1984 NFL season

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The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana.

The season ended with Super Bowl XIX when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins. This was the first Super Bowl televised by ABC, who entered into the annual championship game rotation with CBS and NBC.

Contents 1 Major rule changes 2 Final standings 2.1 Tiebreakers 3 Playoffs 3.1 AFC 3.2 NFC 3.3 Super Bowl 4 Milestones 5 References

[edit] Major rule changes

• Linebackers are permitted to wear numbers 90-99.
• 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 scimmage.
• 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 by 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.

[edit] Final standings

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

Qualified for playoffs

[edit] 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).

[edit] Playoffs

Main article: NFL playoffs, 1984-85

Home team in capitals

[edit] AFC

• Wild-Card playoff: SEATTLE 13, L.A. Raiders 7
• Divisional playoffs: MIAMI 31, Seattle 10; Pittsburgh 24, DENVER 17
• AFC Championship: MIAMI 45, Pittsburgh 28

[edit] NFC

• Wild-Card playoff: N.Y. Giants 16, L.A. RAMS 13
• Divisional playoffs: SAN FRANCISCO 21, N.Y. Giants 10; Chicago 23, WASHINGTON 19
• NFC Championship: SAN FRANCISCO 23, Chicago 0

[edit] Super Bowl

• Super Bowl XIX: San Francisco (NFC) 38, Miami (AFC) 16, at Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California

[edit] Milestones

The following players set all-time records during the season:

Most Passing Yards Gained, Season	Dan Marino, Miami (5,084)
Most Rushing Yards Gained, Season	Eric Dickerson, Los Angeles Rams (2,105)
Most Pass Receptions, Season	Art Monk, Washington (106)
Most Rushing Yards Gained, Career	Walter Payton, Chicago (13,309 at the end of the season)

[edit] References

• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
• NFL History 1981-1990 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
• 1984 season in details
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)