1985 NFL season

The 1985 NFL season was the 66th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XX when the Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots.

Major rule changes

• Whenever a team time out is called after the two minute warning of each half, it should only last 60 seconds instead of 90.
• A play is immediately dead anytime the quarterback performs a kneel-down (the quarterback immediately kneels down after receiving the snap) after the two minute warning of each half, or whenever the player declares himself down by sliding feet first on the ground. The ball is then spotted at the point where the player touches the ground first.
• Pass interference is not to be called when a pass is clearly uncatchable.
• Both "Roughing the kicker" and "Running into the kicker" fouls are not to be called if the defensive player was blocked into the kicker.
• The definition of a valid fair catch signal is clearly defined as one arm that is fully extended above the head and waved from side to side.
• Goaltending (leaping up to deflect a kick as it passes through the goal posts) is illegal.
• The officials' uniform changed slightly. Instead of wearing black stirrups with white stripes over white sanitary hose, the officials began wearing a one-piece sock similar to those worn by players, black with white stripes on top and solid white on the bottom.

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

• Los Angeles Raiders were the first AFC seed ahead of Miami based on better record against common opponents (5–1 to Dolphins' 4–2).
• N.Y. Jets were the first AFC Wild Card based on better conference record (9–3) than New England (8–4) and Denver (8–4).
• New England was the second AFC Wild Card ahead of Denver based on better record against common opponents (4–2 to Broncos' 3–3).
• Cincinnati finished ahead of Pittsburgh in the AFC Central based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
• Seattle finished ahead of San Diego in the AFC West based on head-to-head sweep (2–0).
• Dallas finished ahead of N.Y. Giants and Washington in the NFC East based on better head-to-head record (4–0 to Giants' 1–3 and Redskins' 1–3).
• N.Y. Giants were the first NFC Wild Card based on better conference record (8–4) than San Francisco (7–5) and Washington (6–6).
• San Francisco was the second NFC Wild Card based on head-to-head victory over Washington (1–0).
• Minnesota finished ahead of Detroit in the NFC Central based on better division record (3–5 to Lions' 2–6).

Playoffs

Home team in capitals

AFC

• Wild-Card playoff: New England 26, N.Y. JETS 14
• Divisional playoffs: MIAMI 24, Cleveland 21; New England 27, LOS ANGELES RAIDERS 20
• AFC Championship: New England 31, MIAMI 14 at Orange Bowl, Miami, Florida, January 12, 1986

NFC

• Wild-Card playoff: N.Y. GIANTS 17, San Francisco 3
• Divisional playoffs: L.A. RAMS 20, Dallas 0; CHICAGO 21, N.Y. Giants 0
• NFC Championship: CHICAGO 24, L.A. Rams 0 at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois, January 12, 1986

Super Bowl

• Super Bowl XX: Chicago (NFC) 46, New England (AFC) 10, at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 26, 1986

Awards

References

• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
• NFL History 1981–1990 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)