| Year: | 1984 |
| Nflchampion: | San Francisco 49ers |
| Regular Season: | September 2 – December 17, 1984 |
| Playoffs Start: | December 23, 1984 |
| Afcchampion: | Miami Dolphins |
| Nfcchampion: | San Francisco 49ers |
| Sb Name: | XIX |
| Sb Date: | January 20, 1985 |
| Sb Site: | Stanford Stadium, Stanford, California |
| Pb Date: | January 27, 1985 |
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland, to Indianapolis, Indiana, before the season.
The season ended with Super Bowl XIX when the San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins 38–16 at Stanford Stadium in California. This was the first Super Bowl televised by ABC, who entered into the annual championship game rotation with CBS and NBC. This game marked the second shortest distance between the Super Bowl host stadium (Stanford, California) and a Super Bowl team (San Francisco 49ers).[1]
The 49ers became the first team in NFL history to win 15 games in a regular season and to win 18 in an entire season (including the postseason). Additionally, two major offensive records were set this season, with quarterback Dan Marino establishing a new single-season passing yards record with 5,084 (later broken by Drew Brees in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016, by Tom Brady in 2011, by Peyton Manning in 2013, by Ben Roethlisberger and Patrick Mahomes in 2018 and by Jameis Winston in 2019) and Eric Dickerson establishing a new single-season rushing yards record with 2,105. Another statistical record broken was Mark Gastineau for most sacks in a single season, with 22 (surpassed by Michael Strahan in 2001 and by T.J. Watt in 2021).
Also during the season, San Diego Chargers wide receiver Charlie Joiner became the all-time leader in career receptions; he set that mark in a game between the Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium.
In a week 10 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Seattle Seahawks set numerous NFL records for interception returns, including most interception return yardage in a game and most interceptions returned for touchdowns in a game with 4 (all touchdowns over 50 yards in length). The Seahawks also tied an NFL record with 63 defensive takeaways on the season.
Salaries increased significantly over the past two seasons in the NFL, up nearly fifty percent; new Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon led the list at $1.1 million.[2]
The 1984 NFL draft was held from May 1 to May 2, 1984, at New York City's Omni Park Central Hotel. With the first pick, the New England Patriots selected wide receiver Irving Fryar from the University of Nebraska.
See main article: 1984 NFL Supplemental Draft of USFL and CFL players. In an attempt to head off a bidding war within its own ranks for United States Football League and Canadian Football League players, a one-time supplemental draft of USFL and CFL players was held on June 5, 1984. This supplemental draft was especially designed for players who would have been eligible for the regular NFL draft but had already signed a contract with a USFL team after being selected in 1984 USFL Draft earlier on January 4. NFL owners did not want to risk potentially "wasting" picks in the regular draft on players who were already signed by another league, but also wanted to ensure there would not be a large influx of free agent talent in case the new rival league suddenly collapsed. With the first pick, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected quarterback Steve Young from BYU, who previously was selected by the Los Angeles Express with the 11th pick in the USFL Draft. Young would eventually join the Buccaneers in summer 1985 soon after the Express suspended operations.[6] [7] [8] [9]
The Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, in which the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38–0, was contested on July 28, 1984, and held at Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio, the same city where the league was founded. The 1984 Hall of Fame Class included Willie Brown, Mike McCormack, Charley Taylor and Arnie Weinmeister.
| Inter-conference AFC East vs NFC East AFC Central vs NFC West AFC West vs NFC Central |
Highlights of the 1984 season included:
Two games were played on Thursday, November 22, featuring Green Bay at Detroit and New England at Dallas, with Detroit and Dallas winning.
See main article: 1984–85 NFL playoffs.
The following players set all-time records during the season:
| Most passing yards gained, season | Dan Marino, Miami (5,084) | |
| Most passing touchdowns, season | Dan Marino, Miami (48) | |
| Most passes completed, season | Dan Marino, Miami (362) | |
| Most rushing yards gained, season | Eric Dickerson, Los Angeles Rams (2,105) | |
| Most rushing attempts, season | James Wilder Sr., Tampa Bay (407) | |
| Most pass receptions, season | Art Monk, Washington (106) | |
| Most receiving touchdowns, season | Mark Clayton, Miami (18) | |
| Most extra points made, season | Uwe von Schamann, Miami (66) | |
| Most extra point attempts, season | Uwe von Schamann, Miami (70) | |
| Most sacks, season | Mark Gastineau, New York Jets (22.0) | |
| Most rushing yards gained, career | Walter Payton, Chicago (13,309 at the end of the season) | |
| Most receptions, career | Charlie Joiner, San Diego (657 at the end of the season) |
| Points scored | Miami Dolphins (513) | |
| Total yards gained | Miami Dolphins (6,936) | |
| Yards rushing | Chicago Bears (2,974) | |
| Yards passing | Miami Dolphins (5,018) | |
| Fewest points allowed | San Francisco 49ers (227) | |
| Fewest total yards allowed | Chicago Bears (3,863) | |
| Fewest rushing yards allowed | Chicago Bears (1,377) | |
| Fewest passing yards allowed | New Orleans Saints (2,453) |
| Most Valuable Player | Dan Marino, quarterback, Miami | |
| Coach of the Year | Chuck Knox, Seattle | |
| Offensive Player of the Year | Dan Marino, quarterback, Miami | |
| Defensive Player of the Year | Kenny Easley, safety, Seattle | |
| Offensive Rookie of the Year | Louis Lipps, wide receiver, Pittsburgh | |
| Defensive Rookie of the Year | Bill Maas, defensive tackle, Kansas City | |
| Man of the Year | Marty Lyons, defensive tackle, NY Jets | |
| Comeback Player of the Year | John Stallworth, wide receiver, Pittsburgh | |
| Super Bowl most valuable player | Joe Montana, quarterback, San Francisco |
Sam Wyche replaced the resigning Forrest Gregg, who left to join the Green Bay Packers.
Bart Starr was fired. Forrest Gregg then joined the Packers after resigning from the Bengals.
Hugh Campbell was hired as head coach. Ed Biles was fired after the team lost their first six games the previous season, with defensive coordinator Chuck Studley taking over as the interim head coach.
Les Steckel replaced the retiring Bud Grant.
Sam Rutigliano was fired after starting the season 1–7, and was replaced by defensive coordinator Marty Schottenheimer.
Frank Kush resigned after the team went 4–11. Offensive line coach Hal Hunter served as interim for the team's final regular season game.
Ron Meyer was fired after eight games, despite a 5–3 record, due to his team-wide alienation of players. Raymond Berry, who had been out of coaching since serving as New England's receivers coach from 1978 to 1981, was named has Meyer's replacement.
The relocated Indianapolis Colts moved from Baltimore's Memorial Stadium to the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis.
The New York Jets moved their home games from Shea Stadium in New York City to Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, sharing it with the Giants.
This was the third year under the league's five-year broadcast contracts with ABC, CBS, and NBC to televise Monday Night Football, the NFC package, and the AFC package, respectively. Howard Cosell left MNF, primarily due to the fallout of his offhand remarks about wide receiver Alvin Garrett during a 1983 broadcast that was viewed as racially insensitive. O. J. Simpson was then promoted from fill-in to full-time color commentator, joining Frank Gifford and Don Meredith in the booth. On NBC's pregame show NFL '84, Bob Costas replaced Len Berman as host. This was the last season that Phyllis George served on The NFL Today.[13]
| Date | Time | Teams | Local TV | Announcers | |
| September 3, 1984 | 4:00 PM EDT | Cleveland @ Seattle | WKYC-TV (Cleveland area) KING-TV(Seattle area) | Phil Stone/Reggie Rucker (WKYC) Charlie Jones/Gene Washington (KING) | |
| October 14, 1984 | 4:00 PM EDT | Buffalo @ Seattle | WKBW-TV (Buffalo area) KING-TV (Seattle area) | Rick Azar/Marv Levy (WKBW) Phil Stone/Norris Weese (KING) |