1984 NFL season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana.
The season ended with Super Bowl XIX when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins. This was the first Super Bowl televised by ABC, who entered into the annual championship game rotation with CBS and NBC.
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[edit] Major rule changes
- Linebackers are permitted to wear numbers 90-99.
- The penalty for a kickoff or onside kick that goes out of bounds is 5 yards from the previous spot and a re-kick must be made. However, if the second (or more) kickoff or onside kick goes out of bounds, the receiving team may choose instead to take possession of the ball at the out of bounds spot.
- Leaping to try to block a field goal or an extra point is illegal unless the defensive player was lined up at the line of scimmage.
- A kicker or holder who fakes being roughed or run into by a defensive player can receive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
- Unsportsmanlike conduct will also by called for any prolonged, excessive, or premeditated celebration by individual players or a group of players. This is usually referred to as the "Mark Gastineau Rule" because a major reason why this change was made was to stop him from performing his signature "Sack Dance" every time after he sacked an opposing quarterback.
[edit] Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
| Qualified for playoffs |
| AFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 513 | 298 |
| New England Patriots | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 362 | 352 |
| New York Jets | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 332 | 364 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 239 | 414 |
| Buffalo Bills | 2 | 14 | 0 | .125 | 250 | 454 |
| AFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 387 | 310 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 339 | 339 |
| Cleveland Browns | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 250 | 297 |
| Houston Oilers | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 240 | 437 |
| AFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Denver Broncos | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 353 | 241 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 418 | 282 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 368 | 278 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 314 | 324 |
| San Diego Chargers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 394 | 413 |
| NFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 426 | 310 |
| New York Giants | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 299 | 301 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 423 | 345 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 308 | 308 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6 | 9 | 1 | .406 | 278 | 320 |
| NFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Chicago Bears | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 325 | 248 |
| Green Bay Packers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 390 | 309 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 335 | 380 |
| Detroit Lions | 4 | 11 | 1 | .281 | 283 | 408 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 276 | 484 |
| NFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| San Francisco 49ers | 15 | 1 | 0 | .938 | 475 | 227 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 346 | 316 |
| New Orleans Saints | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 298 | 361 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 281 | 382 |
[edit] Tiebreakers
- N.Y. Giants finished ahead of St. Louis and Dallas in the NFC East based on best head-to-head record (3-1 to Cardinals' 2-2 and Cowboys' 1-3).
- St. Louis finished ahead of Dallas in the NFC East based on better division record (5-3 to Cowboys' 3-5).
[edit] Playoffs
- Home team in capitals
[edit] AFC
- Wild-Card playoff: SEATTLE 13, L.A. Raiders 7
- Divisional playoffs: MIAMI 31, Seattle 10; Pittsburgh 24, DENVER 17
- AFC Championship: MIAMI 45, Pittsburgh 28 at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida, January 6, 1985
[edit] NFC
- Wild-Card playoff: N.Y. Giants 16, L.A. RAMS 13
- Divisional playoffs: SAN FRANCISCO 21, N.Y. Giants 10; Chicago 23, WASHINGTON 19
- NFC Championship: SAN FRANCISCO 23, Chicago 0 at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, California, January 6, 1985
[edit] Super Bowl
- Super Bowl XIX: San Francisco (NFC) 38, Miami (AFC) 16, at Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California, January 20, 1985
[edit] Milestones
The following players set all-time records during the season:
| Most Passing Yards Gained, Season | Dan Marino, Miami (5,084) |
| Most Passing Touchdowns, Season | Marino, Miami (48) |
| Most Rushing Yards Gained, Season | Eric Dickerson, Los Angeles Rams (2,105) |
| Most Pass Receptions, Season | Art Monk, Washington (106) |
| Most Rushing Yards Gained, Career | Walter Payton, Chicago (13,309 at the end of the season) |
[edit] References
- NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 1981-1990 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
- 1984 season in details
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
| Early Era (1920-1969) |
|---|
| 1920 • 1921 • 1922 • 1923 • 1924 • 1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928 • 1929
1930 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 1940 • 1941 • 1942 • 1943 • 1944 • 1945 • 1946 • 1947 • 1948 • 1949 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 |
| Modern Era (1970-present) |
| 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979
1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 |
