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Super Bowl XXII
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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 (NFL) champion following the 1987 regular season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins (14–4) won their second Super Bowl by defeating the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos (12–5–1), 42–10, scoring 42 unanswered points after being down 10–0.
The Redskins set the following Super Bowl records en route to the victory:
Both teams combined to set the following records:
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.
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Encyclopedia
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 (NFL) champion following the 1987 regular season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Washington Redskins (14–4) won their second Super Bowl by defeating the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos (12–5–1), 42–10, scoring 42 unanswered points after being down 10–0.
The Redskins set the following Super Bowl records en route to the victory:
- 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)
Both teams combined to set the following records:
- Most combined offensive yards (929)
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. Williams became the first player in Super Bowl history to throw 4 touchdowns in a single quarter, and throw four in a half. Williams was also the first African-American quarterback to reach the Super Bowl, and to date is the only African-American starting quarterback to win one.
This game came at the end of a season that was shortened by a players' strike, but each team only missed one regular season game due to the labor dispute.
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.
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 NFL league championship game, let alone a Super Bowl .
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 five 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 spent 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 five regular season games, throwing for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, with only five 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, led 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.
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, 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.
Playoffs
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, with 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 Castille 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, while nursing broken ribs.
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 the 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 blocked pass in the end zone by Darrell Green which was intended for Minnesota running back Darrin Nelson on fourth down with 56 seconds left, sealed the victory for Washington. Had the pass been successfully completed, it could have sent the game into overtime.
Super Bowl pregame news
Coming into Super Bowl XXII, the Broncos were heavily favored to win because most experts thought Elway was by far a 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.
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. 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 and call Super Bowls XXV and XXIX.
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 game happened to coincide with Hutson's 75th birthday). Alpert's performance was the last non-vocal performance of the National Anthem in a Super Bowl to date.
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. This was only the second successful series to debut following the Super Bowl (The A-Team, which premiered following Super Bowl XVII, was the other).
Game summary
The game 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. (This record would be broken by Jerry Rice in Super Bowl XXIX; Devin Hester would break Rice's record years later in Super Bowl XLI.) The Broncos quickly forced Washington to punt, and once again Elway displayed his superb scrambling 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 (Elway had scored a touchdown on that play during opening day the previous year against the Raiders). 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.
After yet another Redskin punt, Denver managed to drive to the Washington 30-yard line on their third possession with 2 runs by Gene Lang for a total of 24 yards and an 18-yard reception by Sewell. The Redskin defense stiffened, however; 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 generate any offensive momentum in the first quarter, with the Bronco defense forcing a punt on every drive. To make matters worse, late in the period quarterback Doug Williams twisted his leg while being sacked and had to leave the game. Back-up quarterback Jay Schroeder was sacked by Denver's Karl Mecklenburg on his first snap, continuing the Redskins' offensive woes. By the time the period ended, the Broncos had more than twice as many total yards of offense (142) as the Redskins (64). With Denver leading 10–0, Washington seemed to face insurmountable odds; no team had ever overcome a 10 point deficit to win a Super Bowl.
However, the Redskin offense began to click upon Williams' return with 14:17 left in the second quarter, and much as they had in the second half of Super Bowl XXI against the New York Giants the Bronco defense seemed to collapse.
On the Redskins' 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. After forcing the Broncos to punt on their next possession, 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 give Washington a 14–10 lead.
After the ensuing kickoff Denver drove to the Washington 26-yard line, aided by running back Sammy Winder's 27-yard reception and Elway's 21-yard run. After Elway threw an incomplete pass on third down, however, 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, making him the first player in Super Bowl history to catch 2 touchdowns in a single quarter. Four plays after the ensuing kickoff, Washington defensive back Barry Wilburn intercepted a pass from Elway on the Redskin 21 yard-line, and once again the Redskins stormed down the field to score. First, Smith broke loose for 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 bring the game to its final score of 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 third 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, while Walton had 2 sacks. Meanwhile, running back Gene Lang was the Broncos' leading rusher, 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 (This would be the only Super Bowl in which Elway did not score a rushing touchdown). Jackson was Denver's top receiver with 4 catches for 76 yards.
Scoring summary
First Quarter
- DEN - TD: Ricky Nattiel 56 yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick) 7-0 DEN
- DEN - FG: Rich Karlis 24 yards 10-0 DEN
Second Quarter
- WAS - TD: Ricky Sanders 80 yard pass from Doug Williams (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) 10-7 DEN
- WAS - TD: Gary Clark 27 yard pass from Doug Williams (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) 14-10 WAS
- WAS - TD: Timmy Smith 58 yard run (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) 21-10 WAS
- WAS - TD: Ricky Sanders 50 yard pass from Doug Williams (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) 28-10 WAS
- WAS - TD: Clint Didier 8 yard pass from Doug Williams (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) 35-10 WAS
Fourth Quarter
- WAS - TD: Timmy Smith 4 yard run (Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) 42-10 WAS
Starting lineups
Quotes
- "Washington 28-10, a game that appeared that it might be a Denver rout about an hour ago, is now an 18-point Washington advantage." (ABC's Al Michaels, as the Redskins were preparing to kick off following the second touchdown to Ricky Sanders)
- "Woah, Woah, Woah..... Three Hundred Twenty-Two Yards in a QUARTER!!!" (ABC's Dan Dierdorf, when Doug Williams QB passing stats came up near the end of the second quarter
Game time and weather conditions
- 6:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. PST
- , sunny
See also
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