Season 4

The 49ers and Bears share a division again, and have met in 2 straight conference title games.  The trend looked to continue.  The Giants had a rough end to season 3, and look to rebound.  Miami has won back to back conference titles and finds themselves in a very winnable division this season.  

Season 4 recap

San Francisco proved to be the most dominant team we've witnessed during the regular season.  They set the points scored record & nearly set a new points allowed record.  Elsewhere in the AFC,  Denver had won division titles in seasons 2 & 3 yet was unable to win a playoff game.  Taking a 3rd consecutive division title was an impressive feat.  The Bears took a step back by going 7-5, but Minnesota emerged as a contender.

The Giants had a magnificent season as the defense posted 9 shutouts in 12 regular season games.  It was a long overdue return to glory for the Giants.  Both the 49ers & Giants appeared to be on a crash course with each other in Tecmo Bowl 4.

Miami struggled in their quest to get back to the Tecmo Bowl championship game.  They only went 6-6, but it was good enough for a division title & got them in the playoffs with the #2 seed.  The rest of the conference was exceedingly weak, & it appeared the path was paved perfectly for the Giants to march into the Tecmo Bowl championship game. 

Playoff results

in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, Seattle won a game of field position, by keeping Indy in the shadow of their own edzone to knock off the Colts.  In Chicago, the Bears easily disposed of the Redskins & headed on to face the undefeated 49ers. This would mark the 3rd consecutive season the Bears & 49ers would meet in the playoffs.

The divisional round featured close games in the NFC.  Denver defeated Minnesota 6-3 behind a great defensive game-plan, & a crucial Viking turnover.  The 49ers finally were able to put the Bears away in the 4th qtr & won 9-0.  The Bears handed the Giants their only loss earlier this season, and were likely the only team capable of beating the 49ers in the NFC.

In the AFC side, both Miami & Cleveland played determined defense, but the Dolphins were able to win by  slim margin 7-3.  The difference in the game occurred in the 3rd qtr.  The Browns settled for a field goal instead of trying to convert a 4th & 1 inside the Miami 5 yard line.  Cleveland never got near the endzone again, and Miami was heading to their 3rd straight conference championship game. 

The Giants easily defeated Seattle 17-7.  With the Giants leading 10-0, Seattle's James Jefferson returned a kickoff for a touchdown to make things temporarily interesting, but New York was too much on this day.
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Marty decided to not keep Bernie on the field. No guts, no glory!
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The team of destiny finally had reason to smile in the 4th against the Bears
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Reeves & Elway had many division titles, but not a lot of playoff success.
The Dolphins trailed early, but took a 12-10 lead at the half over the Giants. Miami was 2 quarters away from a re-match with the 49ers in Tecmo Bowl 4.  In the 2nd half, the Giants fired on all cylinders & smashed the Dolphins winning 32-12.  The most anticipated Tecmo Bowl championship game of all time would feature the undefeated 49er and Giants with only 1 loss.  They did not played each other in the regular season. ​
The 49ers beat the Broncos 17-7 behind 3 Ronnie Lott interceptions in the conference championship game.  The game didn't lack intrigue though.  Karl Mecklenberg intercepted a Joe Montana pass early & returned it for a touchdown giving Denver a 7-0 lead.  It was an uphill battle but the 49ers took control from there & eventually won going away.  San Francisco had run their win streak to a remarkable 14 games.  

Tecmo Bowl IV

When the 2 best teams, which also featured the 2 best defenses in the league faced off, it was very likely that points were going to be hard to come by.  The game played out as such.  Both defenses got an interception in the 1st half, & the game was scoreless at halftime.  The tension was building as the game wore on & Tecmo Bowl 4 was living up to its hyped billing.  It became an intense battle between 2 extremely talented teams.  It was the most memorable Tecmo Bowl yet. 
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Candlestick Park was center of the Tecmo Bowl universe on this day
Early in the 4th quarter, the 49ers finally broke through with a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.  The Giants had struggle to even get 1st downs all game, and things looked bleak.  Dave Meggett on the biggest stage took the kickoff to the house, single handedly keeping New York alive.  The 49ers had what looked like enough time to possibly mount a drive at the end.   Joe Montana led the 49ers past mid-field but time was running out and Leonard Marshall picked off a pass with a few seconds remaining to ensure there would be no late score.  The game went to over-time tied at 7.

In O.T. the 49ers were again the aggressor in the yardage category, but unable to score drive after drive.  The Giants could not generate any 1st downs though.  The Giants Sean Landeta was the superior punter and he paid dividends all game.  His punts pinned the 49ers back all game.  While the 49ers held a huge advantage in yardage, and 1st downs, their average starting field position was much worse than the Giants.  A lot of their offensive output in the yardage category was just getting out of the shadow of their endzone.  It took 9 total iver time possessions between the two, but the 49ers finally got deep into Giants territory.  A Roger Craig touch down capped off a long drive for the win.  The 49ers won Tecmo Bowl IV by a score of 14-7 and were now two time Tecmo Bowl Champions in the midst of a 32 game win streak.   

Season 5

The AFC is a roll of the dice this season, especially with the most powerful teams residing in the NFC.  The Browns should be the favorite, but have stumbled in seasons past.  

​The Dolphins have tough match-ups with Denver & Seattle.  The Raiders & Cowboys will need to overcome teams looking to stop their run games at all costs.  The Broncos & Seahawks are good bets to do well, but with every team facing a difficult inter-conference slate, it's hard to predict who comes out on top. 
The NFC has the 3 Tecmo Bowl super powers this season which consist of the Giants, Bears, & 49ers.  Any of those 3 could come out as the #1 seed.  The 49ers & Giants are the overall favorites to be the best in the conference. 

The Colts look to be the 4th playoff team.  They have a fairly favorable schedule as they avoid the 49ers & get 4 games vs Washington & Minnesota.  The Redskins and Vikings will have a hard time finding many wins in conference that features so man

Season standings

  A resurgent Raiders team smashed through the conference going undefeated against the AFC.  Dan Marino led Miami on a slew of late comeback wins to put them in position to reach Tecmo Bowl 5.  The Browns came on strong late in the year and even swept both divisional opponents Miami & Seattle.  

The Cowboys pulled off 2 big upsets early against the Giants & 49ers while starting 3-0.  The wheels fell off after that, & they managed to only win 1 more game the rest of the way.  Seattle was wildly inconsistent with a big win one week, & a head scratching loss the next.  Seattle pummeled the Giants in the most shocking game of the year.  Seattle was also destroyed by the Raiders with scores of 20-3, and 27-3.
The 49ers were coming off a 24 game win streak & back to back championships.  They stumbled out the gate & struggled all season.  Joe Montana threw an unusual amount of interceptions leading to their demise, & a horrific 5-7 record.  With San Francisco reeling, the Giants took control of the division by mid-season.  

Indianapolis surprised everyone becoming the front runner in the NFC with a breakout season.  They faced a tough schedule along the way but Eric Dickerson had a huge season helping Indy control games.  The Colts had the best defense in the league by seasons end.  Chicago was their usual contending self, & even had a shot at the #1 seed going into the final week, but couldn't catch Indy.  The Bears and Colts had split their 2 games. 
Gerald McNeil of the Browns took the opening kick off to the house, & his big return into Broncos territory in the 4th sealed it as the Browns added a late field goal.  The Browns won 17-7 & were headed to play the Raiders at the Coliseum.

Fredd Young & the Seahawks defense stifled the Cowboys offense all game, as Dallas had trouble reaching the 50.  The Seahawks won 7-0 in a game that wasn't as close as the score.  Seattle was moving on to play at Miami.  
The 49ers opened the season losing at RFK stadium.  Bill Walsh hoped for an different outcome in the playoffs.  The Redskins masterful defensive day ensured there'd be no 49er 3-peat.  The Redskins were moving on to play Indy.

With Chicago leading 3-0, Minnesota lined up for a tying field goal, but Otis Wilson came through with the block.  From there the Bears dominated the 4th quarter and won 13-0.  The Bears were set for a big playoff game against the Giants.  ​
Bo Jackson & the #1 seed Raiders offense had a big 1st half, but it only resulted in a 6-6 tie.  Gerald McNeil took the 2nd half kickoff to the house as Cleveland took a 13-6 lead.  Jay Schroeder threw an incomplete pass on 4th down to Marcus Allen late in the game which would have tied it up. 

Dan Marino threw a costly interception to Fredd Young on the 1st possession, & the Seahawks took an early 3-0 lead.  Miami rebounded to overcome the costly turnover.  Trailing 9-6 early in the 4th, Miami was stopped on 4th & short near mid-field in a gamble that ultimately cost them the game.  
Indy took a 3-0 lead early in the 4th against Washington, but Darrell Green took the kick return past the 50 yard line.  Washington looked poised to pull off the upset with a late touch down drive, but Doug Williams threw an interception while in field goal range.  From there the Colts ran out the clock for the tough win. 
 
In the 1st quarter the Giants got a 1st & goal inside the Bears 5, but have to settle for a field goal.  The Giants add another field goal for a 6-0 lead.  LT picked off Jim McMahon on the Bears deepest drive into Giants territory in the 2nd half, thwarting the Bears chance for the win.  Giants won 9-0 & moved on to face the Colts.      
With the Raiders & Dolphins going down in defeat, the #3 seed Seahawks hosted the conference championship game.  Cleveland had swept Seattle in the regular season, but would need to win a 2nd time on the road in the King dome.

With Seattle leading 7-3, their offense got inside the Cleveland 5 just before halftime, but failed to score as time expired.  Dave Krieg hesitated to pass into the endzone & was tackled short of the goal line when he tried to run it costing them at least 3 points.  

Seattle's defense played great all game long shutting down Bernie Kosar & the Browns offense.  The redzone failure did not play a factor in the outcome.  Seattle added a Norm Johnson field goal in the 4th & won 10-3.  Seattle was heading to their 2nd Tecmo Bowl championship game.  Seattle won the season 1 championship. Coincidentally the Seahawks had beaten Cleveland in the conference championship game in season 1 as well.
The Giants had swept a pair of games from Indy during the regular season & were favored to win again.  The Colts defense was poised to play well, & would have to if Indy had any chance of winning on this day in the Hoosier dome.  

In a game of field position, Rohn Stark played a key role repeatedly pinning the Giants deep.  Trudeau & Dickerson operated a ball control offense & controlled the clock, but couldn't put points on the board.  The game went into overtime tied at 0.  Indy won the toss, but were again unable to score.  

On their next possession, after crossing the 50, Jack Trudeau made the play of the game.  Facing 3rd & long, Trudeau looked to throw to Dickerson across the middle & lured the Giants defenders in, then went deep to a wide open Matt Bouza who hauled in the pass for the game winning touchdown.  The Colts were headed to their 1st Tecmo Bowl.  The Giants had suffered yet another demoralizing playoff loss.

Tecmo Bowl V

The Colts took the opening drive just past the 50, & Dean Biasucci lined up for a field goal, but Greg Gaines blocked the kick.  Dave Kreig & Curt Warner got Seattle inside the Colts 30.  Norm Johnson came on to attempt a field goal on 4th & short, but Duane Bickett blocked the kick to keep things scoreless.

The Seahawks drove into Colts territory again on their 2nd possession, but were stopped on 4th & short inside the 30.  2 drives inside the Colts 30, & no points.  Seahawks coach Chuck Knox was very frustrated as they had missed out on 2 opportunities for points.

Eric Dickerson broke off two long runs & the Colts took a 6-0 lead before halftime.  Fredd Young blocked the extra point.  In the 3rd quarter, Seattle was stopped on downs near mid-field which the Colts turner into 3 points & a 9-0 lead.  With Seattle in desperation mode in the 4th, the Colts managed to turn them over two more times.  Indy added a touchdown to Bill Brooks to finish off the scoring with a 15-0 victory. 

The Colts had the best defense in the league, only allowing 44 points in 12 games.  In the playoffs they rattled off 3 consecutive shutouts en route to winning their 1st Tecmo Bowl.

​Based off the random alignment of teams, the Colts landed in a stacked conference in season 5.  They were predicted to finish 4th overall.  The 49ers, Giants, & Bears were expected to compete for a conference title & Tecmo Bowl championship.  The Colts were merely thought of as solid contender, & a team capable of pulling off a big upset.  They were not considered a candidate for getting the #1 seed and going 9-3. 

The Colts saving grace despite a tough schedule was 4 games total against the Vikings & Redskins...both of which they match up very well against.  The Colts took advantage of the situation winning all 4 games.  The 49ers were the only other team in the conference to have both Minnesota & Washington on the schedule for 4 games.  The 49ers managed to only split with them in the regular season.  Indianapolis & San Francisco did not face each other during the season.  The Colts split with the Bears, and lost both games to the Giants.  However the Giants started slow & Indy stayed a game ahead of them to get thr #1 seed.

Season 6

The most intrigue of the AFC might come from the Tecmo Division.  The Browns, Raiders & Seahawks will compete to get a high playoff seed.  None are elite teams, but all are capable of a deep playoff run if they get the right match-ups.  Chicago should have the inside track to claim the #1 seed this year. Eric Dickerson & the Colts are the defending champs, & they will factor into how things play out in the conference. ​
The Giants, 49ers, & Vikings share a division. Only 1 of them will get the #1 seed & host a divisional round playoff game.  Denver & Miami will compete for the #2 seed with a division title.  Whoever doesn't win the NFC Tecmo division will be a very tough playoff match-up for Denver or  Miami.  The Broncos & Dolphins are at very long odds to reach Tecmo Bowl 6.  They will likely be underdogs in their playoff games.