The STUPIDEST NFL Broadcasting Decision in NBC HISTORY

[@jonathonhass4178]

Lived in Michigan then and fortunately, the next door neighbor had one of those gigantic satellite dishes so I got to watch the Seahawks whip the pats.

[@CTubeMan]

This would be the most significant game between the Patriots and Seahawks that NBC would broadcast.

[@leogetz3570]

lol

[@stevengrvp]

1 yard give the ball lynch lol

[@reidcraig3739]

Technically I would say there were two sequels of this on nbc in regard to the Seahawks and Patriots. Obviously we know what happened in Super Bowl 49 when people questioned why they didn’t run with lynch, but I did think it was funny how we had a déjà vu moment 6 years later when people question why cam decided to run for the touchdown instead of passing.

[@coreylevine8095]

Until Super Bowl 49

[@mgb4692]

Or the two Sunday nighters that followed it (both also being decided on the 1)

[@guiseppe8032]

The NFL still does this today when it involves a certain team that wears a star on its helmet. "Oh let's see, we have 49ers-Rams and it has MAJOR playoff implications for both teams. Meanwhile there's a meaningless game between the Cowboys and Giants because the Cowboys wrapped up the NFC East a month ago and the Giants suck worse than Kurt Angle. But let's go with the Cowboys-Giants game anyways because it involves America's Team".

[@jorgeguardado6015]

Cowgirls suck haven't won a Lombardi in a long time. Nfc east stinks is not what it once was.

[@americangiant1003]

Sad but true.

[@stevenbauer4799]

boys are always americans game of the week on fox. and never get flexed out of snf even when they have a game against 4-11 g men 0r a 5-8 eagle team. jerrah sucks.

[@chrisp679]

And it’s gonna draw one of the most popular teams in the league and the largest media market. Hence why the decision is a no brainer.

[@americangiant1003]

@@chrisp679 2nd largest media market and the largest on the West Coast to boot.

[@SPTO]

I can't really fault NBC TOO much on this. You got to remember that in the early '80s the Raiders were to the AFC package what the Cowboys have historically been for the NFC package. As long as the team is relevant/good then they're going to go with that option. Add in the fact that they were taking on a generally entertaining team in the Chargers and it's not THAT bad of a decision. Maybe if there was flex scheduling back in those days that Seattle/NE game would've gotten better exposure.

[@mjwatts1983]

Had the flexible scheduling existed then Saturday NBC: DEN at KC CBS: DAL at SF Sunday NBC DH Early CIN at MN HOU at BAL BUF at ATL PIT at CLE CBS Early PHI at STL NYG at WSH GB at CHI TB at DET LA at NO NBC DH Late NYJ at MIA SD at LAR MNF on Sunday ABC NE at SEA

[@yunglo9394]

Seattle was in the AFC back in the 80s so NBC would air it either way

[@SPTO]

@@yunglo9394 Yes, but it could've been flexed to the national NBC game or to MNF.

[@ckobo84]

From a visual standpoint I just hated watching games on ugly artificial turf. I way preferred watching teams play on grass.

[@richsheer4905]

I agree Seattle was the better game, but the Raiders did need to win their game to clinch the #1 seed over the Dolphins.

[@SuperNuclearUnicorn]

American TV is so weird. For the AFL in Australia all the games are broadcast no matter what and that's been the case for a while now. The concept of blackouts is so weird too, it'd be hilarious with the AFL because there would never be an MCG game on TV ever again given it's a 100,000 seat stadium

[@americangiant1003]

Callum all the games in the NFL are broadcast and shown on TV since at least the merger in 1970 with a former rival league in which all the teams joined the NFL. Down under, Aussie Football only 18 teams as of 2022. Here in the US it’s 32 teams so a big difference. What the Narrator/Host is talking about is games in which every game shown to every American in the country. Here in the states with so many NFL games, there is called “regional games.” So for instance if the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions are playing on Sunday Afternoon the game is *only* usually shown on TV stations in the State of Michigan and Illinois. Or if you a fan of the Bears or Lions outside of the American Midwest, you watch them either on Satellite/Cable Pay Tv services. Or in recent years also on streaming. Meanwhile if the Dallas Cowboys are playing the New York NFL Giants on Sunday Night, those are called “prime time” aka national games in which every American can watch. During the US Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday, those games are another example of “national games.” Meanwhile for the playoffs and Super Bowl, all games are shown coast/coast with no blackouts. Finally for the purposes of blackout in the NFL up until only a few years ago, if a team for instance the Miami Dolphins did not sell out their game in South Florida, the Dolphins game was not shown to viewers in Miami. Hope this examples the sometimes confusing way American TV broadcast the now World popular NFL.

[@ericweiseronline6800]

Despite the fact that San Diego had a rough year in '83, the Raiders-Chargers rivalry was still perceived the best rivalry in the AFC at that time. Plus the Raiders, like the Dallas Cowboys, had an enormous national following in that era (many younger fans do not realize that, until about the mid-80s, the Raiders were the most feared team in the league; the "Raider mystique" was an actual thing). At least in those days, NOBODY outside of Seattle or the New England area cared one iota about the Seahawks or the Patsies. Also, the Raiders that season were destroying everybody, and everyone knew they'd be in the SB (the only question was whether their opponent would be Dallas or Washington). Although neither of these late games wound up being a "win-and-you're-in" situation, featuring the Raiders-Chargers game seems like the more logical choice for NBC in terms of viewer interest.

[@mjwatts1983]

uhhh… the 49ers probably would’ve given a better game than the [NAME REDACTED] did. San Francisco beat the Cowboys 42-17 in Week 16 and nearly came back from down 21-0 in the NFC Champ at WSH The “No Danny No” game sealed Dallas’ fate that season. Yeah, they ended up 12-4 & as the NFC-4 matching up against the Rams… cakewalk right… except the Rams had this running back named Eric Dickerson who was familiar with playing football in Texas Stadium. 110 total yards & a TD in his playoff debut That and Danny White threw 3 interceptions to remind Cowboys fans who he was not…

[@TimmyTickle]

The move to LA also helped the Raiders big time

[@Patrick-tx9rh]

Remember this game very well! Obviously living in Seattle I was so happy to see the Seahawks win it and went to the playoffs for the first time! Didn't know about this until now!

[@willosotherworld7109]

“One of the best RB’s in the league in Curt Warner” Curt Warner: … Kurt Warner: …

[@motnosniv]

Steve Largent, a forgotten superstar. At the time he was THE best receiver in the league.

[@JayTemple]

11:54 Curt Warner is only the second-best player named Kurt Warner to play in the NFL.

[@Rockhound6165]

Couple things. #1, that year my Cards were the last team to beat the Raiders. #2, you have to remember the times. Network execs look at team popularity. Back in the early 80's the Raiders along with the Cowboys were probably 1 and 1a in national popularity. The Seahawks probably only had fans in their local market and the Patriots, while a decent team, didn't have a huge following outside of New England and were a couple of seasons away from capturing national attention. As someone said, because the Raiders had more national exposure the players were more nationally known thanks in part to winning the Super Bowl a few years prior. And the Chargers, being perennial contenders, had a pretty decent following as well with players like Dan Fouts, Chuck Muncie, Wes Chandler, Kellen Winslow among others. So this was a Monday Night matchup and contrary to what you said, the Chargers still had a slim shot at the playoffs. But the network execs opted for the more popular teams over playoff implications. It's really not stupid when you think of it in those terms.

[@CTubeMan]

The Chargers, at a minimum, needed to win two games with one game left in the season.

[@mjwatts1983]

1983 STL: 8-7-1 Went 2-0 against LAR & SEA. They played in the AFC Champ w/ the Raiders eventually winning the Super Bowl Went 0-3 against WSH & SF. They played in the NFC Champ w/ [NAME REDACTED] going up 21-0 on the 49ers and surviving a near Montana comeback That tie: 20-20 against NYG in what is regarded as one of the worst MNF games ever. Also that season on MNF was one of the best being the Packers beating the defending champs 48-47 Please don’t waste Otis Anderson…

[@Rockhound6165]

@@mjwatts1983 Cards were 3-4-1 in their own division only beating the Eaglesx2, Giants, and the tie while being swept, quite handily, by Dallas and Washington. The next season they were much better being the #3 offense in the NFL but their shaky defense and losing some goofy games losing to the Saints, Rams, and Packers but going toe to toe with Marino and splitting with Dallas, NY, and Washington. Then as they usually do the wheels came off in '85 and they didn't recover until 1998.

[@mjwatts1983]

@@Rockhound6165 (sighs) you wasted Otis Anderson… Watch him be part of the Giants keepaway strategy in SB XXV as they dominate the time of possession in one of the most thrilling Super Bowls in recent memory FF to 1998: That was the year my team went a perfect 8-0 through the NFC East. I actually went to the SEA-DAL game with my dad, fun times. 8-0 in the division and the Cowboys have the Cardinals in the Wild Card Game. Piece of cake… besides the last time the Cardinals won a post-season game it was in 1947 when they were in Chicago. Cowboys are heading to Atlanta for the second round- AZ 20, DAL 7 Cardinals win their first Super Bowl era post-season game BSOD!!!!!!!!

[@Rockhound6165]

@@mjwatts1983 we didn't' waste him. By the time they traded him in '86 he wasn't the feature back anymore and hadn't been so since 1984. He also had injury issues. Even after he went to the Giants he only had 1 really good season and one above average season and had a hell of a game in the Super Bowl so it isn't like trading Curtis Martin in his prime like the Patriots did.

[@chrisguardiano6143]

This isn't the only time that NBC have done this on the last day of a season in a league as they did this in 2006 during their first season of NHL coverage. Instead of showing an important game for playoff positioning between Ottawa & the NY Rangers, most of the country got a meaningless game between Tampa Bay & Washington with a rookie Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals were long since eliminated from the playoff contention & Tampa Bay had already clinched a playoff spot. What makes this situation worse is that these two games were on cable via OLN (which later became the now defunct NBCSN) and NBC wanted to experiment with regionalized coverage of games on OLN. As a result, only people in New York got to see the Rangers-Ottawa game. Luckily NBC didn't do the same thing the next night on OLN as everyone got an important game between Colorado & Edmonton in which Edmonton clinched the last playoff spot in the Western Conference with a 4-2 win.

[@americangiant1003]

Chris did not NBC also screw up around that period in 2006, ‘07 or ‘08 cut away from a Conference Final Stanley Cup game between Ottawa and Buffalo to show I think the Belmont Stakes horse race? In that situation, the Belmont should have just been delayed as it was early summer and sundown was not until close to 9pm in NY. Amazing in the past 55 years or so, NBC has botched so many key and sometimes historical sporting events. It’s a wonder that NBC kept the AFC TV Coverage for so long between 1970-1997. Thankfully since they got Sunday Night Football contract (plus a Super Bowl every 3-4 years) they have done a good job.

[@chrisguardiano6143]

@@americangiant1003 they did do that and most of the country got screwed out of seeing the ending (unless you lived in Buffalo or lived close enough to the border to get the CBC broadcast)

[@americangiant1003]

@@chrisguardiano6143 I had just moved in that period of June 2006 (my first ever apartment living alone 😆) so I had no TV service as I did not get digital cable until a few weeks later. However the outrage against NBC from cutting away from that Sabres/Senators Stanley Cup Semifinal OT game was so much, it made national news. I remember reading an USA Today article with some viewers calling it “Heidi 2.” Being Frank, If one of the original 6 or major market clubs was in that semifinal especially the Rangers, Bruins , Red Wings, BlackHawks, Flyers or Kings, I am 99% sure, NBC executives would have never done that crap. The best thing to do was as you said Chris was delay the Belmont and then start the race after a short 15-20 minute pre race show. Or ideally put that Buffalo-Ottawa playoff game right after the Belmont with a face off around 730pm. (ET)

[@scottybbadd]

This had to be a ratings decision. The Raiders = ratings, at the time. If given the choice between Seahawks vs Patriots and Raiders vs Chargers, give me the divisional rivalry everytime.

[@dangeiger9796]

Technically that Chargers Raiders game did mean something because they it could have determined home field advantage in the AFC Championship Game if it was Raiders Dolphins

[@marcus813]

This! This is why I can't stand hearing someone call a game with some playoff implications meaningless just because it's not for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs or win-and-in.

[@rurouni82]

Gotta understand couple things back in those days. 1. the NFL was not nearly as big as it grown to be. So there wasn’t as much casual fans. 2. The Raiders was a very big market team for all of America. Oppose to Seattle and NE were way down the totem poll. I’m not saying it was the right decision, but hopefully that can put things into perspective.

[@paultheaudaciousbradford6772]

Subscribe and get a new vid EVERY SINGLE DAY telling you about the dumbest move ever made by the NFL, or the NCAA, or the broadcasters, or the team owners, or the coaches, or the refs, or the fans, or the players. New content every day????? How does Jaguargator do it? No problem! Football has a bottomless reservoir of dumb from which he can draw.

[@crashburn3292]

I was 16 that 1983 season I missed the Raiders Super Bowl win because weeks before I STUPIDLY obligated myself to run a face painted booth at my Hawaiian family's charity luau. While I sat painting brat kids' faces, all the men huddled in the corner of the gymnasium watching on a portable tv. I only caught about 20 minutes of the game taking breaks but still missed every important play. At the time I thought, "Oh well, the Raiders are a great team, I'll catch their upcoming Super Bowls." 😭

[@cashus68]

YOU !! know let me tell as a hawks kid i saw this game !! i am 54 back then we were hoping for SEATTLE !!! MY home team ! Dave crieg has small hands it is what fucked him !! LARGENT IS THE MAN !

[@americanidol30]

Today, both CBS and FOX both have doubleheader’s in Week 18 to cover more games with playoff implications. I guess that wasn’t the case with CBS and NBC in 1983. There are also doubleheaders on CBS and FOX in Week 1 so no network has more doubleheaders than the other during the regular season.

[@DNSKansas]

It wasn't until 2006 that both networks had a doubleheader in the last week

[@TexasTimeLord]

1. The Heidi Bowl was the worst broadcast decision in NBC history. 2. This could have been a 4 minute video instead of constantly repeating yourself 3. I don't remember hearing anything about this at all back then

[@northstarpokeshipper2148]

This isn’t the first time Jaguar talked about a controversial move by NBC involving a season finale game between the LA Raiders and San Diego Chargers in 1983, as he also talked about how the NBC affiliate in Detroit forgot to show their Week 17 contest in the strike shortened 1982 season finale. The game they wanted to air? Chargers Raiders. Basically, the Detroit CBS affiliate decided to show Rams Niners at 4 because the Silverdome failed to sell out, as if Detroit beat Green Bay AND the Rams beat San Francisco, the Lions could sneak into the playoffs. The NBC affiliate was stupid enough to think that the stadium would sell out OR CBS would choose an early game, so they didn’t have a back up plan in case they had to air a 1 o’clock game until it was way too late.

[@Rockhound6165]

Blame the Lions fans for nothing selling the game out.

[@northstarpokeshipper2148]

@@Rockhound6165 Well, remember: The Silverdome had way to many seats, the Lions were 3-5 before the game, and there was a strike in the middle of the season, so fans were unwilling to buy tickets.

[@tannhauser7584]

Okay. Questionable decision. Dumbest of the season? Possibly. Nothing compares to the Heidi game, though.

[@mikecurran2958]

Just goes to show that the NFL has always hated Seattle

[@ricknibert6417]

We didn't get the second game at all. I didn't understand the policy at time, but the first game was a local home game (Browns vs Steelers).

[@marcus813]

1:00 The Jan. 2022 Panthers/Buccaneers game was NOT meaningless. The NFL pushed that game's kickoff time back to 4:25 p.m. EST to run concurrently with the 49ers/Rams game due to the Rams and the Bucs battling for the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Just because the Packers had the NFC's top spot on lock doesn't automatically mean that the battles for the other top-4 spots are meaningless.

[@ErikCB912]

Like there’s that much of a difference between getting the 2 seed and 3 seed anymore. Maybe back when it offered a bye it would be meaningful, but now?

[@marcus813]

@@ErikCB912 The difference is obvious. If the No. 2 beats the No. 7, which it should far more often than not, the No. 2 is guaranteed a 2nd consecutive home game. The No. 3, provided it beats the No. 6, is gonna spend the 2nd round on the road in most cases. Get as many home playoff dates as you can.

[@martincaidin4166]

I immediately knew it was because LA-SD featured more "glamorous" teams.

[@Musicradio77Network]

WNBC-TV (channel 4) in NYC did aired the Raiders & Chargers game instead of the Patriots game. Prior to this, the New York Jets was on ABC which was WABC-TV (channel 7).

[@chadwickwhite6107]

Well considering the FACT that the New England Patriots AND the Seattle Seahawks COMBINED with NBC are STILL WAY WORSE than a 39.6 and should SPIKE the football into the ground on EVERY single OFFENSIVE play no WONDER NBC screwed this UP.

[@leogetz3570]

I ain't gonna lie, as a 13 year old kid, I would have rather watched Marcus Allen and Lyle Alzado!! The ironic thing is that the L.A. market probably showed the Seahawks game as the Raiders only filled about half of the 90,000 seats in the L.A. coliseum until the playoffs, most likely resulting in a local blackout. I skimmed through the video so not sure if you covererd that

[@stevenbauer4799]

'so my choices are to collect $200 or get my ass kicked? i could use a good ass kicking. i choose to collect my $$$'. leo getz things done.

[@leogetz3570]

@@stevenbauer4799 lol

[@geraldlogue7620]

I was going to comment on that as well... I saw enough empty seats to guess the game probably would have been blacked out in Los Angeles...

[@jefft5824]

They still do this. The amount of football games that are loaded into the front vs. middle window is absolutely insane most weeks. How do 10 games at 1pm EST and 2 games at 4 pm EST make any sense from a scheduling standpoint?

[@pauls6677]

I was living in Cleveland at the time and the browns needed Seattle to lose in order to get a playoff spot. A good part of Cleveland and Akron could get wfmj in Youngstown. The Youngstown station aired the raiders chargers game. People were not happy

[@mariepavlov2425]

Paul S, i'm glad u brought up WFMJ 21 and i remember that well because TV21 Youngstown along with WPXI 11 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and WTOV 9 Steubenville, Ohio also aired the Chargers-Raiders game at 4pm after the Steelers-Browns game ended in Cleveland. btw, the 4pm game on NBC wasn't shown in Cleveland because WKYC 3 also carried Steelers-Browns because Cleveland Stadium was sold out well in advance.

[@ricknibert6417]

I actually was expecting to see the late game but didn't understand the policy (see above)

[@JWH66]

I lived in Northern Ca for a few years. 5 minutes from Oregon. CBS showed 49er games in my region while NBC showed Seattle games. And the only time i could see the Raiders is if they played on prime time or vs the Seahawks or 49ers. Well Seattle had a prime game. Which meant the NBC slot was open. But not only did the NBC station in Oregon not show the Raiders game, they put on infomercials!! I called the station and was told that only one other person from my area complained. Turned out that other person was my future brother in law who although is a 49ers fan, wanted to watch football on Sunday, not paid commercials.

[@geraldlogue7620]

I could see the Raiders/Chargers game being shown in San Diego, since NBC's hands were tied, but I'm guessing the only markets that showed the Seahawks/Patriots game were Seattle, Boston, and Los Angeles...

[@pjartistics]

Till this day. I feel like the NFL shows too much of the Dallas Cowboys being broadcasted. There are so many teams that would be on national television. Especially with teams with their season being on the line!.. but nope let’s see a Cowboys game against the Washington Commanders!.. Which is meaningless

[@aaronholcomb237]

In Oklahoma, the Fox affiliate in OKC (and the CBS one in 1993 and before) shows all the Dallas games that the NFL allows them to show. It does get annoying, especially if Dallas is mediocre.

[@mr.mertman5711]

Love seeing vintage Seahawks, regardless of the topic......

[@CTubeMan]

This unofficial Official Jaguar Gator 9 historian will remind everyone you made two other videos about broadcast decisions regarding Chargers-Raiders games, one in 1975 and the other in 2013. For that matter, you talked about another one in your first “Heidi Game” video.

[@northstarpokeshipper2148]

And in 1982, as NBC Detroit WANTED to show Raiders Chargers, but due to them not knowing the rules, forgot to show a game in the final week of the season.

[@CTubeMan]

@@northstarpokeshipper2148 How’s that tweed jacket fitting on you?

[@northstarpokeshipper2148]

@@CTubeMan good.

[@TheSonicsean]

I just watched the 1975 video last night. I was like "didn't he make a video on this already?" and no, it was ANOTHER time NBC did something stupid and forced a meaningless Chargers-Raiders game on a ton of people for no reason.

[@stevenmandl4920]

here in milwaukee wisconsin back in the 80's, with NBC, the affiliate here got quite a few times, Denver games, Seattle games, raider games and chargers games.did at times get alot Browns games ,steelers games and chiefs games in the early window

[@TimmyTickle]

Meanwhile. the CBS affiliate got Packers games, Packers games, Packers games and Packers games

[@cpcva724]

I'd always thought the local stations could pick the game that they would air.

[@robfloyd7389]

This remains to this day the last game the New England Patriots ever played wearing their best, iconic, classic, awesome uniforms in which they established themselves as legitimate championship contenders in the modern era of American professional football.

[@citrustaco]

Sometimes, it's about market share. At 10:39 it says, one affiliate asked to be switched from the Seahawks game to the Raiders/Chargers game. Seems to me that despite the Raiders game being meaningless, the Seahawks game was more relevant to football fans, while the Raiders game was more relevant to casual fans, and that despite the playoff implications, the Raiders game would outperform Seahawks with respect to ratings. The ones who wanted to switch to Seahawks was probably media markets with playoff implications like Cleveland, but the fact that one affiliate wanted out of the Seahawks game tells an even bigger story.

[@jameshannagan4256]

It sure does looking back those Raider teams were a lot of fun.

[@pullt]

I bet many younger fans never knew Kurt Warner played RB....let alone for the Seahawks....

[@DNSKansas]

The Seahawks could have had Eric Dickerson but stupidly swapped picks with the Rams because they thought Curt Warner was better. Bad move.

[@jameshannagan4256]

@@DNSKansas Warner was a great back that had a really bad knee injury that cut his career short but when he played he was as good as anyone.

[@gamerboy6787]

Me: Endlessly amused by the fact there was a player named Kurt Warner that season. XD

[@christopherdunne7848]

Curt, with a C.

[@SeahawksBamBamKam]

I remember this game I was watching back then as a kid this was our first good season and the Seahawks were Rodney Dangerfield to everyone outside of their fans, No RESPECT at all.

[@seekanddestroy7343]

I hear ya. Growing up in Florida people didn't realize how absolutely rare it was to get a Seahawks game televised. Been a fan since 76 also and hardly ever got to watch my Seahawks.

[@CTubeMan]

Fun Fact: The Color Commentator CBS assigned to the Panthers-Buccaneers game last year was Tony Romo.

[@marcus813]

He had to work with Tom McCarthy that day due to Jim Nantz going through CBS' rona protocols.

[@CTubeMan]

(That Guy Alert) The Seahawks were actually below .500 after their first game in Kansas City. This unofficial Official Jaguar Gator 9 historian will remind everyone you made a video about that game. Speaking of, your Dave Krieg link didn’t activate.

[@MarkAHoltz]

Hey, NBC had such engaging new shows in it's fall 2003 schedule such as Jennifer Slept Here, Manimal, Mr. Smith, Bay City Blues, For Love and Honor, and The Rousters. Definitely MUST SEE TV!!!

[@TheSonicsean]

I think at least half of those were real. Though I'm pretty sure Manimal was a midseason replacement.

[@mjwatts1983]

Proud As A Peacock!

[@MarkAHoltz]

@@TheSonicsean en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983%E2%80%9384_United_States_network_television_schedule . Manimall aired at 9 M Fridays against Dallas.

[@williamcoolidge9884]

Networks program for great ratings not great interest. The Raiders and Chargers were marquee teams in the early 80's and very few people outside of the Northwest cared at all about the Seahawks. The decision made very good sense if the goal was good ratings. This video is quite naive about the business of TV and NFL football.

[@americangiant1003]

Plus the Young Man who is the narrator Jag was born in the 1980s. So either he was not yet alive or a young infant in 1983. Thus he did not realize how popular the Raiders and even the Chargers was across America at that time.

[@osaji922]

And nobody cared about the patriots outside of Boston. It's still the same today, but you know the league wants people to think different.

[@michaeloptv]

NBC screwed up so bad that 4 regions demanded Seattle (and somehow) 1 wanted LA instead. YES LA/SD had more “national players” and California. But who cares! Because at the end of the season you air POTENTIAL PLAYOFF games!!

[@harrymann5523]

Some footnotes on these games. NBC had their number 3 announce team of Charlie Jones and Bob Griese on the call of Seahawks/Patriots. For the Raiders/Chargers the network paired their number 2 game announcer Marv Albert with Reggie Rucker. (This was Rucker’s rookie season at NBC the year before is his gaffe). John Brodie who normally worked with Albert, called the Bills/Falcons game with Don Criqui.

[@CTubeMan]

What game did Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen cover?

[@harrymann5523]

@@CTubeMan I think they called the Saturday game between the Bengals and Vikings.

[@leogetz3570]

@@CTubeMan probably a 1pm game, maybe the Browns/Steelers, as it had playoff implications as well

[@richsheer4905]

@@leogetz3570 Costas and Trumpy called the PIT-CLE game.

[@mgb4692]

The two quarterbacks who would face each other again to open the USFL season just two months later.

[@tommitchell8425]

The Raiders hiring Brent Mussberger to do the play by play and unloading Greg Pappa

[@robertmartinjr.6292]

Greg Papa refused to call Raiders games in Las Vegas.

[@tommitchell8425]

@@robertmartinjr.6292He was axed because he said Mike Shanahan sucked

[@robertmartinjr.6292]

@@tommitchell8425 Mike Shanahan was decades ago in the 1980's 😂

[@robertmartinjr.6292]

@@tommitchell8425 Raiders☠ don't give a F*ck about Mike Shanahan💯

[@tommitchell8425]

@@robertmartinjr.6292 who does??

[@jmb01550]

I would have gotten Seattle/NE because I live in Mass.

[@MrJulius72]

Question that means nothing other than to satisfy my curiosity: Who would have made the playoffs had Seattle lost? It sounds like the Browns and Pats were already eliminated by the start of this game.

[@derricknichols5787]

Week 18. That sounds like too many games.

[@sirstewartwallace3917]

Are you going to do a video on the kicker who got cut by the Jaguars after a missed kick hit one of the assistants?

[@toddbiesel4288]

A Jags kicker hitting a coach. A year earlier, the opposite happened.

[@johnkerry6312]

There should be 200+ affiliates of FOX, NBC, ABC, CBS, as well as PBS, MyNetworkTV, The CW

[@johnkerry6312]

Forgot the Seahawks were an AFC team once

[@stevenmandl4920]

the last week of this past season,game times were changed. bills jets were flipped flopped from 1 to 425 just like the 2 other games on CBS were .here in wisconsin that day, we got the tampa game.

[@astrostar49]

Kreig was underrated.

[@MrBAMAFANATIC]

Being that I’m a huge raiders fan, I would’ve been thrilled to watch that game, especially especially when I am not a fan of the patriots or Seahawks

[@kenhill3230]

A truly stupid decision. My first thought was that maybe it was because the NFL was not as big of a deal in 83, but on second thought it absolutely was. This was a big time in football and the 49ers had already became a Cinderella team on the way to a dynasty.

[@americangiant1003]

Ken even though I was only around 11 years old in 1983, while the NFL was by then the most popular sport in America (overtaking MLB about 10 years earlier) it was still recovering from the near disaster of the previous season strike in 1982. In other words, the NFL was not yet also the most powerful entertainment organization in the country so even they had limits back then. For instance the most popular entertainment shows of that era (pre reality shows) such as “Dallas” or “Dynasty” would never be postponed. It was not until the following season, the 1984 season highlighted by the remarkable campaign of 2nd year phenom Dan Marino that began the NFL’s rise to what it is today 40 years later.

[@Rockhound6165]

@@americangiant1003 except Marino was a rookie in 1983.

[@americangiant1003]

@@Rockhound6165 thanks for correcting me.

[@kenhill3230]

@@americangiant1003 I agree. I forgot about the strike. I grew up as a total MLB fan. I could name all the players and stats. When they canceled the World Series I walked away. If they don't care then why should I?

[@mgb4692]

Although a lot of people were making noise about the USFL at the time (indeed two Seahawks who played in the AFCCG jumped to the USFL and played just two months later --Kerry Justin and Greggory Johnson), but they were never set up to do what they ended up doing (or at least trying to): taking on the NFL--Trump or no Trump, a lot of which either preceded him or was independent of him. As Pete Rozelle told Herschel Walker, we'll see you in three years

[@alice_evermore]

As a Raiders fan I was very happy NBC showed the Raiders game! I can recall decorating the Christmas tree as the game was on TV and we whipped the Chargers! !

[@dangeiger9796]

I was 5 months old at the time and I could probably have made a better decision lol

[@OGGI_ZOMBIE]

Hey look the NFL has been rigging games and schedules based on popularity($$$) since at least 1983.

[@lloydmarshalljr1951]

Maybe it's because the Bills and the Patriots are in the same AFC East division; WGRZ aired the Pats-Seahawks game to Buffalo/WNY viewers.

[@KittyPurrfect100]

AFL had Thanksgiving games before the merger. After the merger, 1 of 4 teams on Thanksgiving either at Detroit or Dallas. Why not put Dallas in prime time every other year on NBC and have an all AFL matchup at 4:30 or any matchup that matters at 4:30 cross flexed or flexed into that time slot on Thanksgiving. By the way, why not have a game in London on Thanksgiving at 9:30 am on NFL Network or Amazon Prime? Also a game in Tokyo at 6 am then London at 9:30 then Detroit then Dallas then NBC game. It’s already tomorrow evening in Tokyo when it’s morning on East Coast and it’s late afternoon in London at morning in US. More football = more happiness

[@ciesaro]

Subtle zinger on Reggie Rucker

[@donaldpaluga]

Don't believe JG9? Click on the card in the upper right corner

[@patrickurquidez4693]

While NBC got a lot of bad reviews for their decision, it turned out ok for them in the end because the Raiders went on to win the Super Bowl. So, while it was a stupid decision at the time, it was overlooked because the Raiders winning the Super Bowl. So a lot is forgiven because of that reason. Today, it wouldn't be forgiven, but who knows what's going to happen when that much money is involved nowadays.

[@Oliver-kv2mm]

Don't forget HeidiGate.

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

I've got you covered: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaKri5l6p9-Hl80

[@franciscodiaz4217]

In the 80s The Raiders were a huge team across America

[@DNSKansas]

The Seahawks lost their opener at Kansas City so they were below .500

[@davehenson3588]

It’s all about the money and corruption.

[@stephenholloway6893]

In a way it's kinda like that still today. With the fans rooting for a specific player rather then a team and sometimes the network would show that game regardless. However, if there's a game that an playoff birth or division is on the line, definitely show that game instead of an big named player or team especially if they have nothing left to prove at that point. Other then maybe trying to win all of the regular season games or going for an specific record. Again on both maybe.

[@TheSonicsean]

I think the big difference with that is the fact that fantasy football really didn't exist until the 90s, when people could play online. Now it's a massive draw.

[@americangiant1003]

@@TheSonicsean I think while all sports and even entertainment shows are losing viewers, the main reason the NFL has kept their incredible ratings is because of the gambling/fantasy league aspect. The gambling aspect has also brought in a major new demographic as well. Younger American Woman.

[@nathanjm000]

Split screen of 1 and 2 would be the best

[@bradjames891]

If you go to the Las Vegas sportsbook, you get that every week.

[@michaelkearns7352]

I watched the Raiders/Chargers, and preferred watching the Raiders anytime

[@oldcougar65]

Not the Heidi Bowl? I suffered through that fiasco, screaming at my TV at 7pm as the final two minutes of the game were cut to show Heidi. I was pissed. And then we found out the end of the game was crazy, with the Raiders scoring twice in the last minute. The Heidi Bowl was NBC's stupidest decision.

[@henrydavis8910]

I remember that game! I was watching it go right down to the wire, when suddenly... "And now, Heidi." I couldn't believe it. The blunder made the national news. I heard later that there were so many complaint calls that the switchboard melted!

[@jcueto75]

Your wrong, the Raiders needed that game to get home field advantage in the playoffs, so it was a very important game.

[@inconnu4961]

It was mildly important! The Patriots vs the Seachickens had playoff implications for 3 teams! raiders game was only a matter of seeding! Far less pivotal.

[@goalscorerlajon]

Never ever had I heard the 'word' IMPORDANT. It's IMPORTANT. Thank me later JG 9.

[@classicforreal]

Gee, I wonder why NBC lost the AFC rights to CBS.......................

[@KN_1]

Is it still as bad as the 2021 finale discussed in the prologue?

[@GarrettCRW]

The sad thing is, the logic that NBC used that day is frighteningly like the logic that CBS and ESPECIALLY Fox employs on a regular basis with their NFL coverage. It has become shockingly common for a trash game featuring one or both teams being “marquee” (READ: NFC East) to get the majority of the country in favor of a more meaningful game involving a lesser team (often the Cardinals and Chargers). And worse, there’s a class of fan DEFENDING the decision!

[@americangiant1003]

Great point Garrett. You especially see it most in use in the first few weeks of the regular season where the “marquee” teams which in recent years here in the early 2020s ie Cowboys, Pats, Packers, Chiefs, etc and when they are playoff contenders the Raiders, Rams, Giants and Bears, get almost all of the prestigious Sunday Night, Monday Night and the now pseudo Sunday late afternoon 4pm (ET)prime time Coast to Coast games. Then the 2nd class citizen clubs ie Jaguars, Cardinals, etc. only get the prime time later in the season if they only “playoff contenders.” All “4” of the major American sports has a 2-class citizens ie “marquee” of the have and have nots. It’s the worst in both the NFL and NBA. Other than Thursday Night games in which, the 2nd tier clubs in the NFL usually will never be on Sunday or Monday night games. For instance, when was the last time the Jacksonville Jaguars was on a Sunday Night game? Or say in the NBA, the last time until the 2022 playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies was on so called national tv? At least in MLB and NHL, you are more likely to see at least on occasion small market teams ie NHL Edmonton, Buffalo, Calgary, etc. Finally on the case of this bonehead decision on why NBC showed to most of America, the Raiders vs Chargers game instead of the more important Seahawks vs Pats game, my guess is only 1 reason. The Raiders was based in LA which is the #2 media market and NBC thought less Viewers would watch then lower tier Patroits(pre Tom Brady) and Seahawks (Pre Russell Wilson) at the time. Dumb mistake. Thankfully with flex scheduling that scenario that occurred in 1983, with Seahawks vs Pats, instead now it would have been switched to Sunday Night.

[@Rockhound6165]

That's called business. Look at ESPN. When it comes to baseball, pretty much every week they show the Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, or Dodgers. How many times to you flip on a baseball game on ESPN and see a game like the Indians(I refuse to call them Guardians) and the Rangers? Money talks, BS walks.

[@americangiant1003]

@@Rockhound6165 It’s the worst in the NBA with the same marquee teams shown ever week on the main ESPN/ABC prime time games ie Lakers, Knicks, Celtics, etc. Even in seasons, when both LA and NY are not even close to championship contenders. At least in MLB it’s a little better when not “Marquee” teams will at least be shown at least 1x on so called national tv games such as TBS/Turner and Fox Sports 1 usually earlier in the season. The NHL is the best of showing on national tv in the US more variety of teams as well during the regular season. Even small market Canadian teams on occasion at least 1x a year not counting the Stanley Cup playoffs. Say early in the season, you can watch a game between Edmonton and Montreal on TNT/TBS or the NHL Network in January. However even the NHL has marquee teams as well ie Rangers, Flyers, Red Wings, Bruins and BlackHawks as well that will always get top priority of being shown.

[@CTubeMan]

@@americangiant1003 Small disagreement, but I think the Rams-Saints game that week would have been the Sunday Night game today.

[@americangiant1003]

@@CTubeMan Either of those 2 games to wrap up the 1983 NFL regular season would have been good choices if Sunday Night Football with flex schedule was available back then. If I was a NFL or say an NBC Executive to pick any of those two, no doubt it would be Seattle-NE.

[@franciscodiaz4217]

Raiders brought in Ratings back than

[@axer3515]

Being from Maine I saw the patriotism game, but the NFL was correct that more people liked the Raiders and the Chargers. The Seahawks always sucked and the Patriots were not a popular team either.

[@stevengrvp]

Love these stories

[@jenine9]

Jags are going down brother 💀☠️🏴‍☠️🏉Go Raiders

[@Saxxin1]

The NFL is sports entertainment.

[@jmad627]

The NFL has always hated Seattle.

[@jameshannagan4256]

A lot of people forget what a great rivalry the Raiders and the Seahawks had it was nasty.

[@jmad627]

@@jameshannagan4256 it certainly was back in the day. Similar to the Niners rivalry these days.

[@kevinfavron]

Only thing is it could have been Tom Brady last regular season game

[@DR.K14]

The stupidest broadcasting decision by NBC was and still is allowing Chris Collinsworth to call games. Oh and hiring his son as well to be apart of SNF

[@insertcolorfulmetaphor8520]

And with that, it was time for NBC to (sh×t the bed)

[@donaldpaluga]

Let's Go, Brandon!-Punky Brewster

[@michaelmarino7391]

I was rooting for those "Cinderella" Seattle Seahawks, who beat John Elway (Denver) 31-7 & Dan Marino (Dolphins) 27-20 before losing the AFC championship game to the Raiders.

[@christopherdunne7848]

I was at that 27-20-maybe the only South Floridian in that Orange Bowl to root for the Seahawks! What a day.

[@jameshannagan4256]

They actually beat the Raiders twice in the regular season in two turnover filled slopfests but they got their asses kicked in the championship game that Raider team played like it was bored half the time. The next year they knocked the Raiders out of the playoffs in a game that had a non-call that had a big impact on the game when a Seahawks player tried to rip off Marcus Allens head with a obvious face mask foul that was not called for some reason and the penalty would have given the Raiders a first down at Seattles 20 yd line ( they lost 13-7 ).

[@CTubeMan]

I’m seeing a couple of people say the Chargers-Raiders game had some meaning in that the Raiders could clinch home field advantage with a win. Two points: 1. JG9 said that. 2. Does that justify NBC’s decision to go with that game instead of the Patriots-Seahawks game?

[@Rockhound6165]

What game had bigger ratings possibility? Teams not many people could name 5 players on each or teams who were always on national TV?

[@ericschissler1163]

...except, after JG9 said that, he said the game meant "absolutely nothing."

[@nathanielstasiowski7358]

This decision was made by someone who doesn't give a damn about sports.

[@christopherengel7436]

HaHa. It's almost as if you think the suits watch football. Your silly. I wonder if the Kingdome was loud that Sunday?

[@relentlessmadman]

Sports is just big business and I choose not to support it

[@mjwatts1983]

I’m looking at the 1983 Week 16 slate Abbreviations are based on what they would’ve been in 1983. LA = Rams as they were there first MNF on Fri: NYJ at MIA SAT: Both networks lead teams were calling these games NYG at WSH CIN at MN SUN NBC EARLY DH HOU at BAL BUF at ATL PIT at CLE DEN at KC CBS REGIONAL 1PM PHI at STL GB at CHI TB at DET LA at NO NBC DH LATE SD at LAR NE at SEA MNF: DAL at SF Tank Bowls: 1 (HOU-BAL)… maybe 2 if you include PHI-STL CIN-MN is more of a Disappointment Bowl as well as Bud Grant’s curtain call (that is until he returns in 1985). It’s why the Saturday window is pretty weak compared to the other ones The AFC-1 is in play on Friday & NBC DH Late with the Dolphins and Raiders. Even if the Steelers, Raiders, and Dolphins all end up 11-5, the Steelers would be the AFC-3 based on Common Games tiebreaker (I think that’s what it was at the time…) Both WSH & DAL are already in. The NFCE champ will be the NFC-1, runner-up gets the NFC-4. The NFCE & NFC-1 are in play starting on Saturday with NYG at WSH. WSH wins, then the defending champs don’t have to leave RFK until it’s time to go to Tampa for SB XVIII. If the Giants play spoiler, the Cowboys have a chance to makeup for “No Danny No!” on MNF Who & where DEN plays in the AFCWC happens across both NBC windows on Sunday. The Broncos are already in because they will have a better AFC record (stands at 9-4) even if they lose ATL-BUF, PIT-CLE, & NE-SEA are linked together. The Bills’ and Patriots’ fates are tied to what happens in Cleveland. BUF & CLE need to win their respective games in the early windows to keep their playoff aspirations alive before they turn their attention to Seattle where the other AFCWC will be determined. 3 NFC spots (which division champs claim the NFC-2 & NFC-3 and the NFC-5) are in play on Sunday with GB-CHI, TB-DET, & LA-NO as well what is the 49ers’ objective on MNF will be. The Packers need a win as well as scoreboard watching with what is happening in Detroit (NFCC) & New Orleans (NFC-5) Overall I don’t blame NBC for going with SD-LAR as their national late DH game given that the AFC-1 was still up for grabs due to the Dolphins winning on Friday. But NE-SEA was still a game that determined a lot regarding the AFC playoff picture. Even though CLE knocked out NE before that game started and the Broncos were nursing an ass kicking they got from the Chiefs, both DEN & CLE had an interest as that game determined where the AFCWC would be played AFCWC outcomes based on NE-SEA results SEA W: DEN at SEA SEA L/T: CLE at DEN

[@mariepavlov2425]

In Youngstown, Ohio Week 16 NFL 1983: WYTV 33 (ABC) had NYJ-MIA (MNF 0n Fri) and DAL-SF (MNF); WKBN 27 (CBS) had NYG-WSH (Sat) and TB-DET 4pm (Sun, Regional) over LARams-NO, PHI-STL, GB-CHI all 1pm Regional; WFMJ 21(NBC) had CIN-MIN (Sat), PIT-CLE 1pm (Sun, EARLY DH) over BUF-ATL, DEN-KC 1pm, HOU-BAL 2pm Sun, EARLY DH and SD-LARaid 4pm (Sun, LATE DH) over NE-SEA 4pm LATE DH. In fact most NBC stations at halftime of the second game of an NFL doubleheader would do a local news update back in the day. On WFMJ 21, at halftime of the 2nd game of DH would do the 21 Action News Halftime Report.

[@tomservo56954]

Something topping the Heidi Bowl?

[@OfficialJaguarGator9]

Heidi was AFL

[@robertwest9567]

Hey the Heidi game was also bad on the part of NBC.

[@mickeypayne5779]

You would pick oakland everybody LOVE them

[@andrewwalker7340]

Dumbest and stupidest are basically the same thing,so is it this video or the chargers @ raiders video that's the worst? They can't both be. A tie means neither is the dumbest/stupidest.

[@thokim84]

I just stream RedZone on Sundays.