1984 NFL season

The 49ers playing against the Dolphins in Super Bowl XIX.

The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana before the season. The Colts new home field was the Hoosier Dome. The New York Jets moved their home games from Shea Stadium in New York City to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The season ended with Super Bowl XIX when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins 38-16 at Stanford Stadium in California. This was the first Super Bowl televised by ABC, who entered into the annual championship game rotation with CBS and NBC. This game marked the second shortest distance between the Super Bowl host stadium (Stanford, California) and a Super Bowl team (San Francisco 49ers).^[1]

The 49ers became the first team in NFL history to win 15 games in a regular season and to win 18 in an entire season (including the post-season). Additionally, two major offensive records were set this season, with quarterback Dan Marino establishing a new single-season passing yards record with 5,084 (later broken by Drew Brees and Tom Brady in 2011 and by Peyton Manning in 2013), and Eric Dickerson establishing a new single-season rushing yards record with 2,105.

Also during the season, San Diego Chargers wide receiver Charlie Joiner became the all-time leader in career receptions; he set that mark in a game between the Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium.

Salaries increased significantly over the past two seasons in the NFL, up nearly fifty percent; quarterback Warren Moon led the list at $1.1 million.^[2]

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 scrimmage.
• 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 be 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.

Regular Season games not broadcast by Network TV

Final standings

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

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).

Playoffs

Statistical leaders

Team

Milestones

Walter Payton (34) pictured breaking the NFL's career rushing record on October 7, 1984..

The following players set all-time records during the season:

Awards

References

• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
• NFL History 1981–1990 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)