Super Bowl XXII

Most offensive yards (602)
Most offensive rushing yards (280)
Most touchdowns scored in a Super Bowl game (6)
Most offensive yards in a quarter (356)
Most points in a quarter (35)
Most touchdowns in a quarter (5)
The largest deficit that a team has ever overcome to win a Super Bowl (10 points)

Redskins quarterback Doug Williams was named the Super Bowl MVP, completing 18 of 29 passes for a Super Bowl record 340 yards and four touchdowns, with one interception.

This game came at the end of a season that was shortened by a players' strike, but each team only lost one regular season game due to the labor dispute.

1 Background
2 Television and entertainment
3 Game summary
- 3.1 Scoring summary
4 Trivia
5 Officials
6 See also
7 References

[edit] Background

NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXII to San Diego during their May 23-25, 1984 meetings. This was the first Super Bowl to be played at Jack Murphy Stadium (now currently known as Qualcomm Stadium) in San Diego, California.

[edit] Williams and the Redskins

The primary storyline surrounding Super Bowl XXII was that Washington's Doug Williams was the first African-American quarterback ever to start in a Super Bowl, let alone an NFL league championship game.

Williams had taken a rather unconventional route to the Super Bowl. Williams began his career as the first round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After 5 seasons, a contract dispute caused him to leave the team and sign with the Oklahoma Outlaws of the newly formed USFL. When that league folded a few years later, Williams found himself out of a job until Redskins coach Joe Gibbs asked him to join the team to be the backup for quarterback Jay Schroeder. Williams played just one game in 1986, and spend most of the 1987 season on the bench. But injuries and inconsistent play from Schroeder made Gibbs promote Williams to starting quarterback.

Williams had played extremely well in his 5 regular season games, throwing for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, with only 5 interceptions. The Redskins main receiving threat was wide receiver Gary Clark, who caught 56 passes for 1,066 yards, an average of 19 yards per catch. Receivers Ricky Sanders and Art Monk were also deep threats, combining for 80 receptions and 1,130 yards. Running back George Rogers was Washington's leading rusher with 613 yards. However, Rogers saw limited action in Super Bowl XXII due to injuries that would force him into early retirement, and rookie running back Timmy Smith started in his place. Fullback Kelvin Bryant also was a big contributor, rushing for 406 yards, and catching 43 passes for 490 yards.

The Redskins also had an excellent defensive unit, lead by defensive backs Barry Wilburn who recorded 9 interceptions for 135 return yards and a touchdown, Todd Bowles, who recorded 4, and Darrell Green. Their line was anchored by defensive ends Charles Mann, who led the team with 9.5 sacks and recovered a fumble, and Dexter Manley, who recorded 8.5 sacks.

The Redskins finished the 1987 strike-shortened regular season with an 11-4 record.

[edit] Elway and the Broncos

The Broncos advanced to their second Super Bowl in a row, as well as the third appearance in team history. Quarterback John Elway had another excellent season making an impact with his ad-libbing skills, throwing for 3,198 yards and 19 touchdowns. He was also the team's second leading rusher with 304 yards and 3 touchdowns. Wide receivers Vance Johnson and Ricky Nattiel, and tight end Clarence Kay, combined for 104 receptions and 1,754 yards. Running back Sammy Winder was the leading rusher with 741 yards and 6 touchdowns, while fullback Gene Lang contributed 304 yards and 17 receptions. The Broncos also had a solid defensive unit, led by linebacker Karl Mecklenburg, and defensive back Mike Harden, who recorded 4 interceptions.

The Broncos finished the strike-shortened 1987 season winning the AFC West with a 10-4-1 record.

[edit] Playoffs

For more details on this topic, see NFL playoffs, 1987-88.

The Broncos first defeated the Houston Oilers in the playoffs, 34-10, jumping to a 14-0 first quarter lead off of two Oilers turnovers. Elway completing 14 of 25 passes for 259 yards and two touchdowns. Vance Johnson recorded 4 catches for 105 yards, including a 55-yard reception to set up Elway's second touchdown pass.

Denver then won the AFC Championship Game over the Cleveland Browns for the second year in a row, 38-33, on a play that became known as The Fumble: Denver defensive back Jeremiah Castile forced and recovered a fumble from Browns running back Ernest Byner as he was going in for the tying score, giving the Broncos the win.

Meanwhile, the Redskins had narrow wins in the playoffs. First, they defeated the Chicago Bears, 21-17, when defensive back Darrell Green returned a punt 52 yards for the game winning touchdown.

The Redskins then were victorious over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, 17-10. The Vikings barely made the playoffs with an 8-7 record during the strike-shortened regular season, but had advanced to the NFC championship by eliminating the teams with the 2 best records in the NFL, defeating 12-3 New Orleans Saints, 44-10, and the 13-2 San Francisco 49ers, 37-24. However, the Redskins put an end to the Vikings string of upsets, aided by Williams' touchdown pass to Clark with 5 minutes left in the game, and a dropped pass by Minnesota running back Darrin Nelson in the end zone on fourth down with 56 seconds left that could have possibly sent the game into overtime.

[edit] Super Bowl pregame news

Coming into Super Bowl XXII, the Broncos were heavily favored to win because most experts thought Elway was a far and away superior quarterback to Williams. Elway had won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and was selected to start for the AFC in the Pro Bowl, while Williams had played just 5 regular season games.

[edit] Television and entertainment

The game was broadcast in the United States by ABC with play-by-play announcer Al Michaels and color commentators Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf. Keith Jackson hosted the pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage for ABC. Jackson was joined by analysts Lynn Swann and Mike Adamle. Also helping with ABC's coverage were Jack Whitaker, Jim Hill, and Becky Dixon.

The pregame festivities featured a tribute to entertainer Bob Hope, who was approaching the age of 85. Trumpeter Herb Alpert performed the national anthem, while Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Don Hutson participated in the coin toss ceremony.

The halftime show, produced by Radio City Music Hall, was titled "Something Grand" and featured performances by singer Chubby Checker, The Rockettes, and 88 grand pianos.

The Wonder Years premiered on ABC at the conclusion of this Super Bowl.

[edit] Game summary

Things started out very well for Denver. On the Broncos' first play from scrimmage, quarterback John Elway threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to receiver Ricky Nattiel, giving Denver a 7-0 lead after just 1:57 had elapsed in the game. It was the earliest touchdown any team had ever scored in Super Bowl history. The Broncos quickly forced Washington to punt, and once again Elway displayed his superb ad-libbing skills. On the second play of Denver's ensuing possession, Elway completed a 32-yard pass to wide receiver Mark Jackson. Then he caught a 23-yard pass from halfback Steve Sewell, making him the first quarterback ever to catch a pass in the Super Bowl. The Redskins managed to halt Denver's drive on the 6-yard line, but kicker Rich Karlis kicked a field goal to increase the Broncos lead to 10-0.

Denver then managed to drive to the Redskins' 30-yard line on their third possession with 2 runs by Gene Lang for a total of 24 yards and Sewell's 18-yard reception. However, this time they failed to score because Washington safety Alvin Walton sacked Elway for an 18-yard loss on third down, pushing the Broncos out of field goal range.

Meanwhile, the Redskins could not get anything done in the first quarter. They were forced to punt on every drive. And late in the period, quarterback Doug Williams twisted his leg while being sacked and had to leave the game. By the time the period ended, the Broncos had more than twice as many total yards of offense (142) as the Redskins (64). And with Denver's 10-0 lead, Washington seemed to face insurmountable odds since no team in Super Bowl history had ever come back to win after a 10-point deficit.

But Williams returned with 14:17 left in the second quarter, and suddenly everything seemed to go right for the Redskins and wrong for the Broncos, just like what happened to Denver in the second half of Super Bowl XXI against the New York Giants.

On the first play of the second quarter, receiver Ricky Sanders got behind defensive back Mark Haynes (who tried to jam him at the line of scrimmage), caught a pass from Williams, and took it 80 yards for a touchdown. Then after forcing the Broncos to punt, Washington advanced to the Denver 27-yard line. Facing third down and 1, with Denver's defense expecting a running play, Washington decided to pass and receiver Gary Clark made a diving catch in the end zone for a touchdown to increase Washington's lead to 14-10.

The Broncos then advanced on the ensuing drive to the Washington 26-yard line, aided by running back Sammy Winder's 27-yard reception and Elway's 21-yard run. But after Elway threw an incomplete pass on third down, Karlis missed a 43-yard field goal attempt. On the first play of the Redskins' ensuing drive, Williams threw a 16-yard completion to Clark. Then on the next play, running back Timmy Smith, a rookie in his first NFL start, took off for a 58-yard touchdown run, making the score 21-10.

The Redskins increased their lead to 28-10 on their next possession with a 50-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Sanders. Then 4 plays after the ensuing kickoff, Washington defensive back Barry Wilburn intercepted a pass from Elway on the Redskins 21 yard-line. Once again, the Redskins stormed down the field to score. First, Smith ripped off a 43-yard run, then Williams completed a pair of passes to Sanders to reach the Denver 7-yard line. Two plays later, Williams threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Clint Didier to make the score 35-10. On Denver's next drive, Elway completed 3 consecutive passes for 40 total yards to advance to the Redskins 36-yard line. However, Washington rookie defensive back Brian Davis intercepted Elway's next pass at the 21-yard line with 7 seconds left in the half.

In the second quarter alone, Williams had completed 9 of 11 passes for 228 yards and 4 touchdowns; Smith had rushed 5 times for 122 yards and a touchdown; and Sanders had caught 4 passes for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns.

By the end of the game, Elway was sacked 5 times and threw 3 interceptions. And Washington got another touchdown, a 4-yard run by Smith in the fourth quarter, to close out the scoring 42-10.

Smith finished the game with a Super Bowl record 204 rushing yards, and scored 2 touchdowns. His 58-yard touchdown run in the second quarter tied Tom Matte in Super Bowl III for the second longest run in Super Bowl history, and Smith's 9.3 yard per carry average was the third highest. Sanders caught 9 passes for 193 yards and 2 touchdowns, and returned 3 kickoffs for 46 yards. His 193 receiving yards and his 235 total offensive yards were both Super Bowl records, and his 80-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter also tied a Super Bowl record. Clark caught 3 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing once for 25 yards. Wilburn recorded 2 interceptions. Meanwhile, running back Gene Lang was the Broncos' leading rusher, but with only 38 yards on 5 carries. Elway finished the game with 14 out of 38 pass completions for 257 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions. He was also Denver's second leading rusher with 32 yards on 3 carries. Jackson was Denver's top receiver with 4 catches for 76 yards.

[edit] Scoring summary

DEN- Nattiel 56 pass from Elway (Karlis kick) 7-0 DEN
DEN- FG Karlis 24 10-0 DEN
WAS- Sanders 80 pass from D. Williams (Haji-Sheikh kick) 10-7 DEN
WAS- Clark 27 pass from D. Williams (Haji-Sheikh kick) 14-10 WAS
WAS- Smith 58 run (Haji-Sheikh kick) 21-10 WAS
WAS- Sanders 50 pass from D. Williams (Haji-Sheikh kick) 28-10 WAS
WAS- Didier 8 pass from D. Williams (Haji-Sheikh kick) 35-10 WAS
WAS- Smith 4 run (Haji-Sheikh kick) 42-10 WAS

[edit] Trivia

The Broncos and Redskins combined for a total of 929 offensive yards, the most ever by both teams in a Super Bowl.
This marked the first Super Bowl in which both starting quarterbacks were former first round draft picks, but were originally drafted by other teams. Doug Williams was taken in the first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1978, while John Elway was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the first round in 1983.
Washington's 35 points and 356 yards in the second period also set the overall NFL postseason records for the most points and offensive yards in a single quarter, respectively.
Doug Williams became the first player in Super Bowl history to throw 4 touchdowns in a single quarter, and throw four in a half
Ricky Sanders became the first player to catch 2 touchdowns in a single quarter.
The Broncos became the first team in Super Bowl history to score a touchdown on their first play from scrimmage.
This would be the first Super Bowl broadcast on ABC to have the broadcast team of Michaels, Gifford and Dierdorf. The trio would man the booth for ABC's Monday Night Football from 1987 to 1997.
The Redskins became the third consecutive team to win the Super Bowl after being shutout in the playoffs by the previous Super Bowl champion. The Chicago Bears won Super Bowl XX a year after losing in the 1984 NFC Championship Game to the San Francisco 49ers, 23-0. The New York Giants would then lose to the Bears, 21-0, in the 1985 Divisional Playoff Round. And the Redskins were eliminated by the Giants, 17-0, in the 1986 NFC Championship Game.
This was game official Johnny Grier's final game as a field judge before becoming the first African-American referee in NFL history with the start of the 1988 NFL season.

[edit] Officials

Referee: Bob McElwee
Umpire: Al Conway
Head Linesman: Dale Hamer
Line Judge: Jack Fette
Field Judge: Johnny Grier
Side Judge: Don Wedge
Back Judge: Al Jury
Alternate: Jerry Markbreit

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Super Bowl official website
2006 NFL Record and Fact Book. Time Inc. Home Entertainment. ISBN 1-933405-32-5.
Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. Harper Collins. ISBN 1-933405-32-5.
The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995. ISBN 0-89204-523-X.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com - Large online database of NFL data and statistics
Super Bowl play-by-plays from USA Today (Last accessed September 28, 2005)
All-Time Super Bowl Odds from The Sports Network (Last accessed October 16, 2005)

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