Super Bowl
I-XVIII | Super Bowl XIX-XXXV
Super Bowl XIX
49ers 38, Dolphins 16
In the second-highest-scoring Super Bowl to date, the 49ers overcame a 10-7 deficit
with 21 unanswered points in the second quarter and coasted to a 38-16 win over Miami. San
Francisco RB Roger Craig set a Super Bowl record with three touchdowns. Craig, whose
second-quarter TD’s came on an eight-yard pass from QB Joe Montana and a two-yard
run, also grabbed a 16-yard scoring strike from Montana to account for the final points.
Montana joined fellow QB’s Bart Starr and Terry Bradshaw as the only two-time
MVP’s in Super Bowl history. Montana completed 24-of-35 passes for a Super
Bowl-record 331 yards and three TD’s. The 49ers’ 537 total yards shattered the
old mark of 429.
Super Bowl XX
Bears 46, Patriots 10
The Patriots scored the first three points just 1:19 into the game (the fastest score
in Super Bowl history). But the Bears scored the next 44 points while romping to the
highest point total and the biggest rout (at the time) in Super Bowl history, 46-10.
By halftime, the Bears held a 23-3 lead and had outgained the Patriots 236 yards to
minus-19. Bear DE Richard Dent, who had 1½ sacks, became only the fifth defensive player
to be chosen MVP. Jim McMahon became the first quarterback to rush for two touchdowns and
also completed 12-of-20 passes for 256 yards.
The Patriots were only the third wild-card team to play in the Super Bowl. After
starting QB Tony Eason missed his first six passes, he was replaced by Steve Grogan, who
completed 17-of-30 for 177 yards.
Super Bowl XXI
Giants 39, Broncos 20
The Giants roared through the 1986 season as the Bears had the year before and were
prohibitive favorites over the Broncos. The game started out as if it would turn into an
all-time Super Bowl classic. Denver led 10-9 at halftime, largely dominating the Giants,
and would have had a larger lead if not for several blown opportunities and two missed
field goals by Rich Karlis.
Then the roof fell in on Denver. New York scored 17 unanswered points in the third
period and outscored the Broncos 23-3 in a 14:26 span before allowing two late scores.
Giant QB Phil Simms was named the MVP with one of the finest Super Bowl performances ever.
He completed 22-of-25 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns — six yards to Zeke
Mowatt, 13 yards to Mark Bavaro and six yards to Phil McConkey. Joe Morris rushed for 67
yards and a score, and Ottis Anderson added a two-yard TD run.
Super Bowl XXII
Redskins 42, Broncos 10
Much like Super Bowl XX, the early stages of this game gave no indication of what was
to come. Denver scored on its first play from scrimmage — a 56-yard John
Elway-to-Ricky Nattiel bomb — and, on its next possession, marched deep into Redskin
territory before settling for a 24-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead.
In the second quarter, however, the Redskins scored touchdowns on five straight
possessions, shattering numerous records along the way and creating another Super Bowl
blowout.
The Redskins coasted to a 42-10 win, as the game’s MVP, QB Doug Williams, threw
for a then-Super Bowl-record 340 yards, completing 18-of-29 passes, including four
touchdowns. Williams overcame not only the Denver defense but pressure from the media, who
heavily scrutinized the first African-American quarterback to play in a Super Bowl.
Redskin rookie Timmy Smith rushed 22 times for a Super Bowl-record 204 yards.
Super Bowl XXIII
49ers 20, Bengals 16
With his team trailing the Bengals 16-13 late in the fourth quarter, 49er QB Joe
Montana directed a 92-yard drive that culminated in John Taylor’s 10-yard TD
reception with 34 seconds left for a 20-16 San Francisco victory.
It was the third Super Bowl win of the decade for the 49ers, who outgained the Bengals
454-229 but still needed clutch plays down the stretch from Montana, Super Bowl MVP Jerry
Rice, RB Roger Craig and Taylor to pull it out. Montana completed 8-of-9 passes in the
final drive, three each to Rice (11 catches for 215 yards and one TD in the game) and
Craig (eight catches, 101 yards). A 27-yard pass over the middle to Rice set up the
winning toss to Taylor, who had just 14 receptions during the regular season.
Super Bowl XXIV
49ers 55, Broncos 10
No surprises here. On one sideline you had the 49ers, a team that always seems to rise
to the occasion in the Super Bowl. On the other sideline you had the Broncos, patsies in
three previous Super Bowls. Again, the Broncos got hammered.
This time the final score was 55-10. Niner QB Joe Montana was his usual unstoppable
self, completing 22-of-29 passes for 297 yards and five touchdowns. As usual, his favorite
target was WR Jerry Rice, who hauled in seven passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns.
Super Bowl XXV
Giants 20, Bills 19
An entire season boiled down to a single play. All eyes focused on Buffalo’s Scott
Norwood. As his 47-yard FG attempt, launched with a mere eight seconds remaining, sailed
wide right, the Bills lost, and Norwood became instantly infamous.
The Giants prevailed 20-19 for their second Super Bowl triumph. Although everyone
remembers Norwood’s miss, it was the gritty, ball-controlling efforts of the New York
offense that spurred Bill Parcells’ team to victory.
The Giants held the ball a Super Bowl-record 40:33, thanks in large part to game MVP
Ottis Anderson, who carried 21 times for 102 yards and a touchdown. Anderson’s
one-yard score on the opening drive of the second half capped the Giants’ comeback
from a 12-3 second-quarter deficit. New York QB Jeff Hostetler — who went from career
backup to Super Bowl hero with a mistake-free, 20-of-32, 222-yard passing performance
— had brought the Giants within two with a 14-yard TD strike to Stephen Baker late in
the first half.
Super Bowl XXVI
Redskins 37, Bills 24
The cold of Minneapolis, an unusual Super Bowl setting, was shut out by the
climate-controlled Metrodome. It wouldn’t have been enough to slow down the Redskins,
anyway.
Washington rolled through Super Bowl XXVI the same way it rolled through the rest of
the season — in dominating fashion. The Bills, who were the Redskins’
unfortunate opponents, were merely a statistic, becoming the third team to lose
back-to-back Super Bowls.
Led by QB Mark Rypien, the game’s MVP, his "Posse" — the trio of
WR’s Gary Clark, Art Monk and Ricky Sanders — and a well-rounded running game
led by rookie Ricky Ervins and veteran Earnest Byner, Washington rolled up 417 total yards
against an overwhelmed Bill defense. The 37-24 final score was made respectable only by
two late and inconsequential Buffalo touchdowns.
Down 17-0 at the half, the Bills dug themselves a deeper hole when QB Jim Kelly was
intercepted by Redskin LB Kurt Gouveia on the third quarter’s first play from
scrimmage. Gouveia returned the ball to the Bills’ two-yard line, and, a play later,
Buffalo trailed by 24.
Super Bowl XXVII
Cowboys 52, Bills 17
The Cowboys celebrated their third win in six Super Bowl appearances by devastating the
Bills 52-17. QB Troy Aikman threw four TD passes, RB Emmitt Smith rushed for 108 yards and
the Cowboys converted nine turnovers into 35 points.
After Buffalo jumped to a 7-0 lead, Aikman hit TE Jay Novacek with a 23-yard TD pass to
tie the score. On the next play from scrimmage, Buffalo QB Jim Kelly fumbled when he was
sacked by Charles Haley, and the Cowboys’ Jimmie Jones picked up the loose ball and
stumbled two yards into the endzone. Dallas took control of the game when Aikman hit
Michael Irvin with 19- and 18-yard TD passes 18 seconds apart late in the second quarter
to give the Cowboys a 28-10 halftime lead. The Cowboys put the game away with three
fourth-quarter touchdowns. Super Bowl MVP Aikman completed 22-of-30 passes for 273 yards
and was not intercepted. The victory was the ninth straight for NFC teams over AFC teams.
Super Bowl XXVIII
Cowboys 30, Bills 13
The Cowboys trailed 13-6 at halftime but used a devastating ground attack led by Emmitt
Smith and a stifling defense to rally and win their second Super Bowl in a row over the
Bills.
Dallas tied the score at 13-13 just 55 seconds into the second half when FS James
Washington picked up a Thurman Thomas fumble and returned it 46 yards for a touchdown. The
Cowboys forced the Bills to punt on their next possession, and Smith carried seven times
for 61 yards on an eight-play, 64-yard scoring drive to give the Cowboys a 20-13 lead. The
Cowboys pushed the margin to two touchdowns when Washington’s interception paved the
way for Smith’s one-yard TD blast. The loss was Buffalo’s fourth in a row at the
Super Bowl and the AFC representative’s 10th straight defeat.
Super Bowl XXIX
49ers 49, Chargers 26
The 49ers came into this game as huge favorites, and the prevailing opinion was that
the Chargers simply did not have the ability to trade points with the high-powered San
Francisco offense. Steve Young threw the first two of his Super Bowl-record six TD passes
to Jerry Rice and Ricky Watters before the game was five minutes old, and the 49ers were
never seriously threatened.
Young had a brilliant day in finally getting out from under the shadow of Joe Montana.
Young completed 24-of-36 passes for 325 yards and did not throw an interception. The
overpowering San Francisco offense scored seven touchdowns and consistently overwhelmed
the San Diego defense.
For the Chargers, their biggest highlight was the 98-yard kickoff return for a TD by
rookie Andre Coleman, who became only the third player in Super Bowl history to return a
kickoff for a touchdown.
Super Bowl XXX
Cowboys 27, Steelers 17
The Cowboys won their third Super Bowl championship in four years, defeating the
Steelers in Tempe, Ariz. This is a Super Bowl that will be remembered more for two
devastating interceptions thrown by Steeler QB Neil O’Donnell than for any
spectacular plays by Cowboy players.
Dallas jumped to a 13-0 lead midway through the second quarter on two Chris Boniol
field goals and a Jay Novacek TD reception. It looked like another Super Bowl blowout was
in the making. But the Steelers quieted the Cowboys when O’Donnell connected with WR
Yancey Thigpen for a score in the final seconds of the first half.
In the third quarter, Cowboy CB Larry Brown intercepted an O’Donnell pass and
returned it 44 yards, helping set up Dallas’ second touchdown of the game — a
one-yard Emmitt Smith run that upped the score to 20-7. Early in the fourth quarter,
Steeler PK Norm Johnson kicked a field goal to narrow the score to 20-10. The Steelers
then recovered an onside kick, which ultimately led to a Bam Morris touchdown that brought
the Steelers to within three points of the lead and swung the momentum in their favor.
The Steelers were driving late in the fourth quarter when O’Donnell misfired
again, and it was Brown who recorded his second interception of the day and returned it 33
yards. Smith scored a touchdown in the waning seconds of the game to seal the Cowboy win.
For his efforts, Brown was named the game’s MVP.
Super Bowl XXXI
Packers 35, Patriots 21
After a 28-year absence from football’s biggest game, the Packers returned to the
Super Bowl following the 1996 season and didn’t disappoint their faithful fans,
beating the Patriots 35-21.
The game got off to a quick start, with 24 points scored in the first quarter, a Super
Bowl record. The Patriots held a 14-10 lead after the first period. The Packers regained
the lead by scoring 17 second-quarter points, taking a 27-14 advantage into the lockerroom
at halftime. Late in the third quarter, the Patriots tried to make it a game when RB
Curtis Martin rushed 18 yards for a TD, narrowing the score to 27-21. However, Desmond
Howard dashed hopes of a New England win seconds later when he returned a kickoff 99 yards
for a TD to put the game away. Howard racked up 244 yards on kickoff and punt returns,
which, along with his score, earned him the game’s MVP award.
In the first Super Bowl games of their careers, Packer Brett Favre passed for 246 yards
and two TD’s with no interceptions, and DE Reggie White recorded three sacks.
Super Bowl XXXII
Broncos 31, Packers 24
It took Bronco QB John Elway four tries, but he finally won a Super Bowl, ending the
NFC’s 13-year domination of the game.
Bronco RB Terrell Davis, playing through a migraine headache, rushed 30 times for 157
yards and a Super Bowl-record three TD’s, earning him the game’s MVP award.
The Broncos jumped to a 17-7 lead on one-yard runs by Davis and Elway and a 51-yard
field goal by Jason Elam. The Packers closed the gap to three with 12 seconds left in the
first half on a six-yard pass from QB Brett Favre to TE Mark Chmura.
With the momentum in their favor, the Packers tied the game on PK Ryan Longwell’s
27-yard field goal early in the second half. Davis regained the lead for the Broncos,
capping a 13-play, 92-yard drive with a one-yard TD run. Green Bay tied the game again
early in the fourth quarter on a 13-yard pass from Favre to Antonio Freeman, but the
Broncos answered with another one-yard scoring run by Davis.
Implementing their two-minute drill, the Packers drove to the Denver 31-yard line,
where they faced a 4th-and-6 with 32 seconds remaining. But Bronco LB John Mobley broke up
a pass intended for Chmura, sealing the Broncos’ 31-24 victory.
Super Bowl XXXIII
Broncos 34, Falcons 19
Denver QB John Elway ended his career in style, throwing for 336 yards and a touchdown
and running for another TD to lead the Broncos to their second consecutive Super Bowl
victory.
Elway, starting his fifth Super Bowl, won the MVP award in what would be his final
game. (He announced his retirement later, in the offseason.)
RB Terrell Davis ran for 102 yards, and FB Howard Griffith scored two touchdowns for
the Broncos.
Denver took a 17-6 lead into halftime on the strength of a one-yard Griffith run and an
80-yard strike from Elway to Rod Smith. That was the score until the fourth quarter, when
the Broncos broke open the game. After a Darrien Gordon interception, Griffith scored on
the first play of the period to give the Broncos a 24-6 lead. Another Gordon interception
set up Elway’s three-yard scoring run, which gave Denver a 31-6 edge. The Falcons
responded as Tim Dwight returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards for a score, but it was too
little, too late.
Atlanta’s Dan Reeves, just a few weeks removed from quadruple-bypass heart
surgery, lost as a head coach in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in four tries. Reeves
coached Elway and the Broncos in three earlier Super Bowl losses.
Super Bowl XXXIV
Rams 23, Titans 16
The Rams claimed their first Vince Lombardi Trophy, thanks to the arm of QB Kurt Warner
— and the arms of LB Mike Jones.
Warner, who set a Super Bowl record with 414 passing yards, moved St. Louis down the
field throughout the first half, but the Rams couldn’t punch it into the endzone,
settling for three field goals on five red-zone trips. St. Louis finally found paydirt on
its first drive of the third quarter, as Warner hit rookie Torry Holt on a nine-yard
scoring strike to give the Rams a 16-0 lead.
Tennessee fought back. RB Eddie George, who finished the game with 95 rushing yards,
had two short TD runs to close the gap, and Al Del Greco’s 43-yard field goal with
2:12 remaining knotted the score at 16.
The Rams responded on their first play from scrimmage. WR Isaac Bruce, locked in
man-on-man coverage with Denard Walker, adjusted to an underthrown Warner pass and
sprinted away to complete a 73-yard scoring play that gave the Rams a 23-16 lead.
The Titans mounted a last-gasp drive, moving 78 yards in just 1:48. With six seconds
remaining and the play starting at the Rams’ 10-yard line, QB Steve McNair hit WR
Kevin Dyson on a slant pattern. But Jones stopped an outstretched Dyson at the St. Louis
one as time expired.
Super Bowl XXXV
Ravens 34, Giants 7
The Ravens arrived in Tampa with one of the more highly touted defenses of all time,
and the Baltimore "D" didn’t disappoint in the big game. The Ravens forced
five Giants turnovers and limited New York to 152 total yards in a 34-7 thrashing of the
NFC champions.
Much-maligned Ravens QB Trent Dilfer followed the game plan and mostly avoided mistakes
(Jessie Armstead’s touchdown return of an interception in the second quarter was
nullified by a penalty), passing for 153 yards and one touchdown and letting his defense
dictate the field position. RB Jamal Lewis accounted for nearly half of the Ravens’
offense, rushing for 102 yards and catching a pass for four yards.
Baltimore led only 10-0 at halftime but stretched its lead to 24-7 after three quarters
on the strength of a 49-yard interception return by Duane Starks and an 84-yard kickoff
return by Jermaine Lewis, both for touchdowns. Coming on the heels of a Giants TD,
Lewis’ score was especially deflating.
Having enjoyed an amazing conference championship game in which he passed for 381 yards
and five touchdowns, Giants QB Kerry Collins was thoroughly rattled on Super Sunday,
throwing four interceptions and completing only 15-of-39.
Tiki Barber’s 27-yard run to the Ravens’ 29 in the second quarter was both
the longest gain and the deepest penetration by the Giants’ offense the entire game.
New York’s only score came on a 97-yard kickoff return by rookie Ron Dixon in the
third quarter.
The game set a Super Bowl record for fewest total yards (396) by both teams combined.
Fittingly, Ravens MLB Ray Lewis was voted the game’s MVP with four passes defensed
and five tackles.
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