1978 NFL season

1978 National Football League season

Regular season
Duration	September 2 – 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
Champions	Pittsburgh Steelers
Pro Bowl
Date	January 29, 1979
Site	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini playing in the 1978 AFC Wild Card game

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 played 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 at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

The average salary for a player in 1978 was under $62,600, up 13.2 percent over the previous year. Fran Tarkenton was the highest-paid quarterback at $360,000 and running back O. J. Simpson was the highest paid player, at just under $733,400.^[1]

Major rule changes

The league passed major rule changes to encourage offensive scoring.^[2] In 1977 – the last year of the so-called "Dead Ball Era" – teams scored an average of 17.2 points per game, the lowest total since 1942.^[3]

• 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. This applies only to the time before the ball is thrown, at which point any contact is pass interference. 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.^[2] The addition of 15 officials (one per crew) forced three-digit numbers to be used for the first time.

Interconference scheduling

With the start of a 16-game season also marked the start of a new scheduling format that saw a division in one conference play a division in another conference, rotating every season and repeating the process every three years. Previously, teams played random opponents in the other conference. The format remains in effect today, though it was slightly modified over the years, most recently with the addition of two more divisions in 2002.

The interconference matchups for 1978 were as follows:

• AFC East vs. NFC East
• AFC Central vs. NFC West
• AFC West vs. NFC Central

Division races

Starting in 1978, and continuing through 1989 (except 1982), 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 (or, if the winner of the wild-card playoff was from the same division as that team, the division winner with the second best overall record). The tiebreaker 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	Washington	3–0	Chi.	3–0	L.A.	3–0
4	Washington	4–0	G.B.	3–1	L.A.	4–0	Chi.	3–1	Dal.	3–1
5	Washington	5–0	G.B.	4–1	L.A.	5–0	Chi.	3–2	3 tms	3–2
6	Washington	6–0	G.B.	5–1	L.A.	6–0	Dal.	4–2	Chi.	3–3
7	Washington	6–1	G.B.	6–1	L.A.	7–0	Dal.	5–2	Phi.	4–3
8	Washington	6–2	G.B.	6–2	L.A.	7–1	Dal.	6–2	NYG	5–3
9	Washington	7–2	G.B.	7–2	L.A.	7–2	Dal.	6–3	Atl	5–4
10	Washington	7–3	G.B.	7–3	L.A.	8–2	Atl.	6–4	Min.	6–4
11	Washington	8–3	Min.	7–4	L.A.	9–2	Atl.	7–4	Dal.	7–4
12	Washington	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	Washington	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

AFC East
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
^(2) New England Patriots	11	5	0	.688	358	286
^(4) 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
^(1) Pittsburgh Steelers	14	2	0	.875	356	195
^(5) 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
^(3) 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
^(2) Dallas Cowboys	12	4	0	.750	384	208
^(5) 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
^(3) 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
^(1) Los Angeles Rams	12	4	0	.750	316	245
^(4) 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^[4] (6–2 to Seahawks' 5–3 and Chargers' 4–4).
• Minnesota finished ahead of Green Bay in the NFC Central 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

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

Statistical leaders

Team

Points scored	Dallas Cowboys (384)
Total yards gained	New England Patriots (5,965)
Yards rushing	New England Patriots (3,165) current NFL record
Yards passing	San Diego Chargers (3,375)
Fewest points allowed	Pittsburgh Steelers (195)
Fewest total yards allowed	Los Angeles Rams (3,893)
Fewest rushing yards allowed	Dallas Cowboys (1,721)
Fewest passing yards allowed	Buffalo Bills (1,960)

Individual

Scoring	Frank Corral, Los Angeles Rams (118 points)
Touchdowns	David Sims, Seattle Seahawks (15 TDs)
Most field goals made	Frank Corral, Los Angeles Rams (29 FGs)
Rushing attempts	Walter Payton, Chicago Bears (333)
Rushing yards	Earl Campbell, Houston Oilers (1,450 yards)
Rushing touchdowns	David Sims, Seattle Seahawks (14 TDs)
Passes completed	Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings (345)
Pass attempts	Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings (572)
Passing yards	Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings (3,468 yards)
Passer rating	Roger Staubach, Dallas Cowboys (84.9 rating)
Passing touchdowns	Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers (28 TDs)
Pass receiving	Rickey Young, Minnesota Vikings (88 catches)
Pass receiving yards	Wesley Walker, New York Jets (1,169 yards)
Receiving touchdowns	John Jefferson, San Diego Chargers (13 TDs)
Punt returns	Rick Upchurch, Denver Broncos (13.7 average yards)
Kickoff returns	Steve Odom, Green Bay Packers (27.1 average yards)
Interceptions	Thom Darden, Cleveland Browns (10)
Punting	Pat McInally, Cincinnati Bengals (43.1 average yards)

Awards

Most Valuable Player	Terry Bradshaw, Quarterback, Pittsburgh
Coach of the Year	Jack Patera, Seattle
Offensive Player of the Year	Earl Campbell, Running back, Houston Oilers
Defensive Player of the Year	Randy Gradishar, Linebacker, Denver
Offensive Rookie of the Year	Earl Campbell, Running back, Houston Oilers
Defensive Rookie of the Year	Al Baker, Defensive end, Detroit Lions

References

1. "Who makes the money". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire services. February 9, 1979. p. 2C.
2. "NFL revises rules to promote points". Milwaukee Journal. UPI and AP. March 15, 1978. p. 18, part 2.
3. Pro-Football-Reference.com: NFL Season By Season Scoring Summary, teams averaged 16.2 points per game in 1942.
4. "Past NFL standings" (PDF). NFL. Retrieved December 28, 2012. Oakland finished ahead of Seattle and San Diego based on common opponents

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