1980 Patriots: The UNLUCKIEST Team in NFL HISTORY

In 1980, entering the final week of the season, the New England Patriots had a shot at the #1 seed. The Patriots won their game. The Patriots had a 91% chance at making the postseason. Instead... they missed the playoffs entirely. This is the story of the 1980 Patriots, who might be the unluckiest team in NFL history
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1980 Patriots roster:
Matt Cavanaugh
Steve Grogan
Tom Owen
Don Calhoun
Allan Clark
Sam Cunningham
Vagas Ferguson
Chuck Foreman
Horace Ivory
Andy Johnson
Mosi Tatupu
Preston Brown
Harold Jackson
Stanley Morgasn
Carlos Pennywell
Don Westbrook
Russ Francis
Don Hasselbeck
Sam Adams
Pete Brock
Bob Cryder
John Hannah
Shelby Jordan
Bill Lenkaitis
Garry Puetz
Dwight Wheeler
Julius Adams
Richard Bishop
Ray Hamilton
Mel Lunsford
Doug McDougald
Tony McGee
Steve McMichael
Mike Hawkins
Steve King
Bill Matthews
Larry McGrew
Steve Nelson
Rod Shoate
John Zamberlin
Raymond Clayborn
Tim Fox
Mike Haynes
Roland James
Prentice McCray
Rick Stanford
Mike Hubach
John Smith
Mark Buben
Steve Schindler
Jimmy Stewart
1980 Patriots Staff:
Billy Sullivan
Chuck Sullivan
Bucko Kilroy
Patrick Sullivan
Mike Holovak
Bill McPeak
Ron Erhardt
John Polonchek
Tom Yewcic
Raymond Berry
Jim Ringo
Fritz Shurmur
Bill Parcells
Billy Kinard
Gino Cappelletti
#nfl #patriots #1980
Note that there are 2 errors in the video. There was one part where I said that New England had a possible shot at the #1 seed; as it turns out, if that six-way scenario happened, Oakland would've been the #1 seed. And, there was another part where I said that Jack Thomspon threw an awful pass at the end; it was Ken Anderson

[@henry6354]

How it is possible that New England changed that awesome uniforms and logo ? They should return to Pat the Patriot and red throwbacks

[@jeffvanmeter1330]

At the beginning of 1980, the “Ain’ts” were also given a high percentage of reaching the playoffs; having achieved their first non-losing season (8-8) the previous year. In 1978, Archie Manning was the top-rated QB in the NFC; and with a healthy Manning, RB Chuck Muncie and WR Wes Chandler returning, they seemed sure to accomplish, at least an above .500 record. They ended the season 1-15.

[@williamberry4615]

Cool story. But this has nothing to do with that joke of a franchise down south.

[@MarloSoBalJr]

Oof 😣

[@axer3515]

But they really boosted the brown paper bag market that year. They were so bad for so long and Even managed to be the 1st team to lose to Tampa bay a few years earlier. They had so many horrible years under Archambault Manning that people wanted them to play a college team.

[@kyle1910]

In 1980 all 5 AFC playoff teams, heading into the final weekend, had a chance to be the #1 seed but also could have missed the playoffs entirely

[@lightyagami3492]

That is absurd lmao.

[@gluserty]

In addition, every AFC playoff team was 11-5; the Raiders were the hot winners as the playoffs began, but that playoff field was really good if not dominant (I think the Eagles, Falcons, and Cowboys were the dominant NFL teams of 1980).

[@someperson3883]

@@glusertyAll we’re tied for the best record in the league at 12-4

[@juliuskurtz8143]

1980 AFC was stack loke the 91 NFC was

[@someperson3883]

@@juliuskurtz8143 what?

[@johnburns9634]

New England finished 10-6. All FIVE playoff teams in the AFC finished 11-5.

[@hggfhh4449]

5 playoff teams?

[@RoseFielden]

@@hggfhh4449 Back then it was 5

[@hggfhh4449]

@@RoseFielden would the wildcards only play wildcard weekend? And the looser play the 1 seed and the 3rd seed go to the 2nd seed?

[@andrewlarson7]

@@hggfhh4449 the wild cards faced off, winner played the 1 seed (as long as they werent in the same division, then the 2 and 3 faced off

[@craigusselman546]

Thats crazy....

[@jamesdisalvo814]

I love those old Patriots uniforms. They're much more classy than the ones they wear now.

[@STMARTIN009]

I always liked the Pat the patriot logo more than the current flying Elvis one.

[@henry6354]

True...bring back pat the patriot logo 👍

[@marcus813]

I prefer the ones that had the UCLA stripes, the red face masks and the red pants.

[@henry6354]

@@marcus813 red pants white jersey ?

[@marcus813]

@@henry6354 I like that combo the most. I think the Pats wore that in the early '90s.

[@g.holland4862]

It was rough being a Patriots fan in the 70's and 80's. never thought I would see them win so many Super Bowls.

[@GraveDigger35]

and i bet the 90's were worst, what with them almost moving to St. Louis and all that

[@theminuteman3460]

Winning all of those Super Bowls makes up for the 42 years of misery. I’m thankful to say that I got to see them win the last 3 of their championships.

[@isud2000]

I still say the 2010 Chargers are the unluckiest team of all time. If only they had a smidgen of special teams they'd at least make a conference championship that year.

[@marcus813]

Their O and D were on point, but they had some of the worst special teams play known to man.

[@Lexio3031]

2010 chargers: best offense, best defense, no playoffs

[@saubergt2390]

The worst special teams in NFL history IMO. If special teams play is so awful that it stops a team with the best offense AND defense from making the playoffs, you know there's something wrong that needs to be drastically overhauled.

[@IncredibleFulk1]

Fuck you Spanos.

[@anthonyhutchins2300]

Special teams was garbage... dont get why people are surprised by that team. Also the yardage of offense and defense could be attributed to how trash the special teams was lol.

[@GatCat]

Stats don’t always win games.

[@CeeLovezDaMan]

That's not Jack Thompson throwing that last pass. They switched to Kenny Anderson late. That's Kenny Anderson throwing those passes.

[@tomjacoubowsky275]

And it was Pete Johnson in the flat, not Archie Griffin.

[@lamontbradford4630]

Don't trust anybody under 40 for old school videos.

[@Cbamuzic]

@@lamontbradford4630 bro literally typed his mistake in the description...I guess don’t trust anybody to actually try to read

[@alec1115]

After watching that, I'm dropping my support for Ken Anderson going into the HOF.

[@joemeehan9329]

@@alec1115 Don't. What Anderson did the following year to get the Bengals into the Super Bowl made up for a late game mistake.

[@Lawomenshoops]

This is how stupid the NFL used to be- the season actually ended on a Monday night! I can't remember exactly when the NFL stopped having their last game of the season on MNF, but I know it was at least the late 90's.

[@WaltGekko]

That Saints win over the Jets was not even shown in New York as WCBS-TV (Channel 2) elected to show Cardinals-Eagles, the last time a network affiliate was allowed to choose not to show a home game even though that game was sold out.

[@brianallison1913]

1:21 one of if not the greatest offensive lineman to ever play .....John Hannah

[@depaola63]

Absolutely ⭐️

[@okolo22000]

Keep in mind that the 2008 Patriots went 11-5 and missed the playoffs while the Chargers went 8-8 and hosted a playoff game that same year. The NBA would never stand for this anymore. By the way, 3 teams in the NFC had a worse record than the Patriots that year. Oh, of course the Detroit Lions were winless in the season also.

[@superkewlyoutuber2927]

wow

[@apex_prowler95]

Didn't the Chargers beat the Colts in the Scifres Game?

[@sgttombw]

08 Pats unluckier in my opinion. Lose TB within 15 minutes of the first game for the season, go 11-5 and still don’t make the playoffs. The beat the NFC Champion Cardinals 47-7 that year too. 80 Pats isn’t a wrong answer though. Crazy season.

[@Davehhhh]

I agree. I really think the pats probably could beat the steelers too. That team was very talented.

[@Davehhhh]

I agree. I really think the pats probably could beat the steelers too. That team was very talented.

[@creeper2054]

I was at that Cardinals game that year. They beat the holy hell out of them in the snow.

[@Rockhound6165]

Worst part of that is the 8-8 Chargers made the playoffs.

[@ericthomas917]

@@Davehhhh they would have lost to the Ravens in the playoffs like they did in 2009 (if they would have over took the Dolphins for the division).

[@williamsmith8127]

did you know in 1980 a jets-dolphins game did not have announcers

[@CTubeMan]

This is one reason you could do a great video about the last week of the 1980 season. This video is another good reason. Also, the fact that while the Texas Stadium scoreboard read Cowboys 35 Eagles 27 the Eagles were celebrating at the end of the game, since Dallas had to win that game by 25 points to win the NFC East. Instead Philadelphia won, and went on to host and win the NFC Championship.

[@haveanicedave1551]

is that because of complaints of announcers talking during games?

[@zenoftupac9096]

Different Year & Diff team , but in 1985 the Denver Broncos finished 11-5 and missed the playoffs ( Raiders 12-4 ) The Cleveland Browns made the Playoffs at 8-8 The AFC East had 3 playoff teams that year with both wildcards ( also 11-5 ) coming from that division The Jets and the Pats. In the NFC the Cowboys, Giants, & 49ers all made the playoffs with 10 wins.

[@pronkb000]

The '85 Broncos and the '08 Patriots are the only two teams since the second wild card was added in 1978 (to say nothing of the 3rd wild card in '90) to finish 11-5 and miss the playoffs. That was the year that Brady tore his ACL in Week 1, lest you think it was Tom carrying Belichick to all those titles. Now that there are 7 playoff teams in each conference I would say it's unlikely to ever happen again, but it came close to happening in the first year of the expanded playoffs.

[@stephengiallombardo2336]

The 2008 Patriots team, Brady was hurt and Matt Cassel was quarterback.

[@williamberry4615]

@@stephengiallombardo2336 that was right after they almost went undefeated. That will never ever happen again. God that hurt. Had Brady not tore his knee in 08 they would've won 7 superbowls. Hell in 06 if they didn't run into a high powered Colts team they wouldve smashed Chicago in sb 43 and gotten revenge for 85 sb 20

[@radagastbrown9001]

Bernie Kosar's rookie year.

[@michaeltischuk7972]

they went from the unluckiest to the luckiest, Grogan vs Brady, what a franchise history.

[@devilsadvocacy]

2:35 Man, that Stanley Morgan was fast

[@cdprince768]

Poor Patriots. I don't think that franchise ever recovered.

[@johnnguyen270]

that 1980 team didn't. In 1981 they went 2-14 and fired HC Ron Erhardt! The 1982 strike shortened season DID see The Patriots make the playoffs as the #7 seed. That season the league made 8 teams from each conference make the playoffs.

[@williamberry4615]

Have you been in a coma since 2001?

[@mattgrey7575]

Great content! Being a student of 70’s-80’s NFL football, this is right up my alley. Thank you so much.

[@michaelringel273]

Bit late but this reminds me of the 1967 (I think?) colts missing the playoffs despite having the second best record, points for and points against, just because there were no wild cards and the first place in their division had the exact same record but won out on tie breaks

[@369603]

Many people remember the game against the dolphins because that was the night Howard Cossell announced that John Lennon was shot and killed

[@searchforthestrangler5034]

Absolutely. I remember that night for that moment the way I remember 9/11. Some historical tragic times hit you to a Remember When in history.

[@agent_of_cthulhu]

I was wondering what he meant by the John Lennon game. Thanks. God, that is a tragic announcement to have to make during a football game.

[@searchforthestrangler5034]

@@agent_of_cthulhu Howard Cosell will always be linked to John Lennon because of that horrific night. Unforgettable.

[@gluserty]

The word I once heard about the 1980 Patriots is that they lacked heart (the 1976-'84 teams had a reputation for being very talented, but underachieved due to questionable leadership), but that was a very unusual set of circumstances in missing the playoffs. Too bad the NFL waited a decade to expand the playoff field to 6 teams per conference.

[@searchforthestrangler5034]

Great point.

[@michaelkoszowski3716]

no intestinal fortitude .

[@gluserty]

@@michaelkoszowski3716 I agree.

[@billyshorr8681]

YES! For Sure. It was really more 77-80. After they blew 80 season, they didn't really play for Eirhardt in 81. The 76 team to me was the best Patriot team EVER! You heard me! that includes any of the SB winners or teams. The Roughing the passer on Ray Hamilton called by Ref Ben Drieth, not only stopped them from winning that game, and the whole damn thing (THEY had already won in Pittsburgh during Reg Season, and both RB's Harris and Blier were out, and they would have killed Minnisota! Today where Roughing the passer is called much more Hamiltons play would not have been called! That robbery loss, was a big factor in the under acheivement of 77-80 teams!

[@aaronholcomb237]

There could be a video made about the coaching fiasco in the last game of the 1978 season where the coach left for Colorado but intended to coach out the season for the Patriots but the owner wouldn't let him.

[@JoeSmith-dr5gm]

78 Red Sox: hold my beer

[@anthony0358]

This is a great video! I had forgotten that New England went 10-6 that year. I do understand there were only 5 playoff teams in each conference through 1989. I clearly remember that all five AFC teams went 11-5 . So yes, it was super un-lucky. I remember watching the Raiders-Giants game as Lester Hayes ended up with the 2nd most interceptions in NFL history for one season

[@Nathan-ee4bv]

your channel is a diamond in the rough. ive never seen anyone talk about football as well as you do and im very exited to see how this channel grows

[@nsr60ster85]

I thought the 1981 Pats were the unluckiest team in NFL history. Their 2-14 season was consistently marked by blown leads and late collapses (the last-second loss to Buffalo was particularly painful). They finished last and got first pick in the draft because they managed to lose twice to a vastly inferior Colts team that got slaughtered in all their other games.

[@nelroy78]

They got their payback and then some in the 00s and 10s. But WOW!

[@ThatGreenGuy85]

The 2008 Eagles should have gotten a mention when talking about teams needing a lot to happen to make the playoffs. They needed 2 or 3 big upsets in the early slate in order to not be eliminated when they played the cowboys at 4 o'clock. Everything came together perfectly, then they stomped Dallas 44-6 in what suddenly became a win-and-in game.

[@anthonyrivera4735]

That's true the buccaneers lost to the resurgent dolphins in week 17 and the bears lost to a lifeless bengals team in week 17 2008

[@howardcosell2022]

Steve Grogan was the best running QB in the NFL and was on his way to becoming one of the better passers in the league. He hurt both knees during the 1980 season and played hurt for the better part of the year. The team fell off after losing Grogan as a running threat. Grogan never fully regained his mobility and spent the rest of his career as a part-time starter

[@rrmarshall3239]

Yes, it was the Grogan injury that kept NE from making the postseason in 1980. But also the defensive personnel was starting to show it's age in the second half of that season, something that manifested in the disastrous 2-14 season the following year. That year stretch 1979-1981 also clearly demonstrated that while he was a great offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt was simply not an elite head coach. Without a doubt it was one of the most frustrating seasons of the pre-Belichick era.

[@howardcosell2022]

@@rrmarshall3239 They were long in the years on the defensive line and this showed in 1981 as they finished last against the run. But the 1981 season was a culmination of many frustrating years of not getting it done, the departure of Chuck Fairbanks, talented players such as Russ Francis and Leon Gray leaving plus the injury to Grogan with nothing to show. I commented in another vine to someone who stated the Rams and the Vikings were the biggest underachievers of the 1970's. I corrected the person by responding it was the mid to late 70's New England Patriots

[@rrmarshall3239]

@@howardcosell2022 There was a debate locally in NE during that time that perhaps the Pats' sudden success in 1976 created high expectations that weren't realistic. They were the cover team on Sports Illustrated's NFL Preview in 1977 but looking back perhaps their talent base was overrated. I talked with several of the players from that era and to a man they said they had several star players (HOFers like Hannah and Haynes, etc) but many were role players who did not play consistently from week to week. I think the Rams and Vikings had much more talent on their rosters, as did the Raiders, Cowboys, and Steelers. But personally it was a disheartening time to be a Patriots fan.

[@howardcosell2022]

@@rrmarshall3239 The team had a boat load of exceptional football players, but the one thing they surely lacked was a leader. As promising of a young QB as he displayed early on, Grogan was a young and unassuming player who played to fill the position. If they had kept Jim Plunkett, they would have had the leadership the team needed. Plunkett receives enormous accolades in being the leader that stepped in to win the Raiders' two championships during the 80's

[@rrmarshall3239]

@@howardcosell2022 QB aside they lacked a playmaker on defense like say an Andre Tippett who didn't come along until 1982. The front seven was just not consistent. They would blow a divisional opponent one week and lose the rematch later in the season when the defense would let down and give up a ton of points. A better head coach and coaching staff may have gotten more out of them., but aside from Mike Haynes, Ray Clayborn, and Steve Nelson the D was average and inconsistent. As former Pat RB Andy Johnson told me many years ago "We had some very good players and then a lot of average ones, like me. If our best players did not play well, we didn't win...."

[@southsidecompton9668]

Unlucky team 1980 Blessed team 2000s and 2010

[@andrewpadaetz5549]

Pats had a shot to avoid all this if they had won that Monday Night game in Miami..but right about the time that John Lennon's death was announced by Howard Cosell, John Smith missed a FG in the final seconds. Dolphins won in OT (in fact, New England NEVER beat Miami at the Orange Bowl until the 1985 AFC Championship Game) as stated at about the 3 minute mark of this video.

[@andrewpadaetz5549]

Jack Thompson? Looks like Kenny Anderson (14) throwing that last pass-Thompson wore number 12.

[@jonirving5606]

This is an outstanding video. Not even a Pats fan, but very interesting to watch. Keep up the awesome work.

[@pewsterbaby]

The Monday Night Football loss in Miami was a killer. I think after that, they were on the outside looking in for the sole wildcard slot.

[@rich7787]

What an awesome channel, I love all the varied stories and how well presented they are

[@Sludgemonkey444]

Awesome content! Love those old school Patriot uniforms as well

[@threerings1345]

The '08 Patriots suffered equally bad luck, finishing the season on a 4-game winning streak to close at 11-5. By week 16 they were becoming legit contenders behind Matt Cassel, shredding the eventual NFC champion Cardinals 47-7. Unfortunately the Dolphins and Ravens both won their final games making the Pats, on the 3rd tiebreaker w/ Miami, the second 11-win team in NFL history to miss the playoffs.

[@thereilneid2868]

Great video. That team had an interesting roster. My fav RB all-time Chuck Foreman (from Minn) even though it was his last season. Also Don Hasselbeck, father of NFL players Tim & Matt. All-pro DB Mike Haynes who they lost to the Raiders. The NFL had to give N.E. a #1 pick in '84 & a #2 in '85 in a settlement. Finally Bill Parcels was a coach also.

[@majesticmoosesports]

Just started watching your videos, I love the different random videos!

[@screamingbanana4391]

The 2021-2022 Colts: Hold my beer

[@tomtalley2192]

I remember this and other years when the Pats needed help, and never got any, like Pittsburgh this year. Glad we had the run we had the last 20 years

[@xZOOMORPHICx]

wow man, so glad this popped into my recommendations. subbed n belled.

[@conservativeguy9329]

Ironic. Bill Parcells was the linebackers coach on that 1980 team. Parcells leaves the Patriots in 1981 to become the defensive coordinator of the NY Giants under Ray Perkins. Erhardt gets fired after the 1981 season only to be hired by Ray Perkins as the Giants offensive coordinator in 1982. Perkins steps down as head coach after the 1982 returning to Alabama replacing Paul Bear Bryant. The Giants name Bill Parcells in 1983 as their new head coach. Parcells keeps Ron Erhardt as his offensive coordinator. The Giants would go on to win Superbowl 21 and 25 with Parcells as the head coach and Ron Erhadt as the offensive coordinator. Also as a side note Bill Belchick was the defensive coordinator during Superbowl 21 and 25. Ironic how things end up at times.

[@JWD1992]

It's weird how Erhardt and Perkins had so much to do with laying the groundwork for not just the Giants' Super Bowl success but also the Patriots', albeit indirectly in the case of the latter. There's so much shared history between the two franchises.

[@conservativeguy9329]

@@JWD1992 Very True. It is interresting how the two franchises have been intertwined for many years. Brian Daball was on the Belichick staff twice. Erhardt and Perkins not only impacted the Giants and Patriots, but many teams still use a version of the Erhardt - Perkins offense.

[@JWD1992]

@@conservativeguy9329 Yes, exactly!

[@NickCC23]

The John Lennon game when John Smith missed the game winning FG at Miami

[@NickCC23]

Pats win the division and maybe #1 seed if Smith makes FG.

[@opticscolossalandepicvideo4879]

Fantastic just for referencing the Lennon game incredible

[@rufuspipemos]

Great video. I remember this weekend as an Oilers fan.

[@STR8L8CED]

God I miss the Oilers. They had some great squads!

[@tmilesffl]

I think Buffalo is the most unlucky team. Making the super bowl multiple times under Marvin Leavy and Jim Kelly and missed the win by a field goal, twice.

[@veggieoilerfan2940]

Super Bowl XXV was the only Super Bowl that Buffalo lost on account of a missed field goal. After losing SB XXV by a score of 20-19, the Bills next three Super Bowl losses were by scores of 37-24, 52-17, and 30-13, respectively.

[@TKCOTTRILL]

GREAT VIDEO ON THE 1980 PATRIOTS............CAN YOU MAKE THE VIDEO ON THE 2008 New England Patriots THAT WENT 11-5 AND NO PLAYOFF BIRTH WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT..........THANKS TOM

[@suicidality2744]

That's why the playoffs have been expanded. Any 10 win team deserves a shot. I remember years when 11-5 wasn't good enough, but 8-8 got in because they were a division champion in a terrible division. Oftentimes that 11-5 team had defeated the 8-8 division champion during the regular season.

[@Most__Toxic_]

Can’t wait for that 2021 Colts video 😭

[@Icey_Sxnny]

he’s gonna mention the fact they didn’t have a first too lmao

[@shawngreene1225]

Thanks for this video man, I knew this team went 10-6 and missed the playoffs but I didn't know why they didn't. I definitely didn't know that lost to Miami was the john Lennon game.

[@elitecardhunter7852]

9:35 love the fan getting choked out of the way by police

[@rockinmosquito]

I don’t know how you do it, but you put your commercials without stepping on the show. Good job.

[@williammacauley1858]

unluckest team 1967 colts didn't make playoffs despite only one loss

[@reidcraig3739]

I would have thought it would’ve been funny if Tom Brady was in attendance at the Niners game.

[@TALCOLMINTHEMIDDLE]

I like how there are late hits and/or pushing after half of all these plays

[@scottmitchell3641]

2020 Washington wins the NFC East with a 7-9-0 record. 2010 Seattle wins the NFC West with a 7-9-0 record. smh

[@thenomicgamer8784]

It looks like every 10 years a team just wins the division as a 7-9 because of how bad... you know

[@scottmitchell3641]

@Bigfriendly15 Yes. The 2010 Seattle Seahawks won their division with a 7-9-0 record. Despite their terrible record, since they were a division winner, they actually got to host a wildcard team in a playoff game. That wildcard team was non other than the defending Super Bowl champions: The New Orleans Saints. The 2009 Saints went 13-3-0 and won the Super Bowl. The 2010 Saints went 11-5-0 and qualified for the playoffs as a wildcard and had to go on the road and play the 7-9-0 Seahawks in Seattle. The 7-9-0 Seahawks shocked the NFL world and upset the heavily favored 11-5-0 Saints 41-36. Very late in the 4th quarter, Seattle put the game out of reach when Marshawn Lynch broke loose on a spectacular 67 yard touchdown run. Nothing could stop him. Nothing. He ran over and through everything. So in this case, I should not shake my head about a losing 7-9-0 regular season record. Regardless of the record, the 2010 Seattle Seahawks proved they actually were a playoff caliber team and deserved to be in the post season. By the way, also in that 2010 NFL season, the New York Giants and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers both finished 10-6-0 and were not able to qualify for the NFC playoffs, even though the 7-9-0 Seattle Seahawks did qualify.

[@Rockhound6165]

@@scottmitchell3641 fun fact: That 2010 year was the closest Sam Bradford would come to making the playoffs in his career as a starter.

[@rjante2236]

2030, Detroit will go 7-10 and win the division, calling it now

[@nickmerrick18]

Thanks great history!

[@tillitsdone]

11:08 Rolf Benirschke's life story is pretty amazing. He damn near died on a Chargers team flight. Far too many accomplishments for me to list here, but if you're interested I suggest checking his Wikipedia page.

[@Rockhound6165]

Does this include his stint as host of Wheel of Fortune?

[@CyberchaoX]

2002 also had some wild scenarios. Going into their final game of the season against the New England Patriots, the Miami Dolphins still had a shot at the #1 seed, though they'd need not only to beat the Patriots but for all three of the other division leaders--the Steelers, Titans, and Raiders--to lose. A tie against the Patriots would lock them in to the fourth seed. And with a loss, at 9-7, they'd fail to win the AFC East, as the Pats would also be 9-7. However, they'd still stand a pretty good chance. They had wins in hand against the Broncos, and Chargers, so neither of them winning to reach 9-7 would hurt the Dolphins' chances, and they also had a win in hand over the Colts who would fall to 9-7 with a loss. While the Chiefs, with wins in hand over both the Dolphins and the Browns (who could also reach 9-7 with a win), could be problematic if the Colts _won_ as they would indeed hold potential divisional tiebreakers over San Diego and Denver if they won against Oakland, either of Indy or KC losing would seemingly still allow the Dolphins to make it in as a wild card if the Patriots won the division. Probably. I'm not sure how Cleveland would factor in. ...Except I lied slightly, because in the event that the Dolphins lost, there was one team that it was *very* crucial to their playoff hopes didn't win. And that was the 8-7 New York Jets. Because if the Jets won, _they_ would win the AFC East, and the Dolphins would only be able to earn the 6-seed if the Patriots were the 5-seed. Which was kind of mathematically impossible because the Colts and Pats didn't play that year and even with a loss, the Colts would have a better conference record--and their tiebreakers weren't looking much better against the other potential wild cards, with a worse conference record than Cleveland and losses to both Denver and San Diego. Yes, while the Patriots would win the AFC East with a win over the Dolphins and a Jets loss or tie, if the Jets won, they'd need a Cleveland loss or tie and either a Kansas City win or losses or ties by both Denver and San Diego just to make the playoffs. The Jets won, of course, and so did the Browns and Colts. So did the Steelers, Raiders, and Titans, for that matter--and the Broncos, whose head-to-head win over the Pats would have gotten them the 7-seed had it existed at the time, which means that the Dolphins, who entered the final week of the season with a slight chance of getting the 1-seed, would have failed to make the playoffs _even had an 8-seed existed._ But wait, there's more! What could be crazier than a team that could've been the 1-seed with one week remaining ending up as the #9 team in the AFC? Well, okay, nothing, because the difference between 1 and 9 is 8. But almost as big as 8 is 7, and sure enough, a team that was not yet mathematically eliminated from postseason contention entering the final week ended up finishing 13th in the AFC, seven spots out of the playoffs. Admittedly, they were the longest of long shots. But if the 8-7 Patriots, the 8-7 Jets, the 8-7 Broncos, the 8-7 Browns, the 8-7 Chargers, and the 8-7 Chiefs all lost and the 7-8 Ravens won, the massive tie for the sixth playoff spot (which could potentially also include the Buffalo Bills, who were also 7-8) would in fact break in favor of Baltimore, the only one of the bunch that would be 8-4 in conference play (and 1-1 against Cleveland, 4-2 in division play to the Browns' 3-3). Instead, Baltimore lost to fall to 7-9, and Buffalo won to finish 8-8, which left the Ravens alone in 13th place.

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

I got you covered on 2002: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYrXmYqvpLxsrJYsi=HTfkusmiCjGoOfkg

[@marcel4002]

This channel is awesome. How do you find do many interesting NFL moments to talk about?

[@ccjjpp1966]

The Patriots should go back to these uniforms and helmet decal. Their current uniforms look like a team who plays in an indoor arena football league.

[@genekelley7579]

🛑🛑 I love the Pats uniforms back then😀👍. The “Flying Elvis” Logo looks stupid🤷‍♂️💯.

[@C_Jack12]

Colts of now: “am I a joke to you?”

[@dantheman5745]

7:37 "I cannot -understate- *overstate* just how great, and how much fun, Earl Campbell was to watch that year."

[@michaelleroy9281]

I remember week 16 what a crazy day especially Browns Bengals game

[@diaz5292]

You passed up a golden chance to say "Sam Rutigliano" here. 9:09 Never give up a chance to say the most lyrical name in all of NFL history...😂🤣😅😅🙂👍

[@Fender178]

I would say the 2008 Pats were unfortunate because they finished 11-5 and missed the playoffs and they did it with a back up QB since Brady went down with injury. Why I would say this is because majority of 11-5 teams make the NFL postseason.

[@OliveOyl12590]

The Dolphins had a scenario in 1999 where they were better off losing their last two games opposed to possibly going 11-5 to make the playoffs. For some reason, if Miami beat the Jets on MNF and both Seattle and Kansas City won in Week 17, all three teams would have ten wins. But Miami would have to beat the Redskins and finish 11-5, because Seattle and KC had a tiebreaker over then. Needless to say, KC lost to the Raiders and all three teams finished 9-7 with Miami having a tiebreaker over the Chiefs.

[@craigkrause2371]

Your videos are the best. That generation is my wheelhouse. Do baseball and basketball since I don’t ever watch either since the 90’s. Hockey being the best sport

[@whataboutrob442]

Loved this. Did you ever get around to the 1980 Oilers?

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

Not yet. Still working on it. It’s gonna be a huge video

[@Lawomenshoops]

Had to look up who the Bills QB, #11 was. Joe Ferguson wore #12. It was Dan Manucci, at

[@christhayil8354]

Not so unlucky now! Even with Brady gone, they still have Bilecheck, and he worked his knowledge this last off season to likely get back on top of the AFC East.

[@chrisuncleahmad]

One small irony is that the 49ers actually beat these Pats in late November

[@alspencer3826]

Your right, had the Pats won that game they make the playoffs. They had big problems at qb during that time, as both their 1st and 2nd string qb's were nursing injuries and neither one looking good at that point. Steve Grogan started against the 49ers and played awful. He threw a half dozen picks in that game and stunk out the joint. I've never seen a qb throw 6 int's in one game, and some of the int's were just horrendous, go look at the highlites and see what I mean. That game more than any other cost them the playoffs, because the 49ers were so bad. It still hurts thinking about it.

[@emptyhand777]

@@alspencer3826- 49ers were bad, but the next year they won the Super Bowl against the Bengals who also helped screw the Pats that year.

[@alspencer3826]

@@emptyhand777 Ya, 1981 was a completely different time for da 49ers, buy in 1980 they were still horrible. Walsh hadn't worked his magic yet. Maybe the bengals hurt the Pats in 1980, but they didn't play them head to head, which is why the 49ers game really hurt the Pats. They were in the drivers seat, they should have dismantled San Fran, but with two injured qb's it was gonna be tough. The Pats/ Dolphins MNF game gets an honorable mention for screwing up their season. They looked a little better compared to the previous week but now they had to battle history, they had not won in the Orange Bowl since 1966. Hell, you even had the great Howard Cosell annoucing John Lennon's death to millions of people as the Pats were going for their game winning fg drive. They were doomed and so was their season!!

[@emptyhand777]

@@alspencer3826 - The best NFL football for me was mid 70s through mid 80s. Can barely stand it today, the flow of the game has changed dramatically and not for the better.

[@alspencer3826]

@@emptyhand777 Holy shit!!! I say the exact same thing, that time frame was the greatest. That's why I spend so much time watching games from that era. I've collected hundreds of games from that era, and I watch them quite a bit. I don't know what it is, but nfl today sucks. I guess i feel that way about all pro sports, they are really difficult to watch. I'm also a big hockey fan, and it's funny, i feel the same way about that sport also. God, I wish espn classic would step up, and play some really cool old games.Their idea of a classic game is from 2007. I'm gonna go throw on some old mnf game from the mid 70's. I need my howard cosell fix.

[@BennysBenz]

Loved Grogan tough QB.

[@westpalmtom4415]

I remember the 1980 season but I didn’t really recall the Patriots doomed plight. Enjoyed the video though.

[@dgendvil]

Had Darryl Stingley not been injured 2 years earlier, the Pats could've been in.

[@mikeydred11]

And if Eleanor Roosevelt could fly, WW2 would have been shortened by two years.....

[@soulpatrolhawaii5409]

1:15-1:30 - John Hannah, best guard in NFL history

[@richardadams4928]

I'd vote for Larry Allen, but Hannah's in the discussion, for sure.

[@Lawomenshoops]

The John Hannah who was destroyed by the 85 Bears in the SB? The most overrated OL ever! After that SI cover, he was living on press clippings!!

[@soulpatrolhawaii5409]

@@Lawomenshoops The 85 bears defense destroyed every team in its path, except the dolphins with quick release Marino One man can’t block an entire defense, especially one that stacks the line of scrimmage like the Bears did

[@Lawomenshoops]

@@soulpatrolhawaii5409 overrated Hannah couldn’t block one Bears’ DL! McMichael eat him up! Just destroyed him!

[@soulpatrolhawaii5409]

@@Lawomenshoops Nope. Dent, Wilson and Hampton did most of the damage in that game. Mcmichael had zero tackles and only one sack. Hardly dominating. That game was a blowout- Pats fell way behind and were forced to pass, while the Bears rushers pinned their ears back and didn’t need to worry about the run When you evaluate a player, you don’t just look at the final game of a 12 year HOF career, you look at the whole body of work, including input from his opponents and film study. That’s why he has a gold jacket.

[@Lawomenshoops]

The Clowns in 1980 were nicknamed the Cardiac Kids, because they won so many games in the last minute of the game. So, no surprise their game came down to the last second. They would then choke away a shot at the SB, because of Red Right 88! Clowns being Clowns!

[@searchforthestrangler5034]

Don Crokfort could have put the Browns in the AFC title game had Ruggtiglino had given one more chance? A match with the Chargers was looming for the AFC title game that would not happen.

[@depaola63]

Starting @1:18 you can see why #73 for NE was/is one of the absolute BEST O’Linemen EVER !

[@bufnyfan1]

The Bills were better than the Patriots in 1980 in wins and statistically and certainly better coached with Chuck Knox--Knox took a team that was 1-13 in 1977 and led them to the AFC East title in 1980-the Bills got off to a 5-0 start but injuries started to catch up to them (including QB Joe Ferguson ankle injury)and they went on to a 6-5 record the rest of the way--it always upset me that if Buffalo could have beaten Baltimore at least once that season they would have had a 12-4 record and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs--as it turned out they had to go to San Diego and lost 17-14 in a game they should have won

[@frankdenardo8684]

They Buffalo Bills won the division by beating the San Francisco 49ers in the final game of the season. It was in a rain soaked Candlestick park.

[@Vinny_Gigante]

Agree. I always thought the Bills were the best team in the NFL in 1980

[@user-rq1dm3ny3s]

The old uniforms and logo is a thousand times better than what they have now.

[@jeffpearljam1976]

Monday night football on the last week? I totally forgot that was a thing.

[@michaelkaminski8339]

The Saints were not known as the Aints until tha5 infamous 1980 season.

[@amypeterson4615]

I've been a Pats fan since '62 but thankfully forgot about this, until now.

[@alspencer3826]

Did you happen to record any games in the late1970's or early 1980's. I'm trying to find games from that era and it's kind of difficult. Whenever I come across a long time fan I will ask them.

[@amypeterson4615]

@@alspencer3826 Unfortunately, I did not. My Dad taped the 1985 Patriot playoff run on DVD. I'll check around the house for those, but I think they got tossed. I'll let you know after a little while.

[@amypeterson4615]

Sorry, I not longer have the tapes.

[@alspencer3826]

@@amypeterson4615 thanks anyways for checking to see if you had them.

[@CTubeMan]

Another great video, you did a good job presenting your case. However, it’s hard to call a team unlucky if they were behind one game for a playoff spot with one game left, and needed 5-6 games to go their way.

[@g.holland4862]

They only needed 1 out of 3 or 2 out of 5. Depending on how you look at it.

[@UnlimitedProduction1]

There is no way you have less than. 10k subs. Alright, I'm gonna be around for your channel really blows up

[@Simbaforlife]

The 2008 Patriots went 11-5 and missed the playoffs

[@adambaum9732]

ALL of the teams who won their games were favored to win those games. Luck had almost nothing to do with the Patriots not making the playoffs.

[@d0nKsTaH]

Wrong. Steelers were favored at home over the Chargers and lost 26-17 49ers were favored to beat the Bills in SF... and lost Bengals were actually favored to beat the Browns and lost (that's why they carried Sam (the coach) off of the field because even the players knew it was an upset win. Not sure on who was favored or not in the Oilers-Vikings or Raiders at Giants games...

[@radagastbrown9001]

​@@d0nKsTaHnope, Sam was carried off because they won their first division title in years.

[@lancehurley9743]

I just hated it for The Great John Hannah..the 2nd best guard in 100 years of the NFL..he never got to spray the champagne..

[@byff2323]

Could we please have a video on those 2006 Chiefs?

[@sieveman]

You understand, when it got to scenario 4, Pittsburgh Steelers had no incentive to win. Only thing could have changed with a Pittsburgh win over Chargers was their draft position in 1981 with Detroit, maybe.

[@michaelcoughlin3013]

Those were excellent odds to make the playoffs. The odds against them not making it are approximately 11:1, nearly like a longshot at the horse racing. This would pay $24 w/$2 wager. So it was indeed it was a longshot for them to miss out postseason.

[@andrewmitchell393]

Actually the Steelers-Chargers game involved a deflated Steelers team whose OWN slim wild card chances had been eliminated when the Patriots won the day before. Add to that the fact that the Steelers had been blown out by Air Coryell 35-7 the previous (Super Bowl) season and were pretty beaten up entering the game, and the result was unsurprising. The Patriots blew it two weeks before with the Monday Night loss to Miami, a game they never trailed until they lost it in OT.

[@kyle1910]

You should double-check the Raiders and Oilers loss scenario. With NE, HOU and OAK at 10-6, assuming BUF, CLE and SD win, let's play out the tiebreakers. NE would have been in if the tiebreaking rules would have frozen out HOU due to them having a worse conference record (7-5) than NE and OAK (both 9-3) with OAK earning home-field in the WC game against NE due to better record against common opponents (5-1 toseason. Tiebreakers for the '82 strike-shortened season were conducted that way, but as I recall throughout NFL history, in any scenario involving 3 or more teams, if a step knocked one or more teams but two or more faired equally in that step and remained standing, those surviving teams would revert back to step 1 of the applicable tiebreaker. Then whichever team(s) didn't ultimately win the tiebreaker would join the teams who were knocked out of the first multi-team tiebreaker to start a new tiebreaker to determine who would be awarded the next spot if required. That would have meant a NE HOU-OAK tie @ 10-6 would have given OAK the first of the two wild card berths based on HOU first dropping out of the 3-way tie on conference record then OAK beating NE on common opponents. Then HOU would have grabbed the 2nd Wild Card berth because they beat NE earlier in the sesson.

[@kyle1910]

*(5-1 to season should read 5-1 to 4-2)

[@tonyjulius6011]

The 89 Steelers needed alot more than the Bengals losing to the Vikes on Monday night, if I can remember. They may have needed 3 or 4 things to happen.

[@stevep8445]

That's what you get for not winning the games you should win. Don't have to worry about other teams help. Losing to the 6-10 49ers and 8-8 Dolphins in back to back weeks, is why they didn't go to the playoffs. Not being unlucky.

[@williambryant6175]

The fact that they could either be division champs or spectators depending on how those games fell is nuts

[@sonofjesus185]

What about doing a video in 2011 afc west Where every team except for One finish eight and eight?

[@danejurus69]

I have a feeling this franchise ran into some luck years later.

[@crowtservo]

Right? They made up for it...

[@STR8L8CED]

Idk...Buffalo Bills come to mind....as in loosing 4 in a row. Sheesh. What are the odds on that happening?