The first game of the “on paper,” scintillating slots round, after last week’s “not good,” matches the AFC “4” seed Cincinnati Bengals and the homestanding, AFC top seed, Tennessee Titans.
In the 4:30 or so, CBS with Eagle start, the 3 plus point(s) favorites, Titans hope to raise the home team’s record in slot 1 games to (43-9). The (42-9) “going in” record “reduces” to 14 of 17, an incredible win percentage of .823.
The nine road team slot 1 game winners went on to 3 Supe wins (’71 Cowboys and the former and current Baltimore teams, ’06 Colts and ’12 Ravens) 2 Supe losses, which means they won the subsequent conference title game (’92 Bills and ’03 Panthers) and 4 lost the next game/conference title tilt (’77 Raiders, ’83 Seahawks, ’01 Eagles, and ’08 Ravens). By the way, 2 of the road slot 1 winners, the ’71 Cowboys (it was not based on record) and the ’06 Colts (the top seeds Chargers and Ravens lost, giving the Colts a home tilt/semi) played their subsequent title games at home.
Linking the Packers of Green Bay, a team with a first round bye and a home slots tilt for the 8th time starting in ’96 (the only time they won the Supe with that advantage) and Tennessee, I go back to the NFL/AFL days of (1960-1962) and 1967.
In those first 3 cited seasons (’60-’62), both teams, the Packers and the Houston Oilers played for the “all the way” (cue Eric Carmen and The Raspberries) league titles with no Super Bowl following it. In ’67, a berth in the second Supe awaited the league title game winner.
Once in ’60 the Oilers won and the Packers lost, once in ’61, both teams won and in both ’62 and ’67, the Packers won and the Oilers lost in the title games, with ’67 being in effect, a “semi.”
There has been one instance of both the Packers and the Titans as the Tennessee based team, each playing a conference title tilt on the same day/year, that a scant 2 years ago, when both Kansas City in route to its second Supe win and SF, the Packers opponent in slot 2 tonight, in route to its second straight Supe loss after wins in their first 5 such games, handed the Titans and Packers respectively, “semis.” defeats.
Getting to a Cincy/S.F. link, the teams played for Super Bowl berths on the same day/year in both ’81 and ’88, with both teams winning, before SF prevailed in both subsequent Supes, “covering” the first, but not the second.
I will add regarding SF/Cincy that in the ’81 slots but not the ’88 such, the teams played on the same Sunday, each winning.
In the only other same day SF/Cincy playoffs, the Niners wild card round win at Green Bay followed the 5th of 7 straight (hey I cite my coincidences, thus as I typed “straight,” on NPR, Scott Simon interviewing writer, Edmund White said there are also mentions of “STRAIGHT sex” in the 80 plus year old writer’s latest book) Cincy wild card round losses, a streak that ended with their “(-6) by 7” win, vs the Raiders in the first of last week’s 6 wild card round games.
Enjoy the slots! I will try to do the same.
If the two AFC division round favorites, albeit small such, win this round, a redux of the famed 1962 overtime AFL title game, will manifest, with the same home and road locales.
In 1962, with Curt Gowdy, Paul Christman and Jack Buck as the equivalent of a sideline reporter, the Dallas Texans, now the Kansas City Chiefs, won (20-17) at Houston vs the Oilers, who are now the Tennessee Titans.
Tommy Brooker’s field goal in the second overtime was decisive, the Texans winning despite a famed “we will kick to the clock” gaffe, by the excellent Chiefs’ player, Abner Haynes.
The Titans nee Oilers were (2-2) in AFL title tilts, (1-1) at home and the road. In AFC title games/semi-finals, the franchise is (1-3), all in road games.
Thus, if Tennessee prevails as 3 plus point(s) favorites, vs the Cincinnati Bengals (they are (2-4) in this round, winning the subsequent title tilt after each such win, only to lose the subsequent Supe each time to the 49ers. The Niners are Saturday’s other underdog, getting 6 or so points at night in blustery Green Bay), the franchise will host its first AFC title tilt/NFL “semi,” since the aforementioned, so memorable 1962 AFL Title Game.
Additionally, if the AFC “2” seed Chiefs prevail, (right now menos 2) as well, it does yield a redux of the ’62 game, with again, the Titans nee Oilers franchise at home and the Chiefs nee Texans as the visiting team.
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.
There are past title games/semi-finals rematches in 3 of the 4 Slots/Division Round games this week.
The first game at about 4:30 Eastern Time on Saturday matching the AFC “1” seed Tennessee Titans and “4” seed Cincinnati Bengals does not offer such. It is a redux of what was the last Bengals’ ‘offs win before last Saturday’s first game of the so called “Super Wild Card Weekend,” which turned into boring, not well played and I usually do not knock officiating as it is a thankless, albeit, well paying job–but poorly officiated games.
Then in the ’90 wild card round after the then Houston Oilers had won vs Pittsburgh in a last week of the “reg” Sunday night tilt, to gain ‘offs entry (maybe they were already in?) not only for them but also for the Bengals, Cincy ripped the Oilers in the earlier Sunday wild card round game.
The next and other 3 games have “semis” history, starting with a redux of the Packers ’97 title tilt win vs the S.F. 49ers. Subsequently, Terrell Davis and NOT John Elway, led Denver (Broncos) to their first Supe win in 5 tries. GB is menos 5 plus, Saturday night at home, likely with Joe Buck.
Next, earlier on Sunday, but still relatively late in the day (only I note this is just the fourth of 10 Rams’ Sunday slots tilts that started earlier than the other Sunday game. It is however, a 7th, 3 or later start among the 10. Only the easy Wash home win in ’83, the Willie Anderson game ending TD giving L.A. a win at the Giants in ’89 and the home Rams’ ease job vs Minne in the title winning ’99 season as the St. Louis Rams were truly early Sunday “Slots,” Rams’ games.
This one 20 years later and 3 years later matches the Rams, early 3 point underdogs after ripping Arizona (34-11) last night, vs Tom Brady.
This time Brady is with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In ’79 the Rams won the NFC Title Tilt at Tampa Bay.
Finally, Sunday night with again, the efficient Jim Nantz, the K.C. Chiefs are a near 3 point “fave” vs the Bills.
The Chiefs won both the ’66 AFL (at War Memorial Stadium, where the baseball part of “The Natural” was filmed) and last year’s home AFC Title game, before losing the subsequent Supes.
The NFL “Slots”/Division round is almost set.
It begins around 4:30 Eastern Time in Tennessee, the home of the AFC “1” seed Titans, as they are 3 plus point(s) favorites vs the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincy broke an 8 game playoffs loss skein (-6) (26-19) (the total, spread and as it turned out, the game decided when the Bengals kept the Raiders from a TD score at the conclusion, of an otherwise boring (4 FG’s by each team–George Blanda or Horst Muhlmann anyone?) game. Their most recent ‘offs win before last Saturday, was vs the Titans nee Oilers, when they were the Oilers, that in the first year of 2 wild card games per conference (now they “whore” 3 each), in 1990.
The Titans are (0-2) in home slots games as the AFC “1” seed, both losses to the Baltimore Ravens. In 2000, the Ravens went on to win it all, while in ’08, after winning at “1” seed Tennessee in the same Slot 1 in which Cincy/Tenn will play on Saturday, the Steelers in route to their 6th and to this point, last Supe crown, won at home vs “Balti” in the AFC Title Game.
A redux of last year’s (also of the ’66 AFL Title Game with a bid to the first Supe on the line) AFC Title game has manifested in the Slot 4/late Sunday, Jim Nantz (he is better than the others and has been very good, certainly relative to the others, as of late, and admittedly, for the most part, throughout his career) Buffalo (Bills) at K.C. (Chiefs) “div” round game.
Each team’s quarterback, the Chiefs Patrick Mahomes and the Bills’ Josh Allen threw 5 TD passes in their team’s wild card round win.
The Bills, incredibly, scored touchdowns on their first 7 possessions, an unprecedented occurrence in NFL annals. In 2 straight wins vs the slipping Belichick coached Patriots, the Bills have won and not punted in the tilt.
Belichick’s New England is now (9-3) in Saturday night ‘offs tilts, (0-2) on the road (lost at Denver in the ’05 “div” round).
K.C. has opened just under a field goal “fave” vs Buffalo. The Chiefs were victorious in both the ’66 AFL Title Game and the AFC one last year, only to lose the subsequent Supe. Buffalo (0-4) in Supes, “div rounded” K.C. in ’91 and lost that year’s subsequent Supe to Washington.
KC (-13 plus’d) the Steelers (42-21) in two time Supe winner, Ben Roethlisberger’s last tilt. Buffalo ripped New England (47-17) as a 4 plus point “fave.” Cincy (-6) held off the Raiders, as stated above, (26-19).
In the NFC, where tonight it is the “4” seed L.A. Rams just under a 4 point favorite at home, where the 56th Supe will be played on February 13th, as they clash with Arizona.
Yesterday Mr. Brady (cited in yesterday’s post) and his one time backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, each QB’d in victories by the T.B. Buccaneers (-9 to -7 and (31-15) vs Philly’s Eagles) and S.F. 49ers (plus 3 to 3 plus, (23-17) vs Dallas, as the Cowboys lost on the exact 50th anniversary of their first Supe win on Sunday January 16, 1972. Alas, not as much as a slots/div round win for the Cowboys, since winning Supe #5 in ’95) respectively.
Thus S.F. sojourns to Green Bay for a Saturday night, freezing cold/”Joe “Bucky Boo” Buck tilt (think there is any consideration for the fans on the part of the NFL?!!–Think again!!) with “1” seed Green Bay, bidding for a third straight NFC Title Game appearance, opening as about a 5 plus point(s) favorite.
In the earlier, albeit 3 or so Eastern Time start, “Alfalfa” Michaels, in his very likely, if not certain, penultimate NBC tilt, will be in Tampa Bay, who would be say (-4) or so vs the Rams and a bit higher if Arizona (they should not be allowed to win on Martin Luther King Day or night–look it up, but alas look at no voting right’s Georgia’s incredible sports year, manifesting in second Braves and Bulldogs’ crowns) prevails tonight.
The 3 winning quarterbacks yesterday, Mr. Brady (28-8), so called “Jimmy G.” (3-0) and the oh so gifted, Patrick Mahomes (6-1) are a combined (37-9) in “within the conference” ‘offs games.
Brady is at 7 of 9/.778 win percentage “within,” and a certainly not shabby (7-3) .700 win percentage in Supes. Mahomes is (1-1) in Super Bowls, while Garoppolo lost vs Mahomes and Mr. Damien Williams’ great game, in his lone Super Bowl.
Damien Williams, pictured above, no longer with the Chiefs, (maybe it will be the Bills winning Sunday night), led the Chiefs in their Supe 54 win, some 50 years after their lone other such victory.
After an ease job, (up 31-0) (31-15) victory vs the Philadelphia Eagles, Tom Brady with his (5-0) in the ‘offs with T.B. record will be in his 14th home slots division game next week.
As I type this, opponent (either the Rams or Cards) and time have yet to be determined. However, since even the prostituted NFL would not “Monday night to Saturday,” the Rams (-4) vs Cardinals winner, said T.B. fourth home slots game will be Sunday, I say late (is it not very late as in night for a second straight season?!) on Fox.
Brady and his New England teams were (12-1) in home slots/division round games.
Tom Brady, pictured above is (5-0) in T.B. ‘offs games.
It is four days shy of 20 years and this is the 21st season inclusive, since the famed Saturday night, “snow/tuck rule/Adam Vinatieri greatness” slot 2, overtime victory by New England, QB’d by Tom Brady and coached, as they still are, by a “slipping” Bill Belichick, vs the Oakland Raiders.
Brady and Belichick were together for 6 Super Bowl victories, 9 “Supe” appearances and an incredible 9 straight seasons (’10-’18, need not put a “19” in front, as football ‘offs/the NFL or AFL was not around in 1918 or so) with at least the AFC “2” seed, which then, but no longer, yielded a home slots/division round tilt.
The Brady/Belichick Pats won 8 of those 9 home slots games, (they were/are (12-1) in home “div” games, the lone loss in a late Sunday slot 4 game to the New York Jets), going (9-0) in home Saturday night “div” games. Additionally they prevailed in a Saturday night home wild card round game vs Jacksonville (Jaguars) in ’05, before losing such a game vs Tennessee (Titans) in their last game together.
In ’05, they suffered their only other div round loss with Belichick/Brady, at Denver (Broncos) in ’05. They won their only other road “div” slots game at San Diego (Chargers) in ’06.
Add it up and the home team went (11-1) in Brady/Belichick home Saturday night games, New England winning 10. Tonight in likely blistery, bitter cold, the Bills, in one of three “semis” reduxes (Brady and Tampa Bay vs Philly is another), in the expanded/prostituted 6 game wild card round, are 4 plus point(s) favorites vs Belichick’s Pats (have you heard Brady is with Tampa Bay (Buccaneers), where he “titled” last season and is an NFC “2” seed, but without a bye–more on that next?!)
I predict the “home thing” continues, (the road team won both “reg” tilts) and Belichick, of course an all-time great, but of late, he has made some shaky decisions. Additionally, his not knowing the Colts, and NOT the Giants were ’58 Title Game favorites, drops him a notch or three.
All that yields Bills 26 Pats 14, reversing the result of the then Boston Patriots win at Buffalo in the 1963 AFL Eastern Division playoff.
Meanwhile, Mr. Brady, who keeps on winning, despite dealing with the beyond annoying Jim Gray and doing too much extra stuff, is either at least a 2 seed or a Supe champ(last year Brady and T.B. won it all as a “5” seed, winning a no cover, Saturday night wild card round game at “Wash”) for the 10th time in 12 seasons and for the 13th time in 17 ‘offs appearances.
If Brady and the Bucs prevail as 9 point faves vs the Eagles in the first of “one too many,” three Sunday tilts, he will play at home for the 14th time in 17 slots tilts (his teams are (14-2) (see the ’49-’64 New York Yankees, winning the weaker American League, but still what an accomplishment!–by the way on NPR, correspondent Cheryl Corley said “still” “exactly” as I typed such).
I am not sure Fox/the NFL will “allow” it, as wins by T.B. and Dallas sets up a ratings bonanza, Dallas at Tampa Bay, in one slots game, but I see a shocking win, say (23-20) by the Eagles (they handed Brady one of his 3 Supe losses).
I do praise Mr. Brady for calling for compassion concerning an obviously troubled/ill Antonio Brown. Certainly I realize the “toll” it has taken over these many years to go vs Brady.
The other semis/conference title tilt rematch this week matches the Cowboys at home (menos 3) vs the S.F. Niners. Three is operative as they met 3 straight seasons in the ‘offs twice (’70-’72) and twenty years later (’92-’94) and now are meeting for the first time, 19 years later and for a 7th time.
5 of the previous 6 playoffs meetings were in NFC Title Games, 4 of them Dallas victories. Dallas also won an incredible comeback victory in slot 2 at S.F. in ’72. Earlier that Saturday December 23rd, the Steelers won vs Oakland on the famed “Immaculate Reception” TD scored by Franco Harris (though he is now a bearded buffoon, he got far less credit than he should have as a great quarterback, thus I cite Terry Bradshaw as having scrambled, to keep the play alive and then throwing the famed, still controversial, historic pass). That also affected the point spread (some day I will recount Beano Cook’s story of the Raiders’ bettors, who did not hear the play as they were in a “Pitts” tunnel as it happened).
Well, the “burn” suffered by SF bettors later that day was maybe worse, as SF had led significantly for much of that tilt while Pitts had also led throughout until the Snake/Stabler circled left end and TD’d giving the Raiders a very late/last minute or so lead.
Finally, I add the Dallas/SF tilt will be followed by the “Alfalfa” Michaels/NBC KC (-13) vs Pittsburgh Steelers tilt. Twice the Steelers played on the same day before a Dallas/SF playoff game.
In aforementioned, Saturday div round games in ’72, the Steelers and Cowboys won. In ’94 in Sunday Conference Title Games, first the Chargers upset the Steelers as “another over rated bargain” (cue Pat Cooper) Bill Cowher lost at home and then SF (1-5) vs Dallas in ‘offs tilts going into to tomorrow’s game, won in route to the 5th and to this point, last Supe crown.
It is not easy to type with a bad wrist, however, on this day after the 53rd anniversary of the New York Jets Supe 3 win vs heavily favored Baltimore, (Colts), I “must” remember the great receiver Don Maynard, a vital member of that title team.
Mr. Maynard, dying the same week as Dwayne Hickman, who played alongside Bob Denver’s “Maynard G. Krebbs,” as title character, “Dobie Gillis,” was 86 years old.
Don Maynard, who took part in not so arguably the two most influential games in pro pig history, the aforementioned Supe 3 and also as a return man for the New York Giants, also vs the Colts, that the beyond seminal 1958 NFL title tilt, (23-17) overtime win for Baltimore, was a superb receiver and along with George Sauer and Pete Lammons, formed an excellent receiving corp, for the great Joe Namath. (Joe lately of constant Medicare Advantage type commercials).
Don was an original franchise member with the 1960 Titans.
In what “Stone” calls the Jets’ most important victory, the (27-23) win vs an excellent AFL team, the Oakland Raiders, Maynard had to reach over “the wrong shoulder” to gather in Joe’s long pass that set up the final points, a 6 yard Namath to Maynard TD pass, in the Jets’ victory.
I was far from a Jets’ fan, but oh the memories and the talent. If I were betting then, I would have won big on the Jets, plus all those points, in the Supe vs “Balti.” They had such talent and Maynard in pure terms, probably was their most gifted/productive player.
New York teams were not only better then but each had a great broadcaster, certainly not the case now.
The Giants had Marty Glickman, the Jets had another great, Merle Harmon and his “Maynard to the right, Sauer to the left”–(maybe the other way around), evokes such fond memories, though again I was clearly not a Jets’ fan.
The great receiver, Don Maynard, pictured above.
The Georgia Bulldogs claimed their first college football crown since 1980, winning (33-18) vs top ranked, defending champion, Alabama, which was seeking a 7th title under its coach Nick Saban.
Instead, finally, Kirby Smart, the Georgia coach and former Saban assistant coach, won vs Saban and Alabama.
Georgia quarterback, Stetson Bennett threw touchdown passes to Adonai Mitchell (a 40 yard toss that put “GA” ahead to stay, (19-18) and a screen pass/10 yard score that yielded a (26-18) score with the subsequent kick extra point.
Alas that ought to have been the final with me having predicted (26-17) Georgia, however a man named Ringo “drummed” me out of not only a near “exact score pick” (no bet on that), but also took out the ‘Bama wease, the Georgia by (7-12) “range” at over 5 to 1 and the less than 10 point margin of victory by either team bets, all of which I had, mercifully “SMALL.”
Andy B Sports 