1973 NFL

I will be using Season Season Express from PLAAY Games to replay the 1973 season. I've decided to use the express version of the game and only play top rated games from the 1973 season. I selected three games from each week of the season to be the featured games of the week for the national broadcast. These were based on best combined winning percentage of the two teams according to actual 1973 records.

No stat tracking for this one. Instead, the results below will tell you who won the games each week.

We will have a full playoff schedule once the regular season ends.

1973 NFL Season Replay SSX

Week 1

Denver @ Cincinnati

The Bengals come away with a 13-6 win at home against the Broncos.

Los Angeles @ Kansas City

The Rams get a big road win against the Chiefs 12-6.

Minnesota @ Oakland

Oakland gets a big win as George Blanda kicks a game winning FG as time expires. Oakland wins 6-3.

Other Games: Atlanta over New Orleans, New England over Buffalo, Cleveland over Baltimore, Dallas over Chicago, NY Jets over Green bay, Miami over San Francisco, Houston over NY Giants, Pittsburgh over Detroit, St. Louis over Philadelphia, Washington over San Diego

Week 2

Los Angeles @ Atlanta

Atlanta defends their home turf against Los Angeles with a 17-9 win.

Oakland @ Miami

Oakland comes away with a key road win thanks to an INT return TD by Jack Tatum.

Pittsburgh @ Cleveland

The Steelers edge out the Browns 6-3 for a solid road win

Other Games: Cincinnati over Houston, New Orleans over Dallas, Detroit over Green bay, Kansas City over New England, Minnesota over Chicago, Baltimore over NY Jets, Philadelphia over NY Giants, Buffalo over San Diego, Denver over San Francisco, Washington over St. Louis

Week 3

Kansas City @ Oakland

The Raiders rout the Chiefs 40-7 to move to 3-0 on the season.

Detroit @ Atlanta

The Lions blow a 10 point lead in the 4th quarter, but move down the field quickly in Overtime and kick a chip shot FG for the win.

Minnesota @ Green Bay

Vikings make a statement with a convincing 21-10 win on the road in Green Bay

Other Games: New Orleans over Baltimore, NY Jets over Buffalo, Denver over Chicago, Cincinnati over San Diego, Cleveland over NY Giants, St. Louis over Dallas, Los Angeles over San Francisco, Miami over New England, Houston over Pittsburgh, Washington over Philadelphia

Week 4

Cleveland @ Cincinnati

Essex Johnson and the Bengals win convincingly against the Browns 26-7 to reach 4-0 on the season. Browns fall to 2-2.

Kansas City @ Denver

Lyle Alzado and the Broncos D-Line wreaked havoc on the Chiefs to preserve a 17-9 win. Denver gets to 3-1 while the Chiefs fall to 1-3 on the season.

Washington @ Dallas

Bob Hayes and the Dallas offense capitalized on multiple turnovers in a decisive 30-13 win over Washington. Dallas (2-2) moves within a game of the Skins (3-1).

Other Games: Buffalo over Philadelphia, Green Bay tied NY Giants, Los Angeles over Houston, Miami over NY Jets, Minnesota over Detroit, New England over Baltimore, Chicago over New Orleans, Oakland over St. Louis, Pittsburgh over San Diego, Atlanta over San Francisco

Week 5

Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh

The Bengals defense causes multiple turnovers and the offense cashes in as Cincinnati gets to 5-0 with a 27-6 win over Pittsburgh (3-2)

Los Angeles @ Dallas

The Cowboys (3-2) capitalized on multiple big plays by the offense and defense to beat Los Angeles 30-9. The Rams drop to 3-2.

Miami @ Cleveland

Miami's defense shut down the Browns, forcing 4 turnovers. The Miami offense capitalized on good field position to put points on the board. Miami (4-1) wins 17-3, as Cleveland falls to 2-3.

Other Games: Atlanta over Chicago, Buffalo over Baltimore, Houston over Denver, Kansas City over Green Bay, Minnesota over San Francisco, Detroit over New Orleans, NY Jets over New England, Oakland over San Diego, Philadelphia over St. Louis, Washington over NY Giants

Week 6

Cincinnati @ Kansas City

Isaac Curtis and the Bengals offense controlled the clock and scored 3 TDs as Cincinnati remains undefeated with a 27-14 win. Kansas City falls to 2-4.

Miami @ Buffalo

The Dolphins (5-1) defense, led by Bill Stanfill, forced 4 Buffalo (3-3) turnovers and held on to a 23-21 win. Miami has a two game lead in the division.

Oakland @ Denver

Charley Johnson threw a long TD pass in the 4th quarter to put Denver (4-2) on top for good in a 27-17 win over Oakland (5-1). The Broncos move within a game of the division lead.

Other Games: Atlanta over San Diego, Detroit over Baltimore, Cleveland over Houston, NY Giants over Dallas, Los Angeles over Green Bay, Philadelphia over Minnesota, New England over Chicago, Pittsburgh over NY Jets, New Orleans over San Francisco, St. Louis over Washington

Week 7

Buffalo @ Kansas City

Ed Podulak led a highly productive ground game as the Chiefs (3-4) beat Buffalo (3-4) in a 38-28 win at home. Buffalo attempted an onside kick late, only to see Podulak punch home another TD in the final minute.

Minnesota @ Los Angeles

The Purple People Eaters stuffed the Los Angeles (4-3) running game all day long in a 20-7 win for Minnesota (5-2), who sit alone in 1st place in their division.

Pittsburgh @ Cincinnati

The Bengals reached 7-0 at the halfway mark as their offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage in a 27-24 win over Pittsburgh (4-3). Cincinnati scored in the final minute to take the lead.

Other Games: Atlanta over San Francisco, Chicago over Houston, Denver over NY Jets, Green Bay over Detroit, Miami over New England, Washington over New Orleans, Oakland over Baltimore, Dallas over Philadelphia, San Diego over Cleveland, NY Giants over St. Louis

Week 8

Atlanta @ Los Angeles

Lawrence McCutcheon led an aggressive rushing attack as Los Angeles (5-3) routed Atlanta (6-2) 44-17. The win closed the gap in the division, but the Rams still trail the Falcons by a game.

Minnesota @ Cleveland

Paul Krause and the Vikings defense forced six turnovers against Cleveland (3-5) in a 42-6 rout. The Vikings maintain their division lead by two games.

Pittsburgh @ Washington

The Pittsburgh Steelers scored a late field goal to edge out Washington on the road in a 19-17 win. Pittsburgh (5-3) stays within striking range of the division lead while Washington (5-3) falls into a tie with Dallas.

Other Games: Dallas over Cincinnati, Green Bay over Chicago, Denver over St. Louis, San Francisco over Detroit, Baltimore over Houston, Kansas City over San Diego, NY Jets over Miami, Buffalo over New Orleans, Oakland over NY Giants, Philadelphia over New England

Week 9

Cincinnati @ Buffalo

The Buffalo Bills (5-4) defeated the Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) in a pivotal game as they chase the Miami Dolphins. The Bills defense held on by stuffing the run late in a 27-24 win.

Pittsburgh @ Oakland

Joe Greene forced a fumble in OT, allowing Roy Gervin to hit a game winning FG as Pittsburgh (6-3) win on the road at Oakland (7-2). The Steelers inch within a game of Cincinnati while the Raiders are now tied with Denver.

Minnesota @ Detroit

Alan Page led the Minnesota (7-2) defense as they came up with two big fumbles late and held on for a 27-23 win at Detroit (4-5). Minnesota now has a three game lead in the division with Detroit second.

Other Games: Atlanta over Philadelphia, Cleveland over Houston, Dallas over NY Giants, Denver over San Diego, St. Louis over Green Bay, Kansas City over Chicago, Los Angeles over New Orleans, Miami over Baltimore, New England over NY Jets, Washington over San Francisco

Week 10

Atlanta @ Minnesota

Minnesota's front 4 shut down Atlanta's passing game, and a late pick-six sealed a 24-3 win. Chuck Foreman was dominant on the ground. Minnesota (8-2) has a 3 game lead over Green Bay. Atlanta (7-3) falls into a tie with Los Angeles.

Denver @ Pittsburgh

Mel Blount secured one of the Steelers two interceptions as they dominated Denver (7-3) in a 17-0 shutout win. Pittsburgh (7-3) remains a game behind Cincinnati while Denver now trails Oakland by a game.

Miami @ Buffalo

In a game dominated by the ground game, Larry Csonka and the Miami Dolphins (8-2) prevailed on the road to extend their division lead to three games. Buffalo (5-5) fell short in a 38-31 loss.

Other Games: Oakland over Cleveland, Cincinnati over NY Jets, Philadelphia over Dallas, Detroit over Chicago, Houston over Kansas City, Los Angeles over San Francisco, New England over Green Bay, St. Louis over NY Giants, New Orleans over San Diego, Washington over Baltimore

Week 11

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh shuts the door on Cleveland with a 35-0 shutout that saw Preston Pearson break several big plays. The key divisional game eliminates Cleveland (4-7) from the division title and keeps Pittsburgh (8-3) a game behind Cincinnati.

Denver @ Kansas City

The Kansas City Chiefs came away with a key win over Denver 24-14 as Otis Taylor secured a late TD to put the Chiefs up ten. Kansas City (6-5) stays in the AFC West hunt while Denver (7-4) falls two back of Oakland.

Miami @ Dallas

Defenses won the day, and a late INT by Cliff Harris secured the win for Dallas over Miami 13-6. Turnovers throughout this game as both offenses struggled in the second half. Dallas (7-4) remains a game back in the NFC East while Miami (8--3) has a fast charging New England team only two games back.

Other Games: Atlanta over NY Jets, Baltimore over Buffalo, Cincinnati over St. Louis, Los Angeles over New Orleans, Minnesota over Chicago, New England over Houston, Oakland over San Diego, Philadelphia over NY Giants, Green Bay over San Francisco, Washington over Detroit

Week 12

Buffalo @ Atlanta

The Buffalo Bills held on late for a 21-17 win in Atlanta. OJ Simpson broke two big runs early allowing Buffalo to jump out to a 21-3 lead. His late fumbles allowed the Falcons to get back into the game. Robert James had one of two key interceptions in the end zone to keep Atlanta off the board. Buffalo (6-6) remains in third in the AFC East and Atlanta (8-4) drops a game behind Los Angeles in the NFC West.

Cincinnati @ Minnesota

Mike Reid and the Cincinnati D-Line stymied the Vikings running game all afternoon. The end result was a 35-17 win for the Bengals, who jumped out to a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Cincinnati remains in 1st place in the AFC Central at 10-2 and the Vikings, who already clinched the NFC North, are now 9-3.

Pittsburgh @ Miami

Mercury Morris ran for two TDs as Miami dropped Pittsburgh 35-17. Miami (9-3) stays ahead of New England in the East, while Pittsburgh (8-4) are eliminated in the AFC Central race.

Other Games: Denver over Dallas, Cleveland over Kansas City, Detroit over New Orleans, Los Angeles over Chicago, New England over San Diego, NY Jets over Baltimore, Oakland over Houston, Philadelphia over San Francisco, Washington over NY Giants

Week 13

Cleveland @ Cincinnati

Boobie Clark led an explosive Bengals offense that capitalized on 4 Cleveland turnovers to win 47-21 and clinch the AFC Central title. Clark broke several key runs and also delivered several key blocks in the passing game. Cincinnati (11-2) can clinch home field throughout the playoffs with a win next week. Cleveland is now 5-8.

Washington @ Dallas

Roger Staubach led the Cowboys on a late 4th quarter TD drive that finally put Dallas in front in their 24-20 win over Washington. The win keeps Dallas (8-5) in the hunt just one game behind Washington (9-4) in a tight NFC East battle.

Kansas City @ Oakland

Marc Hubbard broke through the line and scored a TD with 1:00 remaining to give Oakland a 13-3 win over Kansas City and clinch the AFC West title. Oakland (11-2) has a chance to win home field advantage in the playoffs with a win next week. Kansas City is now 6-7.

Other Games: Miami over Baltimore, Buffalo over New England, Denver over San Diego, Detroit over Chicago, Los Angeles over NY Giants, Green Bay over Minnesota, New Orleans over San Francisco, Philadelphia over NY Jets, Pittsburgh over Houston, Atlanta over St. Louis

Week 14

Cleveland @ Los Angeles

Fred Dryer led a stout Ram defense that forced three fumbles and gathered four sacks in a 31-10 win over Cleveland. The Rams (11-3) clinch home field throughout the NFC playoffs. Cleveland finishes 5-9.

Denver @ Oakland

Art Shell and Gene Upshaw dominated the line of scrimmage as Oakland routs Denver at home 49-23. The Raiders (12-2) miss out on home field advantage with Cincinnati's win and will face the Dolphins in the playoffs. Denver finishes 9-5, missing out on the playoffs with their loss.

Detroit @ Miami

Miami finishes off their regular season in fine fashion with a 38-0 shutout of Detroit. Miami's Dick Anderson shut down the Lions passing game and picked off one pass. Miami (11-3) faces Oakland in the playoffs. Detroit finishes 7-7.

Other Games: Atlanta over New Orleans, Baltimore over New England, Buffalo over NY Jets, Cincinnati over Houston, Dallas over St. Louis, Green Bay over Chicago, Kansas City over San Diego, Minnesota over NY Giants, Pittsburgh over San Francisco, Washington over Philadelphia

Divisional Playoff Games

Atlanta 14, Los Angeles 13

Bob Lee found Tom Geradine in the back of the end zone as time expired to give the Falcons a one-point victory over the LA Rams in a surprising upset. The game was a defensive battle throughout. Atlanta coughed the ball up twice in the first few minutes of the game and the Rams capitalized scoring 10 points. Lee connected with Hampton in the 4th for a TD, and the Rams added a FG on their final possession to make it a 6 point lead. Lee answered right back with the game winning score.

Minnesota 37, Washington 14

Minnesota dominates Washington with their ground game gaining, gaining 25 zones on the ground and scoring two rushing TDs (Foreman and Tarkenton). Chuck Foreman broke off several big runs, gaining 20 zones on his own. Tarkenton also connected on two TD passes. Washington was close early, trainling 13-7, but saw the Vikings rattle off 17 straight points en route to a decisive win.

Cincinnati 27, Pittsburgh 10

Al Beauchamp sealed a championship berth with a late pick-six against Terry Bradshaw as the Bengals knocked off Pittsburgh. Essex Johnson scored a pair of rushing TDs and the Steelers were held to a single TD (Pearson) in the loss. Pittsburgh held a 3-0 lead until Johnson punched home Cincy's 1st score with less than a minute to play in the 2nd quarter. He scored again halfway through the 3rd quarter after Franco Harris fumbled inside his own 10 yard line.

Oakland 27, Miami 24 (OT)

George Blanda hit two field goals in a 7 minute stretch to give Oakland an Overtime win over Miami. His first tied the game at 24 with 1:30 remaining in the game. His second capped off the opening drive of overtime. The Raiders jumped out to an early 14-0 lead as both Hubbard and Stabler scored rushing touchdowns. The Dolphins then ran off 24 straight points, highlighted by Nick Buoniconti's fumble return for a TD with two minutes to play in the 1st half. Larry Csonka added a pair of rushing TDs. When Garo Yepremian hit a FG to open the 4th quarter, Miami was up 10. Stabler scored his 2nd rushing TD shortly after and Yepremian missed a FG with 5:00 minutes to play. Blanda sealed the Dolphins fate late.

Conference Championship Games

Atlanta 21, Minnesota 10

Dave Hampton exploded for some big runs, including an 80 yard scoring run in the 4th quarter to seal the victory. Hampton gained 22 zones rushing as part of a very effective ground game for the Falcons who were able to contain the Vikings and overcome some difficulty in their passing game. Oscar Reed had a costly fumble in the 3rd quarter for Minnesota. The Falcons advance to the Superbowl.

Oakland 26, Cincinnati 10

The Raiders closed out this game with 16 unanswered points as they pulled away from the Bengals to advance to the Superbowl. The Raiders defense came up big with 5 turnovers, including three interceptions to shutdown the Cincinnati attack. Ken Stabler was able to make several key passes throughout the game, including a short score in the red zone to seal this game late. George Blanda continued to drill home field goals, connecting on four today.

Superbowl

Oakland 41, Atlanta 7

The Oakland Raiders dominated the Falcons on both sides of the ball. They overcame three turnovers, forcing four turnovers. The ground game of Hubbard, Smith, and Stabler combined for 5 rushing TDs, while Stabler moved the ball through the air enough to keep the chains moving. Atlanta struggled throughout the first half, with three punts and four turnovers ending their drives in the first half. They finally connected late in the fourth quarter with the game no longer in doubt. Oakland finished their magical season with a 15-2 record. Atlanta saw their Cinderella run through the playoffs came to a crashing halt. Kenny Stabler was named the Superbowl MVP with 2 rushing TDs.