Four years after his 1968 MVP season, Morrall contributed to the NFL's lone ideal slate. The Dolphins claimed Morrall on waivers in April 1972, reuniting him with ex-Colts nfl.bite HC Don Shula, who dissuaded the 38-year-old passer from retiring. Morrall have become vital that season when Bob Griese suffered a broken right leg and dislocated ankle in Week five. Though equipped with an elite run game and defense, Morrall led Miami to nine wins to shut out a 14-0 ordinary season. The seventeenth-year QB additionally piloted a sport-triumphing power to lift the Dolphins over the Browns within the divisional round, earlier than giving way to Griese in the AFC identify game. The destiny superstar started out his first Packers season as Don Majkowski's backup. Three seasons before, "The Magic Man" had guided the Packers to a ten-6 season -- their first double-digit win marketing campaign given that 1972 -- and completed behind best Joe Montana in MVP voting (a landslide, but still). Favre's pressured entrance, because of a Week 3 Majkowski ankle damage, must probable be the present day Wally Pipp reference. Favre started his Lou Gehrig ordinary with a Pro Bowl season (3,227 yards, 18 TD passes) that left the Pack just shy of the playoffs. The one-yr Falcons flameout made every Packers QB begin for the next 15 years.
Certainly greater caretaker than subject standard, Dilfer although woke up a Baltimore offense that had long past landing-much less in Tony Banks' very last 4 starts. Brian Billick's midseason alternative, nflbites who had signed with the Ravens after a 1999 midseason injury ended his Buccaneers run, did sufficient to allow the storied Baltimore protection dominate. Dilfer (eight regular-season begins) did not notch a 200-backyard passing sport within the playoffs, but he threw simply one interception. That furnished more than sufficient cowl for the Ravens' defense, which benefited from this piece of game-managerial history. After his Bears launch, Harbaugh have become the Colts' 1994 starter. But 1995 loose enterprise upload Craig Erickson began the next year as Indianapolis' QB1. Harbaugh taking on in Week 3 changed the franchise's fortunes and set the table for the crew's handiest AFC championship look between 1971 and 2003. The destiny fiery HC earned a "Captain Comeback" moniker, main the Colts on four game-triumphing drives and topping the NFL in passer rating (a hundred.Four). Indy wished all those drives to sneak into the playoffs, but Harbaugh's team disillusioned the Chargers and Chiefs -- without assist from injured Marshall Faulk -- and nearly spoiled the Steelers' Super Bowl bid.
The 1998 Bills are one in every of just five non-strike-year groups to begin 0-3 and make the playoffs. Flutie, 12 years after hindering a Bears Super Bowl run, saved a hastily sinking Buffalo season. Replacing nfl bite Rob Johnson in Week five, Flutie recaptured his form as an American QB icon -- 14 years after his Heisman campaign. The CFL legend, at 36, led the Bills to a ten-6 report. Delivering as a passer and runner, the 5-foot-9 QB -- in a stretch peaking together with his sport-prevailing bootleg against the playoff-sure Jaguars -- re-mounted himself as an NFL passer. His 360-backyard effort in a wild-card recreation in Miami proved inadequate, but.