When a Divisional Playoff Game Decides the Super Bowl Champion (1 Viewer)

[The_Man]

I spent a lot of the Packers-Seahawks NFC Championship steaming over the Ravens' loss to the Patriots the previous week, feeling like Baltimore had blown this year's Super Bowl title by losing in the Divisional Round – that if they had just hung on to win at New England, they would have cruised to the championship.

Once Seattle rallied, I no longer felt that way. But it did get me thinking about if/when a Divisional Playoff game has turned out to be the de facto Super Bowl. Has there ever been a time when the 2 best teams in the entire NFL met in that round, where the loser would have been likely to go on and win the Super Bowl if they hadn’t lost the Divisional game?

Here are the criteria I came up with:

1. Team that won the divisional game went on to win the Super Bowl (obviously)

2. Team that won the divisional game went on to easier victories in the Conference Championship and Super Bowl than they had in the divisional game

3. Team that lost the divisional game would have been favored to win both the Conference Championship and Super Bowl

I came up with 2, dating back to the late 70s and the advent of the Wild Card.

The 2000 Ravens – at the time they were the only visitor ever to have won at Tennessee, and they knocked off the defending AFC Champion Titans in the divisional round on a blocked FG returned for a TD and a late Ray Lewis INT for a TD. They then went on to win the AFC Championship at Oakland and destroyed the Giants in the Super Bowl. If the Titans had won that game, they would have hosted Oakland in the Championship, and presumably beaten them and the Giants.

1987 Redskins – on the Saturday of the Divisional Weekend, the Vikings pulled off a huge upset over the 49ers in SF. That meant the winner of Sunday’s Redskins-Bears game at Solider Field would host the NFC Championship. Darrell Green returned a punt for a TD late, and the Redskins won, 21-17, then went on to beat the Vikings at home in the Championship and destroy the Broncos. If the Bears had won, they would have presumably done the same.

I also came up with a couple of Honorable Mentions.

The 1980 Browns were the #1 seed and hosted Oakland in the divisional round. Trailing 14-12 with under a minute left and in FG range on the Raiders’ 13-yard line, Browns QB Brian Sipe threw a game-ending INT. The Raiders went on to beat San Diego 34-27 and top Philly in the Super Bowl. You have to think the Browns would have had a very good chance to beat San Diego at home in the AFC Championship and who knows about the Super Bowl.

The 2005 Colts were also the #1 seed, but lost to the Wild Card Steelers in the Vanderjagt game, where Bettis fumbled on the goal line. The Steelers then went on to beat Denver 34-17 and Seattle 21-10. It’s not clear to me that the Colts would have rolled over both those teams, but they would have played both games in a dome and you think Manning would have been favored to win them both.

 

[Shutout]

That's why they play the games

 

[bostonfred]

Denver vs the Falcons instead of the Vikings

 

[TDorBust]

I dont think the Ravens would have even gotten past the Colts not to mention Seahawks or Packers.

 

[Shane Falco]

I dont think the Ravens would have even gotten past the Colts not to mention Seahawks or Packers.

correct

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Those Ravens/Titans games for a couple of years back then were full of weird #### happening.

The Oakland AFCCG was no easy win. Took a Shannon Sharpe 90 yard TD when 2 Oakland DBs ran into each other and a piledriving Siragusa hit on Gannon that would have had the Goose thrown out of the league these days. "I knew he was hurt when I heard him squeal".

 

[FUBAR]

Maybe last year - Seahawks beat the Saints by 8, then San Fran by 6, then destroyed the Broncos.

The Saints has already beaten the 49ers by 3, at home so by no means would it have been a lock, but a tight game.

 

[The_Man]

Those Ravens/Titans games for a couple of years back then were full of weird #### happening.

The Oakland AFCCG was no easy win. Took a Shannon Sharpe 90 yard TD when 2 Oakland DBs ran into each other and a piledriving Siragusa hit on Gannon that would have had the Goose thrown out of the league these days. "I knew he was hurt when I heard him squeal".

No question - I think the Titans would have had a much easier time at home vs. the Raiders than the Ravens did going to the Black Hole. One of the all-time trivia stumpers is "Who has the longest TD pass in post-season history?"

Then you give a clue like, "It was 96 yards vs. Oakland" and people think it was Bradshaw or Fouts. Then you say, "It went to Shannon Sharpe" and people think it's Elway.

Very rarely does anyone outside of Baltimore know that Dilfer is the answer.

 

[rockaction]

Those Ravens/Titans games for a couple of years back then were full of weird #### happening.

The Oakland AFCCG was no easy win. Took a Shannon Sharpe 90 yard TD when 2 Oakland DBs ran into each other and a piledriving Siragusa hit on Gannon that would have had the Goose thrown out of the league these days. "I knew he was hurt when I heard him squeal".

No question - I think the Titans would have had a much easier time at home vs. the Raiders than the Ravens did going to the Black Hole. One of the all-time trivia stumpers is "Who has the longest TD pass in post-season history?"

Then you give a clue like, "It was 96 yards vs. Oakland" and people think it was Bradshaw or Fouts. Then you say, "It went to Shannon Sharpe" and people think it's Elway.

Very rarely does anyone outside of Baltimore know that Dilfer is the answer.

I was in Baltimore for that. Got thrown out of a MD bar for calling Lewis a murderer. It's not so obscure, honestly. I hate Siragusa. He can do advertisements for male undergarments to this day, but he broke the rules that day, even in the aughts.

 

[Deamon]

I spent a lot of the Packers-Seahawks NFC Championship steaming over the Ravens' loss to the Patriots the previous week, feeling like Baltimore had blown this year's Super Bowl title by losing in the Divisional Round – that if they had just hung on to win at New England, they would have cruised to the championship.

Once Seattle rallied, I no longer felt that way. But it did get me thinking about if/when a Divisional Playoff game has turned out to be the de facto Super Bowl. Has there ever been a time when the 2 best teams in the entire NFL met in that round, where the loser would have been likely to go on and win the Super Bowl if they hadn’t lost the Divisional game?

Here are the criteria I came up with:

1. Team that won the divisional game went on to win the Super Bowl (obviously)

2. Team that won the divisional game went on to easier victories in the Conference Championship and Super Bowl than they had in the divisional game

3. Team that lost the divisional game would have been favored to win both the Conference Championship and Super Bowl

I came up with 2, dating back to the late 70s and the advent of the Wild Card.

The 2000 Ravens – at the time they were the only visitor ever to have won at Tennessee, and they knocked off the defending AFC Champion Titans in the divisional round on a blocked FG returned for a TD and a late Ray Lewis INT for a TD. They then went on to win the AFC Championship at Oakland and destroyed the Giants in the Super Bowl. If the Titans had won that game, they would have hosted Oakland in the Championship, and presumably beaten them and the Giants.

1987 Redskins – on the Saturday of the Divisional Weekend, the Vikings pulled off a huge upset over the 49ers in SF. That meant the winner of Sunday’s Redskins-Bears game at Solider Field would host the NFC Championship. Darrell Green returned a punt for a TD late, and the Redskins won, 21-17, then went on to beat the Vikings at home in the Championship and destroy the Broncos. If the Bears had won, they would have presumably done the same.

I also came up with a couple of Honorable Mentions.

The 1980 Browns were the #1 seed and hosted Oakland in the divisional round. Trailing 14-12 with under a minute left and in FG range on the Raiders’ 13-yard line, Browns QB Brian Sipe threw a game-ending INT. The Raiders went on to beat San Diego 34-27 and top Philly in the Super Bowl. You have to think the Browns would have had a very good chance to beat San Diego at home in the AFC Championship and who knows about the Super Bowl.

The 2005 Colts were also the #1 seed, but lost to the Wild Card Steelers in the Vanderjagt game, where Bettis fumbled on the goal line. The Steelers then went on to beat Denver 34-17 and Seattle 21-10. It’s not clear to me that the Colts would have rolled over both those teams, but they would have played both games in a dome and you think Manning would have been favored to win them both.

ya this year wasn't one of those. Don't think the ravens would have beaten the colts in indy. Nor would they have a shot in hell at being favoured vs seattle.

 

[rockaction]

I spent a lot of the Packers-Seahawks NFC Championship steaming over the Ravens' loss to the Patriots the previous week, feeling like Baltimore had blown this year's Super Bowl title by losing in the Divisional Round – that if they had just hung on to win at New England, they would have cruised to the championship.

Once Seattle rallied, I no longer felt that way. But it did get me thinking about if/when a Divisional Playoff game has turned out to be the de facto Super Bowl. Has there ever been a time when the 2 best teams in the entire NFL met in that round, where the loser would have been likely to go on and win the Super Bowl if they hadn’t lost the Divisional game?

Here are the criteria I came up with:

1. Team that won the divisional game went on to win the Super Bowl (obviously)

2. Team that won the divisional game went on to easier victories in the Conference Championship and Super Bowl than they had in the divisional game

3. Team that lost the divisional game would have been favored to win both the Conference Championship and Super Bowl

I came up with 2, dating back to the late 70s and the advent of the Wild Card.

The 2000 Ravens – at the time they were the only visitor ever to have won at Tennessee, and they knocked off the defending AFC Champion Titans in the divisional round on a blocked FG returned for a TD and a late Ray Lewis INT for a TD. They then went on to win the AFC Championship at Oakland and destroyed the Giants in the Super Bowl. If the Titans had won that game, they would have hosted Oakland in the Championship, and presumably beaten them and the Giants.

1987 Redskins – on the Saturday of the Divisional Weekend, the Vikings pulled off a huge upset over the 49ers in SF. That meant the winner of Sunday’s Redskins-Bears game at Solider Field would host the NFC Championship. Darrell Green returned a punt for a TD late, and the Redskins won, 21-17, then went on to beat the Vikings at home in the Championship and destroy the Broncos. If the Bears had won, they would have presumably done the same.

I also came up with a couple of Honorable Mentions.

The 1980 Browns were the #1 seed and hosted Oakland in the divisional round. Trailing 14-12 with under a minute left and in FG range on the Raiders’ 13-yard line, Browns QB Brian Sipe threw a game-ending INT. The Raiders went on to beat San Diego 34-27 and top Philly in the Super Bowl. You have to think the Browns would have had a very good chance to beat San Diego at home in the AFC Championship and who knows about the Super Bowl.

The 2005 Colts were also the #1 seed, but lost to the Wild Card Steelers in the Vanderjagt game, where Bettis fumbled on the goal line. The Steelers then went on to beat Denver 34-17 and Seattle 21-10. It’s not clear to me that the Colts would have rolled over both those teams, but they would have played both games in a dome and you think Manning would have been favored to win them both.

ya this year wasn't one of those. Don't think the ravens would have beaten the colts in indy. Nor would they have a shot in hell at being favoured vs seattle.

I don't think this is correct. I think the Ravens would have wiped their own butts with Indy.

 

[Deamon]

I spent a lot of the Packers-Seahawks NFC Championship steaming over the Ravens' loss to the Patriots the previous week, feeling like Baltimore had blown this year's Super Bowl title by losing in the Divisional Round – that if they had just hung on to win at New England, they would have cruised to the championship.

Once Seattle rallied, I no longer felt that way. But it did get me thinking about if/when a Divisional Playoff game has turned out to be the de facto Super Bowl. Has there ever been a time when the 2 best teams in the entire NFL met in that round, where the loser would have been likely to go on and win the Super Bowl if they hadn’t lost the Divisional game?

Here are the criteria I came up with:

1. Team that won the divisional game went on to win the Super Bowl (obviously)

2. Team that won the divisional game went on to easier victories in the Conference Championship and Super Bowl than they had in the divisional game

3. Team that lost the divisional game would have been favored to win both the Conference Championship and Super Bowl

I came up with 2, dating back to the late 70s and the advent of the Wild Card.

The 2000 Ravens – at the time they were the only visitor ever to have won at Tennessee, and they knocked off the defending AFC Champion Titans in the divisional round on a blocked FG returned for a TD and a late Ray Lewis INT for a TD. They then went on to win the AFC Championship at Oakland and destroyed the Giants in the Super Bowl. If the Titans had won that game, they would have hosted Oakland in the Championship, and presumably beaten them and the Giants.

1987 Redskins – on the Saturday of the Divisional Weekend, the Vikings pulled off a huge upset over the 49ers in SF. That meant the winner of Sunday’s Redskins-Bears game at Solider Field would host the NFC Championship. Darrell Green returned a punt for a TD late, and the Redskins won, 21-17, then went on to beat the Vikings at home in the Championship and destroy the Broncos. If the Bears had won, they would have presumably done the same.

I also came up with a couple of Honorable Mentions.

The 1980 Browns were the #1 seed and hosted Oakland in the divisional round. Trailing 14-12 with under a minute left and in FG range on the Raiders’ 13-yard line, Browns QB Brian Sipe threw a game-ending INT. The Raiders went on to beat San Diego 34-27 and top Philly in the Super Bowl. You have to think the Browns would have had a very good chance to beat San Diego at home in the AFC Championship and who knows about the Super Bowl.

The 2005 Colts were also the #1 seed, but lost to the Wild Card Steelers in the Vanderjagt game, where Bettis fumbled on the goal line. The Steelers then went on to beat Denver 34-17 and Seattle 21-10. It’s not clear to me that the Colts would have rolled over both those teams, but they would have played both games in a dome and you think Manning would have been favored to win them both.

ya this year wasn't one of those. Don't think the ravens would have beaten the colts in indy. Nor would they have a shot in hell at being favoured vs seattle.

I don't think this is correct. I think the Ravens would have wiped their own butts with Indy.

and been favoured over seattle per OP's 3 needed criteria?

 

[Deamon]

I spent a lot of the Packers-Seahawks NFC Championship steaming over the Ravens' loss to the Patriots the previous week, feeling like Baltimore had blown this year's Super Bowl title by losing in the Divisional Round – that if they had just hung on to win at New England, they would have cruised to the championship.

Once Seattle rallied, I no longer felt that way. But it did get me thinking about if/when a Divisional Playoff game has turned out to be the de facto Super Bowl. Has there ever been a time when the 2 best teams in the entire NFL met in that round, where the loser would have been likely to go on and win the Super Bowl if they hadn’t lost the Divisional game?

Here are the criteria I came up with:

1. Team that won the divisional game went on to win the Super Bowl (obviously)

2. Team that won the divisional game went on to easier victories in the Conference Championship and Super Bowl than they had in the divisional game

3. Team that lost the divisional game would have been favored to win both the Conference Championship and Super Bowl

I came up with 2, dating back to the late 70s and the advent of the Wild Card.

The 2000 Ravens – at the time they were the only visitor ever to have won at Tennessee, and they knocked off the defending AFC Champion Titans in the divisional round on a blocked FG returned for a TD and a late Ray Lewis INT for a TD. They then went on to win the AFC Championship at Oakland and destroyed the Giants in the Super Bowl. If the Titans had won that game, they would have hosted Oakland in the Championship, and presumably beaten them and the Giants.

1987 Redskins – on the Saturday of the Divisional Weekend, the Vikings pulled off a huge upset over the 49ers in SF. That meant the winner of Sunday’s Redskins-Bears game at Solider Field would host the NFC Championship. Darrell Green returned a punt for a TD late, and the Redskins won, 21-17, then went on to beat the Vikings at home in the Championship and destroy the Broncos. If the Bears had won, they would have presumably done the same.

I also came up with a couple of Honorable Mentions.

The 1980 Browns were the #1 seed and hosted Oakland in the divisional round. Trailing 14-12 with under a minute left and in FG range on the Raiders’ 13-yard line, Browns QB Brian Sipe threw a game-ending INT. The Raiders went on to beat San Diego 34-27 and top Philly in the Super Bowl. You have to think the Browns would have had a very good chance to beat San Diego at home in the AFC Championship and who knows about the Super Bowl.

The 2005 Colts were also the #1 seed, but lost to the Wild Card Steelers in the Vanderjagt game, where Bettis fumbled on the goal line. The Steelers then went on to beat Denver 34-17 and Seattle 21-10. It’s not clear to me that the Colts would have rolled over both those teams, but they would have played both games in a dome and you think Manning would have been favored to win them both.

ya this year wasn't one of those. Don't think the ravens would have beaten the colts in indy. Nor would they have a shot in hell at being favoured vs seattle.

I don't think this is correct. I think the Ravens would have wiped their own butts with Indy.

Disagree here. Indy is much MUCH better at home. Ravens seem to always show up at foxborough too. Indy would likely have been favoured in that game, so I wouldn't say they would have wiped their own butts with Indy. Pats played lights out that game... indy likely would have beaten balt.

 

[The_Man]

Did everyone miss the place where I said this year isn't one of those situations? It just looked like one for a while when it seemed a GB team that was struggling to score TDs was going to the Super Bowl.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Those Ravens/Titans games for a couple of years back then were full of weird #### happening.

The Oakland AFCCG was no easy win. Took a Shannon Sharpe 90 yard TD when 2 Oakland DBs ran into each other and a piledriving Siragusa hit on Gannon that would have had the Goose thrown out of the league these days. "I knew he was hurt when I heard him squeal".

No question - I think the Titans would have had a much easier time at home vs. the Raiders than the Ravens did going to the Black Hole. One of the all-time trivia stumpers is "Who has the longest TD pass in post-season history?"

Then you give a clue like, "It was 96 yards vs. Oakland" and people think it was Bradshaw or Fouts. Then you say, "It went to Shannon Sharpe" and people think it's Elway.

Very rarely does anyone outside of Baltimore know that Dilfer is the answer.

I was in Baltimore for that. Got thrown out of a MD bar for calling Lewis a murderer. It's not so obscure, honestly. I hate Siragusa. He can do advertisements for male undergarments to this day, but he broke the rules that day, even in the aughts.

I don't know you so I can't be sure, but that probably wasn't one of the smartest things you've ever done.

 

[Niles Standish]

Did everyone miss the place where I said this year isn't one of those situations? It just looked like one for a while when it seemed a GB team that was struggling to score TDs was going to the Super Bowl.

By Super Bowl Rodgers might have been able to run. If he could have run even as well as Brady the Seahawks never get that onside kick chance because he had 2 or 3 times he could have gotten first downs with a mediocre run. The Packers are a different team when Rodgers isn't a statue.

I think GB healthy was the best team in the NFL.

 

[Fariq]

Denver vs the Falcons instead of the Vikings

You did not understand the dude's question.

 

[rockaction]

Those Ravens/Titans games for a couple of years back then were full of weird #### happening.

The Oakland AFCCG was no easy win. Took a Shannon Sharpe 90 yard TD when 2 Oakland DBs ran into each other and a piledriving Siragusa hit on Gannon that would have had the Goose thrown out of the league these days. "I knew he was hurt when I heard him squeal".

No question - I think the Titans would have had a much easier time at home vs. the Raiders than the Ravens did going to the Black Hole. One of the all-time trivia stumpers is "Who has the longest TD pass in post-season history?"

Then you give a clue like, "It was 96 yards vs. Oakland" and people think it was Bradshaw or Fouts. Then you say, "It went to Shannon Sharpe" and people think it's Elway.

Very rarely does anyone outside of Baltimore know that Dilfer is the answer.

I was in Baltimore for that. Got thrown out of a MD bar for calling Lewis a murderer. It's not so obscure, honestly. I hate Siragusa. He can do advertisements for male undergarments to this day, but he broke the rules that day, even in the aughts.

I don't know you so I can't be sure, but that probably wasn't one of the smartest things you've ever done.

Heh. With due respect, it's not even close. I've been much, much dumber. Even in Baltimore. This was pre-Wire, don't forget, so you had to experience Baltimore to get how unwanted you were there and how dangerous it was. We looked at B'More as if it were a certain brand of tourism (you add the noun to that one). This was the nicest sports bar somebody in 2000 could have dreamt up. All stainless steel. All flat screens. Just really nice. Think it might have been more towards Silver Spring, actually. Maybe somewhere between Greenbelt (where I lived) and D.C. I'm a Giant/Jet fan, so that day was a blur (that was the day the Giants buried Minnesota and Sean Payton was cemented in football lore.)

Anyway, just figured I'd answer your post. On with the thread!