1987 NFL SEASON

The '1987 NFL season' was the 68th regular season of the National Football League. A 24-day players' strike reduced the 16-game season to 15. The games that were scheduled for the third week of the season were canceled, but the games for weeks 4-6 were played with replacement players.
Starting on November 8, 1987, ESPN debuted ''ESPN Sunday Night Football'', in which the cable network started to broadcast NFL Sunday night games primarily during the second half of the season.
Due to Game 7 of the 1987 World Series, the Denver Broncos - Minnesota Vikings game at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome was moved back one day to Monday, October 26.
The season ended with Super Bowl XXII when the Washington Redskins defeated the Denver Broncos.

Contents

Major rule changes

Final standings

Tiebreakers

Playoffs

AFC

NFC

Super Bowl

Awards

References

Major rule changes

★ If a defensive player commits pass interference in his own end zone, the ball is placed at the 1-yard line, or if the previous spot was inside the 2-yard line, the penalty is half the distance to the goal line.

★ Except for the first onside kick attempt, if a kickoff goes out of bounds, the receiving team takes possession of the ball 30 yards from the spot of the kick or the spot it went out of bounds.

★ In order to stop the clock, the quarterback is permitted to throw the ball out of bounds or to the ground as long as he throws it immediately after receiving the snap.

★ During passing plays, an offensive player cannot chop block (block a defender below the thigh while the defensive player is already engaging another offensive player).

★ Illegal contact by a defensive player beyond the 5-yard zone from the line of scrimmage will not be called if the offensive team is in an obvious punt formation.

★ During kicks and punts, players on the receiving team cannot block below the waist. However, players on the kicking team may block below the waist, but only before the kick is made. On all other plays after a change of possession, no player can block below the waist.

Final standings

''W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against''

'Qualified for playoffs'

'AFC East'
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Indianapolis Colts	9	6	0	.600	300	238
New England Patriots	8	7	0	.533	320	293
Miami Dolphins	8	7	0	.533	362	335
Buffalo Bills	7	8	0	.467	270	305
New York Jets	6	9	0	.400	334	360
'AFC Central'
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Cleveland Browns	10	5	0	.667	390	239
Houston Oilers	9	6	0	.600	345	349
Pittsburgh Steelers	8	7	0	.533	285	299
Cincinnati Bengals	4	11	0	.267	285	370
'AFC West'
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Denver Broncos	10	4	1	.700	379	288
Seattle Seahawks	9	6	0	.600	371	314
San Diego Chargers	8	7	0	.533	253	317
Los Angeles Raiders	5	10	0	.333	301	289
Kansas City Chiefs	4	11	0	.267	273	388

'NFC East'
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Washington Redskins	11	4	0	.733	379	285
Dallas Cowboys	7	8	0	.467	340	348
St. Louis Cardinals	7	8	0	.467	362	368
Philadelphia Eagles	7	8	0	.467	337	380
New York Giants	6	9	0	.400	280	312
'NFC Central'
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
Chicago Bears	11	4	0	.733	356	282
Minnesota Vikings	8	7	0	.533	336	335
Green Bay Packers	5	9	1	.367	255	300
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4	11	0	.267	286	360
Detroit Lions	4	11	0	.267	269	384
'NFC West'
Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA
San Francisco 49ers	13	2	0	.867	459	253
New Orleans Saints	12	3	0	.800	422	283
Los Angeles Rams	6	9	0	.400	317	361
Atlanta Falcons	3	12	0	.200	205	436

Tiebreakers

★ New England finished ahead of Miami in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2-0).

★ Houston was the first AFC Wild Card ahead of Seattle based on better conference record (7-4 to Seahawks' 5-6).

★ Chicago was the second NFC playoff seed ahead of Washington based on better conference record (9-2 to Redskins' 9-3).

★ Dallas finished ahead of St. Louis and Philadelphia in the NFC East based on better division record (4-4 to Cardinals' 3-5 and Eagles' 3-5).
★ St. Louis finished ahead of Philadelphia in the NFC East based on better conference record (7-7 to Eagles' 4-7).

★ Tampa Bay finished ahead of Detroit in the NFC Central based on better division record (3-4 to Lions' 2-5).

Playoffs

Main articles: NFL playoffs, 1987-88

:''Home team in capitals''

AFC

★ Wild-Card playoff: HOUSTON 23, Seattle 20 (OT)

★ Divisional playoffs: CLEVELAND 38, Indianapolis 21; DENVER 34, Houston 10

★ AFC Championship: DENVER 38, Cleveland 33 at Mile High Stadium, January 17, 1988

NFC

★ Wild-Card playoff: Minnesota 44, NEW ORLEANS 10

★ Divisional playoffs: Minnesota 36, SAN FRANCISCO 24; Washington 21, CHICAGO 17

★ NFC Championship: WASHINGTON 17, Minnesota 10 at RFK Stadium, January 17, 1988

Super Bowl

★ 'Super Bowl XXII:' Washington (NFC) 42, Denver (AFC) 10, at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California, January 31, 1988

Awards

:''As awarded by the Associated Press''

'Most Valuable Player'	John Elway, Quarterback, Denver
'Coach of the Year'	Jim Mora, New Orleans
'Offensive Player of the Year'	Jerry Rice, Wide Receiver, San Francisco
'Defensive Player of the Year'	Reggie White, Defensive End, Philadelphia
'Offensive Rookie of the Year'	Troy Stradford, Running Back, Miami
'Defensive Rookie of the Year'	Shane Conlan, Linebacker, Buffalo
'NFL Comeback Player of the Year'	Charles White, Running Back, L.A. Rams

References

★ ''NFL Record and Fact Book'' (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)

★ NFL History 1981-1990 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)

★ 1987 season in details

★ ''Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League'' (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)