1972 NFL season

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1972 National Football League season
Regular season
Duration	September 17, 1972 - December 17, 1972
Playoffs
Start date	December 23, 1972
AFC Champions	Miami Dolphins
NFC Champions	Washington Redskins
Super Bowl VII
Date	January 14, 1973
Site	L.A. Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
Champions	Miami Dolphins
Pro Bowl
Date	January 21, 1973
National Football League seasons  < 1971 1973 >

The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.

Contents 1 Major rule changes 2 Final standings 3 Playoffs 4 See also 5 References

[edit] Major rule changes

• The inbounds lines or hashmarks were moved closer to the center of the field, 23 yards, 1 foot, 9 inches from the sidelines. The hashmarks are now 18 feet, 6 inches apart (the same width as the goalposts), cutting down on severe angles for short field goal attempts.
• If a legal receiver goes out of bounds, either accidentally or forced out, and returns to touch or catch the pass in bounds, the penalty is a loss of down (but no penalty yardage will be assessed).
• If a punt or missed field goal crosses the receivers' goal line, a member of the receiving team may advance the ball into the field of play.
• All fouls committed by the offensive team behind the line of scrimmage will be assessed from the previous spot.
• Tie games, previously not counted, were made equal to a half-game won and a half-game loss.

[edit] Final standings

W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT= Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

Qualified for playoffs

[edit] Playoffs

Main article: NFL playoffs, 1972-73

Note: Prior to the 1975 season, the home teams in the playoffs were decided based on a yearly rotation.

	Divisional Playoffs				Conf. Championship Games				Super Bowl VII
	December 24 - Miami Orange Bowl
	Cleveland Browns	14
					December 31 - Three Rivers Stadium
	Miami Dolphins	20
					Miami Dolphins	21
	December 23 - Three Rivers Stadium
					Pittsburgh Steelers	17
	Oakland Raiders	7
									January 14 – L.A. Coliseum
	Pittsburgh Steelers	13
									Miami Dolphins	14
	December 23 - Candlestick Park
									Washington Redskins	7
	Dallas Cowboys	30
					December 31 - RFK Stadium
	San Francisco 49ers	28
					Dallas Cowboys	3
	December 24 - RFK Stadium
					Washington Redskins	26
	Green Bay Packers	3
	Washington Redskins	16

[edit] See also

• "Perfect Season"

[edit] References

• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
• NFL History 1971-1980 (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
• 1972 season in details
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)

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