Super Bowl XXVI
Encyclopedia
Super Bowl XXVI was an American football
game played on January 26, 1992 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
in Minneapolis, Minnesota
to decide the National Football League
(NFL) champion following the 1991 regular season
. The National Football Conference
(NFC) champion Washington Redskins
(17–2) defeated the American Football Conference
(AFC) champion Buffalo Bills
(15–4), 37–24. Washington became the fourth team to win three Super Bowl
s, joining the Pittsburgh Steelers
, the Oakland Raiders
, and the San Francisco 49ers
. The Bills also became the third team to lose back-to-back Super Bowls, joining Minnesota (Super Bowls VIII and IX) and Denver (Super Bowls XXI and XXII). They would go on to lose 4 straight.
The Redskins jumped to a 24–0 lead early in the third quarter, which the Bills could never recover from. Washington quarterback Mark Rypien
, who completed 18 of 33 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns, with 1 interception was named Most Valuable Player (MVP). Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs
became only the third head coach to win three Super Bowls. Washington became the first team to win three Super Bowls with three different starting quarterbacks, following wins by Joe Theismann
(Super Bowl XVII
) and Doug Williams
(Super Bowl XXII
). Both the New York Giants
with Phil Simms
(Super Bowl XXI
), Jeff Hostetler
(Super Bowl XXV
) and Eli Manning
(Super Bowl XLII
) and the Green Bay Packers
with Bart Starr
(Super Bowl I
and II
), Brett Favre
(Super Bowl XXXI
), and Aaron Rodgers
(Super Bowl XLV
) have since won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks.
on January 24, 1982 in Pontiac
, Michigan
, a suburb of Detroit
. Indianapolis, Indiana
lost in its bid to host the game at the Hoosier Dome
, as did Detroit
's Pontiac Silverdome and Seattle
's Kingdome
, who had also applied.
The Metrodome also hosted the 1992 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four, making it the only stadium to host both events in the same calendar year. It also hosted the 1991 World Series
as the Minnesota Twins
defeated the Atlanta Braves
. Minneapolis is the only city and the Metrodome is the only arena to host all three events in a 12-month span (all three of these events aired on
CBS
, who would go on to purchase their Twin Cities affiliate, WCCO-TV
, later in the year). The attendance mark of 63,130 was second lowest only to the first Super Bowl's attendance of 61,946, and the Metrodome was the smallest stadium to ever host the Super Bowl. To date, this is the northernmost Super Bowl ever played.
in the league (97.9).
Rypien had several great targets to whom he could throw. Wide receiver Gary Clark
was the main deep threat on the team, catching 70 passes for 1,340 yards and 10 touchdowns. On the other side of the field, wide receiver Art Monk
, playing in his 12th NFL season, was just as reliable, catching 71 passes for 1,049 yards and 8 touchdowns. Monk's 71 receptions in 1991 gave him a career total of 801, just 18 behind the all-time record held by Steve Largent
. Wide receiver Ricky Sanders
was also big element of the passing game, catching 45 passes for 580 yards and 5 touchdowns.
The Redskins primary weapon in the backfield was running back Earnest Byner
, who ranked 5th in the NFL with 1,048 rushing yards, while also catching 34 passes for 308 yards and scoring 5 touchdowns. Rookie running back Ricky Ervins
was also a major asset to the running attack, rushing 145 times for 680 yards to earn an average of 4.7 yards per carry, while also catching 16 passes for 181 yards. And when Washington was near the goal line, they usually relied on fullback Gerald Riggs
, who rushed for 248 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. The Redskins offensive line, known as "The Hogs
", was led by Pro Bowl
tackle Jim Lachey
and guard Mark Schlereth
, along with four time pro bowl veteran Russ Grimm
. "The Hogs" allowed the fewest sacks in the league with just 9, 10 sacks less than the team that allowed the second fewest. Even Washington's special teams unit was a big threat. Running back Brian Mitchell led the NFL in punt return yards (600) and punt return touchdowns (2) with a 13.3 yards per return average, while also gaining 583 yards returning kickoffs.
Washington's defense, which ranked third in the NFL in fewest yards allowed (4,638), was led by all-pro defensive back Darrell Green
, who was one of the fastest players in the NFL, and Pro Bowl linebacker Wilber Marshall
. Both recorded 5 interceptions each, with Marshall recording 75 return yards and a touchdown, while also compiling 5.5 sacks. Safety Brad Edwards
was also a big factor in the secondary, recording four interceptions. Up front, their line was anchored by defensive end Charles Mann, who recorded 11 of Washington's 50 sacks, and recovered a fumble. Defensive end Fred Stokes
also made a big impact with 6.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and an interception.
The Redskins stormed to a league best 14–2 regular season record. After crushing the Detroit Lions
on opening day 45–0, they recorded 11 consecutive wins before suffering their first loss to the Dallas Cowboys
24–21. Their only other defeat was a meaningless loss to the Philadelphia Eagles
in the final game of the regular season in which they rested most of their starters because they had already clinched the #1 NFC playoff seed.
and running back Thurman Thomas, both had the best seasons of their careers. Kelly completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 3,844 yards and a league leading 33 touchdowns, with only 17 interceptions, to give him a 97.6 passer rating. Thomas rushed for 1,407 yards, caught 62 passes for 620 yards, and scored 12 touchdowns to earn him both the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
and the NFL Most Valuable Player Award
. Just like Washington, Buffalo had more than one threat in their backfield. Running back Kenneth Davis emerged as a big threat, rushing for 624 yards, catching 20 passes for 118 yards, and scoring 5 touchdowns.
The Bills also had several major weapons in their passing game. Wide receiver Andre Reed
led the team with 81 receptions for 1,113 yards and 10 touchdowns, and also rushed 12 times for 136 yards. On the other side of the field, veteran wide receiver James Lofton
recorded 57 receptions for 1,072 yards and 8 touchdowns to earn his 8th Pro Bowl appearance and finish the year just 55 yards short of the all time receiving record held by Steve Largent
(13,089 yards). Pro Bowl tight end Keith McKeller
was also a big contributor with 44 receptions for 434 yards, while receiver Don Beebe
had 32 catches, 414 yards, and 6 touchdowns. Once again, the Bills offensive line was led by center Kent Hull along with Pro Bowl guard Jim Ritcher
.
But the Bills had big problems on their defense. Buffalo ranked just 27th (At the time there were 28 NFL teams) in yards allowed, 19th in points allowed, and recorded only 31 sacks. A reason for this was that defensive linemen Bruce Smith and Jeff Wright
had missed most of the season with injuries. One of the few bright spots on the Bills defense was Pro Bowl linebacker Cornelius Bennett
, who recorded 78 tackles, 9 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries. Pro Bowl linebacker Darryl Talley
led the team with 90 tackles and 5 interceptions, while also recovering 2 fumbles. Defensive back Nate Odomes
was the leader of the secondary with 5 interceptions, which he returned for 120 yards and a touchdown, along with 66 tackles and a fumble recovery.
Despite their defensive problems, the Bills finished the season with an AFC best 13-3 regular season record.
, 24–7, in a rain-soaked playoff game that was closer than their 56–17 regular season win over Atlanta. Rypien had 442 passing yards and 6 touchdowns in the earlier game, but could only complete 14 out of 28 passes for 170 yards and 0 touchdowns in the rematch. Still, Washington dominated the Falcons again by forcing 6 turnovers and rushing for 162 yards. The Redskins held the ball for over 36 minutes while running back Ricky Ervins
recorded 104 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Then Washington crushed the Detroit Lions, 41–10, in the NFC Championship Game. The Lions posted a 12–4 regular season record and were coming off a 38–6 playoff blowout over the Cowboys. Many sports writers predicted that the NFC Championship Game would be much closer than the Redskins' win over the Lions in the season opening game because Detroit's future hall of fame running back Barry Sanders
did not play in it due to injury. He had recorded 1,548 yards and 16 touchdowns in the remaining 15 games of the season, and 99 combined rushing and receiving yards against Dallas in the playoffs. However, the Redskins crushed Detroit in this game as well, quickly forcing 2 Lions turnovers and building up a 10-0 lead before the game was five minutes old. The Redskins scored 41 points off of 2 touchdown runs by Riggs, two field goals from kicker Chip Lohmiller
, a pair of touchdown passes from Rypien to Monk and Clark, and Green's 32-yard fourth quarter interception return for a touchdown. Sanders was held to just 59 total yards, and linebacker Wilber Marshall
sacked Lions quarterback Erik Kramer
three times.
Meanwhile, the Bills first defeated the Kansas City Chiefs
, 37–14, avenging a 33–6 Monday night
loss during the regular season in which the Chiefs gained over 247 rushing yards, with running backs Harvey Williams and Christian Okoye
recording over 100 rushing yards each. During this playoff game, the Bills jumped to a 24–0 lead in the third quarter with Kelly throwing three touchdown passes, the first two to Reed and the third to Lofton. The Bills also got a big performance out of Thomas, who rushed for over 100 yards, and kicker Scott Norwood
, who made 3 field goals. Meanwhile, unconcerned with Kansas City's weak passing game, Buffalo played Bennett and Talley close to the line of scrimmage on nearly every play to stuff the run. Both players combined for 13 tackles, while the Bills defense held running back Barry Word
, who became the Chiefs' primary rusher since the Monday Night game and rushed over 100 yards in each of Kansas City's previous 3 games, to just 50 yards. In addition, Buffalo's defense knocked Chiefs quarterback Steve DeBerg
out of the game and intercepted backup quarterback Mark Vlasic four times
Buffalo then played against Denver Broncos
, who were coming off a 26–24 win over the Houston Oilers in which quarterback John Elway
led them on an 87-yard drive to set up kicker David Treadwell
's game-winning field goal with only 16 seconds left. It was predicted that this AFC Championship Game would be a shootout between the Bills' powerful offense and the superb postseason play of Elway. But neither Elway nor the Bills offense had much success in the 10-7 Bills victory over a game totally dominated by defense. Bennett had another great game, constantly pressuring Elway and tackling Denver rushers behind the line of scrimmage
three times. Bills linebacker Carlton Bailey
also made a big impact, intercepting a screen pass
from Elway and returning it 11 yards for Buffalo's only touchdown of the game. After backup quarterback Gary Kubiak
scored Denver's only touchdown with less than two minutes to go, the Bills then clinched the victory when defensive back Kirby Jackson
forced and recovered a fumble from running back Steve Sewell
on Denver's final drive of the game.
"Denver was successful being aggressive. That may have aided us a little bit in our thinking," said Redskins' defensive coach Richie Petitibon. "Looking at them before they had played Denver, we kind of thought you had to put pressure on this guy (Jim Kelly). We attacked the line of scrimmage more than usual. We wanted to blitz to stop the run early in the game. It's sometimes tough to pick up blitzes against the running game."http://www.billsbackers.com/SB26REDSKINS.htm
Redskins linebacker Matt Millen
was bidding to become the first player to play in a Super Bowl victory for three different franchises (he played in Super Bowl XV
and Super Bowl XVIII
with the Raiders, and Super Bowl XXIV
with the 49ers). However, Millen was deactivated for the game and watched from the Redskins sideline. He retired from the NFL shortly after the game to pursue a career in broadcasting.
During the CBS telecast, it was mentioned that Leonard Smith (the Bills' regular starting strong safety) couldn't play as a result of an infection in his knee.
by CBS
and featured the broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall
and color commentator
John Madden (their fifth and final Super Bowl broadcast for CBS). Lesley Visser
and Pat O'Brien
reported on the sidelines. Greg Gumbel
hosted all the events with help from his fellow cast member from The NFL Today
Terry Bradshaw
, as well as Dan Fouts
and Randy Cross
. Also, history was made when Lesley Visser became the first female sportscaster to preside over the postgame Vince Lombardi Trophy
presentation.
This would be the last Super Bowl to air on CBS until Super Bowl XXXV
at the end of the 2000 season
, as CBS lost the NFC
package to Fox
following the 1993 season
; leaving them without the NFL until they acquired the AFC
package from NBC
for the 1998 season
. Super Bowl XXVI was not originally in CBS' rotation; since they had just broadcast Super Bowl XXIV
two years earlier. CBS would have received Super Bowl XXVII
as part of the rotation while NBC would have aired Super Bowl XXVI. Instead, the NFL made an exception for CBS, which had acquired the rights to the 1992 Winter Olympics
, and allowed the network to air the Super Bowl as a lead-in program for their Olympics coverage.
For this game CBS debuted a new network-wide red, white, and blue graphics package as well as a new theme song (composed by Frankie Vinci) for its NFL coverage. The graphics package lasted until the end of 1995, after which CBS discarded it in favor of an orange and yellow color scheme for its sports package. The new music lasted until CBS lost the NFL at the end of the 1993 season, but continued to be used by CBS Radio until 2002. Several remixed versions of the 1993 theme were used upon the return of the NFL to CBS until the end of the 2002 season, when CBS replaced its entire NFL package with one composed by E.S. Posthumus
.
Following the game was a 60 Minutes
interview with future President
Bill
and Hillary Rodham Clinton
and an episode of 48 Hours
. Super Bowl XXVI was featured in the episode of The Simpsons
entitled "Lisa the Greek
", which aired three days prior to the game and correctly predicted that Washington would win.
, and local marching bands.
Singer Harry Connick, Jr.
later sang the national anthem. The coin toss
ceremony featured Pro Football Hall of Fame
head coach Chuck Noll
. Noll, former Steelers
Hall of Fame
head coach who had retired a month earlier after 23 seasons, conducted the coin toss. Noll's Steelers had lost to both of these teams earlier in the season by large margins (52-34 to Buffalo and 41-14 to Washington).
STS-42
, a space shuttle
mission, was in orbit during the game. A live downlink between the Metrodome and Discovery
happened during the pregame show. Three of the mission's seven crew members demonstrated a 'human coin toss' in space.
Buffalo Head Coach Marv Levy
stated his famous phrase "Where else would you rather be?" to his players moments before kickoff, as shown on NFL Films highlights.
. In addition to dancers and performers, former Olympic champions Brian Boitano
and Dorothy Hamill
skated on sheets of Teflon that were embedded on the tops of large platforms that were placed on the field for the show. Singer Gloria Estefan
performed during the show's finale.
To counter with the halftime show, Fox
decided to broadcast a special live episode of In Living Color
. As a result of that ratings success, Michael Jackson
would be tapped to perform at halftime during Super Bowl XXVII
, and more big-name talent would follow (U2
, Paul McCartney
, The Rolling Stones
and Bruce Springsteen
performed in subsequent years).
The miscues began right from the start. First, the opening kickoff had to be redone because Bills kicker Brad Daluiso
kicked the ball before referee Jerry Markbreit
signaled to begin play. Then after Washington was forced to punt, Bills running back Thurman Thomas missed the first two plays of Buffalo's first drive because he misplaced his helmet.
Later in the period, Washington drove 89 yards and appeared to score a touchdown on a third down pass from Mark Rypien
to wide receiver Art Monk
(who had already caught 3 passes for 67 yards on the drive). But it was overruled by instant replay
: the officials ruled that Monk's foot was out of bounds when he caught the ball (the first time a touchdown was overruled by instant replay
in a Super Bowl). The Redskins tried to salvage the drive with a field goal attempt, but their holder Jeff Rutledge
fumbled the snap.
On Buffalo's first play after the botched field goal attempt, Bills quarterback Jim Kelly
gave Washington another chance to score by throwing an interception to Redskins safety Brad Edwards
, who returned it 21 yards to the Bills 12-yard line. But Rypien propmptly gave it back with an interception to Bills defensive back Kirby Jackson
on the third play of the Redskins' ensuing drive.
But in the second quarter, the Redskins began to take over the game. First, a 41-yard completion from Rypien to wide receiver Ricky Sanders
and a 19-yard run by Ernest Byner set up kicker Chip Lohmiller
's 34-yard field goal to give Washington a 3-0 lead. The Redskins defense then forced Buffalo to a three-and-out on their ensuing possession, and punter Chris Mohr
's 23-yard punt sailed out of bounds at the Washington 49-yard line. The Redskins then drove 51 yards in 5 plays to score with Byner's 10-yard touchdown reception. Then, on the Bills next drive, Washington defensive back Darrell Green
intercepted a pass from Kelly at the Redskins 45-yard line. Three plays after the turnover, Rypien completed a 34-yard pass to wide receiver Gary Clark
to reach the Buffalo 15-yard line. A 14-yard run by Ricky Ervins
then set up fullback Gerald Riggs
' 1-yard touchdown run to expand the Redskins' lead, 17–0.
The Bills had a chance to drive for a score late in the second quarter. With 1:46 left in the half, Bills special teams expert Steve Tasker
downed Mohr's 48-yard punt at the Redskins 1-yard line. Washington gained zero net yards during that possession, and Buffalo got the ball back after Cliff Hicks
returned Kelly Goodburn
's 42-yard punt 2 yards to the Redskins 41-yard line. From there, Kelly completed 21-yard pass to tight end Keith McKeller
to get to the 20-yard line. But after an incomplete pass and an 8-yard sack by linebacker Wilber Marshall
, Edwards broke up a third down pass intended for Andre Reed
. In disgust, Reed threw his helmet to the ground, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that took his team out of field goal range and forced them to punt.
The Bills became the 9th team to go scoreless in the 1st half, after the Baltimore Colts
in Super Bowl III
; the Minnesota Vikings
in Super Bowls IV
, VIII
, IX
, and XI
; the Redskins in Super Bowl VII
, the Denver Broncos
in Super Bowl XII
; and the Cincinnati Bengals
in Super Bowl XVI
.
The Redskins then increased their lead 24–0 just 16 seconds into the second half after linebacker Kurt Gouveia
intercepted Kelly's pass on the first play of the third quarter and returned it 23 yards to the Bills' 2-yard line. One play later, Riggs scored his second touchdown of the game. The Redskins' 24–0 lead midway through the 3rd quarter is the largest shutout lead in Super Bowl history. The San Francisco 49ers
had led the Cincinnati Bengals
20–0 at halftime in Super Bowl XVI
.
The Bills finally got some momentum going with their next few drives. First, they drove 77 yards to the Redskins' 3 yard-line, aided by a 43-yard completion from Kelly to receiver Don Beebe
. Washington kept Buffalo out of the end zone, but kicker Scott Norwood
kicked a 21-yard field goal to cut their deficit to 24-3. Then aided by a 29-yard pass interference penalty on Redskins cornerback Martin Mayhew
in the end zone, the Bills finally scored a touchdown on their next drive with a 1-yard run by Thomas to make the score 24-10.
The two teams combined for the most points in a 3rd quarter in a Super Bowl history (24 total points: 14 for Washington and 10 for Buffalo) and the most combined in a second half (44 total points: 24 for Buffalo and 20 for Washington).
But Buffalo's hopes of a comeback faded when Washington advanced 79 yards in 11 plays on their ensuing drive, scoring on Clark's 30-yard touchdown reception to give the Redskins a 31-10 lead with 1:24 left in the third quarter. Then 3 plays after receiving the ensuing kickoff, Kelly fumbled the ball while being sacked by defensive back Alvoid Mays
, and it was recovered by defensive end Fred Stokes
. After the turnover, Washington drove to the Bills 7-yard line and increased their lead to 34-10 with Lohmiller's 25-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter.
Then on the Bills' ensuing drive, Kelly was sacked for a 9-yard loss by Stokes, threw an incomplete pass, and then threw his second interception of the game to Edwards, who returned it 35 yards to Buffalo's 33-yard line. Five plays later, Lohmiller kicked his second field goal with 11:36 left in the game to increase Washington's lead to 37–10. With the game almost completely out of reach, the Bills managed to respond with a 15 play, 79-yard drive to cut the score to 37–17 on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Kelly to Metzelaars. Then, after recovering an onside kick, the Bills drove 50 yards and scored another touchdown with Beebe's 4-yard reception to make the score 37–24. But the Bills' second onside kick attempt was unsuccessful and the Redskins were able to run out the clock. From there, the Bills attempted one final pass play before time expired.
Kelly completed 28 of a Super Bowl–record 58 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns, but was sacked 4 times, intercepted four times, and lost a fumble. Thomas ran for only 13 yards on 10 carries and was limited to 27 yards on four receptions. James Lofton
was the top receiver for the Bills with 7 catches for 92 yards, but Reed was limited to just 5 catches for 31 yards. Clark had seven catches for 114 yards and a touchdown and Monk added seven for 113 yards. (Clark and Monk became the third pair of teammates to each have 100 yards receiving in a Super Bowl; they joined the Steelers' John Stallworth
and Lynn Swann
who did it in Super Bowl XIII
and the Bengals' Cris Collinsworth
and Dan Ross
who did it in Super Bowl XVI
).
Ervins was the top rusher of the game with 79 yards. Byner recorded 49 rushing yards, and 3 receptions for 24 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Edwards recorded four tackles, broke up five passes, and returned two interceptions for 56 yards. The Redskins amassed 417 yards of total offense while limiting the explosive Bills to 283, with just 43 rushing yards.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
game played on January 26, 1992 at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, commonly called the Metrodome, is a domed sports stadium in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Opened in 1982, it replaced Metropolitan Stadium, which was on the current site of the Mall of America in Bloomington and Memorial Stadium on the University...
in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
to decide the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) champion following the 1991 regular season
1991 NFL season
The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills....
. The National Football Conference
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
(NFC) champion Washington Redskins
1991 Washington Redskins season
The 1991 Washington Redskins began with the team trying to improve on their 10-6 record from 1990. The Redskins would finish the season 14-2. They went undefeated in the playoffs and beat the Buffalo Bills 37-24 to win Super Bowl XXVI...
(17–2) defeated the American Football Conference
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
(AFC) champion Buffalo Bills
1991 Buffalo Bills season
The 1991 Buffalo Bills season was the 32nd season for the team in the National Football League. The Buffalo Bills finished the National Football League's 1991 season with a record of 13 wins and 3 losses, and finished first in the AFC East division...
(15–4), 37–24. Washington became the fourth team to win three Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
s, joining the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
, the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. The Bills also became the third team to lose back-to-back Super Bowls, joining Minnesota (Super Bowls VIII and IX) and Denver (Super Bowls XXI and XXII). They would go on to lose 4 straight.
The Redskins jumped to a 24–0 lead early in the third quarter, which the Bills could never recover from. Washington quarterback Mark Rypien
Mark Rypien
Mark Robert Rypien is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He is the first Canadian-born quarterback to start in the NFL.-Biography:...
, who completed 18 of 33 passes for 292 yards and two touchdowns, with 1 interception was named Most Valuable Player (MVP). Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs
Joe Jackson Gibbs is a former American football coach, NASCAR Championship team owner, and two time NHRA Pro Stock team owner. He was the 20th and 26th head coach in the history of the Washington Redskins...
became only the third head coach to win three Super Bowls. Washington became the first team to win three Super Bowls with three different starting quarterbacks, following wins by Joe Theismann
Joe Theismann
Joseph Robert "Joe" Theismann is a former quarterback in the National Football League and Canadian Football League . He achieved his most enduring fame in his 12 seasons playing for the Washington Redskins, where he was a two-time Pro Bowler and quarterback of the winning team in Super Bowl XVII...
(Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII was an American football game played on January 30, 1983 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the strike-shortened 1982 regular season...
) and Doug Williams
Doug Williams (football player)
Douglas Lee "Doug" Williams is a former American football quarterback and head football coach of the Grambling State University Tigers...
(Super Bowl XXII
Super Bowl XXII
Super Bowl XXII was an American football game played on January 31, 1988 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1987 regular season...
). Both the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
with Phil Simms
Phil Simms
Phillip Martin "Phil" Simms is a former American football quarterback, and currently a television sportscaster for the CBS network. After a standout career at Morehead State University, Simms was drafted in the first round by the New York Giants of the National Football League with the number...
(Super Bowl XXI
Super Bowl XXI
Super Bowl XXI was an American football game played on January 25, 1987 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1986 regular season. The National Football Conference champion New York Giants won their first Super Bowl by defeating...
), Jeff Hostetler
Jeff Hostetler
William Jeffrey Hostetler is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League for the New York Giants, Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, and Washington Redskins. His nickname is "Hoss".-Penn State:...
(Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV
Super Bowl XXV was an American football game played on January 27, 1991 at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1990 regular season. The National Football Conference Champion New York Giants defeated the American Football Conference ...
) and Eli Manning
Eli Manning
Eli Nelson Manning is an American football quarterback for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He is the younger brother of NFL quarterback Peyton Manning and the son of former NFL quarterback Archie Manning...
(Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
) and the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
with Bart Starr
Bart Starr
Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr is a former professional American football player and coach. Wearing #15, he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers from 1956 to 1971 and head coach from 1975 to 1983, compiling a record of 52–76–3 ....
(Super Bowl I
Super Bowl I
The First AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later known as Super Bowl I and referred to in some contemporary reports as the Supergame, was played on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California.The National Football League ...
and II
Super Bowl II
The second AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, later to be known as Super Bowl II, was played on January 14, 1968 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida....
), Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
(Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI
Super Bowl XXXI was an American football game played on January 26, 1997, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1996 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers defeated the American...
), and Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Charles Rodgers is an American football quarterback for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . Rodgers was selected in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Packers...
(Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
) have since won three Super Bowls with three different quarterbacks.
Background
NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXVI to Minneapolis during their May 24, 1989 meeting. It became the second Super Bowl to be played in a cold, winter climate city. The first one was Super Bowl XVISuper Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
on January 24, 1982 in Pontiac
Silverdome
The Silverdome is an indoor sporting and entertainment venue located in Launceston, Tasmania built in 1984. The Silverdome was built at an estimated cost of A$4 million, as the Tasmanian Government "proposed a world class facility" to replace the run down velodrome in the Launceston suburb of St...
, Michigan
Pontiac, Michigan
Pontiac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan named after the Ottawa Chief Pontiac, located within the Detroit metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 59,515. It is the county seat of Oakland County...
, a suburb of Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
lost in its bid to host the game at the Hoosier Dome
RCA Dome
RCA Dome was a domed stadium, located in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the home of the Indianapolis Colts NFL franchise for 24 seasons ....
, as did Detroit
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
's Pontiac Silverdome and Seattle
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team...
's Kingdome
Kingdome
The Kingdome was a multi-purpose stadium located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Owned and operated by King County, the Kingdome opened in 1976 and was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League , the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball , and the...
, who had also applied.
The Metrodome also hosted the 1992 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four, making it the only stadium to host both events in the same calendar year. It also hosted the 1991 World Series
1991 World Series
The 1991 World Series pitted the Minnesota Twins of the American League against the Atlanta Braves of the National League. The series was played from Saturday, October 19 to Sunday, October 27....
as the Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...
defeated the Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
. Minneapolis is the only city and the Metrodome is the only arena to host all three events in a 12-month span (all three of these events aired on
NFL on CBS
The NFL on CBS is the brand name of the CBS television network's coverage of the National Football League's American Football Conference games, produced by CBS Sports.-Market coverage and television policies:...
CBS
College Basketball on CBS
College Basketball on CBS presented by State Farm is a presentation of men's NCAA Division I basketball games on CBS...
, who would go on to purchase their Twin Cities affiliate, WCCO-TV
WCCO-TV
WCCO-TV, is the CBS owned and operated television station that serves the Minneapolis-St. Paul area of Minnesota. Its transmitter is at the Telefarm complex in Shoreview, Minnesota.- History :...
, later in the year). The attendance mark of 63,130 was second lowest only to the first Super Bowl's attendance of 61,946, and the Metrodome was the smallest stadium to ever host the Super Bowl. To date, this is the northernmost Super Bowl ever played.
Washington Redskins
Washington entered Super Bowl XXVI leading the league during the regular season with 485 points while allowing just 224. The team was led by Mark Rypien. Rypien was head coach Joe Gibbs' third different starting Super Bowl quarterback. Rypien led the NFC during the regular season in passing yards (3,564) and touchdown passes (28). With 249 out of 421 completions and only 11 interceptions, he earned the second highest passer ratingPasser rating
Passer rating is a measure of the performance of quarterbacks or any other passers in American football and Canadian football. There are at least two formulae currently in use: one officially used by the National Football League and the Canadian Football League, and one used in college football...
in the league (97.9).
Rypien had several great targets to whom he could throw. Wide receiver Gary Clark
Gary Clark
Gary C. Clark is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League who played for the Washington Redskins , Phoenix Cardinals and Miami Dolphins .-Early life:...
was the main deep threat on the team, catching 70 passes for 1,340 yards and 10 touchdowns. On the other side of the field, wide receiver Art Monk
Art Monk
James Arthur "Art" Monk is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles...
, playing in his 12th NFL season, was just as reliable, catching 71 passes for 1,049 yards and 8 touchdowns. Monk's 71 receptions in 1991 gave him a career total of 801, just 18 behind the all-time record held by Steve Largent
Steve Largent
Steven Michael "Steve" Largent is a retired American football player, enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a former U.S. Congressman, having served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Oklahoma from 1994 until 2002...
. Wide receiver Ricky Sanders
Ricky Sanders
Ricky Wayne Sanders is a former American football wide receiver who played for eight seasons with the Washington Redskins and one for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League from 1986 to 1994...
was also big element of the passing game, catching 45 passes for 580 yards and 5 touchdowns.
The Redskins primary weapon in the backfield was running back Earnest Byner
Earnest Byner
Earnest Alexander Byner is a former American football running back in the National Football League and is currently a running backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars...
, who ranked 5th in the NFL with 1,048 rushing yards, while also catching 34 passes for 308 yards and scoring 5 touchdowns. Rookie running back Ricky Ervins
Ricky Ervins
Richard Ervins is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers...
was also a major asset to the running attack, rushing 145 times for 680 yards to earn an average of 4.7 yards per carry, while also catching 16 passes for 181 yards. And when Washington was near the goal line, they usually relied on fullback Gerald Riggs
Gerald Riggs
Gerald Antonio Riggs is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Atlanta Falcons from 1982-1988 and the Washington Redskins from 1989-1991....
, who rushed for 248 yards and scored 11 touchdowns. The Redskins offensive line, known as "The Hogs
The Hogs (American football)
The Hogs was the nickname for the offensive line of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League during the 1980s and early 1990s. Renowned for their ability to control the line of scrimmage, the Hogs helped the Redskins win three Super Bowl championships under head coach Joe Gibbs...
", was led by Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
tackle Jim Lachey
Jim Lachey
James Michael Lachey is a former American football offensive tackle who played for ten seasons in the National Football League with the San Diego Chargers, the Los Angeles Raiders and the Washington Redskins from 1985 to 1995, missing the 1993 season with a knee injury.Lachey graduated from St...
and guard Mark Schlereth
Mark Schlereth
Mark Frederick Schlereth is a former professional football player and current television sportscaster. Schlereth played guard in the NFL for 12 seasons with the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN on NFL Live, Sportscenter, and other programs...
, along with four time pro bowl veteran Russ Grimm
Russ Grimm
Russell Scott Grimm is a former American football guard for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. As a collegian, he was an All-American center at the University of Pittsburgh. As a professional, Grimm had multi-selections to both the All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams, and was...
. "The Hogs" allowed the fewest sacks in the league with just 9, 10 sacks less than the team that allowed the second fewest. Even Washington's special teams unit was a big threat. Running back Brian Mitchell led the NFL in punt return yards (600) and punt return touchdowns (2) with a 13.3 yards per return average, while also gaining 583 yards returning kickoffs.
Washington's defense, which ranked third in the NFL in fewest yards allowed (4,638), was led by all-pro defensive back Darrell Green
Darrell Green
Darrell Ray Green is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League who played for the Washington Redskins from 1983 to 2002. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play football...
, who was one of the fastest players in the NFL, and Pro Bowl linebacker Wilber Marshall
Wilber Marshall
Wilber Buddyhia Marshall is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League for twelve seasons during the 1980s and 1990s...
. Both recorded 5 interceptions each, with Marshall recording 75 return yards and a touchdown, while also compiling 5.5 sacks. Safety Brad Edwards
Brad Edwards
Bradford Wayne Edwards is a former American football defensive back who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, and the Atlanta Falcons. He graduated from Douglas Byrd High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1984...
was also a big factor in the secondary, recording four interceptions. Up front, their line was anchored by defensive end Charles Mann, who recorded 11 of Washington's 50 sacks, and recovered a fumble. Defensive end Fred Stokes
Fred Stokes
Louis Fred Stokes is a former American football defensive end who played ten seasons in the National Football League. He started in Super Bowl XXVI. Stokes played college football at Georgia Southern University and was drafted in the 12th round of the 1987 NFL Draft...
also made a big impact with 6.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and an interception.
The Redskins stormed to a league best 14–2 regular season record. After crushing the Detroit Lions
1991 Detroit Lions season
The 1991 season for the Detroit Lions saw the team finish 12-4, win the NFC Central Division, and appear in the playoffs for the first time since 1983. It stands as the team's best season since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970...
on opening day 45–0, they recorded 11 consecutive wins before suffering their first loss to the Dallas Cowboys
1991 Dallas Cowboys season
This year would mark the Cowboys' return to the playoffs after a number of seasons, including a 1–15 campaign just two years prior. This also marked Norv Turner's first year as offensive coordinator under head coach Jimmy Johnson. The young offensive nucleus of Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt...
24–21. Their only other defeat was a meaningless loss to the Philadelphia Eagles
1991 Philadelphia Eagles season
The 1991 Philadelphia Eagles season resulted in missing the postseason, despite having a 10–6 record and finishing with the top-ranked defense in the NFL. During Week 1, quarterback Randall Cunningham was lost for the season with a knee injury....
in the final game of the regular season in which they rested most of their starters because they had already clinched the #1 NFC playoff seed.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills No Huddle "K-Gun" offense once again dominated the league by gaining an NFL leading 6,525 yards and scoring 458 points, second only to Washington. The leaders of the offense, quarterback Jim KellyJim Kelly
James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
and running back Thurman Thomas, both had the best seasons of their careers. Kelly completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 3,844 yards and a league leading 33 touchdowns, with only 17 interceptions, to give him a 97.6 passer rating. Thomas rushed for 1,407 yards, caught 62 passes for 620 yards, and scored 12 touchdowns to earn him both the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
The NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award is given annually by the Associated Press to the offensive player of the National Football League believed to have had the most outstanding season...
and the NFL Most Valuable Player Award
NFL Most Valuable Player Award
The National Football League Most Valuable Player Award is given by various entities, most notably the Associated Press , to the player who is considered most valuable in the league. When the award is referred to without mentioning the organization, it generally means the AP award. The AP NFL MVP...
. Just like Washington, Buffalo had more than one threat in their backfield. Running back Kenneth Davis emerged as a big threat, rushing for 624 yards, catching 20 passes for 118 yards, and scoring 5 touchdowns.
The Bills also had several major weapons in their passing game. Wide receiver Andre Reed
Andre Reed
Andre Darnell Reed is a former professional American football player. He played wide receiver in the National Football League for 16 seasons, 15 with the Buffalo Bills and one with the Washington Redskins .Reed ranks tenth in NFL history in total career receptions with 951.-Football career:Reed...
led the team with 81 receptions for 1,113 yards and 10 touchdowns, and also rushed 12 times for 136 yards. On the other side of the field, veteran wide receiver James Lofton
James Lofton
James David Lofton is a former American football player and coach. He is a former American football coach for the San Diego Chargers but is best known for his years in the National Football League as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers , Los Angeles Raiders , the Buffalo Bills...
recorded 57 receptions for 1,072 yards and 8 touchdowns to earn his 8th Pro Bowl appearance and finish the year just 55 yards short of the all time receiving record held by Steve Largent
Steve Largent
Steven Michael "Steve" Largent is a retired American football player, enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and a former U.S. Congressman, having served in the U.S. House of Representatives for Oklahoma from 1994 until 2002...
(13,089 yards). Pro Bowl tight end Keith McKeller
Keith McKeller
Terrell Keith McKeller is a former American football tight end for the Buffalo Bills from 1987 to 1993. McKeller's blocking and pass receiving was a big asset to the team during the early 90's, assisting them to 4 Super Bowl appearances — Super Bowl XXV, Super Bowl XXVI, Super Bowl XXVII,...
was also a big contributor with 44 receptions for 434 yards, while receiver Don Beebe
Don Beebe
Don Lee Beebe is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Buffalo Bills , Carolina Panthers and the Green Bay Packers of the NFL....
had 32 catches, 414 yards, and 6 touchdowns. Once again, the Bills offensive line was led by center Kent Hull along with Pro Bowl guard Jim Ritcher
Jim Ritcher
-Career:He started his career playing high school football for Highland High School in Medina, Ohio and was an All-American at North Carolina State and won the Outland Trophy in 1979 as the nation's best offensive lineman. In the National Football League, Richer was moved to guard from center by...
.
But the Bills had big problems on their defense. Buffalo ranked just 27th (At the time there were 28 NFL teams) in yards allowed, 19th in points allowed, and recorded only 31 sacks. A reason for this was that defensive linemen Bruce Smith and Jeff Wright
Jeff Wright (defensive tackle)
Jeffrey Dee Wright is a former American football nose tackle who had a seven-year career in the National Football League with the Buffalo Bills. He played in four Super Bowls for the Bills, all losing efforts...
had missed most of the season with injuries. One of the few bright spots on the Bills defense was Pro Bowl linebacker Cornelius Bennett
Cornelius Bennett
Cornelius O'Landa Bennett is a former American football linebacker who played for the Buffalo Bills from 1987 to 1995, Atlanta Falcons from 1996 to 1998, and the Indianapolis Colts from 1999 to 2000...
, who recorded 78 tackles, 9 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries. Pro Bowl linebacker Darryl Talley
Darryl Talley
Darryl Victor Talley is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 1983 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia....
led the team with 90 tackles and 5 interceptions, while also recovering 2 fumbles. Defensive back Nate Odomes
Nate Odomes
Nathaniel Bernard Odomes is a former professional American football defensive back who played for the Buffalo Bills , Seattle Seahawks , and the Atlanta Falcons...
was the leader of the secondary with 5 interceptions, which he returned for 120 yards and a touchdown, along with 66 tackles and a fumble recovery.
Despite their defensive problems, the Bills finished the season with an AFC best 13-3 regular season record.
Playoffs
The Redskins first defeated the Atlanta Falcons1991 Atlanta Falcons season
-Roster:-Schedule:-NFC Wild Card Game:Falcons quarterback Chris Miller completed the game-winning 61-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Haynes with 2:41 left in the contest...
, 24–7, in a rain-soaked playoff game that was closer than their 56–17 regular season win over Atlanta. Rypien had 442 passing yards and 6 touchdowns in the earlier game, but could only complete 14 out of 28 passes for 170 yards and 0 touchdowns in the rematch. Still, Washington dominated the Falcons again by forcing 6 turnovers and rushing for 162 yards. The Redskins held the ball for over 36 minutes while running back Ricky Ervins
Ricky Ervins
Richard Ervins is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers...
recorded 104 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Then Washington crushed the Detroit Lions, 41–10, in the NFC Championship Game. The Lions posted a 12–4 regular season record and were coming off a 38–6 playoff blowout over the Cowboys. Many sports writers predicted that the NFC Championship Game would be much closer than the Redskins' win over the Lions in the season opening game because Detroit's future hall of fame running back Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders is a former American football running back who spent all of his professional career with the Detroit Lions in the NFL. Sanders left the game just short of the all-time rushing record...
did not play in it due to injury. He had recorded 1,548 yards and 16 touchdowns in the remaining 15 games of the season, and 99 combined rushing and receiving yards against Dallas in the playoffs. However, the Redskins crushed Detroit in this game as well, quickly forcing 2 Lions turnovers and building up a 10-0 lead before the game was five minutes old. The Redskins scored 41 points off of 2 touchdown runs by Riggs, two field goals from kicker Chip Lohmiller
Chip Lohmiller
John McLeod "Chip" Lohmiller is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, and the St. Louis Rams...
, a pair of touchdown passes from Rypien to Monk and Clark, and Green's 32-yard fourth quarter interception return for a touchdown. Sanders was held to just 59 total yards, and linebacker Wilber Marshall
Wilber Marshall
Wilber Buddyhia Marshall is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League for twelve seasons during the 1980s and 1990s...
sacked Lions quarterback Erik Kramer
Erik Kramer
William Erik Kramer , is a former American football quarterback. He attended John Burroughs High School in Burbank, CA. After attending Los Angeles Pierce College and playing as their quarterback, Kramer transferred to North Carolina State University where he finished a successful college football...
three times.
Meanwhile, the Bills first defeated the Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, 37–14, avenging a 33–6 Monday night
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
loss during the regular season in which the Chiefs gained over 247 rushing yards, with running backs Harvey Williams and Christian Okoye
Christian Okoye
Christian Emeka Okoye , is a Nigerian-American former American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1987 to 1992. Nicknamed "The Nigerian Nightmare," Okoye was known for his powerful running style and ability to break tackles. Okoye's six seasons in the NFL saw a league rushing...
recording over 100 rushing yards each. During this playoff game, the Bills jumped to a 24–0 lead in the third quarter with Kelly throwing three touchdown passes, the first two to Reed and the third to Lofton. The Bills also got a big performance out of Thomas, who rushed for over 100 yards, and kicker Scott Norwood
Scott Norwood
Scott Allan Norwood is a former American football placekicker in the NFL who played for the Buffalo Bills. Norwood was an integral part of its offense during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and kicked in Buffalo's first two Super Bowl appearances...
, who made 3 field goals. Meanwhile, unconcerned with Kansas City's weak passing game, Buffalo played Bennett and Talley close to the line of scrimmage on nearly every play to stuff the run. Both players combined for 13 tackles, while the Bills defense held running back Barry Word
Barry Word
Barry Quentin Word is a former American football running back for the National Football League.-College:...
, who became the Chiefs' primary rusher since the Monday Night game and rushed over 100 yards in each of Kansas City's previous 3 games, to just 50 yards. In addition, Buffalo's defense knocked Chiefs quarterback Steve DeBerg
Steve DeBerg
Steven Leroy DeBerg had a long career as an American Football quarterback. His career spanned 21 years over 3 decades. Despite the fact that large portions of his career were spent as a backup, DeBerg ultimately accumulated some impressive NFL statistics, particularly during the early 1990s, when...
out of the game and intercepted backup quarterback Mark Vlasic four times
Buffalo then played against Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, who were coming off a 26–24 win over the Houston Oilers in which quarterback John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
led them on an 87-yard drive to set up kicker David Treadwell
David Treadwell
David Mark Treadwell is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League for the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants . He played college football for the Clemson Tigers from 1984 to 1987, where he graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering...
's game-winning field goal with only 16 seconds left. It was predicted that this AFC Championship Game would be a shootout between the Bills' powerful offense and the superb postseason play of Elway. But neither Elway nor the Bills offense had much success in the 10-7 Bills victory over a game totally dominated by defense. Bennett had another great game, constantly pressuring Elway and tackling Denver rushers behind the line of scrimmage
Line of scrimmage
In American and Canadian football a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun...
three times. Bills linebacker Carlton Bailey
Carlton Bailey
Carlton Wilson Bailey is a former professional American football player who played linebacker in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, and Carolina Panthers...
also made a big impact, intercepting a screen pass
Screen pass
A screen pass is a type of play in American football. During a screen pass, a number of things happen concurrently in order to fool the defense into thinking a long pass is being thrown, when in fact the pass is merely a short one, just beyond the defensive linemen. Screens are usually deployed...
from Elway and returning it 11 yards for Buffalo's only touchdown of the game. After backup quarterback Gary Kubiak
Gary Kubiak
Gary Wayne Kubiak is the head coach for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Kubiak has participated in six Super Bowls, losing three as a player with the Denver Broncos and winning three as an assistant coach with Denver and the San Francisco 49ers.-High school:Kubiak passed for a...
scored Denver's only touchdown with less than two minutes to go, the Bills then clinched the victory when defensive back Kirby Jackson
Kirby Jackson
Kirby Jackson is a former professional American football defensive back who played for the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills . Before his NFL career, he played for Mississippi State University and was selected by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 1987 NFL Draft....
forced and recovered a fumble from running back Steve Sewell
Steve Sewell
Steven Edward Sewell , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Denver Broncos in the 1st round of the 1985 NFL Draft. A 6'3", 210-lb. running back from the University of Oklahoma, Sewell played his entire NFL career for the Broncos from 1985 to 1991...
on Denver's final drive of the game.
Super Bowl pregame news
During the week leading to Super Bowl XXVI, it seemed most of the pressure was on the Bills. The AFC Championship Game appeared to be the best defensive effort by Buffalo all season, as they held the Broncos to only a touchdown, while also limiting Elway to just 11 of 21 completions for 121 yards and no touchdowns, with 1 interception. But the Bills's high powered offense was completely shut down, limited to just a single field goal in the entire game. In addition, the Bills could have easily been eliminated by the Broncos had Treadwell not missed 3 field goal attempts, 2 of which hit the uprights. The performance also gave an opportunity for Gibbs and the Redskins' coaches to devise a strong game plan to exploit their Super Bowl opponent's weaknesses."Denver was successful being aggressive. That may have aided us a little bit in our thinking," said Redskins' defensive coach Richie Petitibon. "Looking at them before they had played Denver, we kind of thought you had to put pressure on this guy (Jim Kelly). We attacked the line of scrimmage more than usual. We wanted to blitz to stop the run early in the game. It's sometimes tough to pick up blitzes against the running game."http://www.billsbackers.com/SB26REDSKINS.htm
Redskins linebacker Matt Millen
Matt Millen
Matthew George "Matt" Millen is an American former National Football League linebacker and a former executive. Millen played for the Oakland Raiders, the San Francisco 49ers and the Washington Redskins. In Millen's 12-year NFL playing career, he played on four Super Bowl-winning teams...
was bidding to become the first player to play in a Super Bowl victory for three different franchises (he played in Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV was an American football game played on January 25, 1981 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1980 regular season...
and Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, deciding the National Football League champion following the 1983 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Los Angeles Raiders defeated the National Football Conference...
with the Raiders, and Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game played on January 28, 1990 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1989 regular season...
with the 49ers). However, Millen was deactivated for the game and watched from the Redskins sideline. He retired from the NFL shortly after the game to pursue a career in broadcasting.
During the CBS telecast, it was mentioned that Leonard Smith (the Bills' regular starting strong safety) couldn't play as a result of an infection in his knee.
Television and entertainment
The game was broadcast in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
and featured the broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall
Pat Summerall
George Allen "Pat" Summerall is a former American football player and television sportscaster, having worked at CBS, Fox, and ESPN.Summerall is best known for his work with John Madden on NFL telecasts for CBS and Fox.-High school:...
and color commentator
Color commentator
A color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
John Madden (their fifth and final Super Bowl broadcast for CBS). Lesley Visser
Lesley Visser
Lesley Candace Visser is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and sportswriter. Visser is the first female NFL analyst on TV, and the only sportscaster in history, male or female, who has worked on Final Four, NBA Finals, World Series, Triple Crown, Monday Night Football, the Olympics, the...
and Pat O'Brien
Pat O'Brien (television)
Pat O'Brien is currently a radio host with Fox Sports Radio as well as an author. He is best known for his time as a sportscaster with CBS Sports and as anchor/host of Access Hollywood and The Insider .O'Brien covered five Olympic Games, two for CBS...
reported on the sidelines. Greg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments on the CBS network...
hosted all the events with help from his fellow cast member from The NFL Today
The NFL Today
The NFL Today is an American sports series that precedes the American football program The NFL on CBS on CBS Sports. The program usually airs at noon on Sundays of the National Football League regular season...
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
, as well as Dan Fouts
Dan Fouts
Daniel Francis Fouts is a retired Hall of Fame American football quarterback in the National Football League. Fouts played his entire professional career with the San Diego Chargers from 1973 through 1987...
and Randy Cross
Randy Cross
Randall "Randy" Laureat Cross , is a football analyst and former NFL offensive lineman. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in July 2011.-High school years:...
. Also, history was made when Lesley Visser became the first female sportscaster to preside over the postgame Vince Lombardi Trophy
Vince Lombardi Trophy
The Vince Lombardi Trophy is the trophy awarded each year to the winning team of the National Football League's championship game, the Super Bowl.-History:...
presentation.
This would be the last Super Bowl to air on CBS until Super Bowl XXXV
Super Bowl XXXV
Super Bowl XXXV was played on January 28, 2001 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 2000 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Baltimore Ravens defeated the National Football Conference champion New York...
at the end of the 2000 season
2000 NFL season
The 2000 NFL season was the 81st regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXXV when the Baltimore Ravens defeated the New York Giants.Week 1 of the season reverted to Labor Day weekend in 2000...
, as CBS lost the NFC
National Football Conference
The National Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the American Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL.-Current teams:Since 2002, the NFC has comprised 16 teams,...
package to Fox
NFL on FOX
NFL on Fox is the brand name of the Fox Broadcasting Company's coverage of the National Football League's National Football Conference games, produced by Fox Sports...
following the 1993 season
1993 NFL season
The 1993 NFL season was the 74th regular season of the National Football League. For the first time in league history, all NFL teams played their 16-game schedule over a span of 18 weeks. After the success of expanding the regular season to a period of 17 weeks in 1990, the league hoped this new...
; leaving them without the NFL until they acquired the AFC
American Football Conference
The American Football Conference is one of the two conferences of the National Football League . This conference and its counterpart, the National Football Conference , currently contain 16 teams each, making up the 32 teams of the NFL....
package from NBC
NFL on NBC
NFL on NBC is the brand given to NBC Sports coverage of National Football League games until 1998, when NBC lost the NFL American Football Conference rights to CBS...
for the 1998 season
1998 NFL season
The 1998 NFL season was the 79th regular season of the National Football League.The Tennessee Oilers moved their home games from Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis to Vanderbilt Stadium in Nashville, still awaiting construction on a new stadium in Nashville.This was the first season that CBS...
. Super Bowl XXVI was not originally in CBS' rotation; since they had just broadcast Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV
Super Bowl XXIV was an American football game played on January 28, 1990 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1989 regular season...
two years earlier. CBS would have received Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was a football game played on January 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1992 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football Conference champion...
as part of the rotation while NBC would have aired Super Bowl XXVI. Instead, the NFL made an exception for CBS, which had acquired the rights to the 1992 Winter Olympics
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
, and allowed the network to air the Super Bowl as a lead-in program for their Olympics coverage.
For this game CBS debuted a new network-wide red, white, and blue graphics package as well as a new theme song (composed by Frankie Vinci) for its NFL coverage. The graphics package lasted until the end of 1995, after which CBS discarded it in favor of an orange and yellow color scheme for its sports package. The new music lasted until CBS lost the NFL at the end of the 1993 season, but continued to be used by CBS Radio until 2002. Several remixed versions of the 1993 theme were used upon the return of the NFL to CBS until the end of the 2002 season, when CBS replaced its entire NFL package with one composed by E.S. Posthumus
E.S. Posthumus
Unearthed, the first album composed by E.S. Posthumus, was originally made available for purchase online through the CD Baby website in January 2001. It became the third-biggest selling album in CDBaby's history...
.
Following the game was a 60 Minutes
60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
interview with future President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Bill
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
and Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton is the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the administration of President Barack Obama. She was a United States Senator for New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, she was the First Lady of the...
and an episode of 48 Hours
48 Hours (TV series)
48 Hours is a documentary and news program broadcast on the CBS television network since January 19, 1988. The program originally presented documentaries of various events related to a particular subject occurring within a 48-hour period, and is credited as one of the first to air a "reality show"...
. Super Bowl XXVI was featured in the episode of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
entitled "Lisa the Greek
Lisa the Greek
"Lisa the Greek" is the fourteenth episode of The Simpsons third season. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 23, 1992. In the episode, Homer begins to bond with his daughter, Lisa, after learning her unique and convenient ability to pick winning American football...
", which aired three days prior to the game and correctly predicted that Washington would win.
Pregame ceremonies
The pregame show featured local Minnesota youth including the Metropolitan Boys Choir, the Minnesota Youth SymphoniesMinnesota Youth Symphonies
Minnesota Youth Symphonies, commonly referred to as MYS, was founded in 1972. The program has four orchestras composed of elementary through high school aged musicians. Participation is based on an audition in which the prospective student must perform an appropriate solo, orchestral excerpt, major...
, and local marching bands.
Singer Harry Connick, Jr.
Harry Connick, Jr.
Joseph Harry Fowler Connick, Jr. is an American singer, big-band leader/conductor, pianist, actor, and composer. He has sold over 25 million albums worldwide. Connick is ranked among the top 60 best-selling male artists in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America, with...
later sang the national anthem. The coin toss
Coin flipping
Coin flipping or coin tossing or heads or tails is the practice of throwing a coin in the air to choose between two alternatives, sometimes to resolve a dispute between two parties...
ceremony featured Pro Football Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
head coach Chuck Noll
Chuck Noll
Charles Henry "Chuck" Noll is a former professional American football player and coach, and a member of the Sid Gillman coaching tree. He served most notably as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League from 1969 to 1991...
. Noll, former Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
Hall of Fame
Pro Football Hall of Fame
The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame of professional football in the United States with an emphasis on the National Football League . It opened in Canton, Ohio, on September 7, 1963, with 17 charter inductees...
head coach who had retired a month earlier after 23 seasons, conducted the coin toss. Noll's Steelers had lost to both of these teams earlier in the season by large margins (52-34 to Buffalo and 41-14 to Washington).
STS-42
STS-42
STS-42 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission with the Spacelab module. Liftoff which was originally scheduled for 8:45 EST 22 January 1992, but the launch was delayed due to weather constraints. Discovery successfully lifted off an hour later at 9:52 EST . The main goal of the mission was to study...
, a space shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
mission, was in orbit during the game. A live downlink between the Metrodome and Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States, and was operational from its maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing during STS-133 on March 9, 2011...
happened during the pregame show. Three of the mission's seven crew members demonstrated a 'human coin toss' in space.
Buffalo Head Coach Marv Levy
Marv Levy
Marvin Daniel Levy is a former American and Canadian football coach, front office executive and author.He is a former professional football coach, in the CFL as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes , and in the NFL as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills , coaching the Bills...
stated his famous phrase "Where else would you rather be?" to his players moments before kickoff, as shown on NFL Films highlights.
Halftime show
The halftime show was titled "Winter Magic" and featured a celebration to the winter season and the Winter Olympics1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
. In addition to dancers and performers, former Olympic champions Brian Boitano
Brian Boitano
Brian Anthony Boitano is an American figure skater from Sunnyvale, California. He is the 1988 Olympic champion, the 1986 and 1988 World Champion, and the 1985-1988 U.S. National Champion. He turned professional following the 1988 season...
and Dorothy Hamill
Dorothy Hamill
Dorothy Stuart Hamill is an American figure skater. She is the 1976 Olympic champion in Ladies' Singles and 1976 World Champion.-Early life:...
skated on sheets of Teflon that were embedded on the tops of large platforms that were placed on the field for the show. Singer Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan
Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those...
performed during the show's finale.
To counter with the halftime show, Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
decided to broadcast a special live episode of In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
. As a result of that ratings success, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
would be tapped to perform at halftime during Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was a football game played on January 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1992 regular season. The National Football Conference champion Dallas Cowboys defeated the American Football Conference champion...
, and more big-name talent would follow (U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
and Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
performed in subsequent years).
Game summary
Both teams entered the game as the two highest scoring teams in the league, but after the end of an extremely sloppy first quarter, both of them would be scoreless.The miscues began right from the start. First, the opening kickoff had to be redone because Bills kicker Brad Daluiso
Brad Daluiso
Bradley William Daluiso is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League. He played twelve seasons, the majority of them with the New York Giants. In addition, he played for the Atlanta Falcons, the Buffalo Bills, the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders...
kicked the ball before referee Jerry Markbreit
Jerry Markbreit
Jerry Markbreit is a former American football referee in the National Football League for 23 seasons and became one of the most recognizable referees in the game. Markbreit officiated football games for 43 seasons. From 1965 to 1975, Markbreit officiated college football games in the Big Ten...
signaled to begin play. Then after Washington was forced to punt, Bills running back Thurman Thomas missed the first two plays of Buffalo's first drive because he misplaced his helmet.
Later in the period, Washington drove 89 yards and appeared to score a touchdown on a third down pass from Mark Rypien
Mark Rypien
Mark Robert Rypien is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He is the first Canadian-born quarterback to start in the NFL.-Biography:...
to wide receiver Art Monk
Art Monk
James Arthur "Art" Monk is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles...
(who had already caught 3 passes for 67 yards on the drive). But it was overruled by instant replay
Instant replay in American football
In American and Canadian football, instant replay is a method of reviewing a play using cameras at various angles to determine the accuracy of the initial call of the officials...
: the officials ruled that Monk's foot was out of bounds when he caught the ball (the first time a touchdown was overruled by instant replay
Instant replay
Instant replay is the replaying of video footage of an event or incident very soon after it has occurred. In television broadcasting of sports events, instant replay is often used during live broadcast, to show a passage of play which was important or remarkable, or which was unclear on first...
in a Super Bowl). The Redskins tried to salvage the drive with a field goal attempt, but their holder Jeff Rutledge
Jeff Rutledge
Jeffrey Ronald Rutledge is an American football coach and former professional quarterback. He is currently the head football coach at Pope John Paul II High School in Hendersonville, Tennessee.-Early years:...
fumbled the snap.
On Buffalo's first play after the botched field goal attempt, Bills quarterback Jim Kelly
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers....
gave Washington another chance to score by throwing an interception to Redskins safety Brad Edwards
Brad Edwards
Bradford Wayne Edwards is a former American football defensive back who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, and the Atlanta Falcons. He graduated from Douglas Byrd High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1984...
, who returned it 21 yards to the Bills 12-yard line. But Rypien propmptly gave it back with an interception to Bills defensive back Kirby Jackson
Kirby Jackson
Kirby Jackson is a former professional American football defensive back who played for the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills . Before his NFL career, he played for Mississippi State University and was selected by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 1987 NFL Draft....
on the third play of the Redskins' ensuing drive.
But in the second quarter, the Redskins began to take over the game. First, a 41-yard completion from Rypien to wide receiver Ricky Sanders
Ricky Sanders
Ricky Wayne Sanders is a former American football wide receiver who played for eight seasons with the Washington Redskins and one for the Atlanta Falcons in the National Football League from 1986 to 1994...
and a 19-yard run by Ernest Byner set up kicker Chip Lohmiller
Chip Lohmiller
John McLeod "Chip" Lohmiller is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, and the St. Louis Rams...
's 34-yard field goal to give Washington a 3-0 lead. The Redskins defense then forced Buffalo to a three-and-out on their ensuing possession, and punter Chris Mohr
Chris Mohr
Christopher Garrett Mohr is a former American football punter. Mohr grew up in Thomson, Georgia, where he played football at Briarwood Academy. He was recruited by the University of Alabama, where he was the team's starting punter for three years...
's 23-yard punt sailed out of bounds at the Washington 49-yard line. The Redskins then drove 51 yards in 5 plays to score with Byner's 10-yard touchdown reception. Then, on the Bills next drive, Washington defensive back Darrell Green
Darrell Green
Darrell Ray Green is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League who played for the Washington Redskins from 1983 to 2002. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play football...
intercepted a pass from Kelly at the Redskins 45-yard line. Three plays after the turnover, Rypien completed a 34-yard pass to wide receiver Gary Clark
Gary Clark
Gary C. Clark is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League who played for the Washington Redskins , Phoenix Cardinals and Miami Dolphins .-Early life:...
to reach the Buffalo 15-yard line. A 14-yard run by Ricky Ervins
Ricky Ervins
Richard Ervins is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers...
then set up fullback Gerald Riggs
Gerald Riggs
Gerald Antonio Riggs is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Atlanta Falcons from 1982-1988 and the Washington Redskins from 1989-1991....
' 1-yard touchdown run to expand the Redskins' lead, 17–0.
The Bills had a chance to drive for a score late in the second quarter. With 1:46 left in the half, Bills special teams expert Steve Tasker
Steve Tasker
Steven Jay Tasker is a broadcaster for CBS Sports, who previously was a wide receiver/gunner in the National Football League. He was drafted in the ninth round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Houston Oilers. He played college football at Northwestern...
downed Mohr's 48-yard punt at the Redskins 1-yard line. Washington gained zero net yards during that possession, and Buffalo got the ball back after Cliff Hicks
Cliff Hicks
Clifford Wendell Hicks, Jr. is a former professional American football defensive back who played for four NFL teams from...
returned Kelly Goodburn
Kelly Goodburn
Kelly Joe Goodburn is a former American football punter with a seven year career in the National Football League. He entered the NFL by signing as a free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1987. He played in Super Bowl XXVI for the Washington Redskins and attended Iowa State University and...
's 42-yard punt 2 yards to the Redskins 41-yard line. From there, Kelly completed 21-yard pass to tight end Keith McKeller
Keith McKeller
Terrell Keith McKeller is a former American football tight end for the Buffalo Bills from 1987 to 1993. McKeller's blocking and pass receiving was a big asset to the team during the early 90's, assisting them to 4 Super Bowl appearances — Super Bowl XXV, Super Bowl XXVI, Super Bowl XXVII,...
to get to the 20-yard line. But after an incomplete pass and an 8-yard sack by linebacker Wilber Marshall
Wilber Marshall
Wilber Buddyhia Marshall is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League for twelve seasons during the 1980s and 1990s...
, Edwards broke up a third down pass intended for Andre Reed
Andre Reed
Andre Darnell Reed is a former professional American football player. He played wide receiver in the National Football League for 16 seasons, 15 with the Buffalo Bills and one with the Washington Redskins .Reed ranks tenth in NFL history in total career receptions with 951.-Football career:Reed...
. In disgust, Reed threw his helmet to the ground, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that took his team out of field goal range and forced them to punt.
The Bills became the 9th team to go scoreless in the 1st half, after the Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
in Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III was the third AFL-NFL Championship Game in professional American football, but the first to officially bear the name "Super Bowl". This game is regarded as one of the greatest upsets in sports history...
; the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
in Super Bowls IV
Super Bowl IV
Super Bowl IV was the fourth AFL-NFL World Championship Game in professional American football, and the second one to officially bear the name "Super Bowl"...
, VIII
Super Bowl VIII
Super Bowl VIII was a professional American football game played on January 13, 1974 at Rice Stadium. in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 1973 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Miami Dolphins defeated the National Football...
, IX
Super Bowl IX
Super Bowl IX was an American football game played on January 12, 1975 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1974 regular season. It would be the last pro game at legendary Tulane Stadium...
, and XI
Super Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI was a football game played on January 9, 1977 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1976 regular season...
; the Redskins in Super Bowl VII
Super Bowl VII
Super Bowl VII was an American football game played on January 14, 1973, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1972 regular season...
, the Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII
Super Bowl XII was an American football game played on January 15, 1978 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1977 regular season...
; and the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
in Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
.
The Redskins then increased their lead 24–0 just 16 seconds into the second half after linebacker Kurt Gouveia
Kurt Gouveia
Kurt Keola Gouveia is a former professional American football linebacker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League and one season in the XFL. During his career, he played for the Washington Redskins & , the Philadelphia Eagles , and the San Diego Chargers...
intercepted Kelly's pass on the first play of the third quarter and returned it 23 yards to the Bills' 2-yard line. One play later, Riggs scored his second touchdown of the game. The Redskins' 24–0 lead midway through the 3rd quarter is the largest shutout lead in Super Bowl history. The San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
had led the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
20–0 at halftime in Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
.
The Bills finally got some momentum going with their next few drives. First, they drove 77 yards to the Redskins' 3 yard-line, aided by a 43-yard completion from Kelly to receiver Don Beebe
Don Beebe
Don Lee Beebe is a former American football wide receiver who played for the Buffalo Bills , Carolina Panthers and the Green Bay Packers of the NFL....
. Washington kept Buffalo out of the end zone, but kicker Scott Norwood
Scott Norwood
Scott Allan Norwood is a former American football placekicker in the NFL who played for the Buffalo Bills. Norwood was an integral part of its offense during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and kicked in Buffalo's first two Super Bowl appearances...
kicked a 21-yard field goal to cut their deficit to 24-3. Then aided by a 29-yard pass interference penalty on Redskins cornerback Martin Mayhew
Martin Mayhew
Martin R. Mayhew is a former American football player and current General Manager of the Detroit Lions who was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the tenth round of the 1988 NFL Draft. A 5'8", 172 cornerback from Florida State University, Mayhew played in eight NFL seasons from 1989-1996...
in the end zone, the Bills finally scored a touchdown on their next drive with a 1-yard run by Thomas to make the score 24-10.
The two teams combined for the most points in a 3rd quarter in a Super Bowl history (24 total points: 14 for Washington and 10 for Buffalo) and the most combined in a second half (44 total points: 24 for Buffalo and 20 for Washington).
But Buffalo's hopes of a comeback faded when Washington advanced 79 yards in 11 plays on their ensuing drive, scoring on Clark's 30-yard touchdown reception to give the Redskins a 31-10 lead with 1:24 left in the third quarter. Then 3 plays after receiving the ensuing kickoff, Kelly fumbled the ball while being sacked by defensive back Alvoid Mays
Alvoid Mays
Alvoid Wilson Mays is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers...
, and it was recovered by defensive end Fred Stokes
Fred Stokes
Louis Fred Stokes is a former American football defensive end who played ten seasons in the National Football League. He started in Super Bowl XXVI. Stokes played college football at Georgia Southern University and was drafted in the 12th round of the 1987 NFL Draft...
. After the turnover, Washington drove to the Bills 7-yard line and increased their lead to 34-10 with Lohmiller's 25-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter.
Then on the Bills' ensuing drive, Kelly was sacked for a 9-yard loss by Stokes, threw an incomplete pass, and then threw his second interception of the game to Edwards, who returned it 35 yards to Buffalo's 33-yard line. Five plays later, Lohmiller kicked his second field goal with 11:36 left in the game to increase Washington's lead to 37–10. With the game almost completely out of reach, the Bills managed to respond with a 15 play, 79-yard drive to cut the score to 37–17 on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Kelly to Metzelaars. Then, after recovering an onside kick, the Bills drove 50 yards and scored another touchdown with Beebe's 4-yard reception to make the score 37–24. But the Bills' second onside kick attempt was unsuccessful and the Redskins were able to run out the clock. From there, the Bills attempted one final pass play before time expired.
Kelly completed 28 of a Super Bowl–record 58 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns, but was sacked 4 times, intercepted four times, and lost a fumble. Thomas ran for only 13 yards on 10 carries and was limited to 27 yards on four receptions. James Lofton
James Lofton
James David Lofton is a former American football player and coach. He is a former American football coach for the San Diego Chargers but is best known for his years in the National Football League as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers , Los Angeles Raiders , the Buffalo Bills...
was the top receiver for the Bills with 7 catches for 92 yards, but Reed was limited to just 5 catches for 31 yards. Clark had seven catches for 114 yards and a touchdown and Monk added seven for 113 yards. (Clark and Monk became the third pair of teammates to each have 100 yards receiving in a Super Bowl; they joined the Steelers' John Stallworth
John Stallworth
Johnny Lee Stallworth is a former American football wide receiver who played fourteen seasons in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Alabama A&M, and was the Steelers' fourth-round draft pick in 1974. Stallworth played in six AFC championships,...
and Lynn Swann
Lynn Swann
-Collegiate:Swann attended the University of Southern California, where he was an All-American on the Trojans football team. He played under legendary coach John McKay, including the 1972 undefeated and national championship season. McKay said of Swann, "He has speed, soft hands, and grace." He...
who did it in Super Bowl XIII
Super Bowl XIII
Super Bowl XIII was an American football game played on January 21, 1979 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to decide the National Football League champion following the 1978 regular season...
and the Bengals' Cris Collinsworth
Cris Collinsworth
Anthony Cris Collinsworth is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played his entire professional career for...
and Dan Ross
Dan Ross (American football)
Daniel R. Ross was a professional American football tight end who played for the Cincinnati Bengals , the Seattle Seahawks , and the Green Bay Packers . He also played for the New Orleans/Portland Breakers of the USFL in 1984-1985.-College football:Before his NFL career, Ross played football at...
who did it in Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI
Super Bowl XVI was an American football game played on January 24, 1982, at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan to decide the National Football League champion following the 1981 regular season. It marked the first time that a Super Bowl was held at a cold-weather city...
).
Ervins was the top rusher of the game with 79 yards. Byner recorded 49 rushing yards, and 3 receptions for 24 yards and a touchdown. On defense, Edwards recorded four tackles, broke up five passes, and returned two interceptions for 56 yards. The Redskins amassed 417 yards of total offense while limiting the explosive Bills to 283, with just 43 rushing yards.
Box score
Starting lineups
Source:| Buffalo | Position | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| OFFENSE | ||
| James Lofton James Lofton James David Lofton is a former American football player and coach. He is a former American football coach for the San Diego Chargers but is best known for his years in the National Football League as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers , Los Angeles Raiders , the Buffalo Bills... |
WR | Gary Clark Gary Clark Gary C. Clark is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League who played for the Washington Redskins , Phoenix Cardinals and Miami Dolphins .-Early life:... |
| Will Wolford Will Wolford William Charles Wolford is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Pittsburgh Steelers.... |
LT | Jim Lachey Jim Lachey James Michael Lachey is a former American football offensive tackle who played for ten seasons in the National Football League with the San Diego Chargers, the Los Angeles Raiders and the Washington Redskins from 1985 to 1995, missing the 1993 season with a knee injury.Lachey graduated from St... |
| Jim Ritcher Jim Ritcher -Career:He started his career playing high school football for Highland High School in Medina, Ohio and was an All-American at North Carolina State and won the Outland Trophy in 1979 as the nation's best offensive lineman. In the National Football League, Richer was moved to guard from center by... |
LG | Raleigh McKenzie Raleigh McKenzie Raleigh McKenzie is a former American football player in the National Football League who played guard for the Washington Redskins from 1985 to 1994. McKenzie was the epitome of the "Hogs" depth amidst the Redskins famed 1980s and early 1990s offensive line... |
| Kent Hull | C | Jeff Bostic Jeff Bostic Jeffrey Lynn Bostic is a former American football offensive lineman who played for the Washington Redskins in the National Football League.-College career:... |
| Glenn Parker Glenn Parker Glenn Andrew Parker is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League who played for the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the New York Giants... |
RG | Mark Schlereth Mark Schlereth Mark Frederick Schlereth is a former professional football player and current television sportscaster. Schlereth played guard in the NFL for 12 seasons with the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos. He is currently a football analyst for ESPN on NFL Live, Sportscenter, and other programs... |
| Howard Ballard Howard Ballard Howard Louis Ballard is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks. Nicknamed "House" for his sturdy build, he played in four Super Bowls and was selected to two Pro Bowls while a member of the Bills. He played college... |
RT | Joe Jacoby Joe Jacoby Joseph Erwin Jacoby is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins... |
| Pete Metzelaars Pete Metzelaars Peter Henry Metzelaars is a former American football tight end who played for the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, and Detroit Lions in a sixteen-year career in the National Football League... |
TE | Don Warren Don Warren Donald James Warren is a former American football tight end, who spent his entire 14 year career playing for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League... |
| Andre Reed Andre Reed Andre Darnell Reed is a former professional American football player. He played wide receiver in the National Football League for 16 seasons, 15 with the Buffalo Bills and one with the Washington Redskins .Reed ranks tenth in NFL history in total career receptions with 951.-Football career:Reed... |
WR | Art Monk Art Monk James Arthur "Art" Monk is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New York Jets, and the Philadelphia Eagles... |
| Jim Kelly Jim Kelly James Edward Kelly is a former American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL's Houston Gamblers.... |
QB | Mark Rypien Mark Rypien Mark Robert Rypien is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. He is the first Canadian-born quarterback to start in the NFL.-Biography:... |
| Kenneth Davis | RB | Earnest Byner Earnest Byner Earnest Alexander Byner is a former American football running back in the National Football League and is currently a running backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars... |
| Keith McKeller Keith McKeller Terrell Keith McKeller is a former American football tight end for the Buffalo Bills from 1987 to 1993. McKeller's blocking and pass receiving was a big asset to the team during the early 90's, assisting them to 4 Super Bowl appearances — Super Bowl XXV, Super Bowl XXVI, Super Bowl XXVII,... |
TE | Ron Middleton |
| DEFENSE | ||
| Leon Seals Leon Seals Leon Seals, Jr. is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League.... |
LE | Charles Mann |
| Jeff Wright Jeff Wright (defensive tackle) Jeffrey Dee Wright is a former American football nose tackle who had a seven-year career in the National Football League with the Buffalo Bills. He played in four Super Bowls for the Bills, all losing efforts... |
NT-LDT | Eric Williams |
| Bruce Smith | RE-RDT | Tim Johnson Tim Johnson (football) Timothy Johnson is Senior Pastor at Orlando World Outreach Center in Orlando, Florida and a former professional American football defensive lineman in the National Football League.-College career:... |
| Cornelius Bennett Cornelius Bennett Cornelius O'Landa Bennett is a former American football linebacker who played for the Buffalo Bills from 1987 to 1995, Atlanta Falcons from 1996 to 1998, and the Indianapolis Colts from 1999 to 2000... |
LOLB-RE | Fred Stokes Fred Stokes Louis Fred Stokes is a former American football defensive end who played ten seasons in the National Football League. He started in Super Bowl XXVI. Stokes played college football at Georgia Southern University and was drafted in the 12th round of the 1987 NFL Draft... |
| Shane Conlan Shane Conlan Shane Patrick Conlan is a former professional American football player. He played college football at Penn State University, where he won two national championships... |
LILB-LOLB | Wilber Marshall Wilber Marshall Wilber Buddyhia Marshall is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League for twelve seasons during the 1980s and 1990s... |
| Carlton Bailey Carlton Bailey Carlton Wilson Bailey is a former professional American football player who played linebacker in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, and Carolina Panthers... |
RILB-MLB | Kurt Gouveia Kurt Gouveia Kurt Keola Gouveia is a former professional American football linebacker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League and one season in the XFL. During his career, he played for the Washington Redskins & , the Philadelphia Eagles , and the San Diego Chargers... |
| Darryl Talley Darryl Talley Darryl Victor Talley is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 1983 NFL Draft. He played college football at West Virginia.... |
ROLB | Andre Collins Andre Collins Andre Pierre Collins is a former American football linebacker who played ten seasons in the National Football League. He started in Super Bowl XXVI for the Washington Redskins... |
| Kirby Jackson Kirby Jackson Kirby Jackson is a former professional American football defensive back who played for the Los Angeles Rams and the Buffalo Bills . Before his NFL career, he played for Mississippi State University and was selected by the New York Jets in the fifth round of the 1987 NFL Draft.... |
LCB | Martin Mayhew Martin Mayhew Martin R. Mayhew is a former American football player and current General Manager of the Detroit Lions who was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the tenth round of the 1988 NFL Draft. A 5'8", 172 cornerback from Florida State University, Mayhew played in eight NFL seasons from 1989-1996... |
| Nate Odomes Nate Odomes Nathaniel Bernard Odomes is a former professional American football defensive back who played for the Buffalo Bills , Seattle Seahawks , and the Atlanta Falcons... |
RCB | Darrell Green Darrell Green Darrell Ray Green is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League who played for the Washington Redskins from 1983 to 2002. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever play football... |
| Dwight Drane Dwight Drane Dwight Drane is a retired professional American football safety for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League.... |
SS | Danny Copeland Danny Copeland Danny Lamar Copeland is a former American football defensive back who played five seasons in the National Football League... |
| Mark Kelso Mark Kelso Mark Alan Kelso is a former American football player who was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the tenth round of the 1985 NFL Draft. A 5'11", 177 lbs. safety from North Hills High School and the College of William & Mary, Kelso played in eight NFL seasons and his entire career with the... |
FS | Brad Edwards Brad Edwards Bradford Wayne Edwards is a former American football defensive back who played nine seasons in the National Football League for the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, and the Atlanta Falcons. He graduated from Douglas Byrd High School in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1984... |
Officials
- Referee: Jerry MarkbreitJerry MarkbreitJerry Markbreit is a former American football referee in the National Football League for 23 seasons and became one of the most recognizable referees in the game. Markbreit officiated football games for 43 seasons. From 1965 to 1975, Markbreit officiated college football games in the Big Ten...
(#9) - Umpire: Bob Boylston (#101)
- Head Linesman: Dale Williams (#8)
- Line Judge: Ron BlumRon BlumRon Blum was an American football official in the National Football League from the 1985 NFL season through the 2007 NFL season. He joined the league as a line judge, officiating Super Bowl XXIV in 1990 and Super Bowl XXVI in 1992 and later became a referee for the start of the 1993 NFL season,...
(#83) - Field Judge: Paul Baetz (#22)
- Side Judge: Dick Creed (#61)
- Back Judge: Ed Merrifield (#76)
External links
- Super Bowl official website
- Super Bowl XXVI @ Pro Football Reference- Large online database of NFL data and statistics
- Super Bowl play-by-plays from USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
(Last accessed September 28, 2005) - All-Time Super Bowl Odds from The Sports Network (Last accessed October 16, 2005)