The best, and the worst, 3rd-seed team of the ’80s

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74_75_78_79_
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The best, and the worst, 3rd-seed team of the ’80s

Post by 74_75_78_79_ »

Here’s a list of all 18 (of course ’82 is excluded once again)...

’80 - Bills, Vikings
’81 - Chargers, Buccaneers
’83 - Steelers, Lions
’84 - Steelers, Bears
’85 - Browns, Cowboys
’86 - Patriots, Forty Niners
’87 - Colts, Redskins
’88 - Seahawks, Eagles
’89 - Bills, Vikings

For worst, I guess I’ll go with the obvious - '85 Browns although ’80 Vikes are real tempting. As for best, I’d really love to vote for ’80 Bills but simply can’t pass on the only Super Bowl champ (yet alone SB-participant period) on this list!
BD Sullivan
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Re: The best, and the worst, 3rd-seed team of the ’80s

Post by BD Sullivan »

74_75_78_79_ wrote:Here’s a list of all 18 (of course ’82 is excluded once again)...

’80 - Bills, Vikings
’81 - Chargers, Buccaneers
’83 - Steelers, Lions
’84 - Steelers, Bears
’85 - Browns, Cowboys
’86 - Patriots, Forty Niners
’87 - Colts, Redskins
’88 - Seahawks, Eagles
’89 - Bills, Vikings

For worst, I guess I’ll go with the obvious - '85 Browns although ’80 Vikes are real tempting. As for best, I’d really love to vote for ’80 Bills but simply can’t pass on the only Super Bowl champ (yet alone SB-participant period) on this list!
Like the '85 Browns, the '80 Vikings made their opponent (the Eagles) sweat bullets before fading. They jumped out to a 14-0 lead before losing 31-16.

I'd go with the 81 Chargers. They almost blew it against Miami in that epic playoff, then were handicapped from the outset in the Freezer Bowl.
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74_75_78_79_
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Re: The best, and the worst, 3rd-seed team of the ’80s

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'86 Pats are another real worthy mention. Hats-off to them! They get obliterated in the SB yet come back strong the next year with a division title and very respectable showing in Mile High vs eventual-AFC-champ!

'80 Bills were oh so SB-win-capable but it seems the Football Gods in-general never smiled so well on them 3rd-seeds. Plenty of quite putrid ones as we see right here in the '80s. And then 1990 came and quite a few of them lose to a 6th-seed which begs one to wonder if they ever deserved those 1st-round byes in the first place!
7DnBrnc53
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Re: The best, and the worst, 3rd-seed team of the ’80s

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Worst: 1980 Vikings. That team didn't deserve to make the playoffs. They got in because Cleveland gave the game away in Week 15.

Best: 1989 Bills. Their team chemistry was off that year, but they were starting to find something with the no-huddle in the Brown playoff game. If they get out of Cleveland, things could have been interesting. They also were the same team that went 12-4 in 88 and to four straight SB's from 1990-93.
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Re: The best, and the worst, 3rd-seed team of the ’80s

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7DnBrnc53 wrote:Worst: 1980 Vikings. That team didn't deserve to make the playoffs. They got in because Cleveland gave the game away in Week 15.

Best: 1989 Bills. Their team chemistry was off that year, but they were starting to find something with the no-huddle in the Brown playoff game. If they get out of Cleveland, things could have been interesting. They also were the same team that went 12-4 in 88 and to four straight SB's from 1990-93.
Ronnie Harmon dropped what would have likely been a game-winning TD pass with one minute left in their playoff game.
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Re: The best, and the worst, 3rd-seed team of the ’80s

Post by 7DnBrnc53 »

BD Sullivan wrote:
7DnBrnc53 wrote:Worst: 1980 Vikings. That team didn't deserve to make the playoffs. They got in because Cleveland gave the game away in Week 15.

Best: 1989 Bills. Their team chemistry was off that year, but they were starting to find something with the no-huddle in the Brown playoff game. If they get out of Cleveland, things could have been interesting. They also were the same team that went 12-4 in 88 and to four straight SB's from 1990-93.
Ronnie Harmon dropped what would have likely been a game-winning TD pass with one minute left in their playoff game.
If he holds on to that, they may have went to the SB because of the no-huddle. Denver's defense seemed to be getting weaker in the playoffs that year (the Steelers ran through them with Hoge and Worley), and Wade didn't have the blueprint to stop it until the 91 AFC Title Game.
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Re: The best, and the worst, 3rd-seed team of the ’80s

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’89 Bills not a bad suggestion for best for reasons already stated.

I did flirt a bit with ’87 Colts for worst. They were 7-5 outside the scab games. But they went 4-1 down the stretch blasting Houston in the first of those four wins, 51-27, and then beating Browns at Cleveland the following week in a defensive battle, 9-7. That got them off the schnide with me.
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Re: The best, and the worst, 3rd-seed team of the ’80s

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74_75_78_79_ wrote:’89 Bills not a bad suggestion for best for reasons already stated.

I did flirt a bit with ’87 Colts for worst. They were 7-5 outside the scab games. But they went 4-1 down the stretch blasting Houston in the first of those four wins, 51-27, and then beating Browns at Cleveland the following week in a defensive battle, 9-7. That got them off the schnide with me.
In their playoff game against the Browns, the '87 Colts were making a big push for an upset. The game was tied at 14 midway through the 3rd quarter and Jack Trudeau had the ball at the Browns 20. A blitz caused him to throw a fluttering pass that was intercepted, which led to a go-ahead drive and changed the mometum for good. The Browns got a pick-6 in the final minute to win 38-21.
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