Notable 4-0 starts

7DnBrnc53
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Re: Notable 4-0 starts

Post by 7DnBrnc53 »

I still wonder, had Cleveland beat Cincy in the finale, if it would have been they instead of Denver making that final wild card spot? Both would have been 10-6 with a 7-5 conference record. And both did not play against each other.
From what I gather here, it looks like the Browns would have been in if they beat Cincy:

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... page&hl=en

They probably don't beat the Oilers, even though they probably give them a good game.
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74_75_78_79_
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Re: Notable 4-0 starts

Post by 74_75_78_79_ »

7DnBrnc53 wrote:
I still wonder, had Cleveland beat Cincy in the finale, if it would have been they instead of Denver making that final wild card spot? Both would have been 10-6 with a 7-5 conference record. And both did not play against each other.
From what I gather here, it looks like the Browns would have been in if they beat Cincy:

https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid= ... page&hl=en

They probably don't beat the Oilers, even though they probably give them a good game.
Bit of a time capsule...Iran hostage crisis/beginning of Iran-Iraq War...

Nice football article though in the season before I started following! Liked the commentary and prediction on each upcoming game. 4-11 Packers at 2-13 Detroit for the the nationally televised Saturday afternoon slot! "Dullsville" the Saints at Rams game would now be due to NO losing their last two thus LA already clinching the West! Enthusiam was shown for the Eagles at Oilers game, but thanks to Steelers beating Buffalo the early game, that would definitely take the edge off things (I'd love to wonder if there were any Campbell/Bergey collisons, but the meaninglessness of the game for Houston can't help but to make me significantly less intrigued).

As for Cleveland's playoff chances (main reason for response here), it was written in that article how they had a "slim" chance making the playoffs, but it didn't seem that complicated. If Raiders beat Seattle, Oakland automatically gets the nod over Browns being they beat them the previous week. But if Raiders lose to Seattle, which they did, and Browns beat Bengals, then it's down to they and Denver upon Denver losing that MNF finale at the Murph (Chargers...three straight home MNF finales starting in '79 with so much on the line each time; those consecutive examples along with Christmas Night 1989 makes me wish MNF was still on the final week of the season - who cares if one or both participants make playoffs; simply schedule their first playoff game on Sunday instead of Saturday).
BD Sullivan
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Re: Notable 4-0 starts

Post by BD Sullivan »

74_75_78_79_ wrote:
Todd Pence wrote:The 1979 Browns started 4-0, capped by a Monday Night upset of the Cowboys. However, they lost the next three, including two to their division rivals Houston and Pittsburgh. The Browns wound up 9-7 and out of the playoffs. The Steelers themselves, as mentioned earlier in this thread, also started 4-0 in '79 only to lose their fifth game, as did the Dolphins.
I still wonder, had Cleveland beat Cincy in the finale, if it would have been they instead of Denver making that final wild card spot? Both would have been 10-6 with a 7-5 conference record. And both did not play against each other. Yes, Dolphins also started 4-0 only to lose their next game as Browns & Steelers did. McKay's Buccaneers, however, didn't lose their fifth game thus they (now at 5-0) actually being the last unbeaten team of 1979!

How about the 1992 Bills? With the highlight of their 4-0 start being the famous 'No Punt Game', the three other wins had them outscore their opponents by a combined 119-14!! But then in Week #5, they actually get waffled by Miami, 37-10, and AT RICH mind you! As for '92, a simple 11-5 wild card team that fell into the playoffs losing three of their last five. But two stretches of sheer dominance in that campaign, perhaps more dominant than anything from heralded 1990. In addition to that 4-0 start mentioned, they outcored opponents 98-16 starting with 'The Comeback' and ending with the Tasker-assisted 7-0 lead over Big D in the Super Bowl.

Buffalo did win their first four games in '91 as well, but they also won their fifth.
The losses that killed the Browns in 79 were a last-second loss at home to the Skins in mid-October, when they let Theismann race down the field in the last two minutes for a touchdown. Then, they should have eliminated the Three Rivers jinx in late November. They had a 30-20 lead with less than 10 minutes left, then had the Steelers at 3rd-and-10 at their own 34 with 1:50 left and flushed Bradshaw out of the pocket--at which point he gained 28 yards. That set up the FG that sent it into OT, with the Steelers kicking another FG in the final minute of OT.
Brian wolf
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Re: Notable 4-0 starts

Post by Brian wolf »

As a 1980s Cowboys fan, the team's great start in 1983 could have culminated in a championship but the team peaked way too soon. Despite a great comeback on MNF in RFK Stadium --God I miss that stadium and Howard Cosell's football broadcasting career was about to end-- as well as seven consecutive victories, the defense started to really struggle, and with a 12-2 record and a chance to win the division in Dallas, though the 49ers were up as well, the Cowboys got ambushed by the Redskins in one of Joe Theismann's best games 31-10. Once the Niners creamed them the next week, despite losing Dwight Clark for the playoffs, the Cowboys limped into the playoffs where Madden and Summerall commented on the team's lack of confidence and urgency before losing to the Rams.
Madden speculated that Danny White had lost so much confidence, that he might face competition from backup Gary Hogeboom the next season and that's what happened as the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 1974.

Looking back, what if Dallas had won that game against Washington in Texas Stadium ?
They would have rested everyone for the Niner game and gotten that bye week for the playoffs.
Could they have played the Redskins a third time for the NFC Championship ?
A heartbreaking season for any Cowboys fan ...
BD Sullivan
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Re: Notable 4-0 starts

Post by BD Sullivan »

Some Guy From Mars wrote:What about the 1966 Green Bay Packers?
The 1967 Packers were undefeated after four games--at 3-0-1--when they lost at home to the Vikings, 10-7. Similarly, both the Browns and Cardinals started the 1964 season with 3-0-1 record--that tie was a 33-33 classic between the two teams in Week 2. The Cards then lost at Baltimore in a then-rare Mnday night game, while the Browns had gotten ripped apart by John Henry Johnson two nights earlier.

1968 Giants beat four weak teams (Steelers, Eagles, Skins, Saints), then lost at Atlanta. After 10 games, they were just a game behind the Cowboys before losing their last four games.

1975 Cowboys went 4-0 and then somehow lost by two points to the 0-4 Packers--they ended up reaching the Super Bowl. That same year, Buffalo was obviously looking past a lousy Giants team with the Dolphins next up. Giants beat them 17-14, with the Bills dropping six of their last 10 games.

1976 Rams were another "undefeated" team with a 3-0-1 record when they got sacked by the Niners on MNF, 16-0.

1977 Raiders started out 4-0 and then discovered the Broncos were for real, losing 30-7--the first of three games between them that season.

1979 Dolphins started out 4-0 before losing to the Jets at Shea, 33-27. They finished 10-6 and were then knocked out in the playoffs by the Steelers.

1980 Chargers lost to the Bills at home in Week 5, 26-24. The two teams would meet again in San Diego during the playoffs.

1981 Cowboys lost to the Cardinals, 20-17, then went on the NFC Championship game. Meanwhile, Miami was 4-0 and tied the Jets.
JohnH19
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Re: Notable 4-0 starts

Post by JohnH19 »

The 2003 Vikings started 6-0 and missed the playoffs on the Cardinals last play “push out” rule TD pass from Josh McCown to Nate Poole in Game 16.
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