1978 NFL season
Encyclopedia
The 1978 NFL season was the 59th regular season
of the National Football League
. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference. The wild card teams would play each other with the winner advancing to the playoff round of eight teams.
The season ended with Super Bowl XIII
when the Pittsburgh Steelers
defeated the Dallas Cowboys
.
for Major League Baseball
. Previously, teams played random opponents in the other conference. The format remains in effect today, though it was slightly modified over the years, most recently with the addition of two more divisions in 2002
.
The interconference matchups for 1978 were as follows:
The initial format matched the two four team divisions together (AFC Central & NFC West) while the other divisions were placed together. The format wasn't perfect, as each team played only four teams from each division except in the four-team divisions. Intraconference play would remain random until 2002, when it also adopted the division format while the other two teams would be from whatever place that team finished last year.
– clinched wild card
berth, – clinched division title
Regular season (NFL)
The National Football League regular season begins the weekend after Labor Day. Each team plays 16 games during a 17-week period. Traditionally, the majority of each week's games are played on Sunday afternoon, with weekly games on Sunday night and Monday night, and occasional games on Thursday...
of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. The league expanded the regular season from a 14-game schedule to 16. Furthermore, the playoff format was expanded from 8 teams to 10 teams by adding another wild card from each conference. The wild card teams would play each other with the winner advancing to the playoff round of eight teams.
The season ended with Super Bowl XIII
Super Bowl XIII
Super Bowl XIII was an American football game played on January 21, 1979 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1978 regular season...
when the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
defeated the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
.
Major rule changes
- To open up the passing game, defenders are permitted to make contact with receivers only to a point of five yards beyond the line of scrimmage. This applies only to the time BEFORE the ball is thrown, at which point any contact is pass interference. Previously, contact was allowed anywhere on the field. This is usually referred to as the "Mel Blount Rule"
- The offensive team may only make one forward pass during a play from scrimmage, but only if the ball does not cross the line and return behind the line prior to the pass.
- Double touching of a forward pass is legal, but batting a pass towards the opponent's end zone is illegal. Previously, a second offensive player could not legally catch a deflected pass unless a defensive player had touched it. This is usually referred to as the "Mel RenfroMel RenfroMelvin Lacy "Mel" Renfro is a former American football defensive back in the National Football League who spent his entire fourteen-year career with the Dallas Cowboys.-High school:...
Rule". During a play in Super Bowl VSuper Bowl VSuper Bowl V was an American football game played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1970 regular season...
, Baltimore ColtsIndianapolis ColtsThe Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
receiver Eddie Hinton tipped a pass intended for him. Renfro, the Cowboys defensive back, made a stab at the ball and it was ruled that he tipped it ever so slightly (which he denied) into the arms of Colts tight end John Mackey, who ran for a touchdown. Later, this rule was also the one in question during the Immaculate ReceptionImmaculate ReceptionThe Immaculate Reception is the nickname given to one of the most famous plays in the history of American football. It occurred in the AFC divisional playoff game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on December 23, 1972...
in 1972. But despite these two incidents, the rule change did not occur until this season. - The pass blocking rules were extended to permit extended arms and open hands.
- The penalty for intentional grounding is reduced from a loss of down and 15 yards to a loss of down and 10 yards from the previous spot (or at the spot of the foul if the spot is 10 yards or more behind the line of scrimmage). If the passer commits the foul in his own end zone, the defense scores a safety.
- Hurdling is no longer a foul.
- A seventh official, the Side Judge, is added to the officiating crew to help rule on legalities downfield. The addition of 15 officials (one per crew) forced three-digit numbers to be used for the first time.
Interconference Scheduling
With the start of a 16-game season also marked the start of a new scheduling format that saw a division in one conference play a division in another conference, rotating every season and repeating the process every three years, similar to the current format for interleague playInterleague play
Interleague play is the term used to describe regular season Major League Baseball games played between teams in different leagues, introduced in . Before the 1997 season, teams in the American League and National League did not meet during the regular season...
for Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
. Previously, teams played random opponents in the other conference. The format remains in effect today, though it was slightly modified over the years, most recently with the addition of two more divisions in 2002
2002 NFL season
The 2002 NFL season was the 83rd regular season of the National Football League.The league went back to an even number of teams, expanding to 32 teams with the addition of the Houston Texans. The clubs were then realigned into eight divisions, four teams in each...
.
The interconference matchups for 1978 were as follows:
- AFC EastAFC EastThe American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. There are four members: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots , and New York Jets...
vs. NFC EastNFC EastThe NFC East is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys, and Washington Redskins.... - AFC CentralAFC NorthThe American Football Conference North Division, or AFC North, is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference. It was created prior to the 1967 season as the NFL Century Division when the NFL split into four divisions...
vs. NFC WestNFC WestThe NFC West is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference. It currently has four members: Arizona Cardinals, St... - AFC WestAFC WestThe AFC West is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference, currently comprising the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders.-History:...
vs. NFC CentralNFC NorthThe NFC North is a division of the National Football League's National Football Conference, based in the Upper Midwest region of the United States...
The initial format matched the two four team divisions together (AFC Central & NFC West) while the other divisions were placed together. The format wasn't perfect, as each team played only four teams from each division except in the four-team divisions. Intraconference play would remain random until 2002, when it also adopted the division format while the other two teams would be from whatever place that team finished last year.
Division Races
Starting in 1978, ten teams qualified for the playoffs: the winners of each of the divisions, and two wild-card teams in each conference. The two wild cards would meet for the right to face whichever of the three division winners had the best overall record (or, if the winner of the wild-card playoff was from the same division as that team, the division winner with the second best overall record). The tiebreaker rules were based on head-to-head competition, followed by division records, common opponents' records, and conference play.National Football Conference
| Week | Eastern | Central | Western | WildCard | WildCard | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 teams | 1–0 | Chi,GB | 1–0 | 3 teams | 1–0 | ||||
| 2 | Dal,Was | 2–0 | Chi,GB | 2–0 | L.A. | 2–0 | ||||
| 3 | Wash. | 3–0 | Chi. | 3–0 | L.A. | 3–0 | ||||
| 4 | Wash. | 4–0 | G.B. | 3–1 | L.A. | 4–0 | Chi. | 3–1 | Dal. | 3–1 |
| 5 | Wash. | 5–0 | G.B. | 4–1 | L.A. | 5–0 | Chi. | 3–2 | 3 tms | 3–2 |
| 6 | Wash. | 6–0 | G.B. | 5–1 | L.A. | 6–0 | Dal. | 4–2 | Chi. | 3–3 |
| 7 | Wash. | 6–1 | G.B. | 6–1 | L.A. | 7–0 | Dal. | 5–2 | Phi. | 4–3 |
| 8 | Wash. | 6–2 | G.B. | 6–2 | L.A. | 7–1 | Dal. | 6–2 | NYG | 5–3 |
| 9 | Wash. | 7–2 | G.B. | 7–2 | L.A. | 7–2 | Dal. | 6–3 | Atl | 5–4 |
| 10 | Wash. | 7–3 | G.B. | 7–3 | L.A. | 8–2 | Atl. | 6–4 | Min. | 6–4 |
| 11 | Wash. | 8–3 | Min. | 7–4 | L.A. | 9–2 | Atl. | 7–4 | Dal. | 7–4 |
| 12 | Wash. | 8–4 | Min. | 7–5 | L.A. | 10–2 | Dal. | 8–4 | Atl. | 7–5 |
| 13 | Dal. | 9–4 | Min. | 7–5–1 | L.A. | 10–3 | Atl. | 8–5 | Wash. | 8–5 |
| 14 | Dal. | 10–4 | Min. | 8–5–1 | L.A. | 11–3 | G.B. | 8–5–1 | Atl. | 8–6 |
| 15 | Dal. | 11–4 | Min. | 8–6–1 | L.A. | 11–4 | Atl. | 9–6 | G.B. | 8–6–1 |
| 16 | Dal. | 12–4 | Min. | 8–7–1 | L.A. | 12–4 | Atl. | 9–7 | Phi. | 9–7 |
American Football Conference
| Week | Eastern | Central | Western | WildCard | WildCard | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NYJ | 1–0 | Cle,Pit | 1–0 | 3 teams | 1–0 | ||||
| 2 | NYJ | 2–0 | Cle,Pit | 2–0 | 4 teams | 1–1 | ||||
| 3 | NYJ | 2–1 | Cle,Pit | 3–0 | Den. | 2–1 | Cle,Pit | 3–0 | Hou | 2–1 |
| 4 | NYJ | 2–2 | Pitt | 4–0 | Den. | 3–1 | Cle. | 3–1 | Hou | 2–2 |
| 5 | Mia. | 3–2 | Pitt | 5–0 | Den. | 4–1 | Hou. | 3–2 | N.E. | 3–2 |
| 6 | Mia. | 4–2 | Pitt | 6–0 | Den. | 4–2 | N.E. | 4–2 | Oak. | 4–2 |
| 7 | Mia. | 5–2 | Pitt | 7–0 | Den. | 5–2 | N.E. | 5–2 | Oak. | 5–2 |
| 8 | N.E. | 6–2 | Pitt | 7–1 | Den. | 5–3 | Hou. | 5–3 | NYJ | 5–3 |
| 9 | N.E. | 7–2 | Pitt | 8–1 | Den. | 6–3 | Mia. | 6–3 | Hou. | 5–4 |
| 10 | N.E. | 8–2 | Pitt | 9–1 | Den. | 6–4 | Mia. | 7–3 | Hou. | 6–4 |
| 11 | N.E. | 8–3 | Pitt | 9–2 | Den. | 7–4 | Mia. | 8–3 | Hou. | 7–4 |
| 12 | N.E. | 9–3 | Pitt | 10–2 | Den. | 8–4 | Hou. | 8–4 | Mia. | 8–4 |
| 13 | N.E. | 10–3 | Pitt | 11–2 | Den. | 8–5 | Hou. | 9–4 | Mia. | 8–5 |
| 14 | N.E. | 10–4 | Pitt | 12–2 | Den. | 9–5 | Hou. | 9–5 | Mia. | 9–5 |
| 15 | N.E. | 11–4 | Pitt | 13–2 | Den. | 10–5 | Hou. | 10–5 | Mia. | 10–5 |
| 16 | N.E. | 11–5 | Pitt | 14–2 | Den. | 10–6 | Mia. | 11–5 | Hou. | 10–6 |
Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against– clinched wild card
Wild card (sports)
The term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
berth, – clinched division title
Tiebreakers
- New England finished ahead of Miami in the AFC East based on better division record (6–2 to Dolphins' 5–3).
- Buffalo finished ahead of Baltimore in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
- Oakland, Seattle, and San Diego finished 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, respectively, in the AFC West based on better record against common opponents (6–2 to Seahawks' 5–3 and Chargers' 4–4).
- Minnesota finished ahead of Green Bay in the NFC North based on better head-to-head record (1–0–1).
- Los Angeles was top NFC seed over Dallas based on better head-to-head record (1–0).
- Detroit finished ahead of Chicago in the NFC Central based on better division record (4–4 to Bears' 3–5).
- Atlanta was the first NFC Wild Card based on better conference record than Philadelphia (8–4 to Eagles' 6–6).
- St. Louis finished ahead of N.Y. Giants in the NFC East based on better division record (3–5 to Giants' 2–6).
Playoffs
Awards
| Most Valuable Player NFL Most Valuable Player Award The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award is given by various entities, most notably the Associated Press , to the player who is considered most valuable in the league. When the award is referred to without mentioning the organization, it generally means the AP award. The AP NFL MVP... |
Terry Bradshaw Terry Bradshaw Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday... , Quarterback Quarterback Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line... , Pittsburgh |
| Coach of the Year NFL Coach of the Year Award The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job of working with the talent he has at his disposal. Currently, the most widely recognized award is presented by the... |
Jack Patera Jack Patera John Arlen "Jack" Patera is a former American football player and coach in the National Football League. He played for the Baltimore Colts, Chicago Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. He was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings. Patera was the first head... , Seattle |
| Offensive Player of the Year NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award The NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award is given annually by the Associated Press to the offensive player of the National Football League believed to have had the most outstanding season... |
Earl Campbell Earl Campbell Earl Christian Campbell , nicknamed The Tyler Rose, is a former professional American Football running back. He, Paul Hornung and O.J Simpson are the only people to have won the Heisman Trophy , were first overall National Football League draft picks and are in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame... , Running Back Running back A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running... , Houston Oilers |
| Defensive Player of the Year NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award The NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award is given by the Associated Press to the league's most outstanding defensive player at the end of every NFL season since 1971. Multiple-award winners include Lawrence Taylor, who won it three times, and Joe Greene, Mike Singletary, Bruce Smith, Reggie... |
Randy Gradishar Randy Gradishar Randy Charles Gradishar is a former college and professional American football linebacker who played in the 1970s and 1980s. Randy Gradishar is currently the Director of Corporate Communications for the Phil Long Dealerships in Colorado... , Linebacker Linebacker A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen... , Denver |
| Offensive Rookie of the Year | Earl Campbell Earl Campbell Earl Christian Campbell , nicknamed The Tyler Rose, is a former professional American Football running back. He, Paul Hornung and O.J Simpson are the only people to have won the Heisman Trophy , were first overall National Football League draft picks and are in both the Pro Football Hall of Fame... , Running Back Running back A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running... , Houston Oilers |
| Defensive Rookie of the Year | Al Baker Al Baker Al "Bubba" Baker is a former professional American football defensive lineman in the NFL. He went to three Pro Bowls during his career. He was named 1978 Defensive Rookie of the Year.... , Defensive End Defensive end Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years... , Linebacker |