- NFL playoffs, 1985–86
The
NFL playoffs following the1985 NFL season led up toSuper Bowl XX .Because the Jets and Giants both used
Giants Stadium as their home field, the two wild card playoff games were held on different days.NFL seeds 1978-1989
AFC 1 = Los Angeles Raiders
AFC 1 div = West
AFC 2 =Miami Dolphins
AFC 2 div = East
AFC 3 =Cleveland Browns
AFC 3 div = Central
AFC 4 =New York Jets
AFC 5 =New England Patriots
NFC 1 =Chicago Bears
NFC 1 div = Central
NFC 2 = Los Angeles Rams
NFC 2 div = West
NFC 3 =Dallas Cowboys
NFC 3 div = East
NFC 4 =New York Giants
NFC 5 =San Francisco 49ers Wild Card playoffs
December 28, 1985
AFC: New England Patriots 26, New York Jets 14
Linescore Amfootball
Road=Patriots
R1=3
R2=10
R3=10
R4=3
RT=26
Home=Jets
H1=0
H2=7
H3=7
H4=0
HT=14"at
Giants Stadium ,East Rutherford, New Jersey "*Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
*TV announcers (NBC ):Marv Albert andBob Griese The Patriots dominated the Jets by forcing 4 turnovers and 5 sacks. New England jumped to 3-0 lead in the first quarter after
Tony Franklin made a 33-yard field goal. Then after New York scored on quarterbackKen O'Brien 's 11-yard touchdown pass to running backJohnny Hector , Franklin kicked his second field goal for 41 yards. Late in the second quarter, safetyFred Marion intercepted a pass from O'Brien to set upTony Eason 's 36-yard touchdown pass toStanley Morgan , giving New England a 13-7 lead before halftime. In the third period, Franklin made a 20-yard field goal. On the ensuing kickoff, Hector was stripped byJohnny Rembert , who then picked up the fumble and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown. Franklin later made his fourth field goal of the game, a 26-yarder, during the final period.*Scoring
**NE - field goal Franklin 33 NE 3-0
**NYJ - Hector 11 pass from O'Brien (Leahy kick)NYJ 7-3
**NE - field goal Franklin 41 NYJ 7-6
**NE - Morgan 36 pass from Eason (Franklin kick)NE 13-7
**NE - field goal Franklin 20 NE 16-7
**NE - Rembert 15 fumble return (Franklin kick)NE 23-7
**NYJ - Shuler 12 pass from Ryan (Leahy kick)NE 23-14
**NE - field goal Franklin 26 NE 26-14December 29, 1985
NFC: New York Giants 17, San Francisco 49ers 3
Linescore Amfootball
Road=49ers
R1=0
R2=3
R3=0
R4=0
RT=3
Home=Giants
H1=3
H2=7
H3=7
H4=0
HT=17"at
Giants Stadium ,East Rutherford, New Jersey "*Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
*TV announcers (CBS ):Pat Summerall and John MaddenEven though the 49ers recorded 362 yards of total offense, with receiver
Dwight Clark catching 8 passes for 120 yards, the Giants limited San Francisco to only one field goal. Meanwhile, New York running backJoe Morris rushed for 141 yards. The Giants scored on their opening possession of the game with kicker Eric Schubert's 47-yard field goal. Then in the second quarter, New York defensive backTerry Kinard intercepted a pass from 49ers quarterbackJoe Montana to set upPhil Simms ' 18-yard touchdown pass to tight endMark Bavaro . A 77-yard drive in the third quarter was capped by Simms' 3-yard touchdown pass to tight endDon Hasselbeck . San Francisco's lone 21-yard field goal byRay Wersching was made in the second period after an 85-yard drive.*Scoring
**NYG - field goal Schubert 47 NYG 3-0
**NYG - Bavaro 18 pass from Simms (Schubert kick)NYG 10-0
**SF - field goal Wersching 21 NYG 10-3
**NYG - Hasselbeck 3 pass from Simms (Schubert kick)NYG-17-3Divisional playoffs
January 4, 1986
AFC: Miami Dolphins 24, Cleveland Browns 21
Linescore Amfootball
Road=Browns
R1=7
R2=7
R3=7
R4=0
RT=21
Home=Dolphins
H1=3
H2=0
H3=14
H4=7
HT=24"at
Miami Orange Bowl ,Miami, Florida "*Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
*TV announcers (NBC ):Don Criqui andBob Trumpy The Browns jumped to a 21-3 lead midway through the third period, but the Dolphins then scored 21 unanswered points -- the final touchdown with 1:57 left to play. Miami scored on their first drive with a 51-field goal by
Fuad Reveiz . Cleveland later marched 82 yard to score on quarterbackBernie Kosar 's 16-yard pass to tight endOzzie Newsome . In the second quarter, Browns defensive backDon Rogers intercepted Dolphins quarterbackDan Marino , setting up a 21-yard rushing touchdown by running backEarnest Byner . Byner then ran for a 66-yard touchdown in the third quarter, the longest play in Cleveland's post season history, to give Cleveland a 21-3 lead. However, Miami then controlled the rest of the game. A 74-yard drive was capped by Marino's 6-yard touchdown pass toNat Moore . Then running back Ron Davenport scored on a 31-yard touchdown. Davenport's winning touchdown, a 1-yard run with 1:57 remaining in the game, capped a 73-yard possession.Byner finished the game with 161 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on just 16 carries, while also catching 4 passes for 25 yards. Miami running back
Tony Nathan rushed for 21 yards and caught 10 passes for 101 yards.*Scoring
**MIA - field goal Reveiz 51 MIA 3-0
**CLE - Newsome 16 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) CLE 7-3
**CLE - Byner 21 run (Bahr kick) CLE 14-3
**CLE - Byner 66 run (Bahr kick) CLE 21-3
**MIA - Moore 6 pass from Marino (Reveiz kick)CLE 21-10
**MIA - Davenport 31 run (Reveiz kick) CLE 21-17
**MIA - Davenport 1 run (Reveiz kick) MIA 24-21NFC: Los Angeles Rams 20, Dallas Cowboys 0
Linescore Amfootball
Road=Cowboys
R1=0
R2=0
R3=0
R4=0
RT=0
Home=Rams
H1=3
H2=0
H3=10
H4=7
HT=20"at
Anaheim Stadium ,Anaheim, California "*Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST
*TV announcers (CBS ):Jack Buck ,Hank Stram , andDick Vermeil Running back
Eric Dickerson led the Rams to a victory by scoring two touchdowns and recording a playoff record 248 rushing yards. After the first half ended with a 3-0 Los Angeles lead, Dickerson scored on a 55-yard touchdown run early in the third period. On the ensuing kickoff, Kenny Duckett fumbled, and the ball was recovered byVince Newsome to set up kickerMike Lansford 's second field goal. In the fourth period,Tony Hunter recovered a fumbled punt to set up Dickerson's 40-yard rushing touchdown.*Scoring
**RAMS - field goal Lansford 33 RAMS 3-0
**RAMS - Dickerson 55 run (Lansford kick) RAMS 10-0
**RAMS - field goal Lansford 34 RAMS 13-0
**RAMS - Dickerson 40 run (Lansford kick) RAMS 20-0January 5, 1986
NFC: Chicago Bears 21, New York Giants 0
Linescore Amfootball
Road=Giants
R1=0
R2=0
R3=0
R4=0
RT=0
Home=Bears
H1=7
H2=0
H3=14
H4=0
HT=21"at
Soldier Field ,Chicago "*Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
*TV announcers (CBS ):Pat Summerall and John MaddenThe Bears defense dominated the game by allowing only 32 rushing yards and sacked Giants quarterbacks for 60 yards. Giants quarterback
Phil Simms was sacked 7 times during the game, 3 1/2 of them coming from Chicago defensive endRichard Dent . Chicago's first touchdown resulted on a New York punt attempt from their own 12-yard line. The wind caught the ball just enough for punterSean Landeta to completely miss it, andShaun Gayle picked it up and ran 5 yards for a touchdown. Gayle's run was the shortest punt return touchdown in NFL history. Bears quarterbackJim McMahon later threw two touchdown passes in the third period, both toDennis McKinnon . McMahon finished the game with 216 passing yards, while running backWalter Payton rushed for 94 yards.*Scoring
**CHI - Gayle 5 punt return (Butler kick) CHI 7-0
**CHI - McKinnon 23 pass from McMahon (Butler kick) CHI 14-0
**CHI - McKinnon 20 pass from McMahon (Butler kick) CHI 21-0AFC: New England Patriots 27, Los Angeles Raiders 20
Linescore Amfootball
Road=Patriots
R1=7
R2=10
R3=10
R4=0
RT=27
Home=Raiders
H1=3
H2=17
H3=0
H4=0
HT=20"at
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum ,Los Angeles "*Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST
*TV announcers (NBC ):Dick Enberg andMerlin Olsen New England running back Craig James rushed for 104 yards, caught 3 passes for 48 yards and scored a touchdown while the Patriots converted 6 Raiders turnovers into 17 points. In the first quarter, a fumble by Raiders punt returner
Fulton Walker set up Patriots tight endLin Dawson 's 13-yard touchdown reception from quarterbackTony Eason . Los Angeles then scored 17 unanswered points: a 29-field goal byChris Bahr , a 16-yard touchdown reception byJessie Hester , andMarcus Allen 's 11-yard rushing touchdown. New England then scored with James' 2-yard run, and later tied the game, 17-17, afterRonnie Lippett 's interception set upTony Franklin 's 45-yard field goal. But Bahr kicked a 32-yard field goal with 6 second left in the half to give the Raiders a 20-17 lead. In the third period, Franklin made a 32-yard field goal to tie the game. On the ensuing kickoff,Sam Seale fumbled and Jim Bowman recovered the loose ball in the end zone for the game-clinching touchdown.*Scoring
**NE - Dawson 13 pass from Eason (Franklin kick) NE 7-0
**RAI - field goal Bahr 29 NE 7-3
**RAI - Hester 16 pass from Wilson (Bahr kick) RAI 10-7
**RAI - Allen 11 run (Bahr kick) RAI 17-7
**NE - James 2 run (Franklin kick) RAI 17-14
**NE - field goal Franklin 45 17-17
**RAI - field goal Bahr 32 RAI 20-17
**NE - field goal Franklin 32 20-20
**NE - Bowman recovered fumble in end zone (Franklin kick) NE 27-20Conference Championships
January 12, 1986
NFC: Chicago Bears 24, Los Angeles Rams 0
Linescore Amfootball
Road=Rams
R1=0
R2=0
R3=0
R4=0
RT=0
Home=Bears
H1=10
H2=0
H3=7
H4=7
HT=24"at
Soldier Field ,Chicago "*Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
*TV announcers (CBS ):Pat Summerall and John Madden
*Referee: Jim TunneyThe Bears defense dominated the game by limiting Rams running back
Eric Dickerson to 46 yards, and holding quarterbackDieter Brock to 10 out of 31 completions for 66 passing yards. Los Angeles only gained 130 yards of total offense. The Rams had a chance to get back in the game as they got inside the Bears' 15 yard line in the waning moments of the first half. But poor play calling and clock management resulted in the clock running out. Chicago quarterbackJim McMahon scored on a 16-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and later threw a 22-yard touchdown pass toWillie Gault in the third quarter. KickerKevin Butler kicked a 34-yard field goal in the first period. In the fourth quarter, defensive linemanRichard Dent forced Brock to fumble, and linebackerWilber Marshall picked up the loose ball and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown.*Scoring
**CHI - McMahon 16 run (Butler kick) CHI 7-0
**CHI - field goal Butler 34 CHI 10-0
**CHI - Gault 22 pass from McMahon (Butler kick) CHI 17-0
**CHI - Marshall 52 fumble return (Butler kick) CHI 24-0AFC: New England Patriots 31, Miami Dolphins 14
Linescore Amfootball
Road=Patriots
R1=3
R2=14
R3=7
R4=7
RT=31
Home=Dolphins
H1=0
H2=7
H3=0
H4=7
HT=14"at
Miami Orange Bowl ,Miami, Florida "*Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
*TV announcers (NBC ):Dick Enberg andMerlin Olsen
*Referee:Gene Barth In an upset, the Patriots converted 6 Dolphins turnovers into 24 points. On Miami's first offensive play, running back
Tony Nathan fumbled, and Patriots defensive endGarin Veris recovered the ball to set upTony Franklin 's 23-yard field goal. The Dolphins then marched on an 80-yard drive to score on quarterbackDan Marino 's 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dan Johnson. But New England responded on a 66-yard possession to score on quarterbackTony Eason 's 4-yard touchdown toTony Collins . A fumble by Marino then led to Eason's 1-yard touchdown toDerrick Ramsey to give the Patriots a 17-7 lead before halftime. Miami'sLorenzo Hampton then lost a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half, and Eason converted the turnover into a 2-yard touchdown pass to running backRobert Weathers . The Dolphins finally scored again in the final period with Nathan's 10-yard touchdown reception to cut the deficit to 24-14, but New England'sMosi Tatupu later recorded a 1-yard touchdown to close out the scoring. Patriots running back Craig James was their main contributor on offense, rushing for a career postseason high 105 yards. The win was the first for the Patriots at the Orange Bowl since 1966, the Dolphins inaugural season, and ended a string of 18 consecutive losses by the Patriots in Miami.*Scoring
**NE - field goal Franklin 23 NE 3-0
**MIA - Johnson 11 pass from Marino (Reveiz kick) MIA 3-7
**NE - Collins 4 pass from Eason (Franklin kick) NE 10-7
**NE - Ramsey 1 pass from Eason (Franklin kick) NE 17-7
**NE - Weathers 2 pass from Eason (Franklin kick)NE 24-7
**MIA - Nathan 10 pass from Marino (Reveiz kick) MIA 24-14
**NE - Tatupu 1 run (Franklin kick) NE 31-14Bracket
NFLBracket 1978-1989
RD4=Super Bowl XX
G1=NFC
G2=AFC
hideNote=1December 29 -Giants Stadium |5|San Francisco|3|4|N.Y. Giants|17December 28 -Giants Stadium |5|New England|26|4|N.Y. Jets|14January 4 -Anaheim Stadium |3|Dallas|0|2|L.A. Rams|20January 5 -Soldier Field |4|N.Y. Giants|0|1|Chicago|21January 5 - L.A. Memorial Coliseum|5|New England|27|1|L.A. Raiders|20January 4 -Miami Orange Bowl |3|Cleveland|21|2|Miami|24January 12 -Soldier Field |2|L.A. Rams|0|1|Chicago|24January 12 -Miami Orange Bowl |5|New England|31|2|Miami|14January 26 -Louisiana Superdome |N1|Chicago|46|A5|New England|10uper Bowl
Chicago Bears (NFC) 46,New England Patriots (AFC) 10, atLouisiana Superdome ,New Orleans, Louisiana References
*"Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League" (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
*"The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995" (ISBN 0-89204-523-X)
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