3rd and Long — Replay the 1985 NFL Season With Dice

The 1985 Season

The 1985 Chicago Bears are the most famous team in NFL history that didn't win multiple Super Bowls. They went 15–1. They allowed 198 points all season. They crushed New England 46–10 in Super Bowl XX, held the Patriots scoreless until the fourth quarter, and ran back a fumble for a touchdown just to make a point. Mike Ditka. Walter Payton. Mike Singletary. Richard Dent. Buddy Ryan's 46 defence.

Every other team in the league that year was playing for second place and hoping they didn't have to face Chicago in January.

Behind the Bears, the season had its own shape. Dan Marino's Miami Dolphins went 12–4 — still elite, still the offensive benchmark, still hunting the Super Bowl they lost in 1984. The LA Raiders went 12–4. New England, ironically, earned a Super Bowl appearance with an 11–5 record before running into the Bears' buzzsaw. The New York Giants were becoming something under Lawrence Taylor — 10–6, the defence getting meaner every week, a preview of the championship team that would arrive in 1986.

At the bottom, Buffalo went 2–14. Tampa Bay matched them. Those teams handed wins to whoever faced them, and in a 28-team league, those wins mattered in the playoff picture.

How It Works

3rd and Long uses a D100 resolution engine. Roll 1d100 for the home team, add the pre-calculated Home Mod, look up the score. Roll for the away team, add the Away Mod, look up. Higher score wins. Tied? Overtime.

A full game takes 3–5 minutes. A complete 16-week season plus playoffs in a single sitting.

What's in the Pack

| What's included | | |---|---| | All 28 team ratings | Offense & Defense, calibrated against real 1985 results | | Full 16-week schedule | Pre-calculated modifiers for all 224 games | | Blank standings sheet | Fill in the table as the season unfolds | | Scoring table & OT reference | Everything on one page | | 10-team playoff bracket | Wild Card through Super Bowl XX | | Full rules | Everything you need to play is in this one download |

What you need: Two d100 dice and a pencil.

Week 1 — Tampa Bay at Chicago

Chicago Bears (OFF 20, DEF 20) hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (OFF 6, DEF 6).

The Bears at home. Home Mod: (20 − 6) × 2 + 3 = +31. Away Mod: (6 − 20) × 2 = −28.

Chicago's home modifier of +31 is one of the largest in the pack. Tampa Bay's away modifier of −28 is one of the lowest. This is what a 15–1 team playing a 2–14 team looks like on paper. The dice still roll — but the spread is enormous. A mediocre Chicago roll still beats a good Tampa Bay roll more often than not.

Roll 52 for Chicago (+31) = 83 → 38 points. Roll 78 for Tampa Bay (−28) = 50 → 21 points. Chicago win 38–21. Walter Payton gains 105 yards. The 46 defence sacks the quarterback four times.

(Real result: Chicago won 38–28. Engine produces the winner and a comparable scoreline.)

Get the Pack

The 1985 NFL Season Pack is available now on Payhip for £5.99 (~$7.50).

Complete. Standalone. Print it out and play tonight.

Get 3rd and Long — 1985 NFL Season Pack →

The 1980, 1981, 1983, and 1984 packs are also available. More seasons coming.