NFL Game of the Week

One year earlier, Atlanta had come to New Orleans and squeaked out with a last-second miracle win. Now an even stranger play, this one in overtime, aided and abeted the Falcons to a 40-34 surprise victory at the Superdome.

Three of the four undefeated teams in the NFL got beaten in Week 5. Two of them, Pittsburgh and Miami, are featured here. An Eagle team with something to prove did indeed prove it against the World Champion Steelers, 17-14. In the second game, the Jets stood their home ground against the Dolphins, 33-27.

Both the Steelers and Browns had equal records through the first five games of 1979. When they collided on October 7, Pittsburgh had the upper hand. They had lost to Cleveland only once since 1974. Ths defending Super Bowl champions took a huge lead, but nearly gave it away. Brian Sipe quarterbacked the Browns back into contention in the second half. Still, the Steelers showed their strengths, beating the Browns for the fifth straight time, 51-35.

Both the Bucs and Saints were set on defying both the experts and history. Tampa Bay was 5-1 going into this October 14 game. But they came up woefully short against New Orleans, 42-14. The Saints improved to 3-4 en route to their best finish yet: 8-8.

Two West Coast teams, Los Aggeles and San Diego, headed eastbound Nov. 11 leading their respective divisions. Only one of these teams (Chargers) would end the day with a win.

The Kardiac Kids phenomenon swept through Cleveland in '79. While they were in the playoff hunt going into this November 18 game, the Browns really could not afford to lose again. Such is the consequence of sharing a same division with Pittsburgh. Still, the injury-riddled Kardiac Kids lived up to their billing, as a Brian Sipe-to-Reggie Rucker TD in overtime won it, 30-24. That knocked the Dolphins out of first place in the AFC East, briefly.

Just how frustrating was that Three Rivers Jinx to the Browns? Perhaps this game from November 25, 1979 is the best proof. Cleveland's ""Kardiac Kids"" held a lead for a good amount of time, but leave it to the defending World Champions to storm back.

One month earlier, the Eagles had overturned the Cowboys at Texas Stadium. Now, on December 8, both sought first place in the NFC East. Luck, fate, and bizarre bounces all seemed to aid the Cowboys. The biggest bounce lifted Dallas to a 24-17 win, keeping Philadelphia out of contention for the NFC East title.

The Oilers would never get closer to the Super Bowl than they did January 6, 1980. For all Oilers and their fans, the team's fortunes turned on that one play: the ruling that Mike Renfro did not control the ball in the end zone. That truly was the difference, and not just in the 27-13 final score that sent Pittsburgh to their fourth Super Bowl.