I was talking with my friend about this yesterday. Suppose the Dolphins beat the Pats in the 1986 AFC Title game. Do you think they would have fared any better against the Bears in the Superbowl? They did beat them earlier that year.
"In an upset, the Patriots converted 6 Dolphins turnovers into 24 points. On Miami's first offensive play, running back Tony Nathan fumbled, and Patriots defensive end Garin Veris recovered the ball to set up Tony Franklin's 23-yard field goal. The Dolphins then marched on an 80-yard drive to score on quarterback Dan Marino's 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dan Johnson. But New England responded on a 66-yard possession to score on quarterback Tony Eason's 4-yard touchdown to Tony Collins. A fumble by Dwight Stephenson then led to Eason's 1-yard touchdown to Derrick Ramsey to give the Patriots a 17-7 lead before halftime. Miami had the chance to cut the deficit down to 3 points when tight end Dan Johnson dropped Marino's pass in the end zone on a 1st and 10 from the Patriots' 16. As the next two plays fell short of a first down, Miami had to settle for a field goal from the Patriots' 14 yards, but after a badly taken snap, Fuad Reveiz' kick sailed wide to the right. Miami's Lorenzo Hampton then lost a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half, and Eason converted the turnover into a 2-yard touchdown pass to running back Robert Weathers. The Dolphins finally scored again in the final period with Nathan's 10-yard touchdown reception to cut the deficit to 24-14, but New England's Mosi Tatupu later recorded a 1-yard touchdown to close out the scoring. Patriots running back Craig James was their main contributor on offense, rushing for a career postseason high 105 yards of the Patriots 255 total rushing yards in a game played in a steady rain. The win was the first for the Patriots at the Orange Bowl since 1966, the Dolphins inaugural season, ending a string of 18 consecutive losses by the Patriots in Miami and earning the Patriots their first trip to the Super Bowl in franchise history."
The Bears may have beaten Miami worse than they beat NE b/c Miami ruined their perfect season. It still would have been a blowout win for Chi.
I always thought that the Jets team that year had the best shot of taking them. That loss that year in the playoffs was one of the most disappointing to me as a fan.
The Pats had no business being in that Super Bowl, imo. But they made it anyway. The blowout didn't surprise me at all.
Miami matched up very well against that defense because of Dan Marino. That's why they were able to light up the Bears defense the first time they played and won. It would have been a much better game, that's almost a certainty.
They did but Chicago would have been pissed off for the loss to end their undewfeated season and everything went right for Miami that night w/ all the emotion of the '72 team, Marc Buoniconti, Jim McMahon not playing. It would have been a very different game.
The Jets had their shot at the Bears and lost 19-6 at the Meadowlands. I doubt the Jets would have been able to keep it close had the two teams met in Super Bowl 20.
Maybe not, but I would have loved to have gotten the chance at it again. The Bears that year were about as unstoppable a team as you could get. And come to think of it... short memories, but the Jets today have nothing on the Bears of 85 in terms of smack-talk. These guys shot their own video.
I would much have rather seen the Dolphins made it. I doubt it would have been 46-10... Still wish Walter Peyton had scored in that game.
