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Re: Who, IYO, is the best-ever Wild Card SB-winner?

Posted: Sun Jun 06, 2021 5:07 pm
by Brian wolf
Though unrelated to the post, it looks like Julio Jones is now a Titan ...

Re: Who, IYO, is the best-ever Wild Card SB-winner?

Posted: Mon Jun 07, 2021 12:20 am
by Brian wolf
On the other side of the coin, there were disappointing wild card teams that I thought could win it all. The Cowboys were the first wild card team to reach the SB in 1975/76 but though the Hail Mary game against the Vikes and blowout win against the Rams were great team wins, that SB loss to the Steelers left a bitter taste in my mouth to this day. Yes, the Steelers might have been stronger and definitely won the game on the field but can anyone ever find a game where HC Tom Landry was more conservative, ever ?

Even in the broadcast booth, Hank Stram was openly wondering why the Cowboys werent more wide-open in their approach like they had been all year but the Steelers, in particular, Mel Blount, were beating up receivers off the line.

The Patriots had a great season in 1976 as an AFC wild card and may have won it all had it not been for a heads-up play in Oakland by the Snake in twisting his body to draw the roughing the passer penalty against Hamilton for NE. Would they have beaten the red hot Steelers in Pittsburgh without Bleier and Harris, who knows ?

The Raiders ran out of gas in 1977 as the wild card against Denver in the championship game but the Rob Lytle non fumble call, sure didnt help.

Then there is Dallas again in 1980 and 1991 ...
In 1980, they should have won the division with a 35-10 lead on the Eagles late in the third quarter on the final sunday of the regular season but without Harold Carmichael the entire game, Jaworski plays some of the best ball of his career leading a 17 point comeback which enables the Eagles to win the division, though barely losing the game. With home field advantage for the NFC Championship, the Eagles play inspired football, while the Cowboys had left their offensive unit in Atlanta from the week before. The Cowboys had beaten both the Eagles and Raiders that year but a disappointing end in Philly.

The 1991 Cowboys in my opinion could have won it all as well, especially after QB Beuerlein came in after Aikman got hurt and won six straight games, including beating the Eagles to knock them out of the playoffs but the team got cocky going into their divisional game against the Lions. At the time I couldnt believe it since the Lions had beaten them that season but I think the Cowboys simply looked past them -and the Lions lack of playoff success- towards the Redskins, who they usually played well against. That loss, though it stunk at the time, helped the Cowboys become a much better team but they had their chance.

Re: Who, IYO, is the best-ever Wild Card SB-winner?

Posted: Wed Jun 09, 2021 6:12 pm
by single wing
2000 Ravens! That defense was outstanding. Perhaps even the best of all-time.