1979 NFL SEASON

The '1979 NFL season' was the 60th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XIV when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams.

Contents
Major rule changes
Final standings
Tiebreakers
Playoffs
AFC
NFC
Super Bowl
Notes
References

Major rule changes



★ Whenever the quarterback is sacked, the clock will be stopped for at least five seconds and then restarted again.

★ If a fair catch is made, or signaled and awarded to a team because of interference, on the last play of a half, the period can be extended and the team can run one play.

★ Defensive linemen can wear numbers 90 to 99.

★ Centers are included as the interior offensive linemen in the uniform numbering system.

★ Players are prohibited from wearing torn or altered equipment. Tear-away jerseys are banned.

★ During kickoffs, punts, and field goal attempts, players on the receiving team cannot block below the waist.

★ The zone in which crackback blocks are prohibited is extended from 3 yards on either side of the line of scrimmage to 5.

★ Players cannot use their helmets to butt, spear, or ram an opponent. Any player who uses the crown or the top of his helmet unnecessarily will be called for unnecessary roughness.

★ In order to prevent incidents such as the Holy Roller game, the following change is made: If an offensive player fumbles during a fourth down play, or during any down played after the two minute warning in a half, only the fumbling player can recover and.or advance the ball. This change is known as the "Ken Stabler rule" after the Oakland Raiders quarterback who made the infamous play in the Holy Roller game.[1]

★ Referees were outfitted with black identifying hats, while all other officials continued to wear white hats.

★ For the first time, each official's position was identified on his shirt. The position was abbreviated on the front pocket of the shirt and then spelled out on the back above the number.

★ The numbering system for officials was altered, with officials numbered separately by position rather than as an entire group, making duplicate numbers among officials common.

Final standings


''W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against''
''Note: Teams current name is included within the () if its name/location has been changed''
'Qualified for playoffs'


'AFC East'
TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Miami Dolphins1060.625341257
New England Patriots970.563411326
New York Jets880.500337383
Buffalo Bills790.438268279
Baltimore Colts (Indianapolis Colts)5110.313271351
'AFC Central'
TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Pittsburgh Steelers1240.750416262
Houston Oilers (Tennessee Titans)1150.688362331
Cleveland Browns970.563359352
Cincinnati Bengals4120.250337421
'AFC West'
TeamWLTPCTPFPA
San Diego Chargers1240.750411246
Denver Broncos1060.625289262
Seattle Seahawks970.563378372
Oakland Raiders970.563365337
Kansas City Chiefs790.438238262


'NFC East'
TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Dallas Cowboys1150.688371313
Philadelphia Eagles1150.688339282
Washington Redskins1060.625348295
New York Giants6100.375237323
St. Louis Cardinals (Arizona Cardinals)5110.313307358
'NFC Central'
TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Tampa Bay Buccaneers1060.625273237
Chicago Bears1060.625306249
Minnesota Vikings790.438259337
Green Bay Packers5110.313246316
Detroit Lions2140.125219365
'NFC West'
TeamWLTPCTPFPA
Los Angeles Rams (St. Louis Rams)970.563323309
New Orleans Saints880.500370360
Atlanta Falcons6100.375300388
San Francisco 49ers2140.125308416



Tiebreakers


★ San Diego was the top AFC playoff seed based on head-to-head victory over Pittsburgh (1-0).

★ Seattle finished ahead of Oakland in the AFC West based on head-to-head sweep (2-0).

★ Dallas finished ahead of Philadelphia in the NFC East based on better conference record (10-2 to Eagles' 9-3).

★ Tampa Bay finished ahead of Chicago in the NFC Central based on a better division record (6-2 to Bears' 5-3).

★ Chicago was the second NFC Wild Card ahead of Washington based on better net points in all games (57 to Redskins' 53).

Playoffs


Main articles: NFL playoffs, 1979-80

:''Home team in capitals''
AFC


★ Wild-Card playoff: HOUSTON 13, Denver 7

★ Divisional playoffs: Houston 17, SAN DIEGO 14; PITTSBURGH 34, Miami 14

★ AFC Championship: PITTSBURGH 27, Houston 13 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 6, 1980
NFC


★ Wild-Card playoff: PHILADELPHIA 27, Chicago 17

★ Divisional playoffs: TAMPA BAY 24, Philadelphia 17; Los Angeles 21, DALLAS 19

★ NFC Championship: Los Angeles 9, TAMPA BAY 0 at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida, January 6, 1980
Super Bowl


★ 'Super Bowl XIV:' Pittsburgh (AFC) 31, Los Angeles (NFC) 19, at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California, January 20, 1980

Notes


1. Rules of the Name, or How The Emmitt Rule Became The Emmitt Rule (URL last accessed March 1, 2006)

References



★ ''NFL Record and Fact Book'' (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)

1979 season in details

NFL History 1971-1980 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)

★ ''Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League'' (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)

This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.

psst.. try this: add to faves