

[CSKreager]

Inspired by 74_75_78_79's NBA-style playoff proposal for 1989 and the AFC............

Let's say the playoff format expands a year early, we have 6 playoff teams to end the 80s rather than start the 90s, and there is a fight for the 6 seed

For one, the Packers are battling not just the Vikings but Washington: their Saturday shutout of Seattle puts pressure on the Pack. Does GB play 1-14 DAL differently if they know they WOULD have been guaranteed a playoff spot?

Would the AFC Wild Card scramble have been more or less chaotic with 3 wild cards spots available instead of 2?

Let's assume the GB/PIT outcomes at Tampa and Dallas respectively are the same, as well as New Orleans blowing out Indy, Giants/Raiders, Chiefs/Dolphins:

both the Packers/Steelers would have already been in as 2nd WC's with a spot to spare (Green Bay's win would have knocked out 10-6 WSH, PIT would have known they were in on once they saw the Dolphins/Raiders/Colts losses) In fact, the Steelers would have already known they were onto Houston BEFORE Monday night!

The Bengals/Vikings MNF finale here has a different tone:

With the Rams/Eagles both 11-5, GB/MIN would have both been basically locked into a 3/6 matchup where MNF 12/25 is to determine NFC Central champ, so it wouldn't have been do-or-die but rather who hosts round 3

OTOH, while the Bengals are still fighting for a playoff spot the team that would have been watching on TV on Christmas night would not have been Pittsburgh, but Kansas City (thanks to their tie) and the reward at stake for the last AFC playoff spot would have not been a trip to Houston, but
Buffalo (which for Cincy would have been a rematch of last January AND a November game at Orchard Park)

Assuming MIN/CIN still plays out the same way, in addition to Rams/Eagles and Steelers/Oilers, we get Chiefs at Bills and Packers at Vikings

However, if the Bengals win, it's instead Vikings at Packers and Bengals at Bills

(Should the Packers choke in Big D and you want to do a Redskins/Vikings hypo 2 years after 87 but this time indoors be my guest although THAT basically changes the Vikings incentive)

Both road teams in real life won on 12/31/89, but what of those two other games? GB/MIN is now on Sunday because you can't play on Monday Does that change the fate of LA/PIT?

Bills/Chiefs in 89 would have been a very different version compared to 1991- BUF was not yet running no huddle and they were the Bickering Bills, but KC wasn't quite the beast they would soon become

Green Bay OTOH had split with Minnesota and was probably playing better down the stretch than Minny despite 8-0 at home

Now the big wild card is the divisional rule which was put in place because of the new format. If one of the 6 seeds pulls an upset, they go to DEN/SF which reroutes the Steelers and Rams.

Remember in 1989, we did not get Rams/49ers because of the old rule. Let's say the Vikings hold serve at home vs GB, is Rams/49ers a week earlier any more or less competitive? Meanwhile, that sends Minnesota to Giants Stadium where they had played a MNF game on Halloween Eve that turned in the 2nd half thanks to some fumbled kickoffs.

One thing we know for sure is that with a 6 team NFC, the Vikings would have NOT gone to San Francisco in the divisional (which they might have taken their chances on after what happened in 88)

Or if the Packers find a way, it's still Rams at Giants but also...... Packers at 49ers (and we all know what happened in November)

In the AFC, should BUF hold serve, that side stays the same (PIT/DEN, BUF/CLE). But if the Chiefs somehow found a way to take advantage of the Bickering Bills...... Chiefs at Broncos AND Steelers at Browns

We know about Marty's history vs Elway, but DEN played down to the competition vs the Steelers and the Chiefs were a smidge better IMO than PIT. Meanwhile..... Steelers at Browns, nuff said. We almost got that in a real-life AFC-CG, but how does Pittsburgh fare on that dirt field? Plus remember PIT had won there in October (their only win at CLE between 1981-1994!)

And perhaps to a lesser extent, I think the schedule would have looked a bit different because remember MIN played vs CIN on a Monday night so they had to play on Sunday.

Does Rams/Eagles play out a smidge different on Saturday in different weather? And where would Chiefs/Bills be scheduled?

This gives us 2 dome playoff games and 2 outdoor playoff games.

Just something interesting I thought of because the 1989 playoffs were a tale of contrasts (The AFC games save for stretches in CLE/DEN were mostly competitive, but just 1 close NFC game). Maybe a shakeup changes things?

Maybe the NFC side is slightly more competitive outside of Rams/Giants instead of the SF Invitational?

[74_75_78_79_]

I prefer what actually did happen, obviously, lol. Yes, you want your team to clinch the playoffs as soon as possible instead of waiting and stressing out to the very end. But with it behind me, its very exciting looking back at the anticipation of the Christmas (Monday) Night 'Tale of Four Cities' decider; and then, of course, the Result!! In this very given scenario, either it would have been just Chiefs players via satellite or both they and Green Bay - the latter just to see if they're playing at home the next week. Yes, unless you're a KC fan, not as exciting as what actually happened.

In this '3rd wild card' 1989 scenario, yes, the Vikings would have simply been playing to get homefield the following week against Green Bay. Considering that Cincy came close to winning in real-time, sure-enough with Minny already in it would make just enough the difference for Cincy to win. Yes, the Vikes would be motivated to play at home the following week, but the urgency would be much greater for 'do-or-die' Cincy. For that, I think the Bengals win. No Gatorade Bath for Burnsie - off to Lambeau (sure-enough no Gatorade Bath anyway even with a win in this scenario).

This would give the Bengals a home date with Houston as Pittsburgh would, instead, travel to Buffalo! The Steelers were hot by the time of that Wild Card round, with at least another stout performance in the tank based on their performance the following week at Denver. But this would be the opponent, and location, that the 'Burgh wouldn't want! Steelers still play them tough, but come up short IMO thus the one-and-done taking quite the luster off how we all see that '89 Steeler playoff run to this day. Again, I'm glad there were just 5-teams-per in '89. As for Hou@Cin? I definitely pick the Bengals with Glanville still off to Atlanta the following year.

Both the Bengals and Vikings would have been slated for Sunday considering both playing on Monday Night. As for Min@GB? I think the Vikings top the 'Majik' Pack and still go to Candlestick anyway thus the same very convincing result unfortunately. Rams@Eagles? It being a Saturday game in this case instead of Sunday wouldn't make a difference to me. Robinson and crew off to the Meadowlands the following weekend with the same result!

The only different thing at this point is Denver hosting the Bengals now instead of the Steelers! I'm going to give it to Denver. Cincy keeps it close, I think, but not as close as the real Pit@Den match. As for Bills at Browns? Do the Browns win by a bit more because they at least got to rest? Or would Buffalo be more fresh with momentum being that they played the week prior? I'll pick Cleveland still prevailing thus everything from there (the CCs and SBXXIV) pretty much being the same results.

I always knew it was Dwayne Woodruff hosting the via-satellite Steelers watch party on that final '89 Monday Night affair. But I always thought that it was Maj hosting things on his Green Bay end. I was wrong. If you watch that game, you'll see four Packers sitting on a couch together...Maj, former-Eagle JOHN SPAGNOLA, Chuck Cecil (brutal player who Buddy Ryan actually cut right away upon taking over Arizona years later), and the ACTUAL HOST of the Packer via-satellite party...Brian Noble! I honestly, and with confession, don't know anything about nor ever heard of him.

Watching that Cincy@Vikings Christmas/Monday Night match, during a commercial break (obviously Idaho Vandals country), you'll hear a newsman say, "Idaho quarterback, John Friesz, puts on quite a show today! Highlights after the game!" So what "show" did that future-Charger QB put on that very final Christmas of the 1980s? Thanks, in-advance, for any answer(s).

You all pretty much here have placed James Brooks in higher esteem than the very 'Shuffler' from the year before who got injured in Week #2. Not only is it mentioned in this game that James Brooks averaged well more than 5-per-carry in '89 (5.6) while Herschel Walker was less than 4 (3.7), but that James was the only player in the '80s with two 1,000+ rushing seasons with a 5+ yard average!! "Those are Jim Brown-type averages", said Dierdorf.

Let the last game of the year be on MNF again! Why not? If anyone who plays in that game makes the playoffs? Simply have them play on Sunday. Or...Monday now.