2014 NFL Tournament of Champions: Quarterfinals

We've come a long way. Just a few weeks ago, I had penciled in forty-eight Super Bowl champions into a bracket, and just three weeks later, we're down to eight. A lot of fantastic teams have already fallen, but a lot of really good ones still remain. Today, we finish out the individual brackets to complete our Final Four.

We've had a lot of chalk working in this tournament, as the highest seed remaining in the tournament is 18th-seeded '97 Denver. The biggest upset so far? The '85 Bears getting a first round bye as the 2nd-seeded squad, then falling in their first game. Most of the teams that got byes are still standing. Can they keep going, or will home field advantage cease to be a factor?

To find out, we'll simulate these games as a best-of-three, with the "clinching" game being the official result. Weather forecasts will be taken into account, and all simulations are provided by WhatIfSports.com. Time to play.

Joe Montana Bracket Final
(VIII) '04 New England Patriots @ (I) '91 Washington Redskins
Game 1: '04 NE 20, '91 WAS 17 (OT)
Game 2: '91 WAS 10, '04 NE 9
Game 3: '91 WAS 38, '04 NE 16

The top seed survives. This game was a lot closer than the final score suggests, as the teams traded leads for basically the first three quarters, but Washington took a lead 17-13 lead with 6 minutes left in the third and after an Adam Vinatieri field goal scored three unanswered touchdowns. Mark Rypien had a monster game, going 16 of 24 for 317 yards and four touchdowns. Ricky Sanders had four catches for 101 yards and a pair of those touchdowns, and Andre Collins had a late pick-six to seal the game. Other than that one pick, Tom Brady was okay, completing 18 of 32 passes for 229 yards. Corey Dillon ran 22 times for 200 yards for the Pats.

John Elway Bracket Final
(XVIII) '97 Denver Broncos @ (VII) '13 Seattle Seahawks
Game 1: '97 DEN 20, '13 SEA 16
Game 2: '97 DEN 19, '13 SEA 16
Okay Denver fans, you can come out of your shells now. Kicker Scott Bentley ended up doing most of the scoring, going 4-5 on field goals. John Elway went 12 of 22 for 172 yards, a huge touchdown to Rod Smith, and one mistake: a Brandon Browner pick-six. Terrell Davis added 155 yards on 25 carries. On the other side, the Denver defense contained Russell Wilson, holding him to nine completions on 20 attempts for 81 yards while sacking him four times, including a pair by Maa Tanuvasa.. Marshawn Lynch picked up 95 yards on 13 carries in the losing effort.



Larry Csonka Bracket Final
(XI) '79 Pittsburgh Steelers @ (III) '96 Green Bay Packers
Game 1: '79 PIT 23, '96 GB 20
Game 2: '96 GB 22, '79 PIT 6
Game 3: '79 PIT 17, '96 GB 13

I'm sad now. Green Bay led 13-3 going into the fourth quarter and couldn't hold on. Pittsburgh marched 84 yards in eight minutes, calling 13 plays capped off by a Franco Harris 17-yard sweep for a touchdown. Harris finished with 106 yards on 18 carries for the Steelers. Bradshaw was ruthlessly efficient, completing 18 of 22 for 197 yards, though he was picked off once. Brett Favre completed 19 of 34 passes for 234 yards and ran for Green Bay's lone touchdown. He got the ball back late for a shot at the end zone but couldn't get it done. All in all, poor playcalling in the fourth quarter doomed the Packers from getting a representative to the semifinals.


Terry Bradshaw Bracket Final
(XII) '99 St. Louis Rams @ (IV) '75 Pittsburgh Steelers
Game 1: '99 STL 44, '75 PIT 6
Game 2: '99 STL 31, '75 PIT 14

This was a good game. The Rams scored the first ten points of the game, including a Justin Watson touchdown run. Franco Harris then answered with a pair of touchdown runs, including a 34 yarder to give the Steel Curtain a halftime lead. Then Marshall Faulk decided he'd had enough. He ran for 152 yards on 21 carries with two second half touchdowns, including a 51 yarder that sealed the game for the Greatest Show on Turf. Kurt Warner did have some trouble, only completing 12 of 22 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown to Torry Holt, but he was picked off by J.T. Thomas and sacked twice each by Donnie Shell and Jack Lambert. Terry Bradshaw managed just eight completions on 17 attempts for 119 yards and a pick by Devin Bush. Harris ran 17 times for 116 yards and his two scores in the defeat.

To see the updated bracket, click here.

Home field this round meant almost nothing, as only the top-seeded '91 Redskins defended their turf. Overall though, these were in fact good games. Our most recent team is gone now too, so we are left with three teams from the '90s and one from the late '70s. Interestingly enough, we still have one of the stingiest defenses in league history in the Steel Curtain of the '79 Steelers sticking around as well as the Greatest Show on Turf, one of the league's best offenses ever. Two gutsy teams also remain in the '97 Broncos, who avoided a showdown against a Green Bay team they beat in their Super Bowl, and the '91 Redskins, who are definitely showing why they got the #1 seed.

You can check back again next week for semifinal results. Only four teams remain. Who will be crowned the best? We'll find out soon!