The 1986 season was the New York Giants' 62nd in the National Football League (NFL) and their fourth under head coach Bill Parcells. The New York Giants, who play in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL), won their fifth championship—and first Super Bowl—in franchise history during the season. Led by consensus league Most Valuable Player (MVP) linebacker Lawrence Taylor and Super Bowl MVP quarterback Phil Simms, the Giants posted a 14–2 record during the regular season, tied for the best record in the league with the defending Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears and the best in team history. The Giants improved on their 10–6 record from 1985, won their first division championship since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, and won Super Bowl XXI against the Denver Broncos.
The 1988 Dallas Cowboys season was the franchise's 29th season in the National Football League. The team failed to improve on their 7–8 record from 1987, finishing at 3–13 and missing the playoffs for a third consecutive season. The 3–13 record in the 1988 season was the Cowboys' second worst season to that point in team history, surpassed only by its winless inaugural season in 1960.
The 1983 season was the Los Angeles Raiders' 14th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 24th season overall, and their second season in Los Angeles. The team began by attempting to improve on their 8–1 record from 1982 and went on to win the Super Bowl for the third time in franchise history. Prior to the Los Angeles Rams victory in Super Bowl LVI, the 1983 Raiders were the only NFL team to win the Super Bowl while based in Los Angeles.
The 1979 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 47th season in the National Football League (NFL). The Steelers successfully defended their Super Bowl Championship from the previous year, despite not improving on their 14–2 record from last year with a 12–4 record. They went on to defeat the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl XIV. The Steelers started out to a 4–0 record. Adding to the previous season, the Steelers had won 12 in a row. They finished the regular season at 12–4. In six of those games the opponents were held to a touchdown or less. In the playoffs Pittsburgh defeated Miami, 34–14 and then for the second consecutive season beat Houston 27–13, in the AFC championship game. The Steelers ended the decade by defeating the Los Angeles Rams 31–19 in Super Bowl XIV. Despite them and the San Diego Chargers having 12–4 records, the Chargers were awarded the top seed in the AFC because of their victory over the Steelers.
The 1982 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 51st season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 46th in Washington, D.C. Although the Redskins lost all their preseason games, they advanced from an 8–8 record the previous season to become one of the only two teams in NFL history to win the Super Bowl after not winning a pre-season game. The 1990 Buffalo Bills and 2000 New York Giants also made it to the Super Bowl after a winless pre-season, but they did not win the Super Bowl.
The 1984 Pittsburgh Steelers season was the franchise's 52nd season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League.
The 1987 season was the Washington Redskins' strike-shortened 56th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 52nd in Washington, D.C., and their seventh under head coach Joe Gibbs. The season was a shortened season due to the 1987 NFL strike.
The 1986 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 55th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 51st in Washington, D.C. The team improved on their 10–6 record from 1985 and returned to the playoffs after missing them the previous year, finishing with a 12–4 record, a second place finish in the NFC East, and qualified for the playoffs as a wild card. They defeated the Los Angeles Rams 19–7 in the NFC Wild Card Game at RFK Stadium, then upset the defending champion Chicago Bears 21–17 in the Divisional Playoffs. The season came to an end in the NFC Championship Game when the Redskins were defeated by their division rivals, the New York Giants 17–0.
The 1984 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 53rd season in the National Football League. They failed to improve on their 14–2 record from 1983 and finished at 11-5. Art Monk set an NFL record for most receptions in a season. The Redskins started the season losing their first two games but would recover to win their next five games. A mid-season slump had them on the playoff bubble at 7-5. However, the Redskins would finish the season in strong fashion winning their final four games to win the NFC East with an 11-5 record. The Redskins quest for a third straight NFC Championship ended quickly as the Skins were stunned by the Chicago Bears 23-19 at RFK Stadium, Washington's only playoff loss at RFK. The 1984 Redskins have an NFL-record 14 straight games with 3 or more sacks, having accomplished that from weeks 3 to 16.
The 1974 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 43rd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 38th in Washington, D.C. The team matched on their 10–4 record from 1973. It is also notable for being Deacon Jones' first and only season with the Redskins; as well as being his final year in the NFL. In the divisional playoff round the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Washington Redskins 19-10.
The 1973 Washington Redskins season was the franchise's 42nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 37th in Washington, D.C. The team failed to improve on their 11–3 record from 1972, and finished 10-4. In the divisional playoff round the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Washington Redskins 27-20.
The 1972 Washington Redskins season was the 41st in the National Football League (NFL) and the 36th in Washington, D.C. The Redskins were trying to build on the success of the previous season, in which they had finished 9–4–1 and made the postseason for the first time in 26 seasons. They ultimately finished the year 11–3.
The 1971 Washington Redskins season was the team's 40th in the National Football League, and its 35th in Washington, D.C. The Redskins were led by first-year head coach George Allen, who had been the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams for the previous five seasons.
The 1994 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 45th in the National Football League (NFL), their 49th overall, and their sixth under head coach George Seifert. This season was highlighted by a victory in Super Bowl XXIX. The championship made San Francisco the first team to win five Super Bowls. After losing to the Dallas Cowboys in the previous two conference championship games, the 49ers made significant acquisitions in the 1994 free agent market. This included the signing of two-sport star Deion Sanders and Cowboys linebacker Ken Norton, Jr. Sanders had a major impact on the team's success, winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award and recording six interceptions. The 49ers won their division, the NFC West, for the eighth time in nine seasons.
The 1984 San Francisco 49ers season was their 35th season in the National Football League (NFL) and 39th overall. The season was highlighted by their second Super Bowl victory. The franchise had its best season ever, with a record of 15 wins and only 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quarterback Joe Montana would be awarded the Super Bowl's Most Valuable Player Award for the second time in his career, joining Bart Starr and Terry Bradshaw as the only two-time Super Bowl MVPs.
The 1991 Detroit Lions season was the franchise's 62nd season in the National Football League, their 58th as the Detroit Lions. It stands as one of the team's best seasons since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, and the first time when the Lions made it to the NFC Championship Game.
The 1979 Houston Oilers season was the franchise's 20th overall and the tenth in the National Football League. The franchise scored 362 points while the defense gave up 331 points. Their record of 11 wins and 5 losses resulted in a second-place finish in the AFC Central Division. The Oilers appeared once on Monday Night Football on December 10, 1979 where the sports promotion Luv ya Blue was launched and returned to the AFC Championship Game for the second consecutive year. Earl Campbell would lead the NFL in rushing for the second consecutive year and set a franchise record for most touchdowns in a season with 19. The Oilers would make the playoffs again as a wild card. In the wild card game, they beat the Denver Broncos 13–7, and then defeated the San Diego Chargers 17–14 in San Diego to reach their second straight AFC Championship game. The Oilers then played the Pittsburgh Steelers, who a year earlier had eliminated them 34–5 in the previous AFC Championship game. The Oilers lost the game 27–13. The game included a controversial moment in which wide receiver Mike Renfro had a touchdown called back after the referees of the game took a long time to decide the ruling on the field. The call went down as one of the most controversial calls in NFL history.
The 1984 Miami Dolphins season was the team's 19th season, and 15th in the National Football League (NFL). It was also the 15th season with the team for head coach Don Shula. The Dolphins sought to build on a spectacular 1983 season where they went 12–4 with rookie quarterback Dan Marino.
The 1993 New York Giants season was the franchise's 69th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the first under head coach Dan Reeves, who was hired by the Giants after being fired by the Denver Broncos in the off-season.
The 1994 New York Giants season was the franchise's 70th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the second under head coach Dan Reeves. The Giants failed to improve on their 11–5 record from 1993 and finished 9–7 in 1994. They were second in the National Football Conference East Division, three games behind the Dallas Cowboys.