Professional Football Researchers Association Forum
PFRA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the history of professional football. Formed in 1979, PFRA members include many of the game's foremost historians and writers.
7DnBrnc53 wrote:For the early-70's Dolphins, the Sea of Hands game ended their era of AFC and AFC East dominance. On the NFL's Greatest Games episode about that game, Jim Mandich said something about how that loss was the end of the special run that they had. They didn't make the playoffs again until 1978 (although they would have won the AFC East in 77 if the official would have given NE that Bert Jones fumble near the end of the Week 14 NE-Bal game).
The 1975/1977 Dolphins got hurt by the lack of a 2nd WC spot.
In 1975, the Dolphins lost at Houston, so the Oilers would have gotten the second spot (both were 10-4).
In 1977, though, the Fins got hurt by a bad call near the end of the Week 16 NE@Bal game when Bert Jones' fumble wasn't acknowledged.
1999 - Jacksonville losing to Tennessee in the AFC Championship Game. At the time it looked like the Jaguars were the team of the future, but things fell apart and they never recovered.
"Every time you lose, you die a little bit. You die inside. Not all your organs, maybe just your liver." - George Allen
The 1974 Cowboys and their losses early in the season that left them at 1-4 (Vikings and Cardinals + shockingly to the Eagles/Giants) was the signal of the end of times for 1966-1973 era of the Landry Cowboys.
'74 was the end of the line for a lot of the Cowboys from prior contending years- Bob Hayes, Bob Lilly, Walt Garrison, Calvin Hill.
The next year, Dallas had their famous Dirty Dozen rookie class that jumpstarted a new era that lasted another decade. Really, other than Staubach/Pearson/Rafferty, the '75 Cowboys that made the SB were largely a different squad from their 1970-1971 NFC championship teams.
