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2008 Pro Football Yearbook
The 2008
season was full of surprises from start to finish. The
free-for-all tone was set early when the AFC favorites in New England lost
their star QB to season-ending injury. With the field suddenly wide open,
several teams rose from the ashes of mediocrity to suddenly join the hunt
for the title.
In Miami, a regime change and an innovative offensive scheme borne out of
desperation revived a sagging offense and turned the previous year's league
doormat into a division winner. Elsewhere in the conference, Pittsburgh rode
a steel-strong defense through the league's toughest schedule, with
Baltimore right on their tails all season. Tennessee had the league's best
record behind another strong defense. No one wanted the AFC West, but San
Diego finally squeaked in over a flagging Denver unit.
In the NFC, the defending champs in New York played well, but didn't
quite have the same finishing kick at playoff time. Preseason
challengers Philadelphia, Dallas and New Orleans didn't play up to
expectations. Minnesota survived a tough North division but lacked QB
leadership. In the South, Carolina played a gritty style on both sides of
the ball. But the conference's biggest surprises were a suddenly-solid
Atlanta team and the proverbial Phoenix in Arizona, a team that squeaked
through the league's worst division to their first-ever playoff appearance.
Once in the playoffs, they rode all the way to a fourth quarter lead in the
title game against Pittsburgh, only to fall victim to the season's final
surprise, a heroic last-minute TD
drive that brought the Steel City their record sixth title.
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