Quick NFL Puzzle

[WSUCougar]

Cardinals (-7)/Bears

Broncos (-15)/Bengals

Bills (-26)/Rams

These three listings have a specific, common link. What is it?

[gottimd]

They all have vowels?

[mhass]

They all have vowels?
And start with consonants!

[Buzzbee]

They all appear on a football text sim message board?

[Buzzbee]

They are all animals?

[WSUCougar]

Funny boys...go wash my SUV.

[mhass]

I'm guessing inverted odds of making next year's Super Bowl.

[gottimd]

Funny boys...go wash my SUV.

Done, now what?

[gottimd]

Cardinals (-7)/Bears

Broncos (-15)/Bengals

Bills (-26)/Rams

These three listings have a specific, common link. What is it?

Does it have to do with Final Standings or Post Season?

Cardinals and Bears, didn't they finish last in their divisions

Bills and Rams, barely missed playoffs

Not sure Broncos and Bengals though, but I am probably on the wrong track anyways.

[WSUCougar]

Nothing even close so far.

[gottimd]

Not even a tad?

[gstelmack]

I've tried looking at PF/PA and at time since they last played each other, neither fits. Trying to come up with other options.

[fantastic flying froggies]

Is it really to do with football?
Or is it some sort of letter game?

[Buzzbee]

I was thinking that it might be 2nd half playoff comebacks, but then realized that it lists the Cardinals. Oh well.

[WSUCougar]

Is it really to do with football?
Or is it some sort of letter game?
It is indeed football related.

[VPI97]

Bills (-26)/Rams I find it hard to believe it's betting lines since the largest spread I've ever heard of was Steelers -26 over the expansion Buccs in '76.

[mhass]

Is it something to do with the age of the franchise or year they entered the league?

[WSUCougar]

Nope.

Hint: The answer is tied to a specific year.

[WSUCougar]

Hint: The numbers do not refer to betting lines, but do indicate a quantifiable relationship between the two teams.

[Esquared1]

These are teams I have never had dinner with.

[Franklinnoble]

Hint: Nobody gets it, and it's starting to look like nobody cares.

[WSUCougar]

The hell with it then.

[QuikSand]

I spent a few minutes, gave some thought to some fairly obvious things (most of which had been speculated about already) and basically gave up. Bad timing for me, but I'm not getting much of a vibe from this one, anyway. If it's really about football (and not just the team names, city names, and the like) then it might require a degree of research that I just don't have the ability to invest. At least not today.

Sorry.

(I hate to see committed puzzle-writers be disappointed by the solving community)

[Hurst2112]

Chicago Cardinals? St. Louis? Phoenix? Arizona?

[EagleFan]

Bills and Rams, barely missed playoffs.

I guess they jumped the other team on the way into Seattle and took their place? ;)

[gottimd]

I guess they jumped the other team on the way into Seattle and took their place? ;)

Good point, apparently I am the stupid that everyone is with.

[QuikSand]

Hint: The answer is tied to a specific year.

And that certainly makes it sound like that year is/was not 2004. I don't have anything in mind, but that certainly suggests to me a year from the past.

[QuikSand]

Okay, so what quantifiable thing, about these six teams, might we be reasonably expected to know from some year of the past?

Wins? (Tough to work a -15 or -26 in that case)
Points? (seems too obscure)
Draft position? (maybe, but still pretty obscure)

[Poli]

My feeling is it may have to do with one team joining the league after the other by the indicated number of years...but I'm probably way off.

[QuikSand]

My feeling is it may have to do with one team joining the league after the other by the indicated number of years...but I'm probably way off.

That seemed possible to me, too, but post #17 got right to that, and we didn't get any response on it, so I'm guessing it's a miss.

[Buzzbee]

Perhaps it is stat related, like # of touchdowns for the season, or point differential against common opponents. Of course that seems terribly specific for a "quick" NFL puzzle.

[QuikSand]

Of course that seems terribly specific for a "quick" NFL puzzle.

Yeah, that keeps guiding my thinking, too -- so I refuse to get hip-deep in archival stats, thinking this is simpler than that.


Wonder if the numbers might be jersey numbers (another seemingly common stock in the puzzle trade) for certain players? Maybe players who got traded, or somesuch?

[MikeVic]

The Bills had a much greater defense than the Rams, the Broncos had a somewhat better defense than the Bengals, and the Cardinals barely had a better defense than the Bears... I don't even know if those are accurate, I just wanted to add something to figuring this out. :)

[Maple Leafs]

Cards/Bears could be some sort of Thomas Jones connection. I can't off-hand think of any big-name players who went between the Bengals and Broncos. London Fletcher went from the Rams to the Bills.

Two problems with that theory: the old team/new team would be reversed, and it doesn't fit the "one year" clue.

In other words, I got nothing.

[MikeVic]

I can't off-hand think of any big-name players who went between the Bengals and Broncos.

Deltha O'Neal? Not big... but he was a starter, wasn't he?

[Joe]

the year is 2000

the cardinals had the 7th pick (thomas jones is now a bear)
the broncos had the 15th pick (deltha o'neal is now a bengal)
the bills had the 26th pick (erik flowers is now a ram)

[WSUCougar]

the year is 2000

the cardinals had the 7th pick (thomas jones is now a bear)
the broncos had the 15th pick (deltha o'neal is now a bengal)
the bills had the 26th pick (erik flowers is now a ram)
Excellent!

Good work, gang. Sorry if it was too obscure for a quickie.

[QuikSand]

Glad something shook loose.

[Poli]

The only thing I could think of was Fitzgerald wore #7 in college (I think).