Special Sub-Topic: A Pigskin Decade: The 1980s Click Here To Play: A Pigskin Decade: The 1980s

The 1980s began with the lonely New Orleans Saints finishing the 1980 season with a 1-15 record. Who was their starting quarterback that played in all 16 games?

Archie Manning. The Saints' only win in the season was not until Week 15 when they defeated the Jets, 21-20. Manning threw for 3716 yards in the season, but threw 20 interceptions compared to 24 touchdowns. The Raiders won Super Bowl XV over the Eagles.

1981 saw only one team win 13 games in the season. They were the 49ers of San Francisco. Ironically, the 49ers did not have a running back finish in the top ten of any category, and had only Dwight Clark finish second with receptions. This showed the play-calling and diversity of the team who was led by which quarterback?

Joe Montana. Young did not come to the 49ers until 1987. San Francisco did not have a running back reach the 600-yard plateau, and had only Dwight Clark catch for more than 1000 yards with 85 receptions.

In the strike-shortened 1982 season, which team finished the season winless after only nine games?

Baltimore Colts. The others won their division, and saw the Redskins win Super Bowl XVII over the Dolphins. The Colts threw only five touchdowns in those nine games against 10 interceptions.

In 1983, the Los Angeles Raiders went 12-4 and eventually won the Super Bowl against the Redskins. The Raiders also had a tight end that led the league in receptions with 92. Who was he?

Todd Christensen. The others were Cincinnati Bengal running backs in the season. Christensen caught 92 passes for 1247 yards and 12 touchdowns, mostly from the arm of quarterback Jim Plunkett. The Raiders embarrassed the Redskins in Super Bowl XVIII, 38-9.

1984 saw the San Francisco 49ers go 15-1 in the season, and go all the way to win Super Bowl XIX against a team that had a quarterback throw for over 5000 yards in the season. Which team was it?

Miami Dolphins. The other teams did not win more than three games in the season. The Dolphins went 14-2 and were the only team to score over 500 team points. Marino threw for a record (later broken) 48 touchdowns in the season, with 18 of those to Mark Clayton. Miami lost to San Francisco, 38-16.

1985 was the year of the Chicago Bears who went 15-1. Their only loss was to the Dolphins in Week 13. Which Bears quarterback played in all 16 games in the season?

Steve Fuller. McMahon played in only 13 games while Fuller played in all 16. However, it was McMahon who led the team in stats with 2392 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, compared to Fuller's 777 yards and one touchdown.

In 1986, and after losing their season opener, this team went 14-2 in the season, and shutout the Redskins in the NFC Championship game before winning it all in Super Bowl XXI. Which team was this that had Bill Parcells at the helm?

New York Giants. From 1983-1990, Parcells had the Giants, then from 1993-1996 the Patriots. Bill then helmed the Jets for three seasons before taking the reins of the Cowboys in 2003. The Giants defeated the Broncos in the Super Bowl, 39-20.

1987 watched as this St. Louis Cardinal quarterback led the league with 3387 passing yards. Who was he?

Neil Lomax. Lomax also finished third with his 24 passing touchdowns. The Cardinals finished 7-8 in the season and failed to make the playoffs. The 49ers had the best record in the season with their 13-2, but were bounced out in the Divisional Playoff by the Vikings, 36-24. Super Bowl XXII saw the Redskins down the Broncos, 42-10.

1988 saw Dan Marino throw for over 4000 yards in a season again, but the Dolphins could muster only six wins. Which former Ram and Eagle veteran quarterback also played in those 16 games along with Marino?

Ron Jaworski. Jaws played for three seasons with the Rams, then 10 with the Eagles before packing his bags for Miami. Ron threw for only 123 yards and one touchdown in the season. He retired after the season.

Rounding out the 1980s, this 1989 team finished it off with a 1-15 season, the first season with their new head coach, Jimmy Johnson. Which team was it?

Dallas Cowboys. After the great Tom Landry was ousted by owner Jerry Jones, Johnson came in to helm the club in 1989. Troy Aikman was also a rookie with the Cowboys. Johnson began the climb to turn the team around in 1991 to a 11-5 record. He left the Cowboys in 1993.