1972 NFL season
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The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first and only NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.
Contents |
[edit] Major rule changes
- The inbounds lines or hashmarks were moved closer to the center of the field, 23 yards, 1 foot, 9 inches from the sidelines. The hashmarks were now 18 feet, 6 inches apart (the same width as the goalposts), cutting down on severe angles for short field goal attempts.
- If a legal receiver goes out of bounds, either accidentally or forced out, and returns to touch or catch the pass in bounds, the penalty is a loss of down (but no penalty yardage will be assessed).
- If a punt or missed field goal crosses the receivers' goal line, a member of the receiving team may advance the ball into the field of play.
- All fouls committed by the offensive team behind the line of scrimmage will be assessed from the previous spot.
- Tie games, previously not counted, were made equal to a half-game won and a half-game loss.
[edit] Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
| Qualified for playoffs |
| AFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 385 | 171 |
| New York Jets | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 367 | 324 |
| Baltimore Colts | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 235 | 252 |
| Buffalo Bills | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 257 | 377 |
| New England Patriots | 3 | 11 | 0 | .214 | 192 | 446 |
| AFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 343 | 175 |
| Cleveland Browns | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 268 | 249 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 299 | 229 |
| Houston Oilers | 1 | 13 | 0 | .071 | 164 | 380 |
| AFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Oakland Raiders | 10 | 3 | 1 | .750 | 365 | 248 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 287 | 254 |
| Denver Broncos | 5 | 9 | 0 | .357 | 325 | 350 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 264 | 344 |
| NFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 11 | 3 | 0 | .786 | 336 | 218 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 319 | 240 |
| New York Giants | 8 | 6 | 0 | .571 | 331 | 247 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 193 | 303 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | 145 | 352 |
| NFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Green Bay Packers | 10 | 4 | 0 | .714 | 304 | 226 |
| Detroit Lions | 8 | 5 | 1 | .607 | 339 | 290 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 301 | 252 |
| Chicago Bears | 4 | 9 | 1 | .321 | 225 | 275 |
| NFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| San Francisco 49ers | 8 | 5 | 1 | .607 | 353 | 249 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | .500 | 269 | 274 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6 | 7 | 1 | .464 | 291 | 286 |
| New Orleans Saints | 2 | 11 | 1 | .179 | 215 | 361 |
[edit] Playoffs
- Note: Prior to the 1975 season, the home teams in the playoffs were decided based on a yearly rotation.
| Divisional Playoffs | Conf. Championship Games | Super Bowl VII | ||||||||
| December 24 - Miami Orange Bowl | ||||||||||
| Cleveland Browns | 14 | |||||||||
| December 31 - Three Rivers Stadium | ||||||||||
| Miami Dolphins | 20 | |||||||||
| Miami Dolphins | 21 | |||||||||
| December 23 - Three Rivers Stadium | ||||||||||
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 17 | |||||||||
| Oakland Raiders | 7 | |||||||||
| January 14 – L.A. Coliseum | ||||||||||
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 13 | |||||||||
| Miami Dolphins | 14 | |||||||||
| December 23 - Candlestick Park | ||||||||||
| Washington Redskins | 7 | |||||||||
| Dallas Cowboys | 30 | |||||||||
| December 31 - RFK Stadium | ||||||||||
| San Francisco 49ers | 28 | |||||||||
| Dallas Cowboys | 3 | |||||||||
| December 24 - RFK Stadium | ||||||||||
| Washington Redskins | 26 | |||||||||
| Green Bay Packers | 3 | |||||||||
| Washington Redskins | 16 | |||||||||
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
- NFL History 1971-1980 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
- 1972 season in details
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
| Early Era (1920-1969) |
|---|
| 1920 • 1921 • 1922 • 1923 • 1924 • 1925 • 1926 • 1927 • 1928 • 1929
1930 • 1931 • 1932 • 1933 • 1934 • 1935 • 1936 • 1937 • 1938 • 1939 1940 • 1941 • 1942 • 1943 • 1944 • 1945 • 1946 • 1947 • 1948 • 1949 1950 • 1951 • 1952 • 1953 • 1954 • 1955 • 1956 • 1957 • 1958 • 1959 1960 • 1961 • 1962 • 1963 • 1964 • 1965 • 1966 • 1967 • 1968 • 1969 |
| Modern Era (1970-present) |
| 1970 • 1971 • 1972 • 1973 • 1974 • 1975 • 1976 • 1977 • 1978 • 1979
1980 • 1981 • 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1985 • 1986 • 1987 • 1988 • 1989 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1993 • 1994 • 1995 • 1996 • 1997 • 1998 • 1999 |
