1978 NFL season

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 games, where it has remained since. 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.[1]

1978 National Football League season
Regular season
DurationSeptember 2 –
December 18, 1978
Playoffs
Start dateDecember 24, 1978
AFC ChampionsPittsburgh Steelers
NFC ChampionsDallas Cowboys
Super Bowl XIII
DateJanuary 21, 1979
SiteOrange Bowl, Miami
ChampionsPittsburgh Steelers
Pro Bowl
DateJanuary 29, 1979
SiteLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Oilers quarterback Dan Pastorini in the 1978 AFC Wild Card game

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.[2]

Draft

The 1978 NFL Draft was held from May 2 to 3 at New York City's Roosevelt Hotel. With the first pick, the Houston Oilers selected running back Earl Campbell of Texas, the Heisman Trophy winner.

New officials

Future referees Tom Dooley, Dale Hamer and Dick Hantak were among those entering the league. Bernie Ulman, the head linesman for Super Bowl I and referee for Super Bowl IX, retired prior to the season, which left the NFL with only 14 crews for the 1978 season. Dooley (103), Hamer (104) and Hantak (105) were among the first officials to wear triple-digit numbers, joined by Bob Boylston (101), Gene Carrabine (102), Al Jury (106), Jim Kearney (107), Bob McLaughlin (108), Sid Semon (109), and Jim Osborne (110).

Major rule changes

The league passed major rule changes to encourage offensive scoring.[3] 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.[4]

  • 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.
  • A five-yard penalty and ten-second runoff is to be applied if a team intentionally commits a penalty or foul to stop the clock.
  • Hurdling is no longer a foul.
  • A seventh official, the Side Judge, is added to the officiating crew to help rule on legalities downfield and serve as a second umpire on field goals and extra points.[3] The addition of fifteen officials (one per crew) forced three-digit numbers to be used for the first time. (The sixth official (line judge) was added thirteen years earlier.)
  • All stadiums must have arrows by the numeric yard markers indicating the closer goal line.

Regular season

New 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. A change was also made to non-divisional opponents in a team’s own conference, which became based on divisional positions from the previous season.[1][5] Previously, teams played rotating groups of opponents in the other conference and in other divisions of their own conference, although some opponents were cut in 1976 and 1977 to allow for games against the Seahawks and Buccaneers.[6] This format remains in effect, though it has been slightly modified over the years, most recently with the addition of two more divisions in 2002.

The interconference matchups for 1978 were as follows:

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

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[7] (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
Main article: 1978–79 NFL 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 scoredDallas Cowboys (384)
Total yards gainedNew England Patriots (5,965)
Yards rushingNew England Patriots (3,165) then NFL record
Yards passingSan Diego Chargers (3,375)
Fewest points allowedPittsburgh Steelers (195)
Fewest total yards allowedLos Angeles Rams (3,893)
Fewest rushing yards allowedDallas Cowboys (1,721)
Fewest passing yards allowedBuffalo Bills (1,960)

Individual
ScoringFrank Corral, Los Angeles Rams (118 points)
TouchdownsDavid Sims, Seattle Seahawks (15 TDs)
Most field goals madeFrank Corral, Los Angeles Rams (29 FGs)
Rushing attemptsWalter Payton, Chicago Bears (333)
Rushing yardsEarl Campbell, Houston Oilers (1,450 yards)
Rushing touchdownsDavid Sims, Seattle Seahawks (14 TDs)
Passes completedFran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings (345)
Pass attemptsFran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings (572)
Passing yardsFran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings (3,468 yards)
Passer ratingRoger Staubach, Dallas Cowboys (84.9 rating)
Passing touchdownsTerry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers (28 TDs)
Pass receivingRickey Young, Minnesota Vikings (88 catches)
Pass receiving yardsWesley Walker, New York Jets (1,169 yards)
Receiving touchdownsJohn Jefferson, San Diego Chargers (13 TDs)
Punt returnsRick Upchurch, Denver Broncos (13.7 average yards)
Kickoff returnsSteve Odom, Green Bay Packers (27.1 average yards)
InterceptionsThom Darden, Cleveland Browns (10)
PuntingPat McInally, Cincinnati Bengals (43.1 average yards)

Awards
Most Valuable PlayerTerry Bradshaw, Quarterback, Pittsburgh
Coach of the YearJack Patera, Seattle
Offensive Player of the YearEarl Campbell, Running back, Houston Oilers
Defensive Player of the YearRandy Gradishar, Linebacker, Denver
Offensive Rookie of the YearEarl Campbell, Running back, Houston Oilers
Defensive Rookie of the YearAl Baker, Defensive end, Detroit Lions
Man of the YearRoger Staubach, Quarterback, Dallas
Comeback Player of the YearJohn Riggins, Running Back, Washington

Coaching changes

Offseason

In-season

Uniform changes
  • The Atlanta Falcons switched from white to gray pants, and from gray to white face masks.
  • The Denver Broncos wore orange pants with their white jerseys for the first time since 1971.
  • The New York Jets introduced new uniforms, switching from white helmets and green face masks to green helmets and white face masks. They also unveiled a new logo featuring a stylized "JETS" with a silhouette of a modern jet airplane extending to the right from the "J".
  • The Washington Redskins switched from gray to gold face masks.
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References
  1. "NFL expands season, increases playoff berths in 1978 changes". Toledo Blade. (Ohio). Associated Press. March 30, 1977. p. 30.
  2. "Who makes the money". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. wire services. February 9, 1979. p. 2C.
  3. "NFL Moves to Protect Passer, Open Offenses". Toledo Blade. AP. March 15, 1978. p. 37.
  4. Pro-Football-Reference.com: NFL Season By Season Scoring Summary, teams averaged 16.2 points per game in 1942.
  5. Urena, Ivan; Pro Football Schedules: A Complete Historical Guide from 1933 to the Present, pp. 11-13 ISBN 0786473517
  6. Urena; Pro Football Schedules, p. 10
  7. "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)
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