I noticed that sometimes the team that makes it to the Super Bowl doesnt always produce the most interesting matchups, and in some cases prevent very interesting situations from occuring. I took a walk down memory lane and looked at the most interesting matchups that never happened in the Super Bowl over the last 30 years. I used the sports geek heaven of websites http://www.whatifsports.com/, where you can simulate matchups of sports teams from all different eras, and it generates a play by play, box score and game MVP. The simulations used to predict my hypothetical Super Bowls were historically accurate in every way from the weather, the lineups, the stadium that the Super Bowl was played. Heres what could have been....
1981-82 Cincinatti Bengals
What Really Happened: The Bengals beat the Chargers 27-7 in Cincy. The game was known as the 'Freezer Bowl' because at game time temperature with wind chill factor was -37. The unfriendly conditions literally froze the Chargers high powered offense.
What could have been: 49ers vs. Chargers, Joe Montana vs. Dan Fouts
How would this have been better than the game against Cincy? San Diego had Dan Fouts, Charlie Joiner, Kellen Winslow and Chuck Muncie. They had offensive weapons at every position which would have proved an interesting matchup for the 49ers, and their rookie safety Ronnie Lott.
Whatifsports simulation:
The teams go to halftime with a 10-10 tie. The Chargers lead 16-13 going into the final quarter. The Chargers capitalize on two fumbles the fourth quarter and pull away to win the Super Bowl 37-13. Charger Runningback Chuck Muncie is the games MVP with 18 carries, 88 yards and two touchdowns.
1983-84: Washington RedskinsWhat really happened: Washington edged out the 49ers 24-21 in the NFC Title game. They would get blown out 38-3 by the LA Raiders in Super Bowl XVII, with Marcus Allen making a highlight reel in the process.
What could have been: Raiders vs. 49ersThis matchup would have been interesting to see San Francisco back in the Super Bowl after their win two years earlier against Cincy (or their loss to San Diego if youre playing along).
Whatifsports Simulation: There would be no Marcus Allen highlight reel. In fact, this game was just plain ugly. The 49ers would make history-by being the first team to get shut out in Super Bowl History. The Raiders would take Super Bowl XVII, 10-0. Los Angeles linebacker Rod Martin would win the games MVP award after his third quarter interception set up the games only touchdown.
1985-86: New England PatriotsWhat really happened: The Patriots tied with the Jets for second in the AFC East at 11-5. They earned a wildcard and managed to upset the Jets in the wildcard game on the road, then go on to beat the Raiders in LA. The high point would come when they stunned the Dolphins 31-14 in Miami to advance to Super Bowl XX, where they were promptly destroyed 46-10 by Ditkas Bears.
What could have been: Bears vs. Dolphins, Marino's offense vs. Ditka's D.
This is the most interesting matchup on here, in my opinion. Why? The Dolphins went 12-4, Chicago went 15-1. The only blemish on the Bears record: a 38-24 loss to Miami on Monday Night Football. Dan Marino picked apart Buddy Ryan's vaunted 4-6 defense on that night, so this would have been quite the rematch.
Whatifsports Simulation
Different team, similar results: Bears domination. The Bears would shut Dan Marino and Miami out for three quarters en route to a 33-10 victory. Bears RB Walter Payton would be the games Most Valuable Player, running for 146 yards on 19 carries including a 33 yard touchdown run and a 54 yard catch.
1990-91: New York GiantsWhat really happened: The 13-3 New York Giants upended the 14-2 San Francisco 49ers. A costly fumble by Roger Craig set up a game winning field goal by Matt Bahr. The Giants would go on to win Super Bowl XXV over Buffalo, 20-19, thanks to the infamous wide right field goal by Scott Norwood.
What could have been: 49ers vs. Bills, Jim Kelly vs. Joe Montana. This game could have been a showcase of the Bills, appearing in their first of four consecutive Super Bowls, and three time defending champion San Francisco. The teams boasted the best records in their conferences.
Whatifsports Simulation:
The 49ers would go to halftime with a 7-6 lead. The Bills, lead by eventual game MVP Thurman Thomas, rushed for 99 yards, and caught the go ahead touchdown in the third quarter. The Bills never looked back, and history was rewritten. Bills win 21-13.
1991-92: Washington Redskins
What really happened: The Redskins finished the regular season 14-2 and rolled through the playoffs, crushed the Lions in the NFC Title Game, 41-10. They held Detroit phenom Barry Sanders to 44 yards rushing. They went on to beat Buffalo in the Super Bowl XXVI, 37-24.
What could have been: Lions vs. Bills, Barry Sanders in the Super Bowl. Im sure everyone wonders what could have been if the Lions, who beat Dallas easily in the divisionals 38-6 made the it to the big game, particularly because of Barry Sanders. Sanders was arguably the greatest runningback to never play in the Super Bowl.
Whatifsports Simulation: The Bills jumped to a 17-7 lead after the first quarter, but Detroit would fight back. The Bills held a 20-17 lead at halftime, after a scorless third, the Lions tied the game in the fourth. With 1:31 left in the game Jim Kelly would rewrite history and his legacy with a 21 yard touchdown pass to Andre Reed. Sanders would go 27 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown, but Kelly's second touchdown pass would net him the games MVP award (14/21, 183 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT). The Bills win their first Super Bowl (second if youre playing along).
1993-94: Buffalo Bills
What really happened: The Bills (12-4) would beat Joe Montana and the Chiefs (11-5), 30-13 to advance to Super Bowl XXVIII, where they were thoroughly humiliated by the Cowboys for a second straight year, 30-13.
What could have been: Cowboys vs. Chiefs, an aging Joe Montana vs. the Cowboys. Montana had landed in Kansas City after a legendary career in San Francisco, where he won four Super Bowls. He and former Raider great, Marcus Allen were credited with the Chiefs resurgence. If Kansas City had overcome Buffalo, we would have gotten to see if Montana had anything left in the tank to go against the Dallas Cowboys.
Whatifsports Simulation: Easily the best matchup Ive seen in the simulation, Dallas would take the lead into halftime on an Emmitt Smith touchdown run, 7-6. They would trade touchdowns in the third quarter, and go to the fourth with Dallas up 14-13. Kansas City would take the lead on a 71 yard interception return by Lonnie Marts, miss the conversion and go up 19-14. The Cowboys struck back when Bernie Kosar (in for injured Troy Aikman) hit Jay Novacek for a touchdown. They failed the conversion, but led 20-19. Montana would drive the Chiefs downfield and Nick Lowery would connect with a 42 yard fieldgoal with :47 seconds left, 22-20 Chiefs. Troy Aikman would heroically re-enter the game and connect with Alvin Harper on a 74 yard gain with :26 left, that set up Eddie Murray's field goal as time expired. Dallas wins 23-22. Emmitt Smith is the games MVP, rushing for 85 yards and a touchdown.
1994-95: San Diego ChargersWhat really happened: The Chargers stunned the heavily favored Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Title game, 17-14. The cinderella story ended at the hands of Steve Young and the 49ers, who rolled 49-26 to win Super Bowl XXIX.
What could have been: 49ers vs. Steelers, clash of two historic teams, with four Super Bowl wins apiece, this game would have been a showdown.
Whatifsports Simulation: Pittsburgh couldnt get it done, and the 49ers cruised to a victory, 26-7. Ricky Watters was the MVP with 79 yards on the ground and a touchdown.
1998-99: Atlanta Falcons
What really happened: The Falcons stunned the 15-1 Vikings 30-27 in overtime, all made possible by Gary Anderson's only missed field goal of the 1998 season. The Dirty Birds would lose 34-19 to John Elway and company in Super Bowl XXXIII.
What could have been: Randall Cunningham, Cris Carter and Randy Moss vs. John Elway, Terrell Davis and Shannon Sharpe. There is little doubt that this one would have been a pretty even matchup.
Whatifsports Simulation: Randall Cunningham tosses two touchdowns in the first quarter, but Denver rallies back to a 17-14 lead at halftime. Denver would pull away when Steve Atwater intercepted Cunningham and took it 77 yards for a touchdown, giving the Broncos a 24-14 lead. Two field goals put them up 30-14. Cunningham threw two late fourth quarter touchdowns, but it wasnt enough. Denver wins 30-27. Cunningham would win the games MVP award, only the second in history on the losing team, after throwing for 302 yards and 4 touchdowns.
2002-03: Tampa Bay BuccaneersWhat really happened: The Eagles came out flat for the finale at Veterans Stadium, and lost the NFC Championship to Tampa Bay 27-10. Jon Gruden and the Bucs would go on to face his former team, the Raiders, and beat them 48-21.
What could have been: Raiders vs. Eagles, rematch of Super Bowl XV.
Whatifsports Simulation: Not a particularly exciting game, between these two evenly matched squads, but the Eagles would jump out to a 13-3 lead going into the fourth quarter, and thats all they would need, winning 13-10. Deuce Staley would win the MVP award, scoring the Eagles only touchdown.
Recap:
XVI: Chargers 37, 49ers 13
XVIII: Raiders 10, 49ers 0
XX: Bears 33, Dolphins 10
XXV: Bills 21, 49ers 13
XXVI: Bills 27, Lions 20
XXVIII: Cowboys 23, Chiefs 22
XXIX: 49ers 26, Steelers 7
XXXIII: Broncos 30, Vikings 27
XXXVII: Eagles 13, Raiders 10
As with any hypothetical situation, there are a number of other variables, like, if Buffalo had won back to back Super Bowls, would they have lost a third? Would they have lost XXVII to Dallas? San Francisco had a poor showing in our whatifsports simulation, and a team in reality that is 5-0 all time in Super Bowls would be 3-3. Factor in that Joe Montana would have been 2-3 in those Super Bowls and lost one in the twilight of his career with Kansas City, making him 2-5. You can see that the perceptions of certain legendary players like Dan Fouts, Jim Kelly, Joe Montana and Donovan McNabb would have drastically changed, while Elway, Aikman (with just one less ring, mind you), and Marino's legacies wouldnt have been drastically altered at all. Of course you can simulate your own Super Bowls, World Series, Stanley Cup Finals and everything else over at
www.whatifsports.com.
'Eastbound and Down' on HBO is one of the funniest shows Ive ever seen. I have Comcast On-Demand, and on a lazy day off, with a blistering sinus headache, I decided to scope it out. I ended up watching the entire first season in one sitting.
He's a composite of some of the great, real life major league closers of the 1990's. Hes got Mitch Williams' mullet, Rob Dibble's arm, Rod Beck's beer gut, and John Rocker's mouth. All of this combined with cameos by Will Ferrell as car dealer/Ric Flair lookalike Ashley Schaeffer make it well worth watching. That, and having offensive and quotable material doesnt hurt matters any. Check it out if you get a chance.
THE BILL WALSH BRANCH:
