Postseason matchups that you would have liked to seen...

[Bryan]

Here is my list of most intriguing postseason matchups that could have happened...

1) Super Bowl XX - Chicago Bears vs. Miami Dolphins
I've always wondered how Dan Marino would have fared against the Bears defense in a 'rematch' of their MNF game. I would guess that it would had to have been better than the Patriots-Bears game. In some ways, the 1985 Bears might have been a better matchup for the Dolphins than the 1984 Niners, because the Bears offense couldn't carve up the Dolphins defense like Joe Montana did...then again, Walter Payton and the Bears O-line might have pounded the Dolphins on the ground like the Browns and Pats did in the playoffs. It was a pretty big upset for Miami NOT to have made the Super Bowl...I believe they had not lost to New England at home in their franchise history.

2) 1979 AFC Championship - Pittsburgh Steelers vs. San Diego Chargers
Love the Steelers, but they did get shellacked by SD during the regular season and this game would have been in San Diego. The Steelers usually turned it up in the postseason...this would have been an interesting test for them. But, the Chargers lost to a beat-up Houston team in one of the great upsets in history. Air Coryell didn't do much in the postseason in general. I have a lot of "what-if" games that would have been interesting...1980 Super Bowl against Philly, 1982 AFC Championship against Jets. I could see them winning all of these games.

3) 1952 NFL Title Game - Los Angeles Rams vs. Cleveland Browns
The Rams lost to the Lions in the 1952 playoff, and the Browns and Lions had their own rivalry thing going, but I think a "rubber match" between the Rams and Browns would have been fascinating. The 1950 title game was arguably the greatest game ever, and the 1951 title game was also very good. I can't find any write-up about the Rams-Lions playoff, but it appears their two-QB rotation kind of did them in. Van Brocklin was clearly better than Waterfield on that day. Pat Harder scored 19 points for the Lions (2 TDs, 4 XPs, FG), but the Rams trailed only 24-21 in the 4th period after a 56-yard punt return TD by Vitamin T Smith.

[BD Sullivan]

3) 1952 NFL Title Game - Los Angeles Rams vs. Cleveland Browns
The Rams lost to the Lions in the 1952 playoff, and the Browns and Lions had their own rivalry thing going, but I think a "rubber match" between the Rams and Browns would have been fascinating. The 1950 title game was arguably the greatest game ever, and the 1951 title game was also very good. I can't find any write-up about the Rams-Lions playoff, but it appears their two-QB rotation kind of did them in. Van Brocklin was clearly better than Waterfield on that day. Pat Harder scored 19 points for the Lions (2 TDs, 4 XPs, FG), but the Rams trailed only 24-21 in the 4th period after a 56-yard punt return TD by Vitamin T Smith.

The Rams were pretty much done with about five minutes left in the game, trailing 24-7. At that point, Deacon Dan Towler scored on a five-yard run, the Rams held and Smith scored on his punt return. All of a sudden, the Rams trailed by three with two minutes left. Their defense then held the Lions again, and the Rams started one more drive that was cut short quickly when LaVern Torgeson picked off a pass at the Ram 30 and returned it to the 10, setting up a clinching TD in the closing seconds. On that first Ram fourth quarter score, Waterfield was at the helm.

The Rams missed a golden opportunity to score in the third quarter when they had first-and-goal at the Lion five, but Towler's four runs only got them to the one, and the Lions were able to soon punt out of danger.

Actually, it was special teams issues by Van Brocklin and Waterfield and a key fumble that put them in that hole: Detroit's first score came after Van Brocklin shanked a punt near midfield. Four plays later, the Lions took a 7-0 advantage. Then, in the second quarter, Waterfield missed a 34-yard FG attempt and the Lions marched 80 yards to make it 14-0. In the third, trailing only 14-7, the Rams' Bob Carey fumbled the ball away at midfield.

[ChrisBabcock]

Super Bowl XXXIV: Rams vs. Jaguars (a 55-48 Super Bowl anyone?)
I was rooting for the "Greatest Show On Turf" to go up against one of the AFC's best offenses that year. The Jags annihalated the Dolphins 62-7 in the divisional round.

[Mark L. Ford]

3) 1952 NFL Title Game - Los Angeles Rams vs. Cleveland Browns
The Rams lost to the Lions in the 1952 playoff, and the Browns and Lions had their own rivalry thing going, but I think a "rubber match" between the Rams and Browns would have been fascinating. The 1950 title game was arguably the greatest game ever, and the 1951 title game was also very good. I can't find any write-up about the Rams-Lions playoff, but it appears their two-QB rotation kind of did them in. Van Brocklin was clearly better than Waterfield on that day. Pat Harder scored 19 points for the Lions (2 TDs, 4 XPs, FG), but the Rams trailed only 24-21 in the 4th period after a 56-yard punt return TD by Vitamin T Smith.

The one that I would have loved to have happened would have been in the 1953 NFL Title Game -- San Francisco (9-3) finished a game behind Detroit (10-2) in the Western Conference, thanks to two narrow losses in their meetings; the Lions beat them 14-10 in San Francisco on a fourth quarter touchdown, but if the 49ers had won that game, the NFL Championship would have been a battle of the two former AAFC teams, Cleveland at San Francisco.

[MatthewToy]

Maybe in hindsight this wouldn't have been as good of a game but as a kid I really wanted to see the Bears and the Giants in the 86 NFC championship game.

[7DnBrnc53]

1992 AFC Championship Game: Bills at Chargers

This matchup was curtailed by the South Florida rain and a bad second half the week before, but if it would have been a nicer day, or if the tiebreaking would have worked out differently (The Steelers, Dolphins, and Chargers all finished 11-5), this may have happened.

The Bills had Pittsburgh's and Miami's number at the time, and the Oilers were chokers in the postseason. However, they didn't have San Diego's number. And, the Chargers seemed to be built around a power running game with Butts and Bernstine, which was known to give the Bills problems in the past.

[conace21]

Super Bowl XXVIII. Buffalo Bills vs Washington Redskins.

Of course, the Redskins didn't actually make the postseason. But I think this would have been the best chance for the Bills to win a Super Bowl.

[Gary Najman]

Cowboys vs. Chargers in the Super Bowl in any season from 1979-1982.

[Rupert Patrick]

Maybe in hindsight this wouldn't have been as good of a game but as a kid I really wanted to see the Bears and the Giants in the 86 NFC championship game.

I was really hoping for the Giants and Browns in Super Bowl XXI, but Elway pulled The Drive out of his hat. I think Cleveland would have given the Giants a better game.

Steelers vs. Eagles in Super Bowl XLIX - Would Ben Roethlisberger become the first rookie QB to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory?

Panthers vs. Jaguars in Super Bowl XXXI - With the oddity of two second year expansion teams making their respective conference championship games, there was a part of me that wanted to see both of them wind up in the Super Bowl.

Dallas vs Oakland in the Super Bowl following the 1970, 1973, 1975, 1977 or 1980 seasons. Hard to believe in all five seasons, both teams made the Conference Championships, but none of those times did they both win in the same year. Personally, I would have taken Dallas over Oakland in all five of those years except for 1975.

[Andrew McKillop]

'31 - Packers vs. Spartans
This was before the NFL had a "postseason", but it's still too bad that the two best teams in '31 never faced each other. I don't remember the details offhand, but Portsmouth wanted to play Green Bay for the championship and the Packers refused.

'43 - Phil-Pitt Steagles
If the Steagles had won just one more game then there would've been a three-way tie (playoff?) in the Eastern Division.

Super Bowl XX - Bears vs. Raiders
Many forget that the Raiders were the AFC's No. 1 seed in 1985 - not the Dolphins. Imagine that beat 'em up game these teams played in '84 on the biggest stage the NFL has to offer.

Super Bowl XXV - 49ers vs. Bills
The Bills and Giants certainly gave everybody a great show. It was my all-time favorite Super Bowl. But I'm curious how much offense would've been produced in a matchup between the no-huddle Bills and the Young-led 49ers.

Super Bowl XXXIII - Broncos vs. Vikings
The Falcons had a great year, but the Vikings had a great team. I think Denver loses this Super Bowl against Minnesota.