In 1978, the NFL decided to expand the regular season to 16 games. At the same time, they added a fifth team to each conferences' playoff bracket, making the addition of the Wild Card round necessary.
(I'm going to try a shorter recap style, now that I've hit the Wild Card round. If I like it, it'll stick around. If not, I'll think of something else. Let me know what you think!)
AFC Wild Card Playoffs
Miami Dolphins (11-5) vs.
Houston Oilers (10-6)
The Orange Bowl, Miami, FL
For the first time since 1969, the Houston Oilers had made the AFC playoffs. Facing them would be the veteran Miami Dolphins, who were returning to the playoffs themselves for the first time since 1974. Miami still had Bob Griese leading the way at quarterback, while the running game was led by Delvin Williams. The Oilers actually allowed more points than they scored in 1978, but they had excellent rookie running back Earl Campbell, who led the NFL in rushing with 1,450 yards.
Despite the problems that Houston's defense had during the regular season, they kept the Dolphins scoreless throughout the first half. Without much of a passing game, Miami was forced to turn to Delvin Williams on most plays, and Houston was ready for that, shutting him down early. When the Oilers got the ball, they ran right at the heart of the Miami defense with Campbell, and after the Dolphins started to adjust, quarterback Dan Pastorini was able to find open receivers behind the linebackers. This paid off in the second quarter, when Houston put the first 13 points on the board, thanks to two Toni Fritsch field goals and a 22 yard touchdown pass from Pastorini to Robert Woods.
In the second half, Houston's defense continued to pressure Griese, forcing an interception on the Dolphins' first drive of the half that was returned by Mike Reinfeldt for a touchdown, putting the Oilers up by 20. Miami would finally score on their next drive, when Griese hit Nat Moore for a 17 yard touchdown, but on the very first Houston play of their next drive, Pastorini hit Campbell out of the backfield for a 69 yard touchdown catch and run that effectively put the game out of reach. From there, Houston played keep-away from the Miami offense, using Campbell and Tim Wilson to hold onto the ball for 36 minutes during the game. Miami would put up ten points in the fourth quarter, but the Oilers countered with another Fritsch field goal to end the scoring. When the clock expired, Houston had their first playoff win since the 1961 AFL Championship game.
Final Score: Houston-30 Miami-17
Real Life Score: Houston-17 Miami-9
AFC Divisional Playoffs
Pittsburgh Steelers (14-2) vs.
Denver Broncos (10-6)
Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
Revenge was on the minds of the Pittsburgh Steelers going into their playoff matchup with the Denver Broncos. Just last season, Denver had ended Pittsburgh's chance at four straigt Super Bowl titles, but now, the Steelers were back to form, with their defense allowing just 195 points all season and Terry Bradshaw having one of his finest seasons at the helm of the offense. Denver still had Craig Morton behind center, but aside from Haven Moses at wide receiver and an excellent defense, there was little to right home about. They were still hoping to shock the world again, but this year, it would be much more difficult.
From the start of this game, it was clear that the defenses would rule the day in Pittsburgh. Aside from the Steelers' opening drive when Bradshaw found Lynn Swann open in the end zone for a 14 yard touchdown pass, neither team could do much to move the ball at all. Denver got a break on a Bradshaw interception, which set up a Jim Turner 31 yard field goal late in the first quarter, but aside from that, their offense was stagnant. The running attack that was used so well last season was unable to even get out of the blocks on this day, so the Broncos were forced to rely on the aging Craig Morton. He seemed up to the task at first, hitting Haven Moses with a 45 yard strike that set up a second Turner field goal in the second quarter, but after that, he was unable to get himself going again as he wilted in the face of a relentless Pittsburgh pass rush. The only thing saving the Broncos was their own defense, and at the half, the score was just 7-6 in favor of the Steelers.
The second half saw things get increasingly more difficult for the Broncos and their offense. Morton was still under tremendous pressure, and with the running attack stopped cold, the 35 year old quarterback seemed unable to carry the load on this day. With the score still 7-6 in the fourth quarter, Morton threw two huge interceptions. The first set up a Roy Gerela field goal that made it a two possession game, and the second was returned for a tochdown by Jack Ham with just under two minutes remaning in the game. With that interception return, the Steelers had their revenge, and the defending Super Bowl champions would be watching the rest of the playoffs at home.
Final Score: Pittsburgh-17 Denver-6
Real Life Score: Pittsburgh-33 Denver-10
New England Patriots (11-5) vs.
Houston Oilers (10-6)
Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, MA
After a year away, the New England Patriots were back in the playoffs, and this time, they were playing host to the wild card Houston Oilers. Despite an average season from quarterback Steve Grogan and issues with head coach Chuck Fairbanks, the Patriots were still a solid team. Sam Cunningham, Andy Johnson and Horace Ivory were a three headed monster at running back, while receivers Harold Jackson and Stanley Morgan helped pace the NFL's fourth highest scoring offense.
The first half almost resembled a heavyweight boxing match more than a football game, with both teams giving each other their best shots early and often. Houston scored on their opening drive when Dan Pastorini hit Mike Renfro with a three yard touchdown pass. New England countered with a touchdown of their own on their opening drive, courtsey of Steve Grogan to Andy Johnson. Houston then went on another long drive, finishing it with a Toni Fritsch field goal early in the second quarter. New England fumbled the ball back to Houston on their first play, and the Oilers scored again on a Robert Woods touchdown catch. The Patriots would answer back with a field goal on their next drive, then their defense finally stopped the Oilers, forcing them to punt. New England would tie the game late in the second quarter with Andy Johnson's second receiving touchdown of the half. However, Houston had one last haymaker in them, and they landed it when Pastorini found Robert Woods for a 58 yard touchdown pass with just 20 seconds remaining in the half to give the Oilers the lead, 24-17, at halftime.
If the first half resembled a heavyweight title fight, the second half of the game was more of a war of attrition. Other than a David Posey 27 yard field goal on the Patriots' opening drive of the half, neither team could move the ball in the third quarter. It was the same throughout much of the fourth quarter as well, with each team punting on almost every drive. Finally, with just four and a half minutes to go in the game, Houston blinked on defense. After allowing a punt to be returned to their own 41 yard line, the Oilers needed a stop. After three straight New England running plays, the time was right for a pass, and Grogan found Don Hasselbeck, who took the ball and ran 27 yards for the go ahead touchdown with just two and a half minutes remaining. Losing for the first time, Houston staged a furious drive, getting to midfield with just under a minute to go. However, Pastorini was unable to hit Renfro on fourth and 14, giving the ball and the game to the Patriots.
Final Score: New England-27 Houston-24
Real Life Score: Houston-31 New England-14
AFC Championship Game
Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh Steelers (14-2) vs.
New England Patriots (11-5)
On paper, the AFC Championship game looked like a total mismatch. Pittsburgh was the stronger team on offense, and their defense was geared toward shutting down the running attack that New England had based their season on. Not only that, but Pittsburgh had the clear edge in postseason play, with most of their players a part of the three straight titles the Steelers had won. Of course, games are not played on paper, and the Patriots were hoping that they could prove that on this day.
The first quarter of the game could be described as one of the most shocking in AFC Championship history. On their first drive, the Patriots moved down the field at will against the Pittsburgh defense, ending the drive with a 21 yard touchdown pass from Steve Grogan to Russ Francis. Following a Roy Gerela field goal for the Steelers, New England came right down the field again. Grogan attacked the Steelers with short passes that took advantage of the aggressive Pittsburgh linebackers and gained solid yardage on every play. Sam Cunningham scored from three yards out, and at the end of the first quarter, the Steelers were down 14-3 to the upstart Patriots.
Of course, the Steelers wouldn't go down without a fight, and on their next two possessions, they added two more Gerela field goals while the defense finally got on track, stopping the Patriots cold throughout the second quarter. Pittsburgh closed out the first half with one more scoring drive, this one finding the end zone when Bradshaw hit Jim Smith Jr. with a 24 yrad touchdown pass that put the Steelers up 16-14 at the half and seemed to silence any chance the Patriots had of winning on this day.
For most of the second half, it seemed as if a Pittsburgh victory was inevitable. With the lead, all they had to do was rely on their defense to stop New England, which was something they had done for all but two drives early in the game. Throughout the third quarter, the two teams traded punts, with Pittsburgh more than willing to run just three plays and give it back to the Patriots, knowing full well that their offense could not move the ball any more. As the fourth quarter began to wind down, the Steelers did have one drive that got into New England territory, but Gerela missed a field goal, giving the Patriots decent field position.
Just like the week before against Houston, Grogan began to lead his team down the field against the clock. This week, he did it with his arm, completing three huge passes that moved the Patriots down to the Pittsburgh nine yard line with just over one minute remaining. On second and goal to go, Grogan zipped a pass to Russ Francis in the middle of the end zone for the go ahead touchdown. Three Rivers Stadium went deathly silent, but they knew the Steelers would get one last chance for a touchdown. Sure enough, Bradshaw began leading the Steelers down the field, reaching the New England 45 yard line with just 30 seconds to play. From there, however, it was New England's defense that pressured Bradshaw, forcing him into a fourth and ten. His last desperate pass sailed over the hands of Franco Harris, and the New England Patriots had shocked the world and were headed to their first Super Bowl.
Final Score: New England-21 Pittsburgh-16
Real Life Score: Pittsburgh-34 Houston-5