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NFL History: It was 40 years ago this season (1984)

By Russell S. Baxter

Jan 6, 1985; Miami, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino (13) sets to throw against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 1984 AFC Championship Game at the Orange Bowl. The Dolphins defeated the Steelers 45-28. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 6, 1985; Miami, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino (13) sets to throw against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 1984 AFC Championship Game at the Orange Bowl. The Dolphins defeated the Steelers 45-28. Mandatory Credit: Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports / Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports
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It doesn’t seem possible that one of the most storied seasons in NFL history in terms of record-setting performances happened 40 years ago. In fact, one of the league’s most hallowed individual marks has yet to be surpassed.

In 1978, the National Football League put new rules into place to emphasize the passing game. Those changes certainly got the job done, and it was certainly evident come Super Bowl Sunday. In the first dozen Super Sundays, 16 of the 24 teams that played were limited to 17 points or less. That would happen just three times in the next six contests. In Super Bowl XIII, both the Steelers (35) and Cowboys (31) each scored 30-plus points.

There were many sensational individual performances in 1984. Washington’s Art Monk set a new league record for receptions in a season (106). Elsewhere, versatile Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ running back James Wilder totaled an impressive 2,229 yards from scrimmage (although he fell short of the NFL record set by a player that same year).

It’s also worth noting that the ’84 season saw the beginning of a dominating stretch by NFC teams in the Super Bowl. The conference would win 13 straight showdowns with the AFC, and by an unimaginable combined score of 490-219.

Here’s the latest stroll down memory lane, highlighting the key performances by players and teams come 40 years ago this upcoming season.

A look back at the National Football League in 1984

5. The top broker for the “Sack Exchange”

In 2023, the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Senior Committee voted in three new members into Canton. One of those players was four-time Pro Bowler Joe Klecko, part of the New York Jets’ fabled “Sack Exchange” defensive line that also featured Marty Lyons, Abdul Salaam, and defensive end Mark Gastineau.

In 1983, the relentless defender led the league with 19.0 quarterback traps. One season later, he was even better by racking up 22.0 sacks. The NFL didn’t start counting individual sack marks until 1982 (Pro Football Reference has a different list), but Gastineau’s 1984 total remains tied for third in league annals.

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