In Supe XXVII, Dallas moved their bench to the end zone, since that's where they spent most of the day.
Superbowl XXVII featured an interesting matchup between the "resurrected" Dallas Cowboys, and the hapless Buffalo Bills, who were desperately hoping that their third consecutive trip to the Superbowl would be the charm. The Bills lost Superbowl XXV 20-19 to the New York Giants on the infamous Scott Norwood missed field goal, and then, they were dismantled by Joe Gibbs Redskins in Superbowl XXVI, 37-24. Now, having returned for their third time in as many years, many experts felt that, while maybe not as talented as Dallas, the Bills no-huddle offense might wear down a young Dallas defense.
Also, there was a sense that the Bills might finally have Karma on their side, since, they really had no business being in the Superbowl at all this year. In the second round of the playoffs, the Bills were matched up against the Houston Oilers in a game that would become known to most football fans as, "The Comeback." ( Oiler fans call this game something Stemkovsky won't let me print. They also call it the "Excuse me while I go hang myself in the closet with my belt" game.) Playing in a game defensive standout Cornelius Bennett and all-pro QB Jim Kelly, things got worse early for the Bills as they lost Thurman Thomas in the first quarter to a hip stinger. So, without three key players, the Bills were in a world of hurt. And most of that hurt was heaped on them by Warren Moon. The Oiler QB heaving 4 TDs en route to leading the Houstoners to an impregnable 35-3 lead. Well, meet backup Bill QB Frank Reich, who proved that he could preg it pretty easily. Reich engineered an historic and just flat out unbelievable comeback across the third and fourth quarters, leading the Bills all the way back to a 38-35 lead. The Oilers gamely refused to give up, tying the game on a FG late in the 4th quarter to send the game into overtime. But a Bills interception of Moon put an end to the Oilers season as the Bills won a shocker 41-38.
This is how Oiler fans looked after the game.
They then easily dispatched a hapless and listless Steeler squad in the AFC Championship game, 24-3, and the Superbowl was on for them again.
Dallas, meanwhile, took a different route. Enjoying a first round bye, by virtue of their 13-3 regular season record, the 'Boys easily dispatched of the Eagles in round two, in big D, 34-10. Then it was on the road to San Fran, where the 14-2 Niners awaited them. However, while the Niners might have had the best record that year, the 13-3 Cowboys of 1992 might very well be one of the greatest teams in NFL history. Led by a dominating Doomsday defense made up of Charles Haley, Jim Jeffcoat, Tony Tolbert, Ken Norton Jr, Kenneth Gant and James Washington, the Cowboys finished #1 in total defense, allowing only 4278 yards - and they were 1st in rushing defense as well, allowing just 1244 yards on the ground. Shockingly, not a single Dallas defender was named to the Pro-bowl. They didn't care. The only bowl they cared about was the Super one.
But they weren't just about defense. The Cowboys offense was equally spectacular as QB Troy Aikman had perhaps his finest season, completing 302 of 473 passes for 3445 yards and 23 TDs. Emmitt Smith was a superstar, rushing for 1713 yards and 18 TDs, and he caught 59 passes for 335 yards and another score. Meanwhile, Michael Irvin led the WRs with 1396 yards and 7 TDs, and Dallas got key contributions from Alvin Harper, TE Jay Novacek and WR Kelvin Martin. This Cowboy team was truly one for the ages.
That's right, they bad, they bad.
And they showed it in the Superbowl. The Bills actually took a 7-0 lead on a Thurman Thomas 2-yard score, but it would be their only lead of the day. Dallas answered back with an Aikman to Novacek strike. Then, on the Bills next possession, Charles Haley forced a fumble that DT Jimmie Jones plucked from the air and dove into the end zone with, to put Dallas up 14-7.
A Bills FG made it 14-10, and, with just 3:24 left in the half, it seemed like Supes XXVII might be a game. This was merely an illusion. Aikman drove Dallas down the field, eating up the field and the clock, before finally hitting Michael Irvin on a 19-yard strike to give the 'Boys a 21-10 lead. Conventional wisdom said the Bills would run the clock out and head into the half cutting their losses. Instead, they opted to try to close the gap on Dallas, by running Thurman Thomas on a swing pass on their first play - with time running down in the first half. Thomas tried to make something happen on the play, but Leon Lett delivered a crushing hit, and Thomas coughed up the ball. Aikman, sensing blood in the water, prompted hit Irvin for another 18-yard TD strike, to send Dallas into half-time with a 28-10 lead. Irvin's two TD catches came within a span of 18 seconds - the fastest pair of TDs ever scored by a single player in Superbowl history.
The third quarter opened with a Dallas drive that stalled and resulted in a Lin Elliot 20 yard field goal, to put Dallas up 31-10. Jim Kelly had been knocked out of the game in the 2nd quarter by Ken Norton Jr., and backup Frank Reich - he of the Comeback game - led the Bills to their last score of the game - a 40 yard scoring strike to WR Don Beebe - that actually should have been ruled an illegal forward pass, as Reich was about 17 yards past the line of scrimmage when he threw the ball. At any rate, it was 31-17 Dallas at this point, and many Bills fans envisioned the Comeback part II. It never happened. Aikman hit Harper on a 42 yard strike for a TD, and then Thomas Everett intercepted a Reich flutterball, setting up an Emmitt Smith 10-yard TD scamper. Then Reich fumbled a high snap on the Bills next possession that Ken Norton returned for a touchdown, and just like that, it was 52-17. The 21 points were the most ever by a team in the 4th quarter of a Superbowl, and Dallas joined the Superbowl XVIII champion Raiders as the only other team with two non-offensive touchdowns in a game.
And actually, this game could have been even worse, as Frank Reich lost a fumble while being sacked by Jim Jeffcoat, late in the 4th quarter. The ball was picked up by Leon Lett, who had nothing but empty green field in front of him. Lett rumbled, bumbled and stumbled to what apeared to be a 64-yard TD, but he started to showboat about five yards before the goal line, and Bills WR Don Beebe - one of the fastest players in the NFL at the time - raced the length of the field and knocked the ball out of Lett's big fat showboating arm - and out of the end zone. The play was ruled a touchback and the Bills took over at their own 20 - denying Dallas of scoring the most points in Superbowl history.
Damn you, Leon!
This was definitely a favorite, watershed game for Cowboy fans, but for most football fans, this was just another boring display of a miserable Bills franchise.
4. Superbowl XXII
Washington Redskins 42 Denver Broncos 10
Yep, the Skins pretty much made Elway their bitch.
This Superbowl starting out looking like it would be a blowout win for the Broncos - who were regarded by many as the better team because they had pro bowl QB John Elway, while the Redskins had former USFL Castoff, Doug Williams. An interesting side note - many 'experts' gave Williams little chance against Elway in this game - and one has to wonder if it was because Williams was black and Elway was white. I cast no lines in either direction. But I will say that Williams kicked the living <bleep> out of Elway and the Broncos in this game, so draw your own conclusions.
Above: Not John Elway.
Anyway, things started off well for the #1 seeded Broncos, as they jumped out to a 10-0 lead, as Elway hit WR Ricky Nattiel for a 56-yard touchdown strike just 1:57 into the game. Another 32 yard pass to Mark Jackson set up a Rich Karlis field goal, and after 1 quarter, the Broncos led by ten and were looking to put the game away early.
Then the second quarter happened. Much as it had the year before vs. the Giants, the Bronco defense appeared to run out of steam as soon as the quarter shifted from 1 to 2. Perhaps the 64 yards of offense the Skins generated in the first quarter gassed the Orange Crush. Or perhaps those racist hicks from Colorado didn't have a game plan for a black quarterback. Or just perhaps...the Redskins of 1987 were just that damned good. Whatever the reason, on the first play of the second quarter, Doug Williams hit Ricky Sanders in stride, after Sanders juked behind DB Mark Haynes (who tried to jam Sanders at the line and failed miserably) and Sanders took in 80 yards to the house to cut the lead to 10-7.
After forcing a Bronco punt, Williams surprised the Broncs with a passing play on a 3rd and 1 situation, and hit Gary Clark (who made a diving catch on the play) for a 27-yard touchdown. And suddenly, it was 14-10 'Skins.
Still in the 2nd quarter, after Karlis missed a 43-yard field goal, Redskin rookie RB Timmy Smith, busted a 58-yard touchdown run to make it 21-10.
Next possession, more of the same. Williams connected with Ricky Sanders for a 50-yard scoring strike - making Sanders the first player to catch two TDs in a single quarter. Four plays later, Skin DB Barry Wilburn intercepted Elway. This led to a Timmy Smith 43 yard scamper which set up an 8 yard scoring strike from Williams to tight end Clint Didier, which capped the scoring in the 2nd quarter, leaving a shell-shocked Bronco team to crawl back to the locker rooms for halftime, trailing 35-10.
At halftime, Elway dreams of what might have been.
In the second quarter - and ONLY the second quarter - the Redskins posted stats that most guys would kill for - for an entire game. Doug Williams was 9 of 11 passing for 228 yards and 4 TDs. Timmy Smith rushed 5 times for 122 yards and a touchdown. And Ricky Sanders caught 4 passes for 168 yards and two TDs.
By games end, Elway - the white QB - was sacked 5 times and three 3 INTs. Timmy Smith scored his 2nd TD of the game late in the 4th quarter to put an exclamation point on the game, and ice a 42-10 Redskin win.
Wow. Remember when the Redskins were good? This guy does:
That's his happy face.
Anyway, Dan Snyder owns them now, so Supes XXII is nothing but a distant memory. But it's also, without a doubt, one of the worst Superbowls ever for non-Redskin fans. Sure, they set records and sure it was great seeing an African-american QB like Williams not only lead his team to the victory, but net the game MVP award as well. But really, after the 2nd quarter annihilation, there was no point in watching the second half. Historic? Yes. Good game? No.
3. Superbowl XX
Chicago Bears 46 New England Patriots 10
The 80's were a different time. Oh, so different.
One of the worst superbowls of all time featured one of the greatest single season teams of all-time. That's right, the Superbowl Shufflin' Chicago Bears, sporting wacky Jim McMahon, hall of famers Walter Payton, Richard Dent and Mike Singletary, GI Joe hero William "The Refrigerator" Perry, as well as other notables such as Willie Gault, Wilber Marshall and Matt Suhey. Coached by Mike Ditka and sporting a '46 defense led by Buddy Ryan, the Bears were simply an immovable force and an irresistible object all rolled into one. They had toughness, style, meanness and charisma in spades. For example, leading up to the big game, QB Jim McMahon, in violation of some BS NFL rule, wore an Adidas headband. Then-NFL commish Pete Rozelle fined him. So, the next day, McMahon showed up to a press conference wearing a headband that read, "Rozelle."
Seven minutes in heaven never felt so good. Man the 80's were just flat out awesome.
Ok, maybe they weren't that great.
So were the '85 Bears. In fact, they were so awesome, they went 15-1. They're one defeat? To the Dan Marino led Dolphins. The 'Fins were fresh off a loss in Superbowl XIX to the Niners, and Marino and crew wanted to return to the big dance and show they weren't no punks. In fact, they had home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs and it was largely felt that Superbowl XX would be a show down between the Marino-led Fins and da Bears. But no one sent the New England Patriots that memo.
The Pats were a cinderella team if ever there was one, sneaking into the playoffs after finishing 3rd in the AFC East behind the Dolphins and the New York Jets. Yet, they somehow managed to win three straight road games, upending the Jets in the first round, 26-14, shocking the Raiders in the 2nd round, 27-20 and then absolutely stunning the Dolphins in the AFC Championship game, 31-14, as they intercepted Marino twice and recovered four fumbles.
The Pats really need to go back to this logo. You don't want to mess with Patriot Pete.
The Bears? They simply scored 46 points over two games and allowed a whopping zero, as they shut out both the Giants, 21-0 and the Rams, 24-0, to cruise into the Superbowl.
Midnight was about to chime for the Pats, who, despite their surprising run, had absolutely no business being on the field with the 85 Bears. In their one shinning superbowl moment, the Pats recovered a Walter Payton fumble ( which was actually Jim McMahon's fault as he called the wrong play ), and were able to net a field goal, to take a 3-0 lead. 50 minutes later it was 44-3. The Bears just simply annihilated the Patriots the rest of the way. The Pats only other highlight was a record setting 62-yard punt. That's...uh...not a good thing. In the first half, the Bears held the Pats to just 21 offensive plays, only 4 of which gained positive yards, -19 total yards, 2 completions, 1 first down and 3 points. Meanwhile, the Bears offense gained 236 yards and scored 23 points.
It would get worse in the 2nd half, for those few non-Bear fans that hung around to see the slaughter - most likely due to morbid curiosity. Pat QB Steve Grogan was sacked twice to start the 2nd half, and after the record punt, the Bears drove 96 yards for the score. On the next New England series, Bear CB Reggie Phillips intercepted Grogan and returned in to the house for a TD and just like that, it was 37-3.
10 seconds later, he craps out the remains of the 85 Patriots.
Another turnover led to a touchdown by the Fridge, pretty much icing the game at 44-3. The Pats managed a meaningless TD late, to cut the lead to 44-10, but the Bears added insult to humiliation by sacking Grogan in the endzone for a safety. Game over, 46-10. In a game that truly made the 2nd-half sponsors cry, the Bears dominated the Pats in ways usually only seen in prison, as they held starting QB Tony Eason to zero completions in six attempts before he was mercifully pulled for Steve Grogan, who didn't fair much better, going 17-30 for 177 yards, a TD and 2 INTS - and most of those yards, and the TD, came with the game over at 44-3. Fullback Tony Collins was the Pats leading rusher - with 4 yards on 3 carries. Starting RB Craig James was held to 1 yard on 5 carries and a fumble. It was just brutal. A great moment for Bear fans everywhere, but a truly horrific Superbowl for those looking for anything resembling a good game.
2. Superbowl XXXV
Baltimore Ravens 34 New York Giants 7
A little Poe humor for you guys.
Boy did this game suck.
The Ravens entered this game with one of the single greatest defenses ever to grace a football field. Their defense, led by technological terror Ray Lewis, allowed the fewest points in the league (165) and the fewest rushing yards allowed (970) during the regular season. Their 165 points allowed broke a record set by the 1986 Chicago Bears, who had given up 187 points during their season.
The defense was lead not only by Lewis, but also by Peter Boulware (7 sacks) and Jamie Sharper (5 fumbles and 1 INT). Lewis was the heart and soul, though, being named defensive player of the year by recording 3 sacks, 138 tackles and grabbing two INTs. Sam Adams and Tony Siragusa anchored the d-line, while veteran safety Rod Woodson, along with Kim Herring, Duane Starks and Chris McAlister combined for 17 interceptions.
Their offense? It wasn't so great. They relied on a two-headed monster at RB, led by Jamal Lewis, who ran for 1364 yards and 6 TDs, and his counterpart, Priest Holmes, who garnered 588 yards on the ground. However, overall, the offense was mediocre at best, scoring on 333 total points, ranking 16th in total yards (5301) and 23rd in passing yards (3102). At one point, they went through five games without scoring an offensive touchdown (though they won two of those games.)
A quick look at the 2000 Raven offense.
At any rate, with an explosive defense and a play it safe offense, the Ravens cruised to the Superbowl, allowing only 1 TD and 3 field goals over three playoffs wins, beating the Broncos, Titans and the Raiders.
Meanwhile, the New York Giants were a different matter entirely. Their first round draft pick of Ron Dayne was meant to revamp their struggling running game - and while Dayne did have a decent rookie season, rushing for 770 yards, the big star of the Giants show was Tiki Barber. The veteran scat back morphed into a full time feature NFL back, rushing for 1006 yards on just 213 attempts, catching 70 balls for 719 yards, scoring 10 TDs, and also, returning 44 punts for 506 yards, as well as another 266 yards on kickoffs, giving him 2495 total yards for the season.
It was the "thunder and lightning" combo of Dayne and Barber that vaulted the Giants into the playoffs and eventually, the Superbowl. The fact that the Ravens were probably the single greatest rushing defense ever created and placed on a football gridiron did uh...not bode well ...for this Giant team.
How the Ravens viewed the G-men's Thunder and Lightning attack.
The Giants had a fairly solid defense in their own right however, as defense end Michael Strahan recorded 9.5 sacks en route to the pro bowl, and DT Keith Hamilton recorded 10. DBs Jason Sehorn, Emmanuel McDaniel, Reggie Stephens and Shaun Williams combined for 14 INTs.
In the playoffs, the Giants defeated the Eagles 20-10 and shut out the Vikings in the NFC Championship game 41-0. This was such a stunning game, that many felt the Superbowl would be a classic battle between two legendary defenses. It didn't work out that way.
The big game itself was utterly anti-climactic. The Giants got completely abused from start to finish. Trent Dilfer hit WR Brandon Stokley for a 38-yard TD pass late in the first quarter and the game felt over right then and there. In the second quarter, Matt Stover nailed a 47-yard field goal to send the game to half-time with the Ravens up 10-0.
Those people that weren't put to sleep by the game, were most assuredly lulled to sleep by the halftime show featuring Aerosmith cavorting with 'N Sync, Britney Spears, Nelly and Mary J Blige.
Stephen Tyler races to perform at Superbowl XXXV.
The snoozefest continued in the second half, as Duane Starks intercepted an air ball from Collins, returning it 49 yards to the house for 17-0 Raven lead. Then, a brief blast of excitement woke a few people up as the Giants and Ravens traded kickoff returns - Ron Dixon took the Ravens kick off after the INT TD, 97 yards, to get the Giants back in the game at 17-7. However, on that ensuing kickoff, Jermaine Lewis took the Giant kick 84 yards to the end zone, restoring the 17-point advantage, 24-7, for the Ravens.
That pretty much killed the Giants collective spirit as they mailed in the rest of the game. They gained only 1 first down the rest of the game and never made it into Raven territory again. A Jamal Lewis TD made it 31-7 and a Stover field goal finished it off, giving the Ravens their first title, 34-7.
The Ravens allowed only 152 yards of offense by the Giants (3rd lowest ever in a Superbowl), recorded 4 sacks and forced 5 turnovers. All 16 of the Giants possessions ended with punts or interceptions, with the exception of the last one, which ended when time expired. MVP Ray Lewis made 11 tackles, 6 assists and blocked 4 passes.
Kerry Collins ensured that he'd be run out of NY by tying a superbowl record in throwing 4 interceptions (this record would later be shattered by Rich Gannon, who threw 5 INTs in Superbowl XXXVII). Collins completed 15 of 39 passes for 112 yards. Giants punter Brad Maynard set a record with 11 punts.
Little known fact: Every member of the Champion Ravens got to take Tara Reid home with them.
So, while this Raven defense may be considered one of the greatest of all-time, this Superbowl was definitely one of the worst.
1. Superbowl XXIV
San Francisco 49ers 55 Denver Broncos 10
Worst. Superbow. Ever.
The 55 points by the Niners remain the most ever scored by a team in a Superbowl. Their 45 point margin of victory is also the widest margin ever in a Superbowl. The Niners are the only team to score at least two touchdowns in every single quarter - one of their TD's ended with a missed extra point. They are the only team to score 8 TDs in a Superbowl.
Niner QB Joe Montana won the MVP by tossing a record 5 TDs and setting a record by completing 13 consecutive passes during the game.
Held in the Louisiana Superdome, this game was over before it even really started. The Niners had won the Superbowl the year before, narrowly edging out the Bengals, 20-16, while the Broncos returned to the big game after missing the previous year. However, they'd been in the game in both years prior, losing 39-20 to the Giants and 42-10 to the Redskins in '86 and '87. In '89 however, they took getting destroyed to an entirely new level.
Shot from the Goodyear blimp from Superbowl XXIV.
This Niner team was absolutely LOADED. There were a ton of great Niner teams - they won 5 Superbowls after all. But this might have been the best. Joe Montana was their QB, and all he did was win both the NFL MVP and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award. Jerry Rice had 1483 yards and 17 TDs, while counterpart John Taylor had 1077 yards and 10 TDs. TE Brent Jones had 500 yards, while fullback Tom Rathman ran for 305 yards and caught 73 passes for 616 yards. RB Roger Craig had 1054 yards and 6 TDs. Their defense was led by Piece Holt (10.5 sacks), Charles Haley (10.5 sacks), Keena Turner, Matt Millen, Bill Romanowski and of course, Ronnie Lott.
The Broncos had John Elway. Which was as bad as it was good, as Elway had one of the more inconsistent seasons of his career, tossing as many INTs as TDs - 18.
Elway, however, did perform well in the playoffs, leading the Broncos to a narrow win over a putrid Steeler team who didn't even belong there, 24-23, then wrecking the Browns again, 37-21. The Niners, meanwhile, won their two playoff games by a combined score of 71-16 in dismantling the Vikings and Rams.
But really, this game surprised no one. The Broncos struggled during the season and had barely made it to the Superbowl, while the Niners were clearly one of the greatest teams of all-time. And they showed it in the Superbowl. Frequently.
The Niners just simply destroyed the Broncos, gaining 461 yards of total offense, controlling the ball for 39:31, and scoring on six of their first eight drives. The SF defense limited the Broncos to 167 total yards, just 12 first downs and a time of possession of just 20:29.
The Niners scored on their first drive, a 20 yard strike from Montana to Rice. The Broncos answered with a field goal to cut the lead to 7-3, and that was pretty much it for the Broncos. The Niners then just unloaded. Montana tossed a 7 yard TD to Brent Jones. Tom Rathman capped off the next drive with a 1-yard TD plunge. Then Montana hit Rice on consecutive drives, with scoring strikes of 38 and 28 yards. Then, just to mix things up a bit, Montana hit Taylor for a 35 yard scoring play, and when everyone finally stopped to catch their breath, the Niners held a 41-3 lead.
Game over man, game over.
Fianlly, mid-way through the 3rd quarter, thanks to a questionable pass interference penalty on Bill Romanowski, Elway managed a 3-yard scramble for a TD to cut the Niner lead to 41-10. Of course, this just served to piss the Niners off. Rather than ease up and run the clock out, the Niners pressed the medal to the metal and did both. They ate the clock AND drove down the field for a score - another TD run for Rathman, this one a 3-yard scamper. Then, after an Elway fumble, Roger Craig punched it in from the 1 yard line, putting the Niners up 55-10.
Rice finished the game with 148 yard and 3 receiving TDs. Montana threw for 297 yards and 5 TDs, netting the MVP award, while Elway managed just 10 completions out of 26 tries, for 108 yards, no TDs and 2 INTs.
It was a beating that would make Ike Turner blush. The Niners emasculated the Broncos for their 2nd straight Superbowl win, and 4th overall. And while this surely titillated Niner fans, the rest of the country was damn bored and sick of the Broncos. Sadly, the next four years gave them the Bills....but eh, whatareyagonnado?
Somebody's gotta lose. Some more times than others.
DISHONORABLE MENTIONS:
Superbowl I Packers 35 Chiefs 10
Superbowl II Packers 33 Raiders 14
Superbowl VI Cowboys 24 Dolphins 3
Superbowl XVIII Raiders 38 Redskins 9
Superbowl VXIX 49ers 38 Dolphins 16
Superbowl XXIX 49ers 49 Chargers 26
Superbowl XXXVII Buccaneers 48 Raiders 21
Any Superbowl with the Vikings
Words fail me.
Next time, we'll look at the Greatest Superbowls ever played, and I might give you my prediction on this years thrilla in the Big Easy. Will I pick the Colts? Or the Saints? Whichever one I do pick, remember, I've been wrong on virtually every game this playoff season, so....you probably should just bet the opposite of whatever I pick.
