The 1985 Washington Redskins were a “bridge” team in the Joe Gibbs era. After the success of 1982-84, with three straight NFC East titles, two NFC crowns and one Super Bowl trophy, the ’85 Redskins missed the playoffs. But they finished the season strong and set the stage for a renewal that would soon result in another Super Bowl victory.
After winning the Super Bowl in 1982 and making it back in 1983, the 1984 Washington Redskins sputtered for a little more than half the season before finding their footing. They won another NFC East title in thrilling fashion, but a playoff loss marked a temporary step back from the NFL elite under head coach Joe Gibbs.
The previous two seasons had been rough ones for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The proud franchise had collapsed at the end of 1998 and 1999, going a combined 13-19 in those two years. The 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers continued one negative pattern—they missed the playoffs—but in the bigger picture the ’00 Steelers showed some life, got over .500 and set the stage for a renewal.
The 1999 Pittsburgh Steelers continued a franchise decline that had begun with a late-season collapse in 1998. The ’99 edition of the Steelers teased with a decent first half of the season, but crashed hard in the second half and were well out of the playoff picture.
For much of the season the 1998 Pittsburgh Steelers looked like just another playoff team that Bill Cowher had been rolling off the assembly line every year since his arrival in the Steel City. Then a loss under strange circumstances triggered a collapse that lasted two additional seasons.
In the aftermath of Championship Sunday in the NFL last week, the focus, from a historical perspective has been how the Green Bay Packers gut-wrenching loss in Seattle ranks in heartbreak lore. But let’s not allow the Indianapolis Colts to feel neglected. After being trashed 45-7 in New England, it’s time to look at the other end of the spectrum—what are the worst blowouts in NFL conference championship game history
The 1997 Pittsburgh Steelers were a team of both change and continuity. The change was some important personnel shifts, including at quarterback for the second straight year and the departure of a franchise legend. The continuity was in the sixth straight playoff appearance in as many seasons under head coach Bill Cowher.
The 1996 Pittsburgh Steelers were a team in transition. The signature players on offense changed, but the success under fifth-year head coach Bill Cowher. Even though Pittsburgh didn’t repeat their AFC title run of 1995, they still continued their streak of qualifying for the playoffs each year under Cowher, and they won a game when they got there.
The football fans of Pittsburgh were extra hungry for a Super Bowl in 1995. It had been sixteen years since their last appearance, the fourth championship won by Chuck Noll’s Steel Curtain Dynasty. The Steelers looked ready to return in 1994 before coming up three yards short in the AFC Championship Game. The 1995 Pittsburgh Steelers fulfilled their mission and returned the franchise to the NFL’s biggest stage.
The great football city of Pittsburgh hadn’t experienced a Super Bowl run since 1979, the last of the great Steel Curtain teams of Chuck Noll. The 1994 Pittsburgh Steelers were the best team the franchise had produced since the dynasty years and looked poised to end the drought. They came up just three yards of short of returning to the NFL’s biggest stage.
Earlier this week, I touched on where the Green Bay Packers devastating loss to the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday would rank among the annals of heartbreak in NFL conference championship game history. I put a couple other candidates out there, but wanted to give this subject more exhaustive treatment. What follows is a list of the nine most devastating losses in conference championship game history.
…compared to teams like their division rival Minnesota, the Cleveland Browns and the Kansas City Chiefs, the Packers have had a charmed life. It’s hard to be in the playoffs every year and not drop at least a couple tough ones, but only one other game in Green Bay Packers history even comes close and it’s remembered by a simple down and distance…