One For Bum: Dan Van Antwerp's 1980 SECOND SEASON Play-through!

Dan Van Antwerp just completed a full-play, all team 1980 Pro Season replay with SECOND SEASON Pro Football. Not a small accomplishment, for sure. Dan writes, "I started this back in 2013, but played the bulk of it (weeks 5-16) over the past 2 years or so. It's been a tremendously fun project, and my largest project to date. (My Baseball America project was more games, but I think this one took more time because of the game length!)

In Dan's project, Houston defeated Atlanta in a "Big Game" thriller, 21-20. Bum Phillips would have been proud. More on that in a bit.

Dan wites, "I think the stats turned out to be remarkably realistic, with a few surprises (which I feel is an expected and welcome part of replaying any season--what's the point if everything turns out exactly the same?).” Here’s a screen shot (below) of Dan’s final standings. “The biggest team surprises were the Raiders (8-8) and Cowboys (6-10) missing the playoffs (my two most hated teams--I promise I played these games fairly!) and the Cardinals finishing 10-6 and earning an NFC wild card spot. I looked at the Cardinals' real-life 1980 results, and they had lost several close games, so this is probably not as unexpected as it might seem on the surface.”

And, here's a summary of the playoffs, with commentary on a couple of Dan's most memorable games...

Week 17, Wildcard Playoffs

New England 24, at Cleveland 45

Key statistics: Played in Heavy Snow. NE 46 yards rushing, 268 passing, 312 total yards. CLE 41 yards rushing, 391 passing, 435 total. Grogan, NE 22/35, 268 yards, 3 TD, 1 Int, 103.0 QB rating; Sipe, CLE 25/36, 391 yards, 5 TD, 144.7 QB rating.

St, Louis 31, at Los Angeles 50

Key statistics: STL 111 yards rushing, 251 yards passing, 362 Total yards. LAR 175 yards rushing, 245 yards passing, 420 total yards. Hart, STL 19/36, 251 yards, 4 TD, 3 Int, 77.4 QB rating; Ferragamo, LAR 15/24, 167 yards, 3 TD, 122.7 QB rating; Haden, LAR 7/13, 78 yards, 1 TD, 1 Int, 65.5 QB rating.

Week 18, Divisional Playoffs

Cleveland 30, at San Diego 27

This game was a thriller! Trailing 20-3 at halftime, the Chargers rallied in dramatic fashion to tie the game at 27 with 7:15 left to play in regulation. On the ensuing drive, the Browns stalled at the Chargers 14 yard line, but Cockroft missed a chip shot FG with only 3:00 remaining. The Chargers appeared poised to finish the comeback. After a 3 and out which took the clock under the 2 minute warning, Rick Partridge unleashed a 61 yard punt that pinned the Browns inside their own 20 with 1:40 to play. A few quick completions later, aided by Mike Pruitt making a crucial block (made possible only by his Game on the Line rating!) and the Browns were at midfield. With 10 seconds remaining, Sipe hit Reggie Rucker for a 7 yard completion, which would have set up a 55 yard field goal attempt, but the Chargers were whistled for a face-masking penalty on the play, and Cockroft nailed the 40 yard FG to end the game and send the Browns to the AFC Championship.

Key statistics: CLE 77 yards rushing, 358 yards passing, 435 total yards. SD 86 yards rushing, 201 yards passing, 287 yards total. Sipe, CLE 30/54, 358 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 72.9 QB Rating; Fouts, SD 20/37, 201 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT, 63.0 QB rating.

Personally, I was bitterly disappointed with the outcome, but thrilled with the game. Second Season is so immersive, and afterward I felt the same sense of deep letdown as I had when the Chargers lost to the Raiders in the real life 1980 playoffs. Any board game that can create this sense of drama and investment is a real masterpiece.

Buffalo 21, at Houston 31

Key statistics: BUF 138 yards rushing, 223 yards passing, 361 total yards; HOU 111 yards rushing, 217 yards passing, 328 total yards; Ferguson, BUF 17/27, 223 yards, 2 TD, 113.6 QB rating; Stabler, HOU 22/28, 217 yards, 2 TD, 122.7 QB rating.

Minnesota 0, at Atlanta 37

Key statistics: MIN 26 yards rushing, 227 yards passing, 253 total yards; ATL 279 yards rushing, 213 yards passing, 492 total yards. Kramer, MIN 24/36, 227 yards, 1 INT, 72.3 QB rating; Bartkowski, ATL 17/29, 213 yards, 3 TD, 116.0 QB rating. Andrews, ATL 25 attempts, 180 yards.

Los Angeles 28, at Philadelphia 45

Key statistics: LAR 117 yards rushing, 378 yards passing, 495 total yards; PHA 155 yards rushing, 223 yards passing, 378 total yards. Ferragamo, LAR 25/39, 378 yards, 4 TD, 4 INT, 90.4 QB rating; Jaworski, PHA 16/32, 223 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 70.1 QB rating.

Week 19, Conference Championships

Cleveland 10, at Houston 24

Key statistics: CLE 97 yards rushing, 319 yards passing, 416 total yards; HOU 143 yards rushing, 239 yards passing, 382 total yards. Sipe, CLE 31/53, 319 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 74.3 QB rating. Stabler, HOU 19/29, 239 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT, 111.1 QB rating. Campbell, HOU 27 attempts, 135 yards.

Philadelphia 13, at Atlanta 29

Key statistics: PHA 45 yards rushing, 256 yards passing, 301 total yards; ATL 173 yards rushing, 194 yards passing, 367 total yards. Jaworski, PHA 17/34, 250 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT, 59.6 QB rating. Bartkowski, ATL 17/40, 194 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 55.6 QB rating.

Championship Game, Superdome, New Orleans, LA

Houston 21, vs. Atlanta 20

This was a truly memorable "Big Game!" The Falcons successfully contained Earl Campbell, holding him to a mere 44 yards on 18 attempts.

The big story, though, was Tim Mazzetti, who missed an extra point late in the first half. The Falcons went into halftime with a 20-7 lead, and opened the second half with a fast-moving drive that stalled at the Houston 27. Mazzetti missed a 44 yard FG (it fell one yard short), which would prove to be one of several missed opportunities for the Falcons to claim the championship. Houston rallied for two third quarter touchdowns to take a slim 21-20 lead going into the fourth quarter. Bartkowski twice led the Falcons on long drives, only to see Mazzetti miss from 43, and then, with 1:40 left and a chance to win the game, from 47 yards.

The Oilers were deserving champions, though. Throughout the season, Campbell was arguably the league's leading star with over 2000 Rushing Yards, and Ken Stabler was second among quarterbacks with a 90.9 rating. Houston’s efficient offense and solid defense proved to be a winning combination.

Key statistics: HOU 55 yards rushing, 303 yards passing, 358 total yards; ATL 104 yards rushing, 301 yards passing, 405 total yards. Stabler, HOU 32/43, 303 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT, 87.6 QB rating; Bartkowski, ATL 17/31, 301 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT, 96.3 QB rating.