Sipe VS Cunningham! Buddy VS Sam! Reggie VS Alzado! Two 'exciting', 'Cardiac' teams both winning their divisions and coming up shy on a Great Lake shore. Who wins?
I'll go with Philly. Their D, led by Reggie and that front, would give Sipe more gruff than Cleveland's D would give #12. Could see Randall giving Lyle & Co fits, making big plays all game. Sweeping Tuna (and also in '89) not a bad feather in their cap as well.
'80 Browns VS '88 Eagles
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BD Sullivan
- Posts: 2318
- Joined: Mon Oct 13, 2014 1:30 pm
Re: '80 Browns VS '88 Eagles
The 1980 Browns had their two divisional games against the Steelers, though the eventual results probably should have been reversed in each game. In Cleveland, Cliff Stoudt started and still shredded the Browns for 310 yards, with Harris, Swann and Lambert also out. However, the Steelers blew a 26-14 lead (with Matt Bahr missing what turned out to be a crucial XP on the last TD) in the fourth quarter to lose 27-26.
Three weeks later, the Browns stopped the Steelers on a goal line stand with 2:44 left holding a 13-7 lead, and after going nowhere, they took a safety. On third down of that series, the Browns could have run the ball and eaten up a good amount of time since Pittsburgh had no timeouts left. Instead, an incomplete pass and the safety gave the Steelers the ball at their 48 with 1:44 left. Pittsburgh got to the Browns three with 17 seconds left and Bradshaw then connected with Swann for the game-winner. The Browns claimed that the Steelers ran a pick play to get Swann open, but it was ignored.
Two of the other Browns losses also came in painful fashion: in the 10/5 home game against the Broncos, the key play that changed the momentum in the game came in the final minute of the first half on a fluke play. The Browns, ahead 10-6, had 3rd-and-goal at the Bronco 1, when Sipe rolled out and tried to throw in the end zone. It hit Gradishar in the chest and bounced down onto Tom Jackson, with the ball bouncing back up to Gradishar at the 7 and 93 yards later, Denver had a 13-10 lead instead of trailing 17 (or 13)-6 at halftime.
The other game? The infamous Ahmad Rashad Hail Mary where the Vikes went 80 yards in 14 seconds, the first play gaining 34 yards via a hook-and-ladder.
Three weeks later, the Browns stopped the Steelers on a goal line stand with 2:44 left holding a 13-7 lead, and after going nowhere, they took a safety. On third down of that series, the Browns could have run the ball and eaten up a good amount of time since Pittsburgh had no timeouts left. Instead, an incomplete pass and the safety gave the Steelers the ball at their 48 with 1:44 left. Pittsburgh got to the Browns three with 17 seconds left and Bradshaw then connected with Swann for the game-winner. The Browns claimed that the Steelers ran a pick play to get Swann open, but it was ignored.
Two of the other Browns losses also came in painful fashion: in the 10/5 home game against the Broncos, the key play that changed the momentum in the game came in the final minute of the first half on a fluke play. The Browns, ahead 10-6, had 3rd-and-goal at the Bronco 1, when Sipe rolled out and tried to throw in the end zone. It hit Gradishar in the chest and bounced down onto Tom Jackson, with the ball bouncing back up to Gradishar at the 7 and 93 yards later, Denver had a 13-10 lead instead of trailing 17 (or 13)-6 at halftime.
The other game? The infamous Ahmad Rashad Hail Mary where the Vikes went 80 yards in 14 seconds, the first play gaining 34 yards via a hook-and-ladder.
Re: '80 Browns VS '88 Eagles
That loss to the Vikes affected the Bills and Lions more than it did the Browns. If Cleveland doesn't blow that Minnesota game, they end up 12-4, the Bills host SD (they both were 11-5, and Buffalo beat SD that year), and the Lions would have won the Central.
We may have seen an Oakland@Buffalo AFC Title Game in icy conditions, and it wouldn't have been the biggest upset in the world if the Lions beat the Eagles (setting up an NFC Title Game at the Silverdome vs. Dallas).
We may have seen an Oakland@Buffalo AFC Title Game in icy conditions, and it wouldn't have been the biggest upset in the world if the Lions beat the Eagles (setting up an NFC Title Game at the Silverdome vs. Dallas).
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74_75_78_79_
- Posts: 2346
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Re: '80 Browns VS '88 Eagles
Although I remember the '80 Browns, I remember in more detail the 'cardiac'-ness of that very first playoff year of 'Gang Green'. Destroying TB in the opener at TB, getting beat up at Cleveland, and the division-clinching finale at Dallas were the only games of theirs that weren't close. For a while there they were sort-of, just sort-of, like my '89 Steelers just in that they would keep getting back to 500 only to then lose a game right after that - Chris Miller's Falcons being the last team to bring the Eagles back down again (to 4-5). After even-ing things back up vs Rams, Eagles then go to downtrodden Pittsburgh barely escaping with a win; Gary Anderson missing a doable-for-him FG at game's end. Now above-500, for first time since opener, they perform 'Miracle at the Meadowlands II' (almost exactly 10 years after the first), completing their Giant-sweep. Washington would be the only team to beat (sweep) them the rest of the regular season.
I also nod this squad over Sipe's bunch because they simply had a tougher schedule. Eagles played seven games vs a team with a winning record, five of those vs playoff teams (Giants taking up the other two). The '80 Browns only won two games vs a winning team, Houston being the only playoff team. The only other winners they faced were the 10-6 Pats in the opener who belted them and the 9-7 Vikes. They missed out on playing the other above-500 team in the NFC Central, the Lions, due to Detroit finishing 5th the previous year. And then you got Buffalo who played (and beat) both Oak and (at) SD and cross-conference both Falcons and Rams. Browns having better record than Buff vs common opponents (5-2 to 5-3) was a lame reason to give them the 2nd-seed nod over them; Bills should have been top. Not saying '80 Browns weren't good (they were), but this is all worth a mention.
I also nod this squad over Sipe's bunch because they simply had a tougher schedule. Eagles played seven games vs a team with a winning record, five of those vs playoff teams (Giants taking up the other two). The '80 Browns only won two games vs a winning team, Houston being the only playoff team. The only other winners they faced were the 10-6 Pats in the opener who belted them and the 9-7 Vikes. They missed out on playing the other above-500 team in the NFC Central, the Lions, due to Detroit finishing 5th the previous year. And then you got Buffalo who played (and beat) both Oak and (at) SD and cross-conference both Falcons and Rams. Browns having better record than Buff vs common opponents (5-2 to 5-3) was a lame reason to give them the 2nd-seed nod over them; Bills should have been top. Not saying '80 Browns weren't good (they were), but this is all worth a mention.