1984 NFL season
Regular season | |
---|---|
Duration | September 2 – December 17, 1984 |
Playoffs | |
Start date | December 23, 1984 |
AFC Champions | Miami Dolphins |
NFC Champions | San Francisco 49ers |
Super Bowl XIX | |
Date | January 20, 1985 |
Site | Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California |
Champions | San Francisco 49ers |
Pro Bowl | |
Date | January 27, 1985 |
Site | Aloha Stadium |
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana before the season. The Colts new home field was the Hoosier Dome. The New York Jets moved their home games from Shea Stadium in New York City to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The season ended with Super Bowl XIX when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins 38–16 at Stanford Stadium in California. This was the first Super Bowl televised by ABC, who entered into the annual championship game rotation with CBS and NBC. This game marked the second shortest distance between the Super Bowl host stadium (Stanford, California) and a Super Bowl team (San Francisco 49ers).[1]
The 49ers became the first team in NFL history to win 15 games in a regular season and to win 18 in an entire season (including the postseason). Additionally, two major offensive records were set this season, with quarterback Dan Marino establishing a new single-season passing yards record with 5,084 (later broken by Drew Brees and Tom Brady in 2011 and by Peyton Manning in 2013), and Eric Dickerson establishing a new single-season rushing yards record with 2,105.
Also during the season, San Diego Chargers wide receiver Charlie Joiner became the all-time leader in career receptions; he set that mark in a game between the Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium.
In a week 10 game against the Kansas City Chiefs the Seattle Seahawks set numerous NFL records for interception returns including most interception return yardage in a game and most interceptions returned for touchdowns in a game with 4 (all touchdowns over 50 yards in length). The Seahawks also tied an NFL record with 63 defensive takeaways on the season.
Salaries increased significantly over the past two seasons in the NFL, up nearly fifty percent; new Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon led the list at $1.1 million.[2]
Major rule changes
- Linebackers are permitted to wear numbers 90 to 99.
- The penalty for a kickoff or onside kick that goes out of bounds is 5 yards from the previous spot and a re-kick must be made. However, if the second (or more) kickoff or onside kick goes out of bounds, the receiving team may choose instead to take possession of the ball at the out of bounds spot.
- Leaping to try to block a field goal or an extra point is illegal unless the defensive player was lined up at the line of scrimmage.
- A kicker or holder who fakes being roughed or run into by a defensive player can receive an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
- Unsportsmanlike conduct will also be called for any prolonged, excessive, or premeditated celebration by individual players or a group of players. This is usually referred to as the “Mark Gastineau Rule” because a major reason why this change was made was to stop him from performing his signature “Sack Dance” every time after he sacked an opposing quarterback.
Regular Season games not broadcast by Network TV
Date | Time | Teams | Local TV | Announcers |
September 3, 1984 | 4:00 PM EDT | Cleveland @ Seattle | WKYC-TV (Cleveland area) KING-TV(Seattle area) |
Phil Stone/Reggie Rucker (WKYC) Charlie Jones/Gene Washington (KING) |
October 14, 1984 | 4:00 PM EDT | Buffalo @ Seattle | WKBW-TV (Buffalo area) KING-TV (Seattle area) |
Rick Azar/Marv Levy (WKBW) Phil Stone/Norris Weese (KING) |
Final standings
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Tiebreakers
- N.Y. Giants finished ahead of St. Louis and Dallas in the NFC East based on best head-to-head record (3–1 to Cardinals’ 2–2 and Cowboys’ 1–3).
- St. Louis finished ahead of Dallas in the NFC East based on better division record (5–3 to Cowboys’ 3–5).
Playoffs
Divisional Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||
Dec. 30 – Mile High Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
AFC Wild Card Game | AFC Championship | |||||||||||||||||
3 | Pittsburgh | 24 | ||||||||||||||||
Dec. 22 – Kingdome | Jan. 6 – Miami Orange Bowl | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Denver | 17 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | LA Raiders | 7 | 3 | Pittsburgh | 28 | |||||||||||||
Dec. 29 – Miami Orange Bowl | ||||||||||||||||||
4 | Seattle | 13 | 1 | Miami | 45 | Super Bowl XIX | ||||||||||||
4 | Seattle | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
Jan. 20 – Stanford Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
1 | Miami | 31 | ||||||||||||||||
A1 | Miami | 16 | ||||||||||||||||
Dec. 30 – RFK Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
NFC Wild Card Game | NFC Championship | N1 | San Francisco | 38 | ||||||||||||||
3 | Chicago | 23 | ||||||||||||||||
Dec. 23 – Anaheim Stadium | Jan. 6 – Candlestick Park | |||||||||||||||||
2 | Washington | 19 | ||||||||||||||||
5 | NY Giants | 16 | 3 | Chicago | 0 | |||||||||||||
Dec. 29 – Candlestick Park | ||||||||||||||||||
4 | LA Rams | 13 | 1 | San Francisco | 23 | |||||||||||||
5 | NY Giants | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
1 | San Francisco | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
Statistical leaders
Team
Points scored | Miami Dolphins (513) |
Total yards gained | Miami Dolphins (6,936) |
Yards rushing | Chicago Bears (2,974) |
Yards passing | Miami Dolphins (5,018) |
Fewest points allowed | San Francisco 49ers (227) |
Fewest total yards allowed | Chicago Bears (3,863) |
Fewest rushing yards allowed | Chicago Bears (1,377) |
Fewest passing yards allowed | New Orleans Saints (2,453) |
Milestones
The following players set all-time records during the season:
Most Passing Yards Gained, Season | Dan Marino, Miami (5,084) |
Most Passing Touchdowns, Season | Dan Marino, Miami (48) |
Most Passes Completed, Season | Dan Marino, Miami (362) |
Most Rushing Yards Gained, Season | Eric Dickerson, Los Angeles Rams (2,105) |
Most Rushing Attempts, Season | James Wilder, Tampa Bay (407) |
Most Pass Receptions, Season | Art Monk, Washington (106) |
Most Receiving Touchdowns, Season | Mark Clayton, Miami (18) |
Most Extra Points Made, Season | Uwe von Schamann, Miami (66) |
Most Extra Point Attempts, Season | Uwe von Schamann, Miami (70) |
Most Sacks, Season | Mark Gastineau, New York Jets (22.0) |
Most Rushing Yards Gained, Career | Walter Payton, Chicago (13,309 at the end of the season) |
Most Receptions, Career | Charlie Joiner, San Diego (657 at the end of the season) |
Awards
Draft
The 1984 NFL Draft was held from May 1 to May 2, 1984 at New York City's Omni Park Central Hotel. With the first pick, the New England Patriots selected wide receiver Irving Fryar from the University of Nebraska.
Coaches
American Football Conference
- Buffalo Bills: Kay Stephenson
- Cincinnati Bengals: Sam Wyche
- Cleveland Browns: Sam Rutigliano (8 games) and Marty Schottenheimer (8 games)
- Denver Broncos: Dan Reeves
- Houston Oilers: Hugh Campbell
- Indianapolis Colts: Frank Kush (15 games) and Hal Hunter (1 game)
- Kansas City Chiefs: John Mackovic
- Los Angeles Raiders: Tom Flores
- Miami Dolphins: Don Shula
- New England Patriots: Ron Meyer (8 games) and Raymond Berry (8 games)
- New York Jets: Joe Walton
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Chuck Noll
- San Diego Chargers: Don Coryell
- Seattle Seahawks: Chuck Knox
National Football Conference
- Atlanta Falcons: Dan Henning
- Chicago Bears: Mike Ditka
- Dallas Cowboys: Tom Landry
- Detroit Lions: Monte Clark
- Green Bay Packers: Forrest Gregg
- Los Angeles Rams: John Robinson
- Minnesota Vikings: Les Steckel
- New Orleans Saints: Bum Phillips
- New York Giants: Bill Parcells
- Philadelphia Eagles: Marion Campbell
- San Francisco 49ers: Bill Walsh
- St. Louis Cardinals: Jim Hanifan
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: John McKay
- Washington Redskins: Joe Gibbs
1984 deaths
- November 28: Ricky Bell, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back (born 1955)
Notable events
- For the only time in NFL history, two teams — the Oilers and the Bills — begin the season 0–10.[3]
References
- ↑ The shortest distance was the Los Angeles Rams, whose home was the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum before moving to Anaheim the year after playing in Super Bowl XIV vs the Pittsburgh Steelers, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Ca.
- ↑ "NFL salaries increasing". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. January 15, 1985. p. 2B.
- ↑ Tapp, Jerry; NFL Teams That Started the Season 0–10
- NFL Record and Fact Book ( ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 1981–1990 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League ( ISBN 0-06-270174-6)