6. Super Bowl 16 – Goal line stand saves
Niners
This was the first time the
Super Bowl was played in the Detroit area as the Silverdome in Pontiac,
Michigan, hosted the San Francisco 49ers and the Cincinnati Bengals. The 49ers
were at the beginning of their dynasty and this would be the first of four
Super Bowl triumphs in the 1980s. Quarterback Joe Montana was named the game’s
MVP as the 49ers beat the Bengals by a score of 26-21.
But it could be argued that it
was the San Francisco defense that won the game. Three first half turnovers
helped build a 20-0 lead and a goal-line stand late in the third quarter
prevented the Bengals from the points that could have given them the win.
The big play happened on
third-and-goal when Bengal quarterback Ken Anderson hit running back Charles
Alexander for what looked like a sure touchdown. But 49er linebacker, Dan Bunz made
a perfect tackle to prevent Alexander from getting in the end zone. On fourth
down, the Bengals tried to run the ball in, but Bunz, fellow linebacker Jack
Reynolds and cornerback Ronnie Lott combined to tackle full back Pete Johnson
before he could score.
7. Super Bowl 17 – The Diesel plows through
the Dolphins
Ten years after the Miami
Dolphins defeated the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl 7 to cap the undefeated
season, the two teams met in the big game once more. This time it was the
Redskins who prevailed, 27-17, largely due to the performance of running back,
John Riggins. The man nicknamed “The Diesel” rushed for a then-Super Bowl
record 166 yards and a touchdown run that defined his toughness and
determination.
In the third quarter, with the
Redskins trailing 17-13 and facing a fourth-and-one on the Miami 43-yard line,
Riggins took the handoff from quarterback, Joe Theisman, and looked like he was
going to be stopped for a loss. Instead, the Diesel broke the tackle and
rumbled 43 yards with Dolphin defenders trying in vain to catch him.
The Redskins led 20-17 and would
score another touchdown in the fourth to seal the victory.
8. Super Bowl 18 – The incredible running of
Marcus
John Riggins’s Super Bowl
rushing record lasted all of one year. The Raiders defeated the Redskins in
Super Bowl 18 by a score of 38-9. It was the Raiders third championship in
eight years and the first since moving from Oakland to Los Angeles in 1982.
And it was the Marcus Allen show
as the Los Angeles runningback set a new Super Bowl rushing record by running
for 191 yards and scoring two touchdowns in winning MVP honours.
It was the second TD that was
the hi-light. It happened in the third quarter with the Raiders ahead 28-9. On
the last play of the quarter, Allen took the handoff from quarterback, Jim
Plunkett, and started to run to the left, as was the play’s design. But after
seeing a lot of Redskin defenders closing in on him, he cut to the right and
turned the play up the middle of the field. Not one Washington defender laid a
hand on him as he raced to the end zone for a 74-yard, game-clinching
touchdown.
9. Super Bowl 20 – The Fridge scores a TD
Without a doubt, the best
defense in the Super Bowl era belonged to the 1985 Chicago Bears. Under the
guidance of defensive co-ordinator, Buddy Ryan, the Bears’ 46-defense dominated
the entire NFL throughout the season. They only allowed 198 points over the 16
regular season games and followed that up with two shutouts over the New York
Giants and Los Angeles Rams in their first two play off games.
The Super Bowl was a laugher, a
46-10 thrashing of the New England Patriots. While the most memorable play
happened by a defensive player, it happened while he was on defense.
Rookie defensive tackle, William Perry, was a
force. Weighing around 380 pounds, Perry earned the nickname “The Refrigerator”.
In the third quarter, with the Bears already in command at 37-3, The Fridge got
the call on a one-yard plunge. Watching the Patriots trying to stop him was
hilarious as he plowed over anyone standing in his way. It was his third
offensive TD of the season.
10. Super Bowl 22 – The Redskins explode in the
second quarter
The Denver Broncos were in the
Super Bowl for the second year in a row and were trying to avoid the lopsided
defeat they had suffered at the hands of the New York Giants in Super Bowl 21.
They were playing another NFC East team, the Washington Redskins, and the
Broncos got off to a great start leading 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.
But the second quarter is when
the roof caved in, or if viewed from the Washington point of view, the Redskins
dominated. On the first play of the second, Washington receiver Ricky Sanders
got in behind the Denver defensive backs and hauled in a pass from quarterback,
Doug Williams, and raced 80 yards to the end zone for a touchdown. Denver’s
lead was now 10-7.
After the Broncos punted, the Redskins
scored again, this time William’s 27-yard pass landed in the diving hands of
Gary Clark and Washington was up 14-10. Denver then missed a field goal and
Washington scored again, on a 58-yard run by runningback, Timmy Smith.
Washington up 21-10. On their next possession, the Redskins scored on another
long pass from Williams, as he connected with Sanders once again, this time
from 50 yards: Washington 28-10. And then, after the Skins intercepted Bronco
quarterback, John Elway, another long drive culminated in another Williams TD
pass, this time an 8-yard strike to Clint Didier, and Washington had a Super
Bowl record, that still stands, of 35 points in one quarter. Another score in
the fourth made the final score 42-10.
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