NFL “Semis” Or Later Notes

Another NFL week, (it started with the (6-8) Raiders tripling the so disappointing (5-9) Chargers by a (63-21) count, in an ’80 AFC Title game redux, that franchise also won. (Joe Peta said “start” as), the 15th, began last night, one in which, I saw “Sabbath’s Theater” and thought it to be great!

There are three other semis or conference title reduxes this 15th week, plus a rematch of two Supes, each won by Dallas as the (10-3) Cowboys “Dallas to Buffalo” to face the (7-6) Bills.

Elsewhere the (9-4) Miami Dolphins, who as 14 point favorites, dissipated a 14 point lead in the last 4 minutes to (5-8) Tennessee (Titans) and lost in “reg,” which I believe to be unprecedented, host the (5-8) New York Jets, in a redux of the strike marred 1982 season AFC Title tilt. Miami “A.J. Duhe’d” the Jets in that one.

In one of three Saturday games, none on over the air television, (also 6 bowl games, but 2 on over the air television) a rematch of the ’95 AFC Title tilt,when Pittsburgh (Steelers) at home, held off the Indy Colts and Jim Harbaugh’s near miracle pass, yielding a call to the sleeping Beano Cook, informing that his Steelers’ AFC “pick” was in. (He was not excited).

Both the Steelers and Colts enter tomorrow’s tilt with (7-6) records.

Finally, in the early time slot on Sunday, (8-5) defending champion K.C. (Chiefs) visits (3-10) New England (Pats) in a redux of the overtime, Pats AFC Title Game win at Kansas City in 2018.

There is a game matching the (8-5) Cleveland Browns and the (5-8) Chicago Bears this week. I note it in this context, as despite the fact the teams could have met in 16 “all the way” NFL title games (’50-’65), 4 “called the NFL Title game, but as semis,” with Supes to follow (’66-’69) (that sounds like an ad, ode to Winston tastes good (as) like a cigarette should) and after this season 54 more Supes (’70-2023), but never have met in any ‘offs game, with the caveat that any such game, other than a final round one, was not possible.

Chicago played for the NFL crown 8 times from ’33-’49 before Cleveland entered the league in 1950. Since that time “Chi” played in 2 “all the way” NFL title tilts, splitting with the Giants, losing in ’56 and prevailing (14-10) with two QB sneak TD’s by Billy Wade in 1963.

The Bears also split in 2 Supes, crushing New England in ’85 and losing in rainy Miami to the Colts, after the ’06 season. Meanwhile all as the original Browns, “Cleve” played in 9 “all the way” NFL title tilts, going (4-5) and also 5 NFL semis, all losses with Supe bids on the line.

All 5 times, (the Colts famously in ’68, the Vikings in what should be more publicized in ’69 and the Denver Broncos (’86,’87 and ’89), the team that “semi’d” the Browns, lost and fairly decisively at least, each time, in the subsequent Super Bowl.

In ’50 both teams had unscheduled playoff games to decide conference crowns. While Cleveland won vs the New York Giants, the Rams rode 3 Bob Waterfield to Tom Fears TD passes to a (24-14) home win vs the Rams.

That result in a game played exactly 73 years ago this Sunday (then it was one week after the 12 games “reg” had ended, now there will remain 3 more weeks of “reg” play in the 17 game NFL regular season after Sunday), prevented a Browns/Bears ‘offs tilt in the first year it was possible. It remains the closest the NFL has ever come to such an ‘offs game.

A final “73” note: After the Browns won the ’50 title tilt at home vs the Rams, L.A. prevailed at home the next season, with a Norm Van Brocklin 73 yard TD pass to Mr. Fears as the decisive play. As noted here before and likely will be again, the Rams title as St. Louis in ’99, their next one, was again in a game in which a 73 yard td pass, that one Kurt Warner to Isaac Bruce, was the decisive offensive play.

The fact Tennessee came so close was cleverly included in the movie “Cast Away.”

Notice that above, I imparted “offensive play” as the Rams/Titans Supe game ended when Mike Jones tackled Kevin Dyson just short of the goal line.

In a tragic event, Frank Wycheck, an excellent player on the Titans, fell and died. “Tenn” won its next game, the aforementioned game vs Miami.

It was Wycheck, who threw across the field to Dyson in a play known as “The Music City Miracle,” that gave Tennessee a wild card/home win vs the Bills.

That play with the Titans’ analyst “no-no” “stepping on” the play by play man’s call is shown below.