1980 NFL season

The 1980 NFL season was the 61st regular season of the National Football League.

After the league declined to approve the proposed move by the Raiders from Oakland, California to Los Angeles, the team along with the Los Angeles Coliseum sued the NFL for violating antitrust laws. A verdict in the trial would not be decided until before the 1982 NFL season.

Meanwhile, the season ended with Super Bowl XV when the Raiders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles.

Major rule changes

• When efforts are made by the offense to conserve time, 10 seconds will be run off the clock before the ball is permitted to be put back into play.^[1]
• Players are prohibited from striking, swinging, or clubbing to the head, face, or neck. The personal foul could be called whether or not the initial contact was made below the neck.
• A "Guidelines for Captains" section was added to the rules.

Division Races

Starting in 1978, ten teams qualified for the playoffs: the winners of each of the divisions, and two wild-card teams in each conference.

National Football Conference

American Football Conference

Final standings

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

  x  - clinched wild card berth,   y  - clinched division title

Tiebreakers

• Cleveland finished ahead of Houston in the AFC Central based on better conference record (8-4 to Oilers' 7-5).
• San Diego finished ahead of Oakland in the AFC West based on better net points in division games (plus 60 net points to Raiders' plus 37).
• San Diego was the top AFC playoff seed based on better conference record than Cleveland and Buffalo (9-3 to Browns' 8-4 and Bills' 8-4).
• Cleveland was the second AFC playoff seed based on better record against common opponents (5-2 to Bills' 5-3).
• Oakland was the first AFC Wild Card based on better conference record than Houston (9-3 to Oilers' 7-5).
• Kansas City finished ahead of Denver in the AFC West based on head-to-head sweep (2-0).
• Philadelphia finished ahead of Dallas in the NFC East based on better net points in division games (plus 84 net points to Cowboys' plus 50).
• Atlanta was the top NFC playoff seed based on head-to-head victory over Philadelphia (1-0).
• Minnesota finished ahead of Detroit in the NFC Central based on better conference record (8-4 to Lions' 9-5).
• Tampa Bay finished ahead of Green Bay in the NFC Central based on better head-to-head record (1-0-1 to Packers' 0-1-1).

Playoffs

Home team in capitals

AFC

• Wild-Card playoff: OAKLAND 27, Houston 7
• Divisional playoffs: SAN DIEGO 20, Buffalo 14; Oakland 14, CLEVELAND 12
• AFC Championship: Oakland 34, SAN DIEGO 27 at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California, January 11, 1981

NFC

• Wild-Card playoff: DALLAS 34, Los Angeles 13
• Divisional playoffs: PHILADELPHIA 31, Minnesota 16; Dallas 30, ATLANTA 27
• NFC Championship: PHILADELPHIA 20, Dallas 7 at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 11, 1981

Super Bowl

• Super Bowl XV: Oakland (AFC) 27, Philadelphia (NFC) 10, at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 25, 1981

Footnotes

1. ^ Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (First Edition ed.). 1997. p. 1585. ISBN 0-06-270170-3. 

References

• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
• NFL History 1971-1980 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
• 1980 season in details
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)