The
1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the
National Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. The
Seattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
were placed in the
AFC WestThe AFC West is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference, currently comprising the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders.-History:...
while the
Tampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
were slotted in the NFC Central.
Instead of a traditional
Thanksgiving DayThe National Football League's Thanksgiving Classic is a series of games played during the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States. It has been a regular occurrence since the league's inception in 1920. Since 2006, three games are played every Thanksgiving...
game hosted by the
Dallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, the league scheduled a
Miami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
at
St. Louis CardinalsThe Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
contest. This would be only the second season since 1966 that the Cowboys did not play on that holiday. As of 2010, it marked the last time that the Cowboys did not play on Thanksgiving.
This was the last NFL regular season with 14 games. The regular season was expanded to 16 games in
1978The 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...
, with the preseason reduced from six games to four. It was also the final season of the eight-team playoff field in the NFL, before going to ten the following season.
The season ended with
Super Bowl XIISuper Bowl XII was an American football game played on January 15, 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1977 regular season...
when the Cowboys defeated the
Denver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Major rule changes
- The head slap is outlawed. This change is referred to as the "Deacon Jones
David D. "Deacon" Jones is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers, and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.Jones specialized in quarterback sacks, a term attributed to him...
Rule"; the RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
defensive endDefensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
frequently used this technique.
- Any shoe worn by a player with an artificial limb must have a kicking surface that conforms to that of a normal kicking shoe. Informally referred to as the "Tom Dempsey
Thomas Dempsey is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints , Philadelphia Eagles , Los Angeles Rams , Houston Oilers and Buffalo Bills . He attended high school at San Dieguito High School and played college football at Palomar College...
Rule." Dempsey is a record-breaking placekicker whose modified shoe (having a flattened and enlarged toe area) on his deformed kicking foot generated controversy during his career.
- Defenders are only permitted to make contact with receivers once.
- Defenders are not allowed to make contact with an opponent above the shoulders with the palms of their hands, except to ward him off the line.
- Offensive linemen are not allowed to thrust their hands to a defender's neck, face, or head.
- Wide receivers are not allowed to clip defenders.
Division races
Tampa Bay and Seattle continued as "swing" teams that didn't participate in regular conference play. Every other NFL team played a home-and-away series against the other members in its division, three interconference games, and the remainder of their 14 game schedule against other conference teams. Tampa Bay switched to the NFC and played the other 13 members of the conference, while Seattle did the same in the AFC. The teams met in
Week Five, with Seattle winning 30–23.
Starting in 1970, and through 2001, except for the strike-shortened 1982 season, there were three divisions (Eastern, Central and Western) in each conference. The winners of each division, and a fourth "wild card" team based on the best non-division winner, qualified for the playoffs. The tiebreaker rules were changed to start with head-to-head competition, followed by division records, common opponents records, and conference play.
National Football Conference
| Week |
Eastern |
|
Central |
|
Western |
|
Wild Card |
|
| 1 |
3 teams |
1–0 |
(Chi, GB) |
1–0 |
ATLANTA |
1–0 |
3 teams |
1–0 |
| 2 |
DALLAS |
2–0 |
4 teams |
1–1 |
ATLANTA* |
1–1 |
8 teams |
1–1 |
| 3 |
DALLAS |
3–0 |
MINNESOTA |
2–1* |
ATLANTA |
2–1 |
3 teams |
2–1 |
| 4 |
DALLAS |
4–0 |
MINNESOTA |
3–1 |
ATLANTA |
3–1 |
WASHINGTON |
3–1 |
| 5 |
DALLAS |
5–0 |
MINNESOTA |
4–1 |
ATLANTA* |
3–2 |
3 teams |
3–2 |
| 6 |
DALLAS |
6–0 |
MINNESOTA |
4–2 |
ATLANTA* |
4–2 |
LOS ANGELES |
4–2 |
| 7 |
DALLAS |
7–0 |
MINNESOTA |
5–2 |
ATLANTA* |
4–3 |
ST. LOUIS* |
4–3 |
| 8 |
DALLAS |
8–0 |
MINNESOTA |
5–3 |
LOS ANGELES |
5–3 |
ST. LOUIS* |
5–3 |
| 9 |
DALLAS |
8–1 |
MINNESOTA |
6–3 |
LOS ANGELES |
6–3 |
ST. LOUIS* |
6–3 |
| 10 |
DALLAS |
8–2 |
MINNESOTA |
6–4 |
LOS ANGELES |
7–3 |
ST. LOUIS |
7–3 |
| 11 |
DALLAS |
9–2 |
MINNESOTA |
7–4 |
LOS ANGELES |
8–3 |
ST. LOUIS |
7–4 |
| 12 |
DALLAS |
10–2 |
MINNESOTA |
8–4 |
LOS ANGELES |
8–4 |
ST. LOUIS* |
7–5 |
| 13 |
DALLAS |
11–2 |
CHICAGO* |
8–5 |
LOS ANGELES |
10–3 |
WASHINGTON* |
8–5 |
| 14 |
DALLAS |
12–2 |
MINNESOTA* |
9–5 |
LOS ANGELES |
10–4 |
CHICAGO* |
9–5 |
* other teams with same W-L record
American Football Conference
| Week |
Eastern |
|
Central |
|
Western |
|
Wild Card |
|
| 1 |
(Bal, Mia) |
1–0 |
3 teams |
1–0 |
(Den, Oak) |
1–0 |
5 teams |
1–0 |
| 2 |
(Bal, Mia) |
2–0 |
(Cle, Hou) |
2–0 |
(Den, Oak) |
2–0 |
3 teams |
2–0–0 |
| 3 |
(Bal, Mia) |
3–0 |
CLEVELAND* |
2–1 |
(Den, Oak) |
3–0 |
2 teams |
3–0 |
| 4 |
BALTIMORE |
4–0 |
HOUSTON |
3–1 |
(Den, Oak) |
4–0 |
2 teams |
4–0 |
| 5 |
BALTIMORE |
5–0 |
PITTSBURGH* |
3–2 |
DENVER |
5–0 |
OAKLAND* |
4–1 |
| 6 |
BALTIMORE* |
5–1 |
PITTSBURGH* |
3–2 |
DENVER |
6–0 |
OAKLAND* |
5–1 |
| 7 |
BALTIMORE |
6–1 |
CLEVELAND |
5–2 |
OAKLAND* |
6–1 |
DENVER |
6–1 |
| 8 |
BALTIMORE |
7–1 |
CLEVELAND |
5–3 |
OAKLAND* |
7–1 |
DENVER |
7–1 |
| 9 |
BALTIMORE |
8–1 |
PITTSBURGH* |
5–4 |
OAKLAND* |
8–1 |
DENVER |
8–1 |
| 10 |
BALTIMORE |
9–1 |
PITTSBURGH* |
6–4 |
DENVER |
9–1 |
OAKLAND |
8–2 |
| 11 |
BALTIMORE* |
9–2 |
PITTSBURGH |
7–4 |
DENVER |
10–1 |
OAKLAND |
9–2 |
| 12 |
BALTIMORE* |
9–3 |
PITTSBURGH |
8–4 |
DENVER |
11–1 |
OAKLAND |
9–3 |
| 13 |
BALTIMORE* |
9–4 |
PITTSBURGH* |
8–5 |
DENVER |
12–1 |
OAKLAND |
10–3 |
| 14 |
BALTIMORE* |
10–4 |
PITTSBURGH |
9–5 |
DENVER |
12–2 |
OAKLAND |
11–3 |
* other teams with same W-L record
Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
– clinched wild cardThe term wild card refers broadly to a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play.-International sports:...
berth, – clinched division title
Tiebreakers
- Baltimore finished ahead of Miami in the AFC East based on better conference record (9–3 to Dolphins' 8–4).
- Buffalo finished ahead of N.Y. Jets in the AFC East based on better strength of schedule (.582 to Jets' .536).
- Cincinnati finished ahead of Houston in the AFC Central based on better division record (6–3 to Oilers' 5–4).
- Minnesota finished ahead of Chicago in the NFC Central based on fewer losses by common opponents (Vikings lost to common opponents with a total of 11 losses while Bears lost to common opponents with a total of 14 losses).
- Chicago won the NFC Wild Card over Washington based on better net points in conference games (48 to Redskins' 4).
- Philadelphia finished ahead of N.Y. Giants in the NFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
Playoffs
*Denver (the AFC 1 seed) did not play Oakland (the 4 seed) in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.
Awards
| Most Valuable Player The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award is given by various entities, most notably the Associated Press , to the player who is considered most valuable in the league. When the award is referred to without mentioning the organization, it generally means the AP award. The AP NFL MVP...
|
Walter PaytonWalter Jerry Payton was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for thirteen seasons. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football...
, Running BackA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, Chicago |
| Coach of the Year The National Football League Coach of the Year Award is presented annually by various news and sports organizations to the NFL head coach who has done the most outstanding job of working with the talent he has at his disposal. Currently, the most widely recognized award is presented by the...
|
Red Miller Robert "Red" Miller is a former professional football coach with the Denver Broncos.- Early life and career :Miller was born and raised in Macomb, Illinois and attended Macomb Public Schools and Western Illinois University, where he was later a star player and coach for the Leathernecks football...
, Denver |
| Offensive Player of the Year The NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award is given annually by the Associated Press to the offensive player of the National Football League believed to have had the most outstanding season...
|
Walter PaytonWalter Jerry Payton was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for thirteen seasons. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football...
, Running BackA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, Chicago |
| Defensive Player of the Year The NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award is given by the Associated Press to the league's most outstanding defensive player at the end of every NFL season since 1971. Multiple-award winners include Lawrence Taylor, who won it three times, and Joe Greene, Mike Singletary, Bruce Smith, Reggie...
|
Harvey Martin Harvey Banks Martin was an American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys from 1973 until 1983. He started playing football in high school, only because he overheard his father tell his mother that he was ashamed that his son did not play like his friends'...
, Defensive EndDefensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
, Dallas |
| Offensive Rookie of the Year |
Tony Dorsett Anthony "Tony" Drew Dorsett is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos.-Early years:...
, Running BackA running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, Dallas |
| Defensive Rookie of the Year |
A.J. Duhe, Defensive End Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
, Miami |