Major rule changes

• Whenever a team time out is called after the two minute warning of each half, it should only last 60 seconds instead of 90.
• A play is immediately dead anytime the quarterback performs a kneel-down (the quarterback immediately kneels down after receiving the snap) after the two minute warning of each half, or whenever the player declares himself down by sliding feet first on the ground. The ball is then spotted at the point where the player touches the ground first.
• Pass interference
  Pass interference
  In American and Canadian gridiron football, pass interference is a penalty that occurs when a player interferes with an eligible receiver's ability to make a fair attempt to catch a forward pass. Pass interference may include tripping, pushing, pulling, or cutting in front of the receiver or...
  
   is not to be called when a pass is clearly uncatchable.
• Both "Roughing the kicker" and "Running into the kicker" fouls are not to be called if the defensive player was blocked into the kicker.
• The definition of a valid fair catch signal is clearly defined as one arm that is fully extended above the head and waved from side to side.
• Goaltending (leaping up to deflect a kick as it passes through the goal posts) is illegal.
• The officials' uniform changed slightly. Instead of wearing black stirrups with white stripes over white sanitary hose, the officials began wearing a one-piece sock similar to those worn by players, black with white stripes on top and solid white on the bottom.

Final standings

Tiebreakers

• Los Angeles Raiders was the first AFC seed ahead of Miami based on better record against common opponents (5–1 to Dolphins' 4–2).
• N.Y. Jets was the first AFC Wild Card based on better conference record (9–3) than New England (8–4) and Denver (8–4).
• New England was the second AFC Wild Card ahead of Denver based on better record against common opponents (4–2 to Broncos' 3–3).
• Cincinnati finished ahead of Pittsburgh in the AFC Central based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
• Seattle finished ahead of San Diego in the AFC West based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
• Dallas finished ahead of N.Y. Giants and Washington in the NFC East based on better head-to-head record (4–0 to Giants' 1–3 and Redskins' 1–3).
• N.Y. Giants was the first NFC Wild Card based on better conference record (8–4) than San Francisco (7–5) and Washington (6–6).
• San Francisco was the second NFC Wild Card based on head-to-head victory over Washington (1–0).
• Minnesota finished ahead of Detroit in the NFC Central based on better division record (3–5 to Lions' 2–6).

AFC

• Wild-Card playoff: New England 26, N.Y. JETS 14
• Divisional playoffs: MIAMI 24, Cleveland 21; New England 27, LOS ANGELES RAIDERS 20
• AFC Championship: New England 31, MIAMI 14 at Orange Bowl
  Miami Orange Bowl
  The Orange Bowl, formerly Burdine Stadium, was an outdoor athletic stadium in Miami, Florida, west of downtown in Little Havana. Considered a landmark, it was the home stadium for the Miami Hurricanes college football team...
  
  , Miami, Florida
  Florida
  Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
  
  , January 12, 1986

NFC

• Wild-Card playoff: N.Y. GIANTS 17, San Francisco 3
• Divisional playoffs: L.A. RAMS 20, Dallas 0; CHICAGO 21, N.Y. Giants 0
• NFC Championship: CHICAGO 24, L.A. Rams 0 at Soldier Field
  Soldier Field
  Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears...
  
  , Chicago
  Chicago
  Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
  
  , Illinois
  Illinois
  Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
  
  , January 12, 1986

Super Bowl

• Super Bowl XX
  Super Bowl XX
  Super Bowl XX was an American football championship game played on January 26, 1986 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1985 regular season...
  
  : Chicago (NFC) 46, New England (AFC) 10, at Louisiana Superdome
  Louisiana Superdome
  The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
  
  , New Orleans, Louisiana
  New Orleans, Louisiana
  New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
  
  , January 26, 1986

Awards