1978 NFL season

1978 NFL season

Regular season
Duration	September 2, 1978–December 18, 1978
Playoffs
Start date	December 24, 1978
AFC Champions	Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC Champions	Dallas Cowboys
Super Bowl XIII
Date	January 21, 1979
Site	Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida
Champions	Pittsburgh Steelers
Pro Bowl
Date	January 29, 1979
Site	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

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.

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. 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 Renfro Rule". During a play in Super Bowl V, Baltimore Colts 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 Reception 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.

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. The tiebraker 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

 x  - clinched wild card berth,  y  - clinched division title

AFC East
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
y-New England Patriots	11	5	0	.688	358	286
x-Miami Dolphins	11	5	0	.688	372	254
New York Jets	8	8	0	.500	359	364
Buffalo Bills	5	11	0	.313	302	354
Baltimore Colts	5	11	0	.313	239	421
AFC Central
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
y-Pittsburgh Steelers	14	2	0	.875	356	195
x-Houston Oilers	10	6	0	.625	283	298
Cleveland Browns	8	8	0	.500	334	356
Cincinnati Bengals	4	12	0	.250	252	284
AFC West
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
y-Denver Broncos	10	6	0	.625	282	198
Oakland Raiders	9	7	0	.563	311	283
Seattle Seahawks	9	7	0	.563	345	358
San Diego Chargers	9	7	0	.563	355	309
Kansas City Chiefs	4	12	0	.250	243	327

NFC East
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
y-Dallas Cowboys	12	4	0	.750	384	208
x-Philadelphia Eagles	9	7	0	.563	270	250
Washington Redskins	8	8	0	.500	273	283
St. Louis Cardinals	6	10	0	.375	248	296
New York Giants	6	10	0	.375	264	298
NFC Central
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
y-Minnesota Vikings	8	7	1	.531	294	306
Green Bay Packers	8	7	1	.531	249	269
Detroit Lions	7	9	0	.438	290	300
Chicago Bears	7	9	0	.438	253	274
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	5	11	0	.313	241	259
NFC West
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
y-Los Angeles Rams	12	4	0	.750	316	245
x-Atlanta Falcons	9	7	0	.563	240	290
New Orleans Saints	7	9	0	.438	281	298
San Francisco 49ers	2	14	0	.125	219	350

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

Main article: NFL playoffs, 1978-79

						December 31 - Foxboro Stadium
						5	Houston	31
	December 24 - Miami Orange Bowl										January 7 - Three Rivers Stadium
						2*	New England	14
						AFC
	5	Houston	17								5	Houston	5
						December 30 - Three Rivers Stadium
	4	Miami	9								1	Pittsburgh	34
											AFC Championship
						3	Denver	10
																January 21 - Miami Orange Bowl
						1*	Pittsburgh	33
						Divisional playoffs
	Wild Card playoffs															A1	Pittsburgh	35
						December 30 - Texas Stadium
																N2	Dallas	31
																Super Bowl XIII
						4	Atlanta	20
	December 24 - Atlanta Fulton County Stadium										January 7 - L.A. Memorial Coliseum
						2*	Dallas	27
						NFC
	5	Philadelphia	13								2	Dallas	28
						December 31 - L.A. Memorial Coliseum
	4	Atlanta	14								1	L.A. Rams	0
											NFC Championship
						3	Minnesota	10
						1*	L.A. Rams	34

References

• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
• NFL History 1971-1980 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
• 1978 season in details
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)