1985 New York Giants season

NFL team season

1985 New York Giants season

Owner| Wellington Mara
General manager| George Young
Head coach| Bill Parcells
Home field| Giants Stadium
Results
Record| 10–6
Division place| 2nd NFC East
Playoff finish| Won wild card playoffs
(vs. 49ers) 17–3
Lost divisional playoffs
(at Bears) 0–21
Pro Bowlers|

* QB Phil Simms
* RB Joe Morris
* DE Leonard Marshall
* LB Lawrence Taylor
* LB Harry Carson

* <- 1984
* Giants seasons
* 1986 ->

The 1985 New York Giants season was the franchise’s 61st season in the National Football League (NFL). The Giants entered the season looking to improve on their 9–7 record in 1984, which was enough to qualify the team for the playoffs as the second wild-card team, and to return to the playoffs for the second consecutive year under third-year head coach Bill Parcells. The Giants managed to do both, finishing with ten victories for the first time since 1963 when the team won eleven games and finishing as the first wild-card team which earned the Giants a home playoff game at Giants Stadium. They defeated the San Francisco 49ers 17–3 in that game, avenging their loss to the 49ers in the previous year's divisional playoffs. However, it was as far as the Giants could get as they were defeated by the eventual Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears in the divisional round at Soldier Field 21–0. Bill Parcells stated in "America's Game: 1986 Giants" about the game the Giants played against the Bears in the playoffs that "an honest evaluation of it, we could have probably beat that team one out of ten times. But that day was one of the days that that could have happened." At the time, the team set a record for most rushing yards in one season by a Giants team.

## Offseason[edit]

### NFL draft[edit]

Main article: 1985 NFL Draft

Round # | Pick # | Player | Position | College

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1 | 19 | George Adams | Running back | Kentucky
2 | 46 | Stacy Robinson | Wide receiver | North Dakota State
3 | 58 | Tyrone Davis | Defensive back | Clemson
3 | 73 | Brian Johnston | Center | North Carolina
4 | 100 | Mark Bavaro | Tight end | Notre Dame
5 | 132 | Tracy Henderson | Wide receiver | Ohio State
6 | 159 | Jack Oliver | Guard | Memphis State
8 | 213 | Lee Rouson | Running back | Colorado
9 | 240 | Frank Wright | Defensive tackle | South Carolina
10 | 272 | Gregg Dubroc | Linebacker | LSU
11 | 299 | Al Young | Defensive back | Virginia Tech
12 | 326 | Herb Welch | Defensive back | UCLA

## Personnel[edit]

### Staff[edit]

1985 New York Giants staff |

Front office

* President – Wellington Mara
* General manager – George Young
* Director of pro personnel – Tim Rooney

Head coaches

* Head coach – Bill Parcells

Offensive coaches

* Offensive coordinator – Ron Erhardt
* Offensive backfield – Ray Handley
* Receivers – Pat Hodgson
* Tight ends – Mike Pope
* Offensive line – Fred Hoaglin

|  |  | Defensive coaches

* Defensive coordinator – Bill Belichick
* Defensive line – Lamar Leachman
* Defensive backfield – Len Fontes
* Defensive assistant – Mike Sweatman

Special teams coaches

* Special teams – Romeo Crennel
* Assistant special teams – Mike Sweatman

Strength and conditioning

* Strength and conditioning – Johnny Parker

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### Roster[edit]

1985 New York Giants roster

| Quarterbacks

* 15 Jeff Hostetler
* 17 Jeff Rutledge
* 11 Phil Simms

Running backs

* 33 George Adams
* 26 Rob Carpenter
* 44 Maurice Carthon
* 30 Tony Galbreath
* 22 Lee Rouson
* 20 Joe Morris

Wide receivers

* 88 Bobby Johnson
* 86 Lionel Manuel
* 80 Phil McConkey
* 81 Stacy Robinson
* 87 Byron Williams

Tight ends

* 89 Mark Bavaro
* 85 Don Hasselbeck
* 82 Vyto Kab

|  | Offensive linemen

* 67 Billy Ard G
* 60 Brad Benson T
* 61 Chris Godfrey G
* 62 Conrad Goode C
* 69 David Jordan G
* 72 Gordon King T
* 63 Karl Nelson T
* 65 Bart Oates C

Defensive linemen

* 64 Jim Burt NT
* 79 Dee Hardison DE
* 70 Leonard Marshall DE
* 75 George Martin DE
* 76 Curtis McGriff DE
* 71 Casey Merrill DE
* 78 Jerome Sally NT

|  | Linebackers

* 58 Carl Banks OLB
* 53 Harry Carson ILB
* 54 Andy Headen OLB
* 57 Byron Hunt OLB
* 51 Robbie Jones ILB
* 55 Gary Reasons ILB
* 56 Lawrence Taylor OLB

Defensive backs

* 29 Bill Currier SS
* 39 Tyrone Davis CB
* 37 Larry Flowers FS
* 36 Mark Haynes CB
* 48 Kenny Hill SS
* 43 Terry Kinard FS
* 34 Elvis Patterson CB
* 21 Ted Watts CB
* 27 Herb Welch CB
* 23 Perry Williams CB

Special teams

* 12 Jess Atkinson K
* 6 Ali Haji-Sheikh K
* 5 Sean Landeta P
* 3 Eric Schubert K

|  | Reserve lists

* 67 William Roberts G (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 84 Zeke Mowatt TE (IRTooltip Injured reserve)

Practice squad

Rookies in italics

[1]

## Regular season[edit]

In a game against the Washington Redskins, Joe Theismann's career ended on November 18, 1985, when he suffered a gruesome comminuted compound fracture of his leg while being sacked by New York Giants linebackers Lawrence Taylor and Harry Carson during a Monday Night Football game telecast. The injury was voted the NFL's "Most Shocking Moment in History" by viewers in an ESPN poll, and the tackle was dubbed "The Hit That No One Who Saw It Can Ever Forget" by The Washington Post.[2]

At the time, the Redskins had been attempting to run a "flea-flicker" play. The Giants' defense, however, was not fooled, and they tried to blitz Theismann. Taylor sandwiched Theismann into Carson and inadvertently landed his hip on Theismann's lower right leg, fracturing both the tibia and the fibula.

### Schedule[edit]

Week  | Date  | Opponent  | Result  | Record  | Venue  | Attendance

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1  | September 8  | Philadelphia Eagles | W 21–0  | 1–0  | Giants Stadium | 76,141
2  | September 15  | at Green Bay Packers | L 20–23  | 1–1  | Lambeau Field | 56,145
3  | September 22  | St. Louis Cardinals | W 27–17  | 2–1  | Giants Stadium  | 74,987
4  | September 29  | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 16–10  | 3–1  | Veterans Stadium | 66,696
5  | October 6  | Dallas Cowboys | L 29–30  | 3–2  | Giants Stadium  | 74,981
6  | October 13  | at Cincinnati Bengals | L 30–35  | 3–3  | Riverfront Stadium | 53,112
7  | October 20  | Washington Redskins | W 17–3  | 4–3  | Giants Stadium  | 74,389
8  | October 27  | at New Orleans Saints | W 21–13  | 5–3  | Louisiana Superdome | 54,082
9  | November 3  | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 22–20  | 6–3  | Giants Stadium  | 72,031
10  | November 10  | Los Angeles Rams | W 24–19  | 7–3  | Giants Stadium  | 74,663
11  | November 18 | at Washington Redskins | L 21–23  | 7–4  | RFK Stadium | 53,371
12  | November 24  | at St. Louis Cardinals | W 34–3  | 8–4  | Busch Memorial Stadium | 41,248
13  | December 1  | Cleveland Browns | L 33–35  | 8–5  | Giants Stadium  | 66,482
14  | December 8  | at Houston Oilers | W 35–14  | 9–5  | Houston Astrodome | 36,576
15  | December 15  | at Dallas Cowboys | L 21–28  | 9–6  | Texas Stadium | 62,310
16  | December 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 28–10  | 10–6  | Giants Stadium  | 66,785

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Results[edit]

#### Week 1[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Eagles | 0 | 0| 0| 0 | 0
• Giants | 14 | 0| 0| 7 | 21

* Date: September 8
* Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 78 °F (25.6 °C); wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
* Referee: Fred Wyant
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and John Madden

[3]

#### Week 2[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Giants | 0 | 6| 7| 7 | 20
• Packers | 10 | 7| 0| 6 | 23

* Date: September 15
* Location: Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin
* Game start: 3:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 56 °F (13.3 °C); wind 8 miles per hour (13 km/h; 7.0 kn)
* Referee: Ben Dreith
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden

[4]

#### Week 3[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Cardinals | 7 | 3| 0| 7 | 17
• Giants | 7 | 3| 10| 7 | 27

* Date: September 22
* Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Game start: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 72 °F (22.2 °C); wind 13 miles per hour (21 km/h; 11 kn)
* Referee: Bob McElwee

[5]

#### Week 4[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| OT| Total

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• Giants | 0 | 0| 10| 0| 6 | 16
Eagles | 0 | 0| 3| 7| 0 | 10

* Date: September 29
* Location: Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia
* Game start: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 61 °F (16.1 °C); wind 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h; 4.3 kn)
* Referee: Tom Dooley
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall John Madden

[6]

#### Week 5[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Cowboys | 7 | 7| 7| 9 | 30
Giants | 3 | 3| 20| 3 | 29

* Date: October 6
* Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Game start: 9:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C); wind 16 miles per hour (26 km/h; 14 kn)
* Referee: Chuck Heberling
* TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, O. J. Simpson, Joe Namath

[7]

#### Week 6[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Giants | 0 | 3| 17| 10 | 30
• Bengals | 14 | 7| 7| 7 | 35

* Date: October 13
* Location: Riverfront Stadium, Cincinnati
* Game start: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 72 °F (22.2 °C); wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden

[8]

#### Week 7[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Redskins | 0 | 0| 0| 3 | 3
• Giants | 0 | 7| 7| 3 | 17

* Date: October 20
* Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Game start: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 60 °F (15.6 °C); wind 14 miles per hour (23 km/h; 12 kn)
* Referee: Gene Barth

[9]

#### Week 8[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Giants | 0 | 7| 0| 14 | 21
Saints | 3 | 0| 0| 10 | 13

* Date: October 27
* Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Game start: 3:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Indoors (dome)
* Referee: Bob Frederic
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall John Madden

[10]

#### Week 9[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Buccaneers | 3 | 10| 0| 7 | 20
• Giants | 3 | 3| 10| 6 | 22

* Date: November 3
* Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Game start: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 53 °F (11.7 °C); wind 21 miles per hour (34 km/h; 18 kn)
* Referee: Dick Jorgensen
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden

[11]

#### Week 10[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Rams | 7 | 6| 3| 3 | 19
• Giants | 0 | 7| 10| 7 | 24

* Date: November 10
* Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Game start: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 63 °F (17.2 °C); wind 18 miles per hour (29 km/h; 16 kn)
* Referee: Jerry Markbreit

[12]

#### Week 11[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Giants | 7 | 0| 14| 0 | 21
• Redskins | 7 | 0| 7| 9 | 23

* Date: November 18
* Location: RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C.
* Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 52 °F (11.1 °C); wind 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h; 5.2 kn)
* Referee: Fred Wyant
* Television network: ABC

#### Week 12[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Giants | 0 | 10| 10| 14 | 34
Cardinals | 3 | 0| 0| 0 | 3

* Date: November 24
* Location: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri
* Game start: 3:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 30 °F (−1.1 °C); wind 12 miles per hour (19 km/h; 10 kn)
* Referee: Red Cashion

[13]

#### Week 13[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Browns | 7 | 14| 0| 14 | 35
Giants | 7 | 13| 3| 10 | 33

* Date: December 1
* Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Game start: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 43 °F (6.1 °C); wind 20 miles per hour (32 km/h; 17 kn)
* Referee: Tom Dooley
* TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Bob Griese

[14]

#### Week 14[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Giants | 14 | 21| 0| 0 | 35
Oilers | 0 | 14| 0| 0 | 14

* Date: December 8
* Location: Houston Astrodome, Houston, Texas
* Game start: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Indoors (dome)
* Referee: Bob McElwee
* TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton and Wayne Walker

[15]

#### Week 15[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Giants | 0 | 14| 0| 7 | 21
• Cowboys | 7 | 14| 0| 7 | 28

* Date: December 15
* Location: Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas
* Game start: 12:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 36 °F (2.2 °C); wind 11 miles per hour (18 km/h; 9.6 kn)
* Referee: Fred Silva
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Terry Bradshaw

[16]

#### Week 16[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Steelers | 0 | 3| 7| 0 | 10
• Giants | 7 | 21| 0| 0 | 28

* Date: December 21
* Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Game start: 12:30 p.m.
* Game weather: 27 °F (−2.8 °C); wind 15 miles per hour (24 km/h; 13 kn)
* Referee: Jerry Markbreit
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

[17]

### Standings[edit]

NFC East

* view
* talk
* edit

| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK
Dallas Cowboys(3) | 10  | 6  | 0  | .625  | 6–2  | 7–5  | 357  | 333  | L1
New York Giants(4) | 10  | 6  | 0  | .625  | 5–3  | 8–4  | 399  | 283  | W1
Washington Redskins | 10  | 6  | 0  | .625  | 4–4  | 6–6  | 297  | 312  | W3
Philadelphia Eagles | 7  | 9  | 0  | .438  | 4–4  | 6–8  | 286  | 310  | W1
St. Louis Cardinals | 5  | 11  | 0  | .313  | 1–7  | 3–9  | 278  | 414  | L2

## Playoffs[edit]

### Wild card[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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49ers | 0 | 3| 0| 0 | 3
• Giants | 3 | 7| 7| 0 | 17

* Date: December 29
* Location: Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Game start: 1:00 p.m.
* Game attendance: 75,842
* Game weather: Mostly cloudy; 36 °F or 2.2 °C; wind 16 miles per hour (26 km/h; 14 kn)
* Referee: Red Cashion
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden

Even though the 49ers recorded 362 yards of total offense, with receiver Dwight Clark catching 8 passes for 120 yards, the Giants limited San Francisco to only one field goal. Meanwhile, New York running back Joe Morris rushed for 141 yards.

### Divisional[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Giants | 0 | 0| 0| 0 | 0
• Bears | 7 | 0| 14| 0 | 21

* Date: January 5
* Location: Soldier Field, Chicago
* Game start: 11:30 a.m.
* Game weather: 18 °F (−7.8 °C); wind 16 miles per hour (26 km/h; 14 kn)
* Referee: Ben Dreith
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerrall & John Madden

The Giants lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears.

## Awards and honors[edit]

* Phil Simms, Pro Bowl MVP [18]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "1985 New York Giants starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
2. ^ Shapiro, Leonard (November 18, 2005). "The Hit That Changed a Career". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 30, 2008.
3. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
4. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
5. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
6. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
7. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
8. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
9. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
10. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
11. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
12. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
13. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
14. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
15. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
16. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
17. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
18. ^ NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 202

## External links[edit]

* 1985 New York Giants at Pro-Football-Reference.com

* v
* t
* e

New York Giants

* Founded in 1925
* Based and headquartered in East Rutherford, New Jersey

Franchise|

* Franchise
* Seasons
* Coaches
* Players
* First-round draft picks
* Quarterbacks
* Logos and uniforms

History|

* 1925–1978
* 1979–1993
* 1994–present
* Financial history

Stadiums|

* Polo Grounds
* Yankee Stadium
* Yale Bowl
* Shea Stadium
* Giants Stadium
* MetLife Stadium

Culture|

* Cleveland Bulldogs
* The Duke
* Crunch Bunch
* Gatorade shower
* Big Blue Wrecking Crew
* I'm going to Disney World!
* Little Giants
* "New York Groove"
* "We Fly High"
* "The Masseuse" (Seinfeld episode)
* Big Fan
* Bob Sheppard
* Jim Hall
* Yankee Stadium Legacy
* License Plate Guy
* The Best Man Holiday

Lore|

* Sneakers Game
* The Greatest Game Ever Played
* Chuck Bednarik's hit on Frank Gifford
* The Fumble
* Wide Right
* Snowball Game
* 2007 game vs. New England Patriots
* Helmet Catch
* Miracle at the New Meadowlands

Rivalries|

* Chicago Bears
* Dallas Cowboys
* Green Bay Packers
* New England Patriots
* New York Jets
* Philadelphia Eagles
* San Francisco 49ers
* Washington Commanders

Key personnel|

* Owners: John Mara & Steve Tisch
* General manager: Joe Schoen
* Head coach: Brian Daboll

Division championships (22)|

* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1938
* 1939
* 1941
* 1944
* 1946
* 1956
* 1958
* 1959
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1986
* 1989
* 1990
* 1997
* 2000
* 2005
* 2008
* 2011

Conference championships (11)|

* 1956
* 1958
* 1959
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1986
* 1990
* 2000
* 2007
* 2011

League championships (8)|

* 1927
* 1934
* 1938
* 1956
* 1986 (XXI)
* 1990 (XXV)
* 2007 (XLII)
* 2011 (XLVI)

Retired numbers|

* 1
* 4
* 7
* 10
* 11
* 14
* 14
* 16
* 32
* 40
* 42
* 50
* 56
* 92

Media|

* Broadcasters
* Radio network
* Bob Papa
* Carl Banks
* Howard Cross

Current league affiliations|

* League: National Football League
* Conference: National Football Conference
* Division: East Division

* v
* t
* e

New York Giants seasons

* 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
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* 1960
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* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
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* 2014
* 2015
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* 2017
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* 2022
* 2023

Bold indicates NFL Championship (1920–1969) or Super Bowl (1966–present) victory
Italics indicates NFL Championship (1920–1969) or Super Bowl (1966–present) appearance

* v
* t
* e

1985 NFL season

| AFC| East | Central| West| East| Central| West | NFC

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Buffalo | Cincinnati| Denver| Dallas| Chicago| Atlanta
Indianapolis | Cleveland| Kansas City| NY Giants| Detroit| LA Rams
Miami | Houston| LA Raiders| Philadelphia| Green Bay| New Orleans
New England | Pittsburgh| San Diego| St. Louis| Minnesota| San Francisco
NY Jets | | Seattle| Washington| Tampa Bay|

* 1985 NFL Draft
* NFL playoffs
* Pro Bowl
* Super Bowl XX

*[IR]: Injured reserve
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[PCT]: Winning percentage
*[DIV]: Win–Loss record within their division
*[CONF]: Win–Loss record within their conference
*[PF]: Points For (Total points scored)
*[PA]: Points Against (Total points allowed)
*[STK]: Current Winning or Losing Streak
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template