More Division Round/”Slots” Notes

The 4 surviving NFC teams the Packers (4), 49ers(5), Buccaneers (2) and Rams (1) have won a combined 12 Super Bowl crowns.

In the AFC, it is quite different as only the Chiefs, among the 4 surviving teams, have ever won a Supe. They have won two, while the Bills (0-4), Bengals (0-2) and Titans nee Oilers (0-1), that a loss as the Titans, on the #, in an Alfalfa Michaels/ABC one, concluding the ’99 season.

Last week 5 results moved in the direction of more combined NFC “Slots” Participants Supe crowns and the other way regarding the AFC. In the other one, SF (49ers) with the aforementioned 5 titles were the only underdog to “bark,” winning outright (teams winning in the recent wild card round have a great record “covering the spread.”), doing so vs the Cowboys, a team that also has 5 titles.

In the AFC last week the Bengals (0) beat the Raiders who have 3 titles, the Bills (0) took out New England (Patriots)–Belichick losing by 30, a scant 5 days after Saban lost by half that margin, although in an exponentially better effort by his Alabama team–the Pats have 6 crowns, all under Belichick, while ‘Bama has half its 12 titles under Saban. Also last week, the Chiefs with 2 titles beat the Steelers, who also have 6 titles, all won in Supes, as the franchise failed to win a playoff game in its first 39 possible seasons (1933-1971).

NFC last week, in addition to SF/Dallas. Tampa Bay with 2 titles beat Philadelphia which has one, while the Rams with one crown beat the Cardinals, who have not only no Supe wins, but though they have one title that won as the Chicago Cardinals in 1947, their title drought is the NFL’s longest.

The Eagles(1947-1949), Cardinals (1947 and 1948) and Rams (1949-1951), combined for 8 of the 10 NFL title game appearances from ’47-’51, with the Cardinals and Rams securing all 5 awarded to the Western Conference winner.

LA (Rams) played for the NFL crown an impressive 5 times in 10 years/11 seasons from (1945-1955), winning it as the Cleveland Rams, with the great Bob Waterfield as quarterback, (he also was once married to the beyond attractive Jane Russell. The story is told of Jane getting up from her seat to say get a snack or use the facilities with most eyes diverted from the game as a result) in ’45 and with Bob and Norm Van Brocklin sharing QB duties in 1951. They lost to the great quarterback Otto Graham and the Cleveland Browns in both 1950 and in Otto’s last Browns’ tilt at the venerable L.A. Coliseum in 1955.

After ’55, the Rams did not play for the crown until 1979, losing not only the game but a tough point spread (plus 11 and a half) to a 4th Steelers’ title in 6 seasons. After that as the St. Louis Rams, they as cited, “on the #’d” the Titans to win the ’99 season Supe but lost as a big favorite to a rookie QB named Brady and New England in ’01 and to what was said rookie/turned into the greatest football title winner’s 6th and final New England title in 2018.

Of course in this week’s slot 3 game, the Rams face Brady again, this time with Tom the Tampa Bay quarterback. He led them to what was his 7th and the franchise’s 2nd crown last season.

In now the 72 seasons after 1949, the Eagles have played for the NFL crown 4 times, splitting the 4 games. They handed the great coach Vince Lombardi his lone ‘offs defeat, winning a Monday December 26th/noon start at (no lights) FRanklin Field in 1960, losing to the Raiders in a Supe 20 years later (the Eagles’ kicker was Tony Franklin. Ode to Joe Franklin and trivia beyond esoteric) and splitting 2 vs Brady and New England, winning in 2017 and losing, but “covering” in ’04.

Oh the Cardinals! After playing for the title in both ’47 and ’48, only60 years after in 2008, when they lost but covered vs Ben Roethlisberger’s 2nd and last crown–he and Pittsburgh, though good were “sinked” out of additional crowns as the NFL/karma did not “BEND” on that one–have they played for a title. That is one final round appearance in 73 seasons.

 

Jane Russell and Bob Waterfield, pictured above.