John Robinson & Eric Dickerson Lead The 1983 Los Angeles Rams Back To The Playoffs
A new head coach in John Robinson and a dynamic rookie runner named Eric Dickerson ended a two-year playoff drought in L.A. Read the game-by-game narrative.
NFL history
1988 New England Patriots: A Near-Miss & The End of An Era
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 […]
The Tumult & Success Of The 1984 New England Patriots
It isn’t often a season can be both successful and tumultuous all at once. The 1984 New England Patriots managed it. They went through internal turmoil and midstream changes at head coach and quarterback. But they also won more games than they lost, flirted with playoff contention in a tough AFC and set the stage […]
1986 Los Angeles Raiders: A Collapse & The End Of An Era
For over two decades the Raider organization had been synonymous with excellence. It was even the organization motto—whether the team was in Oakland or Los Angeles there was a “Commitment To Excellence.” And they backed it up on the field. For the 21-year period from 1965-85, the Raiders had twenty winning seasons, fifteen playoff trips, […]
1992 Houston Oilers: The Heartbreak Keeps Growing
The city of Houston saw good football in the seven-year stretch from 1987-93. The Oilers made the playoffs each season. There were also some tough playoff losses, like the endings to 1989 and 1991. But the 1992 Houston Oilers edition took the cake, getting into the postseason with real prospects of reaching a Super Bowl…and […]
1992 Denver Broncos: A Disappointing Finale For Dan Reeves
The Dan Reeves era of Denver Broncos history had been an unquestionable success. Reeves, backed by the powerful right arm of John Elway, had taken the team to the playoffs six times from 1983-91, including three trips to the Super Bowl. But tensions between the coach and quarterback were mounting and when a promising season […]
Another Playoff Run For The 1992 Kansas City Chiefs
Marty Schottenheimer had turned the Kansas City Chiefs fortunes around with a winning season upon his arrival in 1989. Schottenheimer followed that up with playoff trips in 1990 and 1991. With expectations on the rise, the 1992 Kansas City Chiefs season ended up being a bit of a disappointment. But they still made the playoffs—and […]
1992 Chicago Bears: The End Of The Ditka Era
The Chicago Bears were the gold standard of the NFC Central from 1984 thru 1991. In that eight-year stretch, the Bears made the playoffs seven times, won the division six times and were a memorable Super Bowl champion in 1985. With Mike Ditka at the helm, the franchise was colorful and successful. The 1992 Chicago […]
Dennis Green Returns The 1992 Minnesota Vikings To The Playoffs
After a nice run of playoff teams from 1987 through 1989, the Vikings had slipped to .500 and then to 6-10 the past two seasons. Dennis Green, the head coach at Stanford, was hired to put the franchise back on track. He did exactly that. The 1992 Minnesota Vikings won a division title and set […]
1992 Green Bay Packers: The Favre Era Begins
It had been a long quarter-century in Wisconsin since the Vince Lombardi glory years ended following the 1967 season. There had been just a couple scattered playoff seasons, in 1972 and 1982. There were only four winning seasons. A new management team of general manager Ron Wolf and head coach Mike Holmgren had come on […]
The History-Making Turnaround Of The 1992 San Diego Chargers
Success had been a long time coming for the football fans of San Diego. The Chargers were last a playoff team in the Air Coryell Era of 1979-82, when they went to the postseason each year and reached the AFC Championship Game in 1979 and 1980. After a decade in the wilderness, the 1992 San […]
The 1992 Philadelphia Eagles Taste Playoff Success
Rich Kotite had a simple mandate when he became head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1991—start winning playoff games. The Eagles had made the postseason under Buddy Ryan each year from 1988–90, but had failed to win a game. That ‘91 campaign was undone by an early injury to quarterback Randall Cunningham. But the […]