The 1988 NFL season was capped by one of the most dramatic finishes in Super Bowl history, as Joe Montana led a late drive to deliver the San Francisco 49ers their third championship of the decade. This blog compilation tells the story of that season through the eyes of its best teams. You’ll read about the following..
*San Francisco and Cincinnati took different paths to the Super Bowl. The 49ers were on life support three-quarters of the way through the season before making a late push. The Bengals played outstanding football all year and got an MVP season from Boomer Esiason. Read about the paths each team took to Miami at the end of January.
*The Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles were both starting good runs for their respective blue-collar fan bases. Buffalo won the first of what would be seven division titles in eight years, an era that included four Super Bowl trips. Philadelphia didn’t hit those heights, but Buddy Ryan’s team won the NFC East, the first of three straight playoff trips for Ryan.
*Three teams were reaching the end of eras. The Chicago Bears reached the NFC Championship Game for the last time under Mike Ditka and concluded a run of five straight playoff years. The Seattle Seahawks won their first division title in franchise history, but also concluded a six-year stretch where they were a consistent contender. And the Cleveland Browns’ high point of the 1980s was starting to wind down, as an injury-plagued year got them to the playoffs, but still ended short of the Super Bowl.
*Three more teams continued a pattern of solid contention that was enough to tease fans with Super Bowl dreams, but not quite enough to deliver. The Houston Oilers made the second of what was seven straight playoff appearances from 1987-93. The Los Angeles Rams were in the midst of their steady seven-year stretch. And no team teased more than the Minnesota Vikings of the late 1980s.
These were the ten playoff teams of 1988. All ten have the game-by-game narratives of their season published on TheSportsNotebook.com. These articles have been edited and put together in this compilation. Taken collectively, they tell the story of this season through the eyes of its best teams. Start reading today and re-live the memories of the 1988 NFL season.
*San Francisco and Cincinnati took different paths to the Super Bowl. The 49ers were on life support three-quarters of the way through the season before making a late push. The Bengals played outstanding football all year and got an MVP season from Boomer Esiason. Read about the paths each team took to Miami at the end of January.
*The Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles were both starting good runs for their respective blue-collar fan bases. Buffalo won the first of what would be seven division titles in eight years, an era that included four Super Bowl trips. Philadelphia didn’t hit those heights, but Buddy Ryan’s team won the NFC East, the first of three straight playoff trips for Ryan.
*Three teams were reaching the end of eras. The Chicago Bears reached the NFC Championship Game for the last time under Mike Ditka and concluded a run of five straight playoff years. The Seattle Seahawks won their first division title in franchise history, but also concluded a six-year stretch where they were a consistent contender. And the Cleveland Browns’ high point of the 1980s was starting to wind down, as an injury-plagued year got them to the playoffs, but still ended short of the Super Bowl.
*Three more teams continued a pattern of solid contention that was enough to tease fans with Super Bowl dreams, but not quite enough to deliver. The Houston Oilers made the second of what was seven straight playoff appearances from 1987-93. The Los Angeles Rams were in the midst of their steady seven-year stretch. And no team teased more than the Minnesota Vikings of the late 1980s.
These were the ten playoff teams of 1988. All ten have the game-by-game narratives of their season published on TheSportsNotebook.com. These articles have been edited and put together in this compilation. Taken collectively, they tell the story of this season through the eyes of its best teams. Start reading today and re-live the memories of the 1988 NFL season.
