Atlanta wasn’t the most hospitable site for the big game — an ice storm crippled the city for much of Super Bowl week. Early on, the Rams did their media interviews in a comfortably warm hotel ballroom, while the Titans were stuck wearing winter garb in a tent.
Kurt Warner’s 73-yard touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce with 1:54 left gave the Rams, as well as longtime coach Dick Vermeil, their first Super Bowl victory.
The Rams drove inside the Titans 20 on each of their first six possessions, but only managed three field goals and a touchdown for a 16-0 lead.
Tennessee stormed back and tied the score with two touchdowns by Eddie George and a 43-yard field goal by Al Del Greco with 2:12 left.
On the game’s final play with 6 seconds left, Steve McNair’s pass was caught by Kevin Dyson at the Rams 5. He scrambled for the end zone only to be stopped just 1 yard short by Mike Jones as Dyson’s outstretched arm held the ball near the goal line.
Warner finished off a storybook year in which he went from obscure back to league and Super Bowl MVP.
After going 0-3 in Super Bowls in his first 14 seasons, John Elway won for the second straight year. Elway completed 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards and won his first MVP trophy in five starts, a record for a quarterback.
Denver became the first AFC team to win two straight since Pittsburgh in 1979 and 1980.
League MVP Terrell Davis, a 2,000-yard rusher during the season, carried 25 times for 102 yards for his seventh consecutive 100-yard game in the postseason, breaking an NFL record set by John Riggins. Darrien Gordon intercepted two passes that set up two scores. Howard Griffith had two 1-yard TD runs and Rod Smith caught five passes for 152 yards and an 80-yard touchdown.
The game turned on one of the Falcons’ mistakes with five minutes left in the second quarter. Atlanta moved to the Denver 8, but couldn’t convert on third-and-goal. Then Morten Andersen, one of only two kickers with more than 400 field goals, missed a 26-yard attempt. On the next play, Smith raced by Ronnie Bradford and Eugene Robinson and caught the ball in stride for an 80-yard score that made it 17-3.
Atlanta’s “Dirty Birds” were done.
Finally, a Broncos breakthrough.
Terrell Davis rushed for 157 yards and a record three touchdowns to lead the Broncos to their first NFL title and break the NFC’s streak of 13 consecutive Super Bowl victories.
Defending champion Green Bay took the opening kickoff and scored on Brett Favre’s 22-yard pass to Antonio Freeman. Denver responded with a 10-play, 58-yard drive capped by Davis’ 1-yard run.
Two plays later, Tyrone Braxton intercepted Favre on the Green Bay 45 and John Elway scored on a 1-yard run. Steve Atwater forced Favre to fumble three plays later, which resulted in a 51-yard field goal by Jason Elam and 17-7 lead. Green Bay ended the first half with a 17-play, 95-yard drive to close the gap to three.
Ryan Longwell’s 27-yard field goal tied the game early in the third period. After exchanging punts, Davis scored his second touchdown, capping a 13-play, 92-yard drive.
The Packers tied the game early in the fourth quarter on Favre’s 13-yard pass to Freeman. Then the Broncos got great field position following Craig Hentrich’s 39-yard punt to the Packers 49. Darius Holland’s 15-yard facemask penalty after Davis’ 2-yard run moved the ball to the Packers 32. Davis scored several plays later with 1:45 remaining — Green Bay coach Mike Holmgren had his defense intentionally allow Davis to score from the 1 to preserve time for the Packers’ offense.
The strategy didn’t work.
The Packers reached the Broncos 35 with 1:04 left. But when on fourth-and-6, John Mobley batted down Favre’s pass with 32 seconds left, Denver had its long-awaited title.
The NFL title returns to Titletown.
Brett Favre threw two touchdown passes and ran for one score as the Packers won their first Super Bowl in 29 years. The big play was Desmond Howard’s 99-yard kickoff return in the third quarter. Howard, the Most Valuable Player, set a Super Bowl record with 244 return yards.
On the second play from scrimmage, Favre hit Andre Rison with a 54-yard touchdown pass. Following Doug Evans’ interception, the Packers went ahead 10-0 just 6:18 into the game. The Patriots rallied with Drew Bledsoe’s touchdown passes to Keith Byars and Ben Coates to give them their only lead of the game at 14-10.
Green Bay scored 56 seconds into the second quarter when Favre hit Antonio Freeman with a Super Bowl record 81-yard touchdown pass. Favre later scored on a 2-yard run to give the Packers a 27-14 halftime lead.
New England closed the gap on Curtis Martin’s 18-yard run late in the third quarter. Howard took the ensuing kickoff all the way to stop the Patriots’ momentum. The Packers’ defense took over in the fourth quarter, intercepting Bledsoe twice, and preventing the Patriots from crossing midfield in four possessions.
The Cowboys became the first team to win three Super Bowls in four seasons with a big lift from cornerback Larry Brown, who was the game’s MVP.
With Dallas leading 13-7 midway through the third quarter, Brown grabbed an errant pass by Neil O’Donnell and returned it 44 yards. That set up a 1-yard TD run by Emmitt Smith.
After Pittsburgh closed within 20-17 with the help of an onside kick, Brown came through again. With four minutes left and Pittsburgh threatening to score, Brown grabbed another pass and returned it 33 yards to set up a 4-yard TD run by Smith.
Brown parlayed his performance into a big free agent contract with Oakland, but was never as successful as in Super Bowl 30.
The Cowboys scored on their first three possessions, including two field goals by Chris Boniol, for a 13-0 lead in the first half. O’Donnell threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Yancey Thigpen with 13 seconds left in the half.
It was Pittsburgh’s first loss in a Super Bowl.
Steve Young threw a record six touchdown passes, and the 49ers became the first team to win five Super Bowls. Young, the game’s MVP, completed 24 of 36 passes for 325 yards, in escaping from the shadow of San Francisco great Joe Montana, who led the team to four championships in as many tries.
The 49ers scored their first touchdown 1:24 into the game, on a 44-yard pass from Young to Jerry Rice, who somehow was covered (or uncovered, really) by only a linebacker on the play. Ricky Watters followed with a 51-yard touchdown reception to give San Francisco a 14-0 lead with 10:05 still to play in the first quarter.
Rice and Watters each tied the Super Bowl record with three touchdowns. Rice also established career records for receptions, yards and touchdowns in a Super Bowl. The 75 points scored in the game also set a record.
In the only rematch in back-to-back years, Emmitt Smith rushed for 132 yards and two second-half touchdowns to lead the Cowboys to their second straight NFL title — and give the Bills a record four consecutive Super Bowl losses.
Buffalo has not been back to the Super Bowl since.
The Bills built a 13-6 halftime lead on Thurman Thomas’ 4-yard run and two field goals by Steve Christie, including a record 54-yarder.
One minute into the second half, Thomas was stripped by Dallas defensive tackle Leon Lett. Safety James Washington recovered the fumble and ran 46 yards for the tying touchdown.
The Cowboys forced the Bills to punt on the next possession and started on their 36-yard line. Smith carried seven times for 61 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown run, in an eight-play scoring drive.
Washington set up the Cowboys’ final touchdown in the fourth quarter when he intercepted Jim Kelly’s pass and returned it 12 yards to the Bills 34. On the 10th play of the drive, Smith scored on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to put the Cowboys in front 27-13.
Troy Aikman threw four touchdown passes, Emmitt Smith rushed for 108 yards, and the Cowboys converted nine turnovers into 35 points.
Dallas won its third Super Bowl in a record six appearances and Buffalo lost its third straight, also a record.
Buffalo scored first on a 2-yard run by Thurman Thomas. Dallas came back when James Washington intercepted Jim Kelly’s pass and returned it to the Bills 47. Aikman hit Jay Novacek with a 23-yard touchdown pass. On the next play from scrimmage, Kelly was sacked by Charles Haley and fumbled at the 2. Jimmie Jones recovered the fumble and scored.
Dallas put the game out of reach by scoring three times in a 2:33 span of the fourth quarter. The Cowboys recovered five fumbles and had four interceptions.
But Dallas didn’t score on one of the most infamous plays in Super Bowl history. Defensive tackle Leon Lett picked up a fumble at the Dallas 35 and sprinted toward the end zone. Lett slowed a bit to prematurely celebrate his TD, but a streaking Bills receiver Don Beebe caught up and swatted the ball through the end zone for a touchback.
Aikman, who completed 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards, was the Most Valuable Player.
Most Valuable Player Mark Rypien passed for 292 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Redskins to their third Super Bowl title.
Sixteen seconds into the second half, Kurt Gouveia intercepted Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly’s pass and returned it 23 yards to the Bills 2-yard line. One play later, Gerald Riggs scored his second touchdown of the game to make it 24-0.
Kelly was 28 for 58 for 275 yards and two touchdowns and four interceptions. The 58 attempts were a Super Bowl record. AFC rushing leader Thurman Thomas was held to 13 yards on 10 carries and 27 yards on four receptions.
Even more embarrassing, he didn’t start the game for the Bills because he couldn’t locate his helmet on the sideline.
Redskins receivers Gary Clark had seven catches for 114 yards and a touchdown. Art Monk added seven catches for 113 yards.
Joe Gibbs became the third head coach to win three Super Bowls, joining Chuck Noll and Bill Walsh.
With the Gulf War underway, patriotism was at a peak in the United States. Whitney Houston’s pregame rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” brought fans in Tampa and folks watching on TV to an emotional peak.
So did the game.
The New York Giants survived the closest Super Bowl ever when Scott Norwood’s 47-yard field goal attempt went wide right with 8 seconds left in the game.
The Giants won their second Super Bowl in five years with a ball-control offense — they had possession for 40:33, a Super Bowl record. Fourteen of New York’s 73 plays came on its initial drive of the third quarter that covered 75 yards and a Super Bowl record 9:39 before running back Ottis Anderson scored on 1-yard run. Anderson’s touchdown gave the Giants a 17-12 lead.
Thurman Thomas opened the fourth quarter with a 31-yard touchdown burst to put Buffalo ahead 19-17. Matt Bahr put the Giants ahead with a 21-yard field.
Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler, playing for the injured Phil Simms, completed 20 of 32 passes for 222 yards and one touchdown. Anderson rushed 21 times for 102 yards and a touchdown to capture the Most Valuable Player award.
Denver never had a chance.
The San Francisco 49ers routed the Broncos 55-10 in the most lopsided Super Bowl. It was big easy in the Big Easy for Joe Montana and company.
The 49ers became the first repeat NFL champion in a decade and tied the Pittsburgh Steelers as a pinnacle of Super Bowl perfection with four wins in four tries. The Broncos, on the other hand, lost their fourth Super Bowl and John Elway fell to 0-3.
Joe Montana threw for a record five touchdowns, three to Jerry Rice, and also set a record with 13 straight pass completions. Montana completed 22 of 29 passes for 297 yards and Rice caught seven passes for 148 yards.
By halftime, it was 27-3 and after three quarters, it was 41-10.
Montana also set five Super Bowl career records, including his third Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award, and San Francisco’s point total was the most ever.
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