1974 Los Angeles Rams: QB Turmoil & An NFC Championship Game Trip
A stingy defense and a tough running game overcame quarterback turmoil and got the Rams to the NFC Championship Game. Read the game-by-game narrative.
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1974 Oakland Raiders: Historic and Heartbreaking All At Once
The 1974 Oakland Raiders had a big year—even a historic one. Their emerging quarterback, Ken Stabler, won the MVP award and the Raiders won one of the NFL’s most memorable playoff games. But the season ended with a fourth-quarter collapse and a second straight loss in the AFC Championship Game that would leave a bitter […]
1973 Oakland Raiders: An AFC Championship Game Journey
The Raiders’ 1972 season had ended with one of the most gut-wrenching and controversial postseason losses of all-time. The 1973 Oakland Raiders started to atone for that. Even though they didn’t win it all, John Madden’s team began an impressive streak of playoff advancement and got some sweet revenge along the way. A quarterback controversy […]
1973 Los Angeles Rams: An Era Of Success Begins
The Rams hired Chuck Knox to be their coach, got John Hadl to be their quarterback and started an eight-year playoff run. Read the game-by-game narrative.
1973 Dallas Cowboys: A 4th Straight NFC Championship Game Trip
For seven straight years, Dallas had been in the playoffs. For three straight years, they had at least reached the NFC Championship Game. While the 1973 Dallas Cowboys weren’t able to return to the top of heap and win a second Super Bowl in three years, they did keep both of the aforementioned streaks going. […]
The Seasonal Narrative of the 1972 Dallas Cowboys
Tom Landry’s Cowboys ended several years of postseason frustration in 1971, when they won the franchise’s first Super Bowl. That championship season was keyed by Landry’s settling on Roger Staubach as his quarterback midway through. The bid for a repeat title took a big hit when Staubach was injured in the preseason. But the 1972 […]
1972 Oakland Raiders: A Return To The Playoffs And A New Era
After reaching the AFL/AFC championship game in his first two seasons, John Madden’s Raiders took a step back in 1971, when a late collapse cost them a playoff spot. The 1972 Oakland Raiders followed the opposite path—they surged down the stretch, returned to the postseason, and were only stopped by one of pro football’s most […]
1971 Oakland Raiders: A Late Collapse & A Rare Playoff Miss
John Madden was in his third year on the Oakland sidelines and the first two years had gone well. There was disappointment to be sure, but in both 1969 and 1970, the Raiders had come within one game of the Super Bowl. For much of the season, the 1971 Oakland Raiders appeared to be cut […]
1971 Dallas Cowboys: A Super Bowl Title Ushers In A New Era
Since their founding in 1960, the Cowboys had been gradually gaining steam. They lost epic championship games to Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers in 1966 and 1967. Dallas returned to the playoffs in 1968 and 1969. In 1970, Tom Landry’s team reached the Super Bowl. They were pounding on the door. But they were also […]
1978 Green Bay Packers: A Collapse Ruins A Comeback Season
The proud Packer franchise had fallen on hard times since the departure of the great Vince Lombardi following the 1967 season. A team that had dominated the 1960s had now gone ten years with just one playoff appearance and only two winning seasons. Bart Starr, the quarterback for the Lombardi Dynasty, had been brought back […]
The 1970 Oakland Raiders & The Magic Of George Blanda
After a splendid rookie season as head coach in 1969, John Madden’s second year on the Raider sidelines didn’t go as smoothly. But the young coach had a veteran asset up his sleeve—the great George Blanda. The 43-year-old was still the regular placekicker and was now a backup quarterback. And for a few magical weeks, […]
1969 Oakland Raiders: The Madden Era Begins
For a generation of football fans, John Madden was the face of the NFL. He was the visible game analyst for CBS, Fox and later on Monday Night Football. He routinely called the biggest games of the year. His name was on the legendary video game. But before all that, he was an awfully good […]