NFL playoffs, 1992-93

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The NFL playoffs following the 1992 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXVII.

Playoff seeds
Seed AFC NFC
1 Pittsburgh Steelers (Central winner) San Francisco 49ers (West winner)
2 Miami Dolphins (East winner) Dallas Cowboys (East winner)
3 San Diego Chargers (West winner) Minnesota Vikings (Central winner)
4 Buffalo Bills New Orleans Saints
5 Houston Oilers Philadelphia Eagles
6 Kansas City Chiefs Washington Redskins

Contents

[edit] Wild Card playoffs

[edit] January 2, 1993

[edit] NFC: Washington Redskins 24, Minnesota Vikings 7

1 2 3 4 Total
Redskins 3 14 7 0 24
Vikings 7 0 0 0 7

at Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Running back Brian Mitchell led the Redskins to the 24-7 victory with 109 rushing yards and 100 total yards on receptions and punt returns. The Vikings scored first on running back Terry Allen's 1-yard touchdown that capped a 74-yard drive, but Washington controlled the game from that point on. Redskins kicker Chip Lohmiller scored a 44-yard field goal and running back Earnest Byner recorded a 3-yard touchdown to give Washington a 10-7 lead. Then on fourth down at the Minnesota 44-yard line late in the second quarter, Mitchell rushed 36 yards on a fake punt. He would then score on an 8-yard touchdown run. Quarterback Mark Rypien's 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gary Clark in the third period closed out the scoring.

  • Scoring
    • MIN - Allen 1 run (Reveiz kick)
    • WAS - FG Lohmiller 44
    • WAS - Byner 3 run (Lohmiller kick)
    • WAS - Mitchell 8 run (Lohmiller kick)
    • WAS - Clark 24 pass from Rypien (Lohmiller kick)

[edit] AFC: San Diego Chargers 17, Kansas City Chiefs 0

1 2 3 4 Total
Chiefs 0 0 0 0 0
Chargers 0 0 10 7 17

at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego

The Chargers shut out the Chiefs as San Diego scored two touchdowns in the second half. The game remained scoreless until midway through the third period when Chargers running back Marion Butts scored on a 54-yard rushing touchdown. Then, San Diego defensive lineman Leslie O'Neal intercepted a pass on Kansas City's next drive to set up kicker John Carney's 34-yard field goal. In the final period, Chargers linebacker Steve Henderickson, who lined up as a running back, scored on a 5-yard touchdown run.

  • Scoring
    • SD - Butts 54 run (Carney kick)
    • SD - FG Carney 34
    • SD - Hendrickson 5 run (Carney kick)

[edit] January 3, 1993

[edit] AFC: Buffalo Bills 41, Houston Oilers 38 (OT)

1 2 3 4 OT Total
Oilers 7 21 7 3 0 38
Bills 3 0 28 7 3 41

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

For more details on this topic, see The Comeback (American football).

Known as The Comeback, the Bills mounted the greatest comeback in NFL history, overcoming a 35-3 deficit against the Oilers. Without future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly (who was injured in the last game of the season, a loss to the Oilers) starting running back Thurman Thomas to a hip injury, the Oilers jumped to a 28-3 lead by halftime. Houston quarterback Warren Moon recorded 220 passing yards and 4 touchdowns in the first half. Then 1:41 into the third quarter, Oilers defensive back Bubba McDowell returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown, increasing their lead by 32 points. But quarterback Frank Reich led Buffalo to 5 unanswered touchdowns, including running back Kenneth Davis's 1-yard rushing score, Don Beebe's 38-yard touchdown reception, and wide receiver Andre Reed's 3 touchdown catches. However, Oilers kicker Al Del Greco scored the tying 26-yard field goal with 12 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. Early in the extra period, Bills defensive back Nate Odomes interception set up Steve Christie's 32-yard game field goal to give the Bills a 41-38 win.

Reich finished the game with 21 of 34 pass completions for 289 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Reed had 8 catches for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns. Davis rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 2 passes for 25 yards. Moon recorded 36 of 50 completions for 371 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions. Receiver Curtis Duncan caught 9 passes for 117 yards. Jeffires recorded 8 catches for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns.

  • Scoring
    • HOU - Jeffires 3 pass from Moon (Del Greco kick)
    • BUF - FG Christie 36
    • HOU - Slaughter 7 pass from Moon (Del Greco kick)
    • HOU - Duncan 26 pass from Moon (Del Greco kick)
    • HOU - Jeffires 27 pass from Moon (Del Greco kick)
    • HOU - McDowell 58 interception return (Del Greco kick)
    • BUF - K. Davis 1 run (Christie kick)
    • BUF - Beebe 38 pass from Reich (Christie kick)
    • BUF - Reed 26 pass from Reich (Christie kick)
    • BUF - Reed 18 pass from Reich (Christie kick)
    • BUF - Reed 17 pass from Reich (Christie kick)
    • HOU - FG Del Greco 26
    • BUF - FG Christie 32

[edit] NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 36, New Orleans Saints 20

1 2 3 4 Total
Eagles 7 0 3 26 36
Saints 7 10 3 0 20

at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

The Eagles overcame a 20-7 Saints lead late in the third quarter by scoring 26 points in the final period. New Orleans scored first on running back Craig Heyward's 1-yard touchdown run, but it was countered with Philadelphia quarterback Randall Cunningham's 57-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Fred Barnett. The Saints then went ahead 17-7 before halftime with kicker Morten Andersen's 35-yard field goal and wide receiver Quinn Early's 7-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Bobby Hebert. The two teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter, and the score was 20-10, New Orleans, going into the final period.

With less than 11 minutes left in the game, Cunningham connected with wide receiver Fred Barnett for a 35-yard touchdown completion. Then on the first play of the Saints' next possession, Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner intercepted a pass to set up running back Heath Sherman's 6-yard touchdown, giving Philadelphia the lead, 24-20. After New Orleans got the ball back, Eagles defensive lineman Reggie White sacked Hebert in the end zone for a safety. Philadelphia kicker Roger Ruzek then added a 39-yard field goal, and 19 seconds later, defensive back Eric Allen intercepted Hebert and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown.

  • Scoring
    • NO - Heyward 1 run (Andersen kick)
    • PHI - Barnett 57 pass from Cunningham (Ruzek kick)
    • NO - FG Andersen 35
    • NO - Early 7 pass from Hebert (Andersen kick)
    • NO - FG Andersen 42
    • PHI - FG Ruzek 40
    • PHI - Barnett 35 pass from Cunningham (Ruzek kick)
    • PHI - Sherman 6 run (Ruzek kick)
    • PHI - Safety, White sacked Hebert in end zone
    • PHI - FG Ruzek 39
    • PHI - Allen 18 interception return

[edit] Byes

[edit] Divisional playoffs

[edit] January 9, 1993

[edit] AFC: Buffalo Bills 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 3

1 2 3 4 Total
Bills 0 7 7 10 24
Steelers 3 0 0 0 3

at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The Bills forced 4 turnovers as they held the Steelers to just a field goal. Buffalo quarterback Frank Reich threw for 160 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions; while running back Kenneth Davis rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown. Pittsburgh scored first on kicker Gary Anderson's 38-yard field goal. However, Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell lost a fumble which Bills defensive lineman Phil Hansen recovered. Buffalo then advanced 59 yards to score on Reich's 1-yard touchdown pass to Mitch Frerotte, an eligible lineman. In the third period, wide receiver James Lofton caught a 17-yard touchdown pass. And in the finak period, Bills kicker Steve Christie made a 43-yard field goal and running back Carwell Gardner recorded a 1-yard touchdown.

  • Scoring
    • PIT - FG Anderson 38
    • BUF - Frerotte 1 pass from Reich (Christie kick)
    • BUF - Lofton 17 pass from Reich (Christie kick)
    • BUF - FG Christie 43
    • BUF - Gardner 1 run (Christie kick)

[edit] NFC: San Francisco 49ers 20, Washington Redskins 13

1 2 3 4 Total
Redskins 3 0 3 7 13
49ers 7 10 0 3 20

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco

Despite committing 4 turnovers, 49ers quarterback Steve Young passed for 227 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 73 yards, to overcome the Redskins. Young threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver John Taylor to open the scoring. Then after the two teams traded field goals, Young connected with tight end Brent Jones on a 16-yard touchdown completion to give San Francisco a 17-3 lead before halftime. In the third quarter, Washington kicker Chip Lohmiller made a 32-yard field goal to cut the lead, 17-6. Later in the period, Young lost a fumble at the San Francisco 15-yard line, and Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien scored on a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 17-13. Washington then reached the San Francisco 23-yard line before Rypien fumbled the ball back to the 49ers. San Francisco then marched on a 14-play, 59-yard drive that took more than seven minutes off the clock to score on kicker Mike Cofer's game-clinching 33-yard field goal.

  • Scoring
    • SF - Taylor 5 pass from Young (Cofer kick)
    • WAS - FG Lohmiller 19
    • SF - FG Cofer 23
    • SF - Jones 16 pass from Young (Cofer kcik)
    • WAS - FG Lohmiller 32
    • WAS - Rypien 1 run (Lohmiller kick)
    • SF - FG Cofer 33

[edit] January 10, 1993

[edit] NFC: Dallas Cowboys 34, Philadelphia Eagles 10

1 2 3 4 Total
Eagles 3 0 0 7 10
Cowboys 7 10 10 7 34

at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas

The Cowboys defense had 5 sacks, and held the Eagles offense for 178 yards and 10 points. Philadelphia scored first on a 32-yard field goal by kicker Roger Ruzek, but Dallas then scored 34 unanswered points. Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman threw two touchdown passes: a 1-yard score to tight end Derek Tennell and a 6-yarder to tight end Jay Novacek. Running back Emmitt Smith scored a 23-yard touchdown, running back Derrick Gainer rushed for a 1-yard touchdown, and kicker Lin Elliott made two field goals. Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham's 18-yard touchdown to wide receiver Calvin Williams closed out the scoring.

  • Scoring
    • PHI - FG Ruzek 32
    • DAL - Tennell 1 pass from Aikman (Elliott kick)
    • DAL - Novacek 6 pass from Aikman (Elliott kick)
    • DAL - FG Elliott 20
    • DAL - Smith 23 run (Elliott kick)
    • DAL - FG Elliott 43
    • DAL - Gainer 1 run (Elliott kick)
    • PHI - Williams 18 pass from Cunningham (Ruzek kick)

[edit] AFC: Miami Dolphins 31, San Diego Chargers 0

1 2 3 4 Total
Chargers 0 0 0 0 0
Dolphins 0 21 0 10 31

at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida

As the Dolphins defense shut out the Chargers, quarterback Dan Marino threw 3 touchdown passes in the second quarter. All of Marino's touchdowns were set up by interceptions. Miami defensive back Troy Vincent's interception set up running back Tony Paige's 1-yard touchdown reception. Another interception by Vincent led to tight end Keith Jackson's 9-yard touchdown. Then linebacker Bryan Cox's interception set up Jackson's 30-yard touchdown. In the fourth period, Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich added a 22-yard field goal and running back Aaron Craver recorded a 25-yard rushing touchdown.

  • Scoring
    • MIA - Paige 1 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick)
    • MIA - Jackson 9 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick)
    • MIA - Jackson 30 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick)
    • MIA - FG Stoyanovich 22
    • MIA - Craver 25 run (Stoyanovich kick)

[edit] Conference Championships

[edit] January 17, 1993

[edit] AFC: Buffalo Bills 29, Miami Dolphins 10

1 2 3 4 Total
Bills 3 10 10 6 29
Dolphins 3 0 0 7 10

at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida

The Bills intercepted Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino twice, recovered 3 fumbles, forced 4 sacks, and held Miami to just 33 rushing yards. Although the Buffalo offense had trouble getting into the end zone because it was both quarterback Jim Kelly and running back Thurman Thomas's first game after recovering from injuries, kicker Steve Christie made an NFL playoff record-tying 5 field goals.

Despite the Dolphins turning over the ball on their first two possessions of the game, the two teams just exchanged field goals in the first quarter. Then in the second period, Kelly completed a 17-yard touchdown to Thomas. Christie later added a 33-yard field goal, and the Bills led 13-3 at halftime. Then on the opening kickoff of the second half, Miami returner Mike Williams fumbled the ball and Buffalo's Carwell Gardner recovered it at the Dolphins 25-yard line. Five plays later, running back Kenneth Davis scored on a 2-yard touchdown, giving the Bills a 20-3 lead. Christie added two more field goals before Marino completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mark Duper in the final period. Hoever, Christie kicked his 5th field goal of the game to clinch the victory.

  • Scoring
    • BUF - FG Christie 21
    • MIA - FG Stoyanovich 51
    • BUF - Thomas 17 pass from Kelly (Christie kick)
    • BUF - FG Christie 33
    • BUF - Davis 2 run (Christie kick)
    • BUF - FG Christie 21
    • BUF - FG Christie 31
    • MIA - Duper 15 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick)
    • BUF - FG Christie 38

[edit] NFC: Dallas Cowboys 30, San Francisco 49ers 20

1 2 3 4 Total
Cowboys 3 7 7 13 30
49ers 7 3 3 7 20

at Candlestick Park, San Francisco

Even though the Cowboys had only 1 more yard of total offense than the 49ers (416 to 415), Dallas forced 4 critical turnovers that led to 10 points. On San Francisco's first drive of the game, a holding penalty on offensive lineman Guy McIntyre nullified a 63-yard touchdown completion from quarterback Steve Young to wide receiver Jerry Rice. The two teams would slug it out through most of the first half, and the game was eventually tied at halftime, 10-10. However, all of the Cowboys' points were the result of turnovers by the 49ers. Their first touchdown came gift-wrapped courtesy of a muffed punt by San Francisco Punt Returner Alan Grant.

After receiving the second half kickoff, the Cowboys marched 78 yards to score on running back Daryl Johnston's 3-yard touchdown run to take a 17-10 lead. The 49ers responded with kicker Mike Cofer's 42-yard field goal. However, Dallas put together a 79-yard drive that took nine minutes off the clock. This second long drive was capped by quarterback Troy Aikman's 16-yard touchdown pass to running back Emmitt Smith, giving the Cowboys a 24-13 advantage.

Midway through the final period, Cowboys linebacker Ken Norton Jr intercepted a pass from Young, and Dallas marched to the San Francisco 7-yard line. Rather than attempt a field goal on fourth down and one, Smith attempted to run for the first down, but was stopped for no gain. The 49ers then drove 93 yards to score on Rice's 5-yard touchdown reception, cutting the lead 24-20 with 4:22 left in the game. But on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Aikman threw a 14-yard pass to wide receiver Alvin Harper, who ended up running for a 70-yard gain to the San Francisco 9-yard line. Three plays later, wide receiver Kelvin Martin scored on a 6-yard touchdown reception, making it 30-20 (the extra point was blocked) with 3:43 to play. The 49ers attempted one last drive to come back, but Young was intercepted once again, this time by cornerback James Washington.

Aikman threw for 322 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions. Smith rushed for 114 yards, caught 2 passes for 59 yards, and scored 2 touchdowns. Harper caught 3 passes for 117 yards. Defensive tackle Tony Casillas recorded 3 sacks. Meanwhile, Young recorded 313 passing yards and one touchdown, but threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter. Rice caught 8 passes for 123 yards and a score. Following the game, Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson closed his postgame speech to his team by screaming, "How 'bout them Cowboys!" This line has become synonymous with him ever since.

  • Scoring
    • DAL - FG Elliott 20
    • SF - Young 1 run (Cofer kick)
    • DAL - E. Smith 4 run (Elliott kick)
    • SF - FG Cofer 28
    • DAL - Johnston 3 run (Elliott kick)
    • SF - FG Cofer 42
    • DAL - E. Smith 16 pass from Aikman (Elliott kick)
    • SF - Rice 5 pass from Young (Cofer kick)
    • DAL - Martin 6 pass from Aikman (kick blocked)

[edit] Super Bowl

Further information: Super Bowl XXVII

Dallas Cowboys (NFC) 52, Buffalo Bills (AFC) 17, at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

[edit] Bracket

  Wild Card Playoffs Divisional Playoffs Conference Championships Super Bowl XXVII
                                     
5  Houston 38  
4  Buffalo 41  
  4  Buffalo 24  
    1  Pittsburgh 3  
      
        
  4  Buffalo 29  
AFC
  2  Miami 10  
6  Kansas City 0  
3  San Diego 17  
  3  San Diego 0
    2  Miami 31  
      
        
  A4  Buffalo 17
  N2  Dallas 52
5  Philadelphia 36  
4  New Orleans 20  
  5  Philadelphia 10
    2  Dallas 34  
      
        
  2  Dallas 30
NFC
  1  San Francisco 20  
6  Washington 24  
3  Minnesota 7  
  6  Washington 13
    1  San Francisco 20  
      

[edit] References

Preceded by
NFL playoffs, 1991-92		 NFL playoffs
1992-93		 Succeeded by
NFL playoffs, 1993-94
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