Baltimore/Denver Playoff Notes

The Baltimore Ravens pulled off a big upset win on the 44th anniversary of an even bigger upset, that went against a Baltimore football team.

Yesterday, when the nine point underdog Ravens went to Denver and upset the top seeded Broncos in a scintillating double overtime game, was the anniversary of the New York Jets’ win over the Baltimore Colts in the third Super Bowl. The Jets were twice the underdog that the Ravens were going into yesterday’s game. In some circles, they were 18 point underdogs, before winning (16-7) vs the Colts, coincidentally the same franchise that the Ravens beat last week in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs.

The Broncos are now (7-3) in home divisional playoff games. All three losses have come in years that a United States President was reelected. The Broncos’ home divisional round loss to the Steelers in 1984 came after Ronald Reagan won a second term in a landslide vote. In 1996, the top seeded Broncos were stunned by the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars, coached by Tom Coughlin, who has won two Super Bowl titles with the New York Giants. Earlier that year Bill Clinton was easily reelected  as President. Now a stunning Broncos loss, again as the AFC top seed, in the divisional round at home. Of course, earlier in the course of this football season, Barack Obama was voted a second term as President.