Talk:1977–78 NFL playoffs

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someone needs to write the story of the bullshit call the broncos got in 1977 in the AFC west championship game to put them in the super bowl to get killed by Miami. I am to young so i dont remember it very well. Does anyone remember that fumble they ruled not a fumble? If so write the story already so i can read it!

The fumble play you're thinking of didn't involve the Broncos. It was in a game between Baltimore and New England in the last game of the regular season. With time running out, QB Bert Jones fumbled and seemingly cost the Colts the game and the division title, but he was ruled down. (Replays showed that he was not down). The Colts kept the ball and went on to take the lead and win. They were crowned division champions on a tiebreak over Miami. I was a Colts fan at the time so I was glad, and NFL fans got a real treat the following week when Oakland and Baltimore played a thriller of a playoff game that went into double overtime.

The fumble our well- spoken friend is questioning here happened in the AFC Championship game against the Raiders.

Rob Lytle clearly fumbled the ball on the Raider 1 yard line, but Linesman Ed Marion called the ball dead due to Lytle’s forward progress being stopped. The officials could not review replay in 1977, so the call on the field was the call that stood.

It was a bad call and Raider fans have rightly complained about it ever since.

What Raider nation won't talk about though (or NFL network for that matter) is the call of an incomplete TD pass to Jack Dolbin from Craig Morton, a pass that like the fumble was clearly a catch in the replay and a bad call. Or the fact that if the Raiders had been given the recovery of the aforementioned fumble, they still had to march 99 yards against the Orange Crush to score. Or Oakland’s Clarence Davis could have held on to the ball HE fumbled the series before that put the Broncos on the Raider 17 yard line.

If you look at the complete game, it’s really a wash. Both teams had their chances and the Broncos simply beat the Raiders.