NFL Old School Game of the Week: Bills Clinch AFC East Title with Win over 49ers

Fans greet the Buffalo Bills after their 18-13 win over the San Francisco 49ers clinched the AFC East title for Buffalo.

As the Buffalo Bills traveled to San Francisco to take on the 49ers in the final week of the 1980 regular season, the Bills had a chance to do something they had not done since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970: win a division championship.

The Bills came into Week 16 with a 10-5 record needing a win or tie over the 49ers to secure the first division title for Buffalo since they won the Eastern Division title in the American Football League in 1966.

The Bills were led by head coach Chuck Knox, who after a five-year tenure with the Los Angeles Rams in which he led LA to five straight NFC West titles and three trips to the NFC Championship Game, left to become the Buffalo head coach in 1978.

After two straight losing seasons, the Bills become winners in 1980 as they ended a 20-game losing streak to the Miami Dolphins with a 17-7 over Miami in Week 1 as Buffalo jumped out to a 5-0 start.

The key to the Bills' turnaround was their defense which ranked first in fewest yards allowed as led by the trio of nose tackle Fred Smerlas and inside linebackers Jim Haslett and Shane Nelson, otherwise known as the "Bermuda Triangle" as opposing running backs could not get past this trio.

On offense, the Bills were led by quarterback Joe Ferguson, who had been the Buffalo starting quarterback since 1973 and running back Joe Cribbs who had rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie season.

However, Ferguson's status for the game against the 49ers was a question mark as he had sprained his left ankle in the first quarter of the Bills' 24-2 loss to the New England Patriots the week before.

While the Bills were hoping that their franchise quarterback could give it a go, the 49ers had no such issues at quarterback as they had found their quarterback of the future in Joe Montana.

Entering his third NFL season, Montana was named the 49ers starting quarterback by second year head coach Bill Walsh in the seventh week of the 1980 season in the midst of an eight-game losing streak for the 49ers.

While the 49ers were destined for their fourth straight losing season and seventh in eight years, San Francisco fans were given a glimmer of hope two weeks before the game with the Bills as Montana led the 49ers back from a 28-point halftime deficit to lead San Francisco to a 38-35 overtime win over the New Orleans Saints in what was at the time the greatest comeback in NFL history.

San Francisco came into their final game of the 1980 season with a 6-9 record as they had hoped to spoil the Bills' hopes of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 1974 on a muddy field in Candlestick Park.

 After the 49ers went three-and-out to start the game, the Bills would get the ball at their 24-yard-line when Ferguson handed the ball off to Cribbs, who took around the left side for a 48-yard run, his longest run of the season to put Buffalo at the San Francisco 28-yard-line after just one play.

Cribbs would run the ball on the next three plays, picking up 12 yards, before Curtis Brown get a carry for six yards to set up 3rd & 3 at the 49ers' 10-yard-line when Ferguson throw his first pass of the game which would be a touchdown to wide receiver Jerry Butler to give Buffalo a 6-0 lead as Nick Mike-Meyer's extra point would bounce off the upright.

The 49ers would begin their ensuing possession at their 23-yard-line as San Francisco would drive down the field with the help of a couple of Buffalo penalties as defensive end Sherman White would be called for roughing the passer to add 15 yards to an 11-yard pass from Montana to running back Earl Cooper to put San Francisco in Buffalo territory at the Bills' 38-yard-line.

Two plays later, Montana would complete a three-yard pass to running back Lenvil Elliott when linebacker Isiah Robertson would be called for unnecessary roughness to help put the 49ers at the Bills' nine-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal.

The 49ers would move to the four-yard-line where they faced 3rd & goal when Montana handed the ball off to Cooper, who took up the middle and fumbled the football before crossing the goal line as Smerlas would recover the fumble.

However, the referees ruled that Cooper had crossed the goal line before he fumbled the football even though replays showed that was not the case, as the controversial touchdown tied the game at six.

A holding penalty would push the 49ers back 10 yards for Ray Wersching's extra point which would bounce off the left upright to keep the game tied at six with 6:14 left in the first quarter.

Despite a gimpy ankle, Bills quarterback Joe Ferguson would complete 12 of 20 passes for 102 yards and throw one touchdown pass.

The Bills would hold the ball for the rest of the first quarter as they would drive from their 27-yard-line to the 49ers' 40-yard-line before punting the ball on the first play of the second quarter back to San Francisco, who would take over at their 20-yard-line as the Buffalo defense would force a three-and-out to give their offense the ball at the 49ers' 43-yard-line.

But the three-and-out would be costly as Nelson would be lost for the game with a broken right wrist as he was replaced by former Raider linebacker Phil Villapiano.

The Bills would drive down the field behind the right arm of Ferguson as the veteran quarterback would complete a 14-yard pass to Frank Lewis, then hit tight end Mark Bremmer on two straight 3rd down situations, to help set up a four-yard touchdown run by Brown that with a successful extra point gave Buffalo a 13-6 lead with 9:01 left in the second quarter.

The 49ers would start their next drive at their 29-yard-line as the 49ers would methodically drive down to the Buffalo two-yard-line where they were faced with a 4th & goal situation when Walsh decided to go for the touchdown instead of attempting the field goal.

On the play, Montana would roll to his right and threw a pass toward the end zone intended for Elliott only to have Bills strong safety Steve Freeman knock the ball down to force a turnover on downs and give the ball back to Buffalo at their two-yard-line with 1:59 left before halftime.

The Bills would run the ball four straight times to run out the clock on the first half with Buffalo ahead 13-6 as they were 30 minutes away from a division title.

Buffalo would get the ball to start the second half as they would pick up one 1st down before punting the ball back to the 49ers, who would take over at their 43-yard-line as Cooper would run for six yards to begin the drive to bring up 2nd & 4 when Cooper would run 47 yards before being knocked out of bounds at the Buffalo four-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by Elliott, Montana would find Eason Ramson for a two-yard touchdown that with the extra point tied the game at 13 with 11:20 left in the third quarter.

The Bills would start their next drive at their 30-yard-line as Ferguson would go deep for Lewis as the wide receiver would draw a pass interference penalty on 49ers cornerback Gerard Williams to give Buffalo a 1st down at the San Francisco 35-yard-line.

From there, the Bills would drive to the 49ers' eight-yard-line until Mike-Meyer would come on to kick a 25-yard field goal to give Buffalo a 16-13 lead with 5:33 left in the third quarter.

On their ensuing possession, the 49ers would move from their 25-yard-line to their 42-yard-line before they lined up to punt the ball back to the Bills when the snap went over punter Jim Miller's head as Miller would fall on the ball in the end zone until he was touched by defensive end Ken Johnson for a safety to extend Buffalo's lead to 18-13 with 1:38 to go in the third quarter.

Running back Roland Hooks would receive the free kick at his 28-yard-line and ran it back 30 yards until he was hit by the 49ers' Ricky Patton to knock the ball loose as cornerback Ray Rhodes would recover the ball to give San Francisco the ball at their 41-yard-line.

The 49ers would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Bills, who would take over at their 20-yard-line as two runs by Cribbs would go for 26 yards to put the Bills at their 46-yard-line when Ferguson would fumble a snap from center as defensive tackle Archie Reese would recover it to give San Francisco the ball at the Buffalo 45-yard-line early in the fourth quarter.

San Francisco would use its running game to drive down the field as they would run the ball on seven of their next eight plays as the 49ers drove down to the Bills' eight-yard-line until disaster struck when Cooper fumbled the football when he was hit by Buffalo linebacker Lucas Sanford as cornerback Mario Clark would make the recovery at the San Francisco five-yard-line with 8:30 left in the fourth quarter.

Bills running back Joe Cribbs would run for 128 yards on 18 carries.

The two teams would exchange punts until the 49ers got the ball at their 24-yard-line with 3:23 left in the game as the drive would begin with a four-yard loss by Cooper which was followed by a 12-yard pass from Montana to Elliott to set up 3rd & 2 as the two-minute warning hit.

Following the timeout, Elliott would run for four yards to give the 49ers a 1st down at their 36-yard-line as Montana would hit Dwight Clark for nine yards, then completing a three-yard pass to Cooper to put San Francisco at their 48-yard-line with a fresh set of downs.

Three plays later, the 49ers were forced with a 4th & 10 situation when Montana found Clark over the middle for 18 yards and a 1st down at the Bills' 34-yard-line with 28 seconds to go in the game.

Montana would complete an one-yard pass to Freddie Soloman before throwing an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 9 at the 33-yard-line with nine seconds to go when Montana threw a Hail Mary pass to the left corner of the end zone that tight end Charlie Young got his hands around the ball but could not bring it down as Buffalo cornerback Charles Romes would knock the ball out of Young's hands to make the pass incomplete with two seconds to go.

That gave Montana another chance at a Hail Mary pass at the left corner of the end zone as time expired as the pass was batted around before it fell to the ground and incomplete to give the Bills the 18-13 win and the AFC East division title.

The "Bills Mafia" were so excited by the division title that nearly 8,000 fans braved the 13-degree night to greet their beloved Bills when they arrived at the Buffalo airport at 3:30 in the morning following the win over the 49ers.

Buffalo would get a first round bye as all division champions did in the 1980 NFL playoffs before traveling to San Diego to take on the Chargers in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.

The Bills led late in the game until Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Ron Smith with 2:06 left in the game to give San Diego a 20-14 win to end Buffalo's dream of making it to the Super Bowl.

The Bills would respond the following year by going 10-6 to earn a spot in the AFC Wild Card Game where they would defeat the New York Jets 31-27 after building up a 24-0 1st quarter lead to earn Buffalo its first playoff win since the 1965 AFL Championship.

Buffalo's 1981 season would end the following week in a 28-21 defeat to the Cincinnati Bengals as the Bills would not return to the postseason until 1988 which began a six-year run of playoff appearances that included four straight AFC Championships from 1990 through 1993.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Seahawks Clinch First Division Title Ever With Wild Win over Raiders

Seahawks quarterback Dave Krieg threw for 410 yards and four touchdown passes in Seattle's AFC West clinching win over the Raiders.

 Entering the final week of the 1988 NFL season, the Seattle Seahawks had a chance to do something they had never done in team history and that was clinch a division title as they traveled down to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to take on the Raiders.

The Seahawks come into the final game of the regular season with a 8-7 record under head coach Chuck Knox, who was in his sixth season in the Emerald City having lead the Seahawks to three playoff appearances since his arrival in 1983.

The Seahawks had to rely on the old "Ground Chuck" running attack that Knox was known for as running back Curt Warner would run for over 1,000 yards while fullback John L. Williams would for over 800 more as starting quarterback Dave Krieg missed nearly half the season with a separated shoulder.

But with Krieg back at the helm and future hall-of-fame wide receiver Steve Largent, the Seahawks were on the cusp of winning their first division title since their inception in 1976.

Standing in their way were the Los Angeles Raiders, who also came into the game needing a win to clinch the AFC West despite their 7-8 record as LA seeked to return to the playoffs for the first time since 1985.

The Raiders were led by two newcomers in head coach Mike Shanahan and quarterback Jay Schroeder, who owner Al Davis had acquired in an offseason trade from the Washington Redskins.

Despite the arrival of Schroeder and a backfield which featured Marcus Allen and Bo Jackson plus the first-round selection of 1987 Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown at wide receiver, the Raiders had an up-and-down season as their defense often falter, including in week 13 when LA lost to the Seahawks 35-27 as Krieg threw for five touchdown passes in the Seattle win.

Another performance like that by Krieg and the Seahawks would enter the playoffs as AFC West champions.

The Raiders got the ball to start the game as they drove from their 17-yard-line to the Seattle 42-yard-line until they were forced to punt the ball to the Seahawks, who took over at their eight-yard-line.

Following a three-yard run by Williams, Krieg was sacked by Raiders linebacker Jerry Robinson, causing a fumble that was recovered by nose tackle Bill Pickel to give LA the ball at the Seahawks' five-yard-line.

Two runs by Jackson picked up three yards to set up 3rd & goal when Brown carried the ball  until he fumbled the football after he was hit by Seahawks cornerback Mel Jenkins one yard shy of the end zone.

Fortunately for the Raiders, Brown would recover his own fumble in the end zone for the first touchdown in the game to give LA a 7-0 lead with exactly nine minutes left in the first quarter.

The Seahawks would respond with a five-play, 82-yard drive with the bulk of the yardage coming courtesy of two pass plays as Williams turned a short screen pass into a 36-yard reception which was followed a few plays later by Krieg's 35-yard touchdown pass to Largent that would tie the game at 7.

The Raiders would start its next possession at their 35-yard-line but would quickly go backwards as Allen was dropped for a four-yard loss after catching a screen pass then lost two more yards on a running play to set up 3rd & 16 when Schroeder was intercepted by Seahawks cornerback Terry Taylor to give Seattle the ball at the LA 23-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Seahawks were back in the end zone as Krieg connected with Brian Blades for a 17-yard touchdown to give Seattle a 14-7 lead with 3:06 left in the first quarter.

The Raiders would hold the ball for the rest of the first quarter as they drove from their 35-yard-line to the LA 49-yard-line when on the first play of the second quarter, Schroeder threw a bomb toward the end zone that was caught by Willie Gault for a 51-yard touchdown that would tie the game at 14.

Raiders quarterback Jay Schroeder would complete 22 of 49 passes for 354 yards and throw three touchdown passes.

Seattle would be given great field position to start its next drive as Bobby Joe Edmonds would return  the ensuing kickoff 65 yards to the Raiders' 25-yard-line from where the Seahawks would pick up one 1st down before settling for a 39-yard field goal by Norm Johnson to put the Seahawks back on top 17-14 with 12:14 left in the second quarter.

A track meet was developing as Schroeder would hit Gault for a 57-yard pass on the first play of the Raiders' ensuing possession to put LA at the Seattle 18-yard-line.

Three straight running plays picked up nine yards to set up 4th & 1 when the Raiders decided to go for it as fullback Steve Smith would run for four yards to give LA a fresh set of downs at the Seahawks' five-yard-line.

However, the Raiders would lose three yards on the next plays, forcing them to settle for a 26-yard field goal by Chris Bahr which tied the game again, this time at 17 midway through the second quarter.

Back came the Seahawks with a 13-play, 69-yard drive which began with Williams gaining 25 yards as he ran for 14 yards on a draw play to start the drive then caught a 11-yard pass to put Seattle at the 50-yard-line.

From there, the Seahawks would drive to the LA six-yard-line until they lost two yards on the next three plays, forcing them to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Johnson to give Seattle a 20-17 lead with 1:52 left before halftime.

After the Raiders would go three-and-out on their ensuing possession, the Seahawks would get the ball back at their 20-yard-line with 62 seconds left in the first half and all three timeouts in their pockets.

The drive would began with three straight completions by Krieg for 20 yards which was followed by an incomplete pass to set up 3rd & 5 when Krieg found Ray Butler for 17 yards and a Seattle 1st down at the Raiders' 43-yard-line as Seattle called timeout with 25 seconds left in the half.

A 20-yard pass to Williams put the Seahawks at the LA 23-yard-line as Krieg tried to hit Paul Skansi not once but twice in the end zone only for his passes to fall incomplete, leaving the Seahawks to settle for 40-yard field goal by Johnson to bring the first half to an end with Seattle ahead 23-17.

Following an exchange of punts to start the second half, the Seahawks got the ball at their 34-yard-line as Krieg found Largent for 15 yards to start the drive, which was followed by two incomplete passes to set up 3rd down when Krieg connected with Blades for 21 yards and a Seattle 1st down at the Raiders' 30-yard-line.

On the very next play, Krieg hit Blades for a 30-yard touchdown to push the Seahawks' lead to 30-17 with 9:17 left in the third quarter.

The Seahawks seemed poised to get the ball back after forcing the Raiders to punt after a three-and-out, only to have Edmonds muff the punt which was recovered by Vance Mueller to give LA the ball at the Seattle 16-yard-line.

However, the Raiders would not pick a 1st down and were forced to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Bahr which cut the Seahawks' lead to 30-20 midway through the third quarter.

It would take just one play for the Seahawks to get back into the end zone as Williams turned a short screen pass into a 75-yard touchdown to give Seattle its largest lead of the game at 37-20.

John L. Williams would carry the ball 14 times for 59 yards and catch seven passes for 180 yards.

After Brown returned the ensuing kickoff 30 yards to the LA 41-yard-line, the Raiders would hold the ball for over six minutes as they drove 59 yards in 12 plays, culminating with a four-yard touchdown pass from Schroeder to Smith on a 4th & 3 to cut the Seahawks' lead to 37-27.

Seattle would start its next drive at its 26-yard-line with a trick play as Krieg handed the ball off to Williams, who then tossed it back to the quarterback on a flea flicker, who then connected with Blades for 55 yards to put the Seahawks at the Raiders' 17-yard-line.

Needing a stop, the Raiders would hold the Seahawks to a 35-yard field goal by Johnson to increase Seattle's lead to 40-27 just 14 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The Raiders would answer with a five-play, 77-yard drive that was capped off with another long touchdown pass as Schroeder hit Mervyn Fernandez for a 54-yard touchdown to cut Seattle's lead to 40-34 with a little less than 13 minutes to go in the fourth quarter.

The Seahawks would turn it over on their next drive as Krieg threw a deep pass that was intercepted by LA free safety Eddie Anderson but would get the ball back at the Raiders' 41-yard-line after the Seattle defense forced a three-and-out by the LA offense.

Seattle would drive to the LA nine-yard-line where they faced a 3rd & 1 when Krieg handed the ball off to Williams who was dropped for a five-yard-loss, leading to another field goal by Johnson from 32 yards out to make it a two-score game as the Seahawks took a 43-34 lead with over five minutes left in the game.

The Raiders would start their next possession at their 34-yard-line as Schroeder would throw an incomplete pass on 1st down, then hit tight end Todd Christiansen three straight times for a total of 30 yards to put LA at the Seattle 36-yard-line.

After two more incomplete passes, Schroeder went back to Christiansen, this time connecting with the tight end for 18 yards and a 1st down at the Seattle 18-yard-line as Schroeder would throw another incomplete pass before finding Smith for 12 yards to set up 1st & goal at the Seattle six-yard-line.

However, three straight incomplete passes would lead the Raiders to settle for a 24-yard field goal by Bahr to make it 43-37 with 2:21 remaining.

With all three timeouts in their pocket plus the two-minute warning, the Raiders decided not to attempt an onside kick and instead kicked it to the Seahawks, who took over at their 28-yard-line hoping to milk the clock.

A five-yard run by Williams followed by an eight-yard run by Duane Harmon gave the Seahawks a 1st down at their 41-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit as two more running plays picked up eight yards to set up a crucial 3rd & 2 as the Raiders spent their last timeout with 1:45 left.

That is when the Seahawks tried to surprise the Raiders with a pass only to have Krieg get sacked by defensive end Greg Townsend for an nine-yard loss to bring up 4th down as the Seahawks would punt back to the Raiders who took over at their 33-yard-line with 68 seconds to play.

Norm Johnson would kick five field goals in the Seahawks' 43-37 victory.

Following two incomplete passes to start the drive, Schroeder connected with Fernandez for 22 yards and a 1st down at the Seattle 45-yard-line as Schroeder would spike the ball to stop the clock with 33 seconds left.

But the Raiders would go no further as Schroeder would three straight incomplete passes to cause a turnover on downs and give the ball back to the Seahawks who took a knee to run out the clock on their 43-37 victory to clinch the AFC West division championship for Seattle.

With the dreadful finish to the 1988 season, tensions between Shanahan and Davis would escalate as the Raiders got off to a 1-3 start the following season which lead to Davis firing Shanahan and promoting offensive line coach Art Shell to head coach, making Shell the first black head coach in NFL history.

Shell would lead the Raiders back to the playoffs in 1990 and two more times after that as the Hall-of-Fame guard would comply a 54-38 record during his nearly six seasons as Raiders head coach.

As for the Seahawks, they were unable to build off their division title as they would fall to the Cincinnati Bengals 21-13 in the AFC Divisional Playoffs.

The Seahawks would win only one more AFC West division title, coming in 1999, before they were realigned to the NFC West, a division which they have won eight times as of 2022.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Seahawks Shock Dolphins in AFC Divisional Playoff

 A Seattle defender tackles Dolphins running back Tony Nathan during the 1983 AFC Divisional Playoff between the Seahawks and the Dolphins.

 When the Seattle Seahawks traveled to the Orange Bowl to take on the Miami Dolphins for their 1983 AFC Divisional Playoff game, many excepted Miami to roll over Seattle.

The Dolphins were the defending AFC Champions and had finished with a 12-4 record, but had complied a 9-2 record ever since head coach Don Shula replaced quarterback David Woodley with rookie Dan Marino to lead Miami to the AFC East Division title and the entered the playoffs as the #2 seed in the AFC.

As the Dolphins were back in the playoffs, the Seahawks were making their first trip to the postseason since the team's inception in 1976.

Seattle was led by head coach Chuck Knox, who was in his first year in the Pacific Northwest, but  had spent the last 10 years coaching the Los Angeles Rams(1973-77) and Buffalo Bills(1978-82), leading them to seven playoff appearances with his "Ground Chuck" attack, an offense that relied primarily on the run.

And Knox had a stud at running back to execute his "Ground Chuck" offense in the form of rookie running back Curt Warner, who ran for 1,449 yards and 13 touchdowns during the season to help lead Seattle to a 9-7 record and a spot in the AFC Wild Card Game.

While Warner would run for 99 yards on 23 carries, it would be quarterback Dave Krieg who would lead the way as he completed 12 of 13 passes for 200 yards and threw three touchdowns to lead Seattle to a 31-7 rout of the Denver Broncos to give the Seahawks their first playoff victory and a trip to Miami to take on the Dolphins.

Seattle entered the game as a touchdown underdog but caught a break in the weather as the temperature at kickoff was only 51 degrees and it was rainy with a 20 miles per hour wind from the north.

These weather conditions seemed to favor Seattle more than Miami as the Dolphins would have to rely on the right arm of Marino while Seattle could feed it as much as possible to Warner to win the game.

The Dolphins got the ball to start the game and drove from their 16-yard-line to the Seahawks' 33-yard-line primarily because of Marino who did not show any nerves for his first NFL playoff start as he hit his first four passes for 34 yards.

However, the drive would stall at the Seattle 33, forcing Shula to either try to a long field goal against a 20 miles per hour wind or punt it away.

Shula played it safe and punted the ball to the Seahawks, who took over at their four-yard-line and drove to their 37-yard-line before punting the ball back to the Dolphins, who would begin their next possession at their own 20-yard-line.

This time the Dolphins drove down the field primarily on the running game as Woody Bennett, Audra Franklin, and David Overstreet combined to run the ball eight times for 43 yards on a 12-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with Marino's first career postseason touchdown pass, a 15-yard strike to tight end Dan Johnson.

The Dolphins would fail to convert the extra point as holder Don Strock mishandled the snap, keeping it a 6-0 game with 12:37 left in the second quarter.

In his first career NFL playoff game, Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino completed 15 of 25 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns.

The Seahawks would respond immediately as Zachary Dixon returned the ensuing kickoff 59 yards to the Miami 38-yard-line to set up a six-play, 38-yard drive that ended with a Seattle touchdown as Krieg hit running back Cullen Bryant for a six-yard touchdown that with Norm Johnson's extra point gave Seattle a 7-6 lead with 9:19 left in the first half.

The Dolphins would get the ball back at their 26-yard-line and would drive 74 yards in seven plays to retake the lead as Marino connected with Duper for a 32-yard touchdown to give Miami a 13-7 lead with 5:43 left before halftime.

Following the ensuing kickoff, the Seahawks took over at their 34-yard-line and went to Warner to help them drive down the field as the rookie running back would carry the ball four times for 20 yards and catch one pass for 10 yards to lead Seattle to the Miami 31-yard-line with a chance to put some points on the board.

However, the Seahawks would go away from Warner and back to the air as Krieg would throw three straight incomplete passes, forcing Johnson to come and attempt a 48-yard field goal.

But the kick wouldn't get off the ground as Dolphins cornerback William Judson would block the kick, giving Miami possession at their 31-yard-line with 48 seconds left in the half.

Miami would drive down to the Seattle 42-yard-line until Marino was intercepted by Seahawks free safety John Harris to allow for Seattle to take a knee and go into the locker room down 13-7.

After the Seahawks punted on their opening possession of the second half, the Dolphins would take over at their 34-yard-line and would be at exactly midfield after Marino hit Duper for 16 yards on the first play of the drive.

But on the very next play, Overstreet would be hit by Seahawks linebacker Greg Gaines to knock the ball loose which was recovered by Harris to give the ball back to Seattle at the Seattle 45-yard-line.

On this drive, Krieg would come up huge as he completed two key passes on two 3rd down situations first hitting Paul Johns for 28 yards on a 3rd & 8 from the Miami 42-yard-line, then connected with fullback Dan Doornick for 10 yards on another 3rd & 8 at the Miami 11-yard-line, leading directly to an one-yard touchdown run by Warner to give Seattle a 14-13 lead midway through the third quarter.

Following an exchange of punts, the Dolphins were pinned back at their three-yard-line as they drove to their 29-yard-line when Marino was picked off the second time in the game, this time by Seahawks cornerback Kerry Justin on the final play of the third quarter.

The Seahawks would begin the fourth quarter at the Miami 49-yard-line and drive 40 yards in seven plays before having to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Johnson, which increased Seattle's lead to 17-13 with 10:42 left in the fourth quarter.

Seahawks running back Curt Warner carried the ball 29 times for 113 yards and scored two touchdowns. 

Seattle still had a 17-13 lead with 4:44 left in the fourth quarter when the Seahawks committed thier first turnover as Krieg was intercepted by Dolphins cornerback Gerald Small, whose 18-yard return set up shop for the Dolphins at the Seattle 16-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Dolphins were in the end zone as Bennett ran it in from three yards out to give Miami a 20-17 lead with 3:43 left in regulation.

Now the pressure was on the underdog Seahawks to see if they could respond with either a field goal to tie the game or a touchdown to retake the lead as they begin their ensuing possession at their 34-yard-line.

That is when all-pro wide receiver Steve Largent, who had not caught a pass all day, made his presence felt as he caught a 16-yard pass from Krieg on 3rd & 2 from the Seattle 42-yard-line to give the Seahawks a 1st down at the Miami 42-yard-line, then caught a 40-yard bomb on the very next play to give Seattle a 1st & goal at the Dolphins' two-yard-line.

Krieg would then pitch the ball out to Warner, who took it around the right side to give the lead back to Seattle at 24-20 with 1:48 left on the clock.

It seemed like the situation was set up for Marino to try and lead the Dolphins down the field for the winning score, but the Dolphins would not get the ball as kick returner Fulton Walker fumbled the football after he was hit by Seahawks special teamer Mark Hicks.

The fumble was recovered by linebacker Sam Merriman to give Seattle the ball at the Miami 27-yard-line with a chance to pick up a 1st down to ice the game with 1:39 left.

However, Warner picked up only eight yards on three straight runs, forcing the Seahawks to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Johnson which increased Seattle's lead to 27-20 with 1:19 left.

Seeking redemption for his fumble on the previous kickoff, Walker tried to make something happen on the ensuing kickoff but would fumble the ball for the second straight time, this time after a hit by Eric Lane, which was recovered by Doornick at the Miami 22-yard-line, allowing for Krieg to take a couple of knees and ran out the clock to complete the stunning 27-20 victory for the Seahawks.

Seattle would advance to their first and only AFC Championship Game(they moved to the NFC in 2002 where they have since played in three NFC Championship Games) where they would lose to the Los Angeles Raiders 30-14 to end their Cinderella run.

The following year, the two teams would meet again in the Divisional Round, this time with the Dolphins winning 31-10 as Marino would three touchdown passes in the game.

Seahawks head coach Chuck Knox is carried off the field after Seattle beat Miami in the 1983 Playoffs.