Peter King Top 20 Games of All Time c. 1997
Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 11:30 pm
I just picked up a copy of a Sports Illustrated book called "Football: A History of the Professional Game" written by Peter King. It came out in 1997, so it omits nearly 20 years of recent history (in other words, perfect for this audience!). It includes his list of the top 20 games of all time (again, pre-1997), and I'll use it as an opportunity to throw some chum off the back of the boat!
1) Colts 23 - Giants 17 (12/28/58)
2) Jets 16 - Colts 7 (1/12/69)
3) Bears 9 - Spartans 0 (12/18/32)
4) Packers 21 - Cowboys 17 (12/31/67)
5) Chargers 41 - Dolphins 38 (1/2/82)
6) Bills 41 - Oilers 38 (1/3/93
7) Steelers 13 - Raiders 7 (12/23/72)
8) Packers 35 - Chiefs 10 (1/15/67)
9) Giants 20 - Bills 19 (1/27/91)
10) Bears 19 - Giants 7 (12/6/25)
11) Cowboys 17 - Vikings 14 (12/28/75)
12) Raiders 43 - Jets 32 (11/17/68)
13) 49ers 20 - Bengals 16 (1/22/89)
14) Dolphins 27 - Chiefs 24 (12/25/71)
15) Browns 35 - Eagles 10 (9/16/50)
16) Bears 73 - Redskins 0 (12/8/40)
17) Bears 23 - Giants 21 (12/17/33)
18) Bears 61 - 49ers 20 (12/12/65)
19) Steelers 35 - Cowboys 31 (1/21/79)
20) Broncos 23 - Browns 20 (1/11/87)
I think it's a pretty good list, and I like how he includes games from all eras. At the same time, what's fun about is arguing over who made the list and didn't deserve it, as well as who was left off and shouldn't have been. I'll say I find some of the picks from the early years to be curious, but maybe others smarter than me can educate me about why those games warrant making the list. As far as potential glaring omissions that occurred to me right off the bat, how about the 1950 Browns-Rams championship game, and three memorable Monday night games (1983 Packers-Redskins 48-47, 1979 Cowboys-Redskins 35-34 and 1980 Oilers-Dolphins 35-34). Discuss.
1) Colts 23 - Giants 17 (12/28/58)
2) Jets 16 - Colts 7 (1/12/69)
3) Bears 9 - Spartans 0 (12/18/32)
4) Packers 21 - Cowboys 17 (12/31/67)
5) Chargers 41 - Dolphins 38 (1/2/82)
6) Bills 41 - Oilers 38 (1/3/93
7) Steelers 13 - Raiders 7 (12/23/72)
8) Packers 35 - Chiefs 10 (1/15/67)
9) Giants 20 - Bills 19 (1/27/91)
10) Bears 19 - Giants 7 (12/6/25)
11) Cowboys 17 - Vikings 14 (12/28/75)
12) Raiders 43 - Jets 32 (11/17/68)
13) 49ers 20 - Bengals 16 (1/22/89)
14) Dolphins 27 - Chiefs 24 (12/25/71)
15) Browns 35 - Eagles 10 (9/16/50)
16) Bears 73 - Redskins 0 (12/8/40)
17) Bears 23 - Giants 21 (12/17/33)
18) Bears 61 - 49ers 20 (12/12/65)
19) Steelers 35 - Cowboys 31 (1/21/79)
20) Broncos 23 - Browns 20 (1/11/87)
I think it's a pretty good list, and I like how he includes games from all eras. At the same time, what's fun about is arguing over who made the list and didn't deserve it, as well as who was left off and shouldn't have been. I'll say I find some of the picks from the early years to be curious, but maybe others smarter than me can educate me about why those games warrant making the list. As far as potential glaring omissions that occurred to me right off the bat, how about the 1950 Browns-Rams championship game, and three memorable Monday night games (1983 Packers-Redskins 48-47, 1979 Cowboys-Redskins 35-34 and 1980 Oilers-Dolphins 35-34). Discuss.