After a disappointing playoff miss in 1987, the New England Patriots were looking to get back on track. Under head coach Raymond Berry, the latter part of this decade had been what was—to that point—the most successful in franchise history. The Patriots reached their first Super Bowl in 1985 and won the AFC East in […]
Jerry Glanville & Warren Moon had returned playoff football to the city of Houston in 1987 after a six-year absence. Lest anyone think that was a fluke, a byproduct of the strike-torn year of 1987, the 1988 Houston Oilers validated the franchise’s rise to the status of a contender and returned to the postseason. GREAT […]
The 1988 Minnesota Vikings were coming off a year where a strong postseason run left them just one play short of the Super Bowl. A well-regarded team, they spent much of 1988 looking ready to take that next step before an inexplicable late-season loss set them up for playoff disappointment. GREAT 1980s SPORTS MOMENTSStart reading today. […]
The 1988 Washington Redskins were the most disappointing team of the Joe Gibbs era. One year after winning their second Super Bowl, the Redskins fell to 7-9, the only losing season in Gibbs’ first term as head coach (1981-92).
The Seattle Seahawks came into existence in 1976 and by the early 1980s, they were starting to enjoy some success under head coach Chuck Knox. They made the playoffs three times from 1983-87, and won 48 regular season games. But the one thing the franchise had not done was win a division title. The 1988 Seattle Seahawks might have been the weakest of the organization’s playoff teams in the 1980s, but they were also the only ones to bring home the AFC West crown.
The Buffalo Bills would have the great dynasty of the AFC in the early 1990s, winning four straight conference championships from 1990-93. They never won the Super Bowl, but the four straight appearances remain unprecedented. The 1988 Buffalo Bills were the edition that first cracked the postseason with Marv Levy at head coach and Jim Kelly at quarterback.
Buddy Ryan arrived in Philadelphia as the new head coach in 1986 with much fanfare. Ryan was the defensive coordinator for the 1985 Chicago Bears, one of the great defenses of all time. In three short years, Ryan turned a struggling franchise into a playoff team as the 1988 Philadelphia Eagles captured the NFC East.
The Chicago Bears were one of the NFL’s consistently outstanding teams in the late 1980s under head coach Mike Ditka. But after winning the Super Bowl in 1985, they had suffered disappointing home playoff losses in the second round to the Washington Redskins. The 1988 Chicago Bears made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game, but another home playoff loss gave a great season a sour ending.
There haven’t been too many high points in the history of the Cincinnati Bengals—in fact, there’s never been the ultimate high point of winning the Super Bowl. But the late 1980s were pretty good and saw some postseason victories. The 1988 Cincinnati Bengals produced the league MVP, reached the Super Bowl and came oh-so-close to winning it.
The San Francisco 49ers’ tandem of Bill Walsh at head coach and Joe Montana playing quarterback has taken its place in the annals of NFL lore, but after winning the Super Bowl in 1984, postseason struggles hit. They lost playoff games in 1985 and 1986 to the New York Giants, never scoring a touchdown in either game. The Niners lost in 1987 to the Minnesota Vikings, a game Montana was benched. It looked like the end might be nearing.