From my blog...

www.edkleese.blogspot.com

Yeah, make fun of me, I deserve it. As you will see, I was kind of bored (hey, we've got like 8 feet of pure ice here right now). Anyway, I wanted to illustrate something that has always fascinated me. Championship weekend has always been my favorite weekend in the NFL. The difference between winning and losing, is obviously the Super Bowl. But more than that, it's a place in history.

I started in 1980, and came up with the losing teams from the AFC and NFC each year to see what the "bizzaro" Super Bowl would have been that season. I came up with some interesting results.

1980: Chargers vs. Cowboys
1981: Chargers vs. Cowboys
1982: Jets vs. Cowboys
1983: Seahawks vs. 49ers
1984: Steelers vs. Bears
1985: Dolphins vs. Rams (LA)
1986: Browns vs. Redskins
1987: Browns vs. Vikings
1988: Bills vs. Bears
1989: Browns vs. Rams (LA)
1990: Raiders (LA) vs. 49ers
1991: Broncos vs. Lions
1992: Dolphins vs. 49ers
1993: Chiefs vs. 49ers
1994: Steelers vs. Cowboys
1995: Colts vs. Packers
1996: Jaguars vs. Panthers
1997: Steelers vs. 49ers
1998: Jets vs. Vikings
1999: Jaguars vs. Bucs
2000: Raiders (Oak) vs. Vikings
2001: Steelers vs. Eagles
2002: Titans vs. Eagles
2003: Colts vs. Eagles
2004: Steelers vs. Falcons
2005: Broncos vs. Panthers

- What struck me most was by far the 49ers. A team that WON 5 Super Bowls over this period also appeared in 5 MORE NFC Title Games. That is truly remarkable.

--A few years, I believe the non-match-up was actually better than the real match-up. I would include 1980 in that assesment. The Chargers were an exciting, talented team. The Cowboys still had some lingering effects of their glory days in the 1970's. That could have been a pretty interesting show. But the upset-minded Raiders ousted the Chargers, and the Eagles beat the Boys. 1993 could have been an amazing match-up with Joe Montana facing the 49ers, but the Bills and Cowboys squashed that possibility. 1996 would have been surreal had two teams that did not exsist two years prior had met.

--As you can see, three teams had some terribly heart-breaking stretches. The Cowboys in 80, 81, and 82; the Browns three times between 86-89; and the Ealges in 01, 02, and 03. IMO, the Browns were the best of those teams, but they were cursed by Marty and Elway (lost all three times to Denver).

Just some fun food for thought. Read. Digest. Discuss. Or Discard