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The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement. Paul Tagliabue was eventually chosen to succeed him.
Due to damage caused by the Loma Prieta earthquake to Candlestick Park, the New England Patriots - San Francisco 49ers match on October 22 was played at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.
The season ended with Super Bowl XXIV when the 49ers defeated the Denver Broncos.
Major rule changes
- After a foul that occurs inside the last two minutes of the first half and inside the last five minutes of the second half, the game clock will start at the snap, instead of when the ball is spotted and the Referee signals it is ready to be played.
- New rules are enacted, including loss of time outs or five-yard penalties, to handle the problems of crowd noise when it becomes too loud that it prevents the offensive team from hearing its signals.
- If a receiver and a defender eventually establish joint control of a pass, the ball will be awarded to whoever was the first one who established control the ball first.
Final standings
W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against
| Qualified for playoffs |
| AFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 9 | 7 | .563 | 409 | 317 | |
| Indianapolis Colts | 8 | 8 | .500 | 298 | 301 | |
| Miami Dolphins | 8 | 8 | .500 | 331 | 379 | |
| New England Patriots | 5 | 11 | .313 | 297 | 391 | |
| New York Jets | 4 | 12 | .250 | 253 | 411 | |
| AFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Cleveland Browns | 9 | 6 | 1 | .594 | 334 | 254 |
| Houston Oilers | 9 | 7 | .563 | 365 | 412 | |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9 | 7 | .563 | 265 | 326 | |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 8 | 8 | .500 | 404 | 285 | |
| AFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Denver Broncos | 11 | 5 | .688 | 362 | 226 | |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | 7 | 1 | .531 | 318 | 286 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 8 | 8 | .500 | 315 | 297 | |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7 | 9 | .438 | 241 | 327 | |
| San Diego Chargers | 6 | 10 | .375 | 266 | 290 | |
| NFC East | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 12 | 4 | .750 | 348 | 252 | |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 11 | 5 | .688 | 342 | 274 | |
| Washington Redskins | 10 | 6 | .625 | 386 | 308 | |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 5 | 11 | .313 | 258 | 377 | |
| Dallas Cowboys | 1 | 15 | .063 | 204 | 393 | |
| NFC Central | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Minnesota Vikings | 10 | 6 | .625 | 351 | 275 | |
| Green Bay Packers | 10 | 6 | .625 | 362 | 356 | |
| Detroit Lions | 7 | 9 | .438 | 312 | 364 | |
| Chicago Bears | 6 | 10 | .375 | 358 | 377 | |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 11 | .313 | 320 | 419 | |
| NFC West | ||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| San Francisco 49ers | 14 | 2 | .875 | 442 | 253 | |
| Los Angeles Rams | 11 | 5 | .688 | 426 | 344 | |
| New Orleans Saints | 9 | 7 | .563 | 386 | 301 | |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 13 | .188 | 279 | 437 | |
Tiebreakers
- Indianapolis finished ahead of Miami in the AFC East based on better conference record (7-5 vs. Dolphins' 6-8).
- Houston finished ahead of Pittsburgh in the AFC Central based on head-to-head sweep (2-0).
- Philadelphia was first NFC Wild Card ahead of L.A. Rams based on better record against common opponents (6-3 to Rams' 5-4).
- Minnesota finished ahead of Green Bay in the NFC Central based on better division record (6-2 vs. Packers' 5-3).
Playoffs
- Home team in capitals
AFC
- Wild-Card playoff: Pittsburgh 26, HOUSTON 23 (OT)
- Divisional playoffs: CLEVELAND 34, Buffalo 30; DENVER 24, Pittsburgh 23
- AFC Championship: DENVER 37, Cleveland 21
NFC
- Wild-Card playoff: L.A. Rams 21, PHILADELPHIA 7
- Divisional playoffs: L.A. Rams 19, N.Y. GIANTS 13 (OT); SAN FRANCISCO 41, Minnesota 13
- NFC Championship: SAN FRANCISCO 30, L.A. Rams 3
Super Bowl XXIV
- San Francisco (NFC) 55, Denver (AFC) 10, at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
References
- NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 193299436X)
- NFL History 1981-1990 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
- 1989 season in details
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0062701746)
"1989 NFL season"