The
National Football League playoffs
The National Football League (NFL) playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held after the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Currently, seven teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs. A tie-breaki ...
for the
1992 season
Year 199 ( CXCIX) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was sometimes known as year 952 ''Ab urbe condita''. The denomination 199 for this year has been used since the ...
began on January 2, 1993. The postseason tournament concluded with the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
defeating the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
in
Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...
, 52–17, on January 31, at the
Rose Bowl in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
I ...
.
Participants
Bracket
Schedule
In the United States,
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
broadcast the first two Wild Card playoff games.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
then televised the rest of the
NFC
NFC may refer to:
Psychology
* Need for cognition, in psychology
* Need for closure, social psychological term
Sports
* NFC Championship Game, the National Football Conference Championship Game
* NCAA Football Championship (Philippines)
* Nati ...
games.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
broadcast the rest of the
AFC playoff games and
Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the ...
.
Wild Card playoffs
Saturday, January 2, 1993
NFC: Washington Redskins 24, Minnesota Vikings 7
Although Minnesota scored on their opening drive of the game, they were quickly crushed by the Redskins, who massively outgained them in total yards 358-148, rushing yards 162-75, and time of possession 42:43 to 17:17. Vikings quarterback
Sean Salisbury
Richard Sean Salisbury (born March 9, 1963) is an American football analyst, former National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL) quarterback, and actor. He is currently the host of '' The Sean Salisbury Show'' on KBME, Sport ...
was held to just six of 20 completions, intercepted twice, and sacked four times (three by defensive end
Fred Stokes).
The Vikings scored first on a 74-yard opening drive, featuring a 42-yard completion from Salisbury to
Cris Carter
Graduel Christopher Darin Carter (born November 25, 1965) is an American former American football, football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles (1987–1989), the Minnesota Vikings (1990 ...
, that ended with
Terry Allen's 1-yard touchdown run. However, Washington controlled the game from that point on. Redskins
Martin Mayhew
Martin Mayhew (born October 8, 1965) is an American football executive who is the general manager of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). A former cornerback, Mayhew played college football at Florida State prior t ...
's 44-yard interception return set up their first score on
Chip Lohmiller
John McLeod "Chip" Lohmiller (born July 16, 1966) is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, and St. Louis Rams. He played college football at the Univer ...
's 44-yard field goal with 53 seconds left in the first quarter. Then less than five minutes into the second quarter, Redskins safety
Brad Edwards picked off a pass from Salisbury and returned it six yards to the Vikings 33, and Washington cashed in on this turnover with
Earnest Byner
Earnest Alexander Byner (born September 15, 1962) is a former American football running back in the National Football League (NFL). He is now the running back coach of Out-of-Door Academy.
Playing career East Carolina University (1980–83 ...
's 3-yard rushing touchdown, giving them a 10-7 lead.
Late in the second quarter, the Redskins faced fourth down and 4 at the Minnesota 44-yard line. Running back
Brian Mitchell rushed for 38 yards on a fake punt to give the team a first down, and later finished the drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. Quarterback
Mark Rypien
Mark Robert Rypien (born October 2, 1962) is a Canadian-born former American football quarterback who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington State and was drafted by the Washington Redsk ...
's 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Gary Clark in the third quarter closed out the scoring.
Mitchell, who had only 24 career rushing attempts coming into this game, led the Redskins with 109 rushing yards and 100 total yards on receptions and punt/kickoff returns.
This was the fifth postseason meeting between the Redskins and Vikings. Both teams have split the previous four meetings.
AFC: San Diego Chargers 17, Kansas City Chiefs 0
San Diego entered this game as the first NFL team ever to make the playoffs after starting the season 0–4, and went on to shut out the Chiefs, outgaining them in total yards 342–251 and rushing yards 192–61. Kansas City never moved the ball farther than the Chargers 34-yard line. This was San Diego's first playoff win since the 1982 season.
The game remained scoreless until 5:53 remained in the third quarter when the Chargers faced second and 2. On the next play, running back
Marion Butts
Marion Stevenson Butts, Jr. (born August 1, 1966) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the San Diego Chargers, the New England Patriots and the H ...
took a pitch, ran through a large hole in the right side of the line, evaded a tackle attempt from safety
Charles Mincy
Charles Mincy was an American football safety who played ten seasons in the National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the ...
, and outraced the rest of the defense for a 54-yard rushing touchdown.
Leslie O'Neal
Leslie Claudis O'Neal (born May 7, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and outside linebacker for 13 years in the National Football League (NFL). He spent the majority of his career with the San Diego ...
intercepted a pass from
Dave Krieg
David Michael Krieg ( ; born October 20, 1958) is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He attended Milton College in his home state of Wisconsin and made the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent. ...
at the Chiefs 26-yard line on Kansas City's next drive to set up kicker
John Carney's 34-yard field goal. In the final quarter the Chargers put the game away with a 90-yard drive, featuring a 44-yard completion from
Stan Humphries
William Stanley Humphries (born April 14, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers.. He played high school football a ...
to
Anthony Miller (Miller fumbled at the end, but it was recovered by running back
Ronnie Harmon
Ronnie Keith Harmon (born May 7, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). After a standout career at the University of Iowa in the Big Ten Conference, he played for 12 ...
, who gained an additional 11 yards). Linebacker
Steve Hendrickson
Steven Daniel Hendrickson (August 30, 1966 – January 8, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). Hendrickson attended Napa High School where he was an outstanding varsity p ...
, who lined up as a running back, finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run.
In addition to his interception, O'Neal also had two sacks. Chargers defensive ends
Shawn Lee and
Burt Grossman also had 4.5 sacks between them (two for Lee, 2.5 for Grossman). Butts finished the game with 119 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 15 carries, along with two receptions for 17 yards. Humphries threw for 199 yards without any interceptions.
This was the first postseason meeting between the Chiefs and Chargers.
Sunday, January 3, 1993
AFC: Buffalo Bills 41, Houston Oilers 38 (OT)
Known as
The Comeback, the Bills mounted what was then the greatest comeback in NFL history, overcoming a 35–3 (32-point) deficit against the Oilers. The Bills were without future
Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
quarterback
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United State ...
(who was injured in the last game of the season, a loss to the Oilers) and All-Pro linebacker
Cornelius Bennett
Cornelius O'Landa Bennett (born August 25, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Buffalo Bills from 1987 to 1995, Atlanta Falcons from 1996 to 1998 ...
, and they lost Hall of Fame running back
Thurman Thomas
Thurman Lee Thomas (born May 16, 1966) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He was selected by the Bills in the second round of the ...
to a hip injury in the second half.
Houston dominated the game early, as quarterback
Warren Moon
Harold Warren Moon (born November 18, 1956) is an American former football quarterback who played professionally for 23 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL) and the Edmonto ...
completed 19 of 22 passes for 220 yards and four touchdowns in the first half, while the Oilers held the ball for 21:12, keeping the Bills' high-powered offense off the field for most of the first two quarters. On the opening drive of the first quarter, Moon completed six of seven passes on an 80-yard scoring drive that took over nine minutes off the clock and ended it with his first touchdown throw to wide receiver
Haywood Jeffires
Haywood Franklin Jeffires (pronounced "Jeffries"; born December 12, 1964) is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 1st round (20th overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft out of North Carolina State. ...
for three yards to give the Oilers a 7–0 lead. Buffalo responded on their ensuing drive, as
Kenneth Davis returned the kickoff 33 yards to the 44-yard line.
Frank Reich
Frank Michael Reich Jr. (; ; born December 4, 1961) is an American football coach and former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Maryland a ...
subsequently led the Bills to the Oilers 18-yard line where
Steve Christie
Geoffrey Stephen Christie (born November 13, 1967) is a former Canadian American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL), who, as a member of the Buffalo Bills, became known for his ability to kick clutch field goals, even in p ...
made a 36-yard field goal, to cut the score to 7–3. But Moon struck right back, leading the Oilers on a second quarter scoring drive that was nearly identical to their first one, completing six of seven passes on another 80-yard drive and finishing it with a 7-yard touchdown pass to
Webster Slaughter
Webster Melvin Slaughter (born October 19, 1964) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) from 1986 to 1998.
Early life
Slaughter was born in Stockton, C ...
. Then after forcing the Bills to a
three-and-out
A down is a period in which a play transpires in gridiron football. The down is a distinguishing characteristic of the game compared to other codes of football, but is synonymous with a "tackle" in rugby league. The team in possession of the ...
, Moon threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to
Curtis Duncan
Curtis Everett Duncan (born January 26, 1965), is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Houston Oilers in the 10th round of the 1987 NFL Draft.
A ...
. Later on, with 1:15 left in the half, the Oilers drove for another touchdown, aided by an encroachment call against the Bills on fourth down and 1. Moon completed the drive with his second touchdown pass to Jeffires, this one a 27-yarder, and the Oilers went into their locker room with a 28–3 halftime lead.
1:41 into the third quarter, Reich threw a pass that bounced off the hands of tight end
Keith McKeller
Terrell Keith McKeller (born July 9, 1964, in Birmingham, Alabama) is a former American football tight end for the Buffalo Bills from 1987 to 1993.
Before his NFL career, McKeller attended Jacksonville State University on a basketball scholarsh ...
and
Bubba McDowell
Leonard "Bubba" McDowell (born November 4, 1966) is an American football coach and former player. He played professionally as a Safety (gridiron football position), safety for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Houston O ...
returned the interception 58 yards for a touchdown, increasing the Houston lead to 35–3. However, on the kickoff, the wind shifted the ball just before it was kicked by
Al Del Greco
Albert Louis Del Greco (born March 2, 1962) is a former American football placekicker and a current sports radio personality. After eight years as golf coach at Spain Park High School in Hoover, Alabama, Del Greco was named the head coach of the ...
. As a result, it became an unintentional squib kick that the Bills recovered with great field position at midfield. Buffalo then drove 50 yards in 10 plays, including a 24-yard pass to tight end
Pete Metzelaars
Peter Henry Metzelaars (born May 24, 1960) is a former American football tight end who played for the Seattle Seahawks, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, and Detroit Lions in a sixteen-year career in the National Football League. Following his pl ...
that went right through the hands of linebacker
Eddie Robinson, and scored with a 1-yard touchdown run by Davis, cutting the deficit to 35–10. On the drive, Reich completed a 16-yard pass to
Andre Reed
Andre Darnell Reed (born January 29, 1964) is a former American football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Kutztown and was selected b ...
, while Davis kept the drive going with a 5-yard run on fourth down and 2 before finishing it off with a touchdown run with 8:52 left in the third quarter.
Christie then recovered his own
onside kick
In gridiron football, an onside kick is a kickoff deliberately kicked short in an attempt by the kicking team to regain possession of the ball. This is in contrast with a typical kickoff, in which the kicking team intends to give the ball to the o ...
and the Bills scored on the fourth play of their ensuing drive with Reich's 38-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Don Beebe
Donald Lee Beebe (born December 18, 1964) is an American football former wide receiver and coach who is the head football coach at Aurora University. He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily with th ...
. One of Beebe's feet went partially out of bounds during the run before he made the catch, and it should have been ruled by the officials as an illegal touching of the football; this was pointed out on
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
's "NFL Primetime" postgame recap as well as by
Todd Christensen
Todd Jay Christensen (August 3, 1956 – November 13, 2013) was an American football player who played in the National Football League (NFL) from 1978 until 1988, spending most of that time playing tight end for the Oakland / Los Angeles Ra ...
on the NBC broadcast. This made the score 35–17 with 7:46 left in the third quarter.
Houston was then forced to punt for the first time in the game on their next drive, and
Greg Montgomery
Gregory "Greg" Hugh Montgomery Jr. (October 29, 1964 – August 23, 2020) was a National Football League punter from (1988-1997) for the Houston Oilers, Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens.
Raised in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, Montgomery played foot ...
's 25-yard kick gave Buffalo the ball at their own 41-yard line. Reich started out the ensuing drive with an 18-yard completion to
James Lofton
James David Lofton (born July 5, 1956) is an American former professional football player and coach. He is a former coach for the San Diego Chargers but is best known for his years in the National Football League as a wide receiver for the Gre ...
. Davis gained 20 yards on a screen pass and then Reich threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Reed, trimming the lead to 35–24. Then on the first play of the Oilers' ensuing possession, Moon's pass was tipped off the hands of Slaughter; Bills' safety
Henry Jones intercepted the pass from Moon and returned it 15 yards to the Houston 23-yard line. Three plays later, Buffalo faced fourth down and five on the 18-yard line. Rather than attempt a field goal, Reich connected with Reed for the touchdown. With the score (including the extra point), the Bills had cut their deficit from 32 points to four in a span of just 6:52. On the Oilers' next drive, linebacker
Darryl Talley
Darryl Victor Talley (born July 10, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was an outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for West V ...
forced a fumble from Moon while sacking him. Houston recovered the fumble, but they were forced to punt, and Montgomery's 24-yard kick gave Buffalo the ball at its 48-yard line.
This time, the Bills could not take advantage of their excellent starting field position and had to punt. Moon's run and shoot offense began to move the ball effectively again. Despite two sacks by
Jeff Wright on the drive, Houston reached the Buffalo 14-yard line. Del Greco attempted a field goal to increase the Oilers' lead, but Montgomery fumbled the snap and Talley recovered the ball on the 26-yard line. After two plays, the Bills faced third down and four. With Houston's defense dropping back and expecting a pass, Reich handed the ball off to Davis, who stormed through the line and took off for a 35-yard gain. Then Reich went back to passing the ball, completing a short pass to Reed at the Oilers' 17-yard line on third down and two for the first down. With just 3:08 left in the fourth quarter, Reich threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Reed, giving Buffalo its first lead of the game 38–35 (after the extra point); for the first time all season, the Houston defense (ninth in fewest points allowed that season) had allowed over 29 points. But Moon led Houston downfield on a 63-yard drive to score the tying 26-yard field goal from Del Greco to send the game into overtime. A key play on the drive was an 18-yard completion to Slaughter on fourth down and four from the Bills' 34-yard line.
Houston won the coin toss and got the ball at its 20-yard line. Three plays later, Moon was intercepted by
Nate Odomes
Nathaniel Bernard Odomes (born August 25, 1965) is a former professional American football cornerback who played for the Buffalo Bills (1987–1993), Seattle Seahawks (1994–1995), and the Atlanta Falcons (1996). Before his NFL career, he p ...
, enabling Christie to kick a field goal and win the game.
Reich finished the game completing 21 of 34 passes for 289 yards, four touchdowns, and an interception. Reed had eight catches for 136 yards and three touchdowns. Davis rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown, while also catching two passes for 25 yards and returning a kickoff for 33 yards. Moon completed 36 of 50 attempts for 371 yards and four touchdowns, with two interceptions. His 36 completions set a playoff record that would stand until broken by
Drew Brees
Drew Christopher Brees (; born January 15, 1979) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. A member of the New Orleans Saints for most of his career, Brees is the NFL leader in ...
's 39 completions in 2010 (Brees's
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...
also lost that game). Givens caught nine passes for 117 yards. Jeffires recorded eight catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
This was the second postseason meeting between the Oilers and Bills. Buffalo won the only prior meeting.
NFC: Philadelphia Eagles 36, New Orleans Saints 20
The Eagles overcame a 20–10 Saints lead late in the third quarter by scoring 26 points in the final quarter, just one point short of the NFL postseason record set by the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...
in
1934
Events
January–February
* January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established.
* January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...
.
New Orleans scored after a 25-yard reception from
Craig Heyward
Craig William "Ironhead" Heyward (September 26, 1966 – May 27, 2006) was an American professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers. He then play ...
and an Eagles pass interference penalty that moved the ball 1-yard line set up Heyward's 1-yard touchdown run, but it was countered with Philadelphia quarterback
Randall Cunningham
Randall Wade Cunningham Sr. (born March 27, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles and is also known for ...
's 57-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Fred Barnett
Fred “Arkansas” Lee Barnett (born June 17, 1966 in Gunnison, Mississippi) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins. He p ...
. The Saints then drove 71 yards in 13 plays to take a 10-7 lead on
Morten Andersen
Morten Andersen (born 19 August 1960), nicknamed the "Great Dane", is a Danish former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 25 seasons, most notably with the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. F ...
's 35-yard field goal. Later on, they drove 53 yards in four plays to go up 17-7 on wide receiver
Quinn Early
Quinn Remar Early (born April 13, 1965) is a former professional American football player who was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the third round of the 1988 NFL Draft. A 6'0", . wide receiver from the University of Iowa, Early played in ...
's 7-yard touchdown reception from quarterback
Bobby Hebert
Bobby Joseph Hebert Jr. (surname pronounced ; born August 19, 1960) is an American sportscaster and former professional football quarterback. He played in the United States Football League (USFL) and National Football League (NFL) from 1983 to ...
.
On the Saints' first drive of the third quarter, running back
Vaughn Dunbar
Vaughn Allen Dunbar (born September 4, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons. He played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers, and earned A ...
caught a short pass from Herbert and ran it 35 yards to the Eagles 34. But when faced with 3rd and 1 from the 25, Dunbar was tackled at the line and ruled short of a first down, causing New Orleans to settle for Andersen's 42-yard field goal that put them up 20-7. New Orleans quickly force a punt, but after they got the ball back, Hebert overthrew Early on a deep post pass, sending the ball right into the arms of Eagles cornerback
Eric Allen
Eric Andre Allen (born November 22, 1965) is an American football coach and former cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, and Oakland Raiders from 1988 to 2001. A six-time ...
for an interception on the Philadelphia 38-yard line. From there, the Eagles drove to a 40-yard
Roger Ruzek
Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ...
field goal that cut their deficit to 20-10 going into the fourth quarter.
The Saints final six drives of the second half resulted in an interception, a punt, another interception, a safety, another interception, and time expiring in the game. Their possession after Ruzek's field goal ended when Hebert underthrew the ball on a pass attempt to a wide open
Eric Martin on 3rd and 1. Then Cunningham closed the gap to 20-17 with a 35-yard touchdown completion to Barnett with less than 11 minutes left in regulation. Then on the first play of the Saints' next possession, Eagles linebacker
Seth Joyner
Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. ...
intercepted a pass from Hebert and returned it 14 yards to the Saints 26 to set up running back
Heath Sherman's 6-yard touchdown run, giving Philadelphia the lead, 24–20. After New Orleans got the ball back, Eagles defensive end
Reggie White
Reginald Howard White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004) was an American professional football player who played defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for ...
sacked Hebert in the end zone for a safety. After the free kick, Ruzek added a 39-yard field goal. 19 seconds later, Allen intercepted Hebert and returned the ball 18 yards for a touchdown.
"I thought I had the first down and got a bad spot," said Dunbar of the play where he was ruled short on 3rd and 1. "It seemed kind of meaningless at the time, because we got the field goal. Now, in hindsight, it could have been that final nail in the Eagles' coffin."
Cunningham completed 19 of 35 passes for 219 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 19 yards. Sherman rushed for a 105 yards and a touchdown, while also catching two passes for 17 yards. Barnett had four receptions for 102 yards and two scores. Allen had two interceptions. Dunbar had 115 all-purpose yards. This was Philadelphia's first playoff win since the 1980 season, ending a five-game losing streak which began in the Louisiana Superdome with
Super Bowl XV
Super Bowl XV was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...
.
This was the first postseason meeting between the Eagles and Saints.
Divisional playoffs
Saturday, January 9, 1993
AFC: Buffalo Bills 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 3
The Bills forced four fumbles, three turnovers, and seven sacks as they held the Steelers to just a field goal. Buffalo quarterback
Frank Reich
Frank Michael Reich Jr. (; ; born December 4, 1961) is an American football coach and former quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Maryland a ...
threw for 160 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions; while running back
Kenneth Davis rushed for 104 yards. Steelers running back
Barry Foster rushed for 104 yards and caught a pass for seven yards. Pittsburgh had led the NFL with 43 takeaways during the season, but they were not able to force any in this game.
On the opening drive of the game, the Bills drove to the Pittsburgh 46-yard line. But on fourth and 1, fullback
Carwell Gardner
Carwell Ernest Gardner (born November 27, 1966) is a former professional American football Fullback (American football), fullback in the National Football League. He played eight seasons in the NFL; six for the Buffalo Bills (1990–1995), one f ...
was stuffed by linebackers
David Little and
Hardy Nickerson
Hardy Otto Nickerson Sr. (born September 1, 1965) is an American former football coach and professional player. He played as linebacker for four teams over 16 seasons, from 1987 to 2002, in the National Football League (NFL). Nickerson spent ...
for no gain. The turnover on downs led to
Gary Anderson's 38-yard field goal to give Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead. However, Steelers quarterback
Neil O'Donnell
Neil Kennedy O'Donnell (born July 3, 1966) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League for 14 seasons. He played college football at Maryland and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third ro ...
, who had missed the last three games of the season with a leg injury, ended up turning the ball over three times on the team's next four drives. First he threw a pass that was deflected by
Phil Hansen into the arms of
Nate Odomes
Nathaniel Bernard Odomes (born August 25, 1965) is a former professional American football cornerback who played for the Buffalo Bills (1987–1993), Seattle Seahawks (1994–1995), and the Atlanta Falcons (1996). Before his NFL career, he p ...
for an interception. Following a punt from each team,
Bruce Smith
Bruce Bernard Smith (born June 18, 1963) is an American former football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Virginia Tech, where he was ...
forced a fumble from O'Donnell, which Hansen recovered on the Bills 41-yard line. Buffalo then advanced 59 yards, including a 19-yard catch by receiver
Don Beebe
Donald Lee Beebe (born December 18, 1964) is an American football former wide receiver and coach who is the head football coach at Aurora University. He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, primarily with th ...
on the Steelers 1-yard line. On the next play, the team scored on Reich's 1-yard touchdown pass to
Mitch Frerotte
}
Paul Mitchael Frerotte (March 30, 1965 – June 11, 2008) was an American professional football player who played as a guard for four seasons in the National Football League, all with the Buffalo Bills.
Biography
Frerotte is perhaps best know ...
, an eligible offensive lineman playing out of the fullback position. Although there would be no more scoring in the first half, Pittsburgh's struggles would continue. On their next drive, O'Donnell was intercepted by
James Williams.
On the opening drive of the second half, the Bills moved the ball 80 yards and scored with Reich's 17-yard touchdown pass to
James Lofton
James David Lofton (born July 5, 1956) is an American former professional football player and coach. He is a former coach for the San Diego Chargers but is best known for his years in the National Football League as a wide receiver for the Gre ...
, increasing their lead to 14-3. On the play before the touchdown, Reich had thrown the ball right into the hands of defensive back
Richard Shelton while trying to connect with Beebe, but Shelton dropped the pass, costing his team what would have been an easy touchdown return. "I was just running before I caught the ball, and that really hurt", Shelton said after the game. "I could have had six."
In the final quarter, a botched Steelers field goal attempt set up a 44-yard drive that ended with Bills kicker
Steve Christie
Geoffrey Stephen Christie (born November 13, 1967) is a former Canadian American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL), who, as a member of the Buffalo Bills, became known for his ability to kick clutch field goals, even in p ...
's 43-yard field goal. The next time Buffalo got the ball, they drove 86 yards and scored on a 1-yard run from Gardner.
This was the second postseason meeting between the Bills and Steelers. Pittsburgh won the only previous meeting.
NFC: San Francisco 49ers 20, Washington Redskins 13
Despite committing four turnovers, 49ers quarterback
Steve Young
Jon Steven Young (born October 11, 1961) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccane ...
passed for 227 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 73 yards, to beat the Redskins.
On their first drive, San Francisco advanced 83 yards, including a 35-yard reception by
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. Known primarily as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, winning three championshi ...
and a 22-yard catch by tight end
Brent Jones
Brent Michael Jones (born February 12, 1963) is an American former professional football player, business executive, businessman, coach, and sports analyst. As a player, he was a tight end for the San Francisco 49ers during his entire 11-year ca ...
, to score on Young's 5-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
John Taylor that went off the hands of Redskins safety
A. J. Johnson. The 49ers seemed to be in prime position to score again when
Kelly Goodburn's 29-yard punt gave them a first down on the Washington 49, but
Fred Stokes eventually stripped the ball from Young and safety
Brad Edwards recovered the fumble. Washington then drove 61 yards to cut the score to 7-3 on a 19-yard field goal by
Chip Lohmiller
John McLeod "Chip" Lohmiller (born July 16, 1966) is a former professional American football placekicker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, and St. Louis Rams. He played college football at the Univer ...
.
San Francisco responded with a 23-yard field goal from
Mike Cofer to go up 10-3 in the second quarter. Then after forcing a punt, they moved the ball from their own 1-yard line to the Redskins 29, but lost another turnover when Johnson intercepted Young's pass at the 5. However, Washington promptly gave the ball back when running back
Brian Mitchell lost a fumble that was recovered by
David Whitmore
David Lawrence Whitmore (born July 6, 1967 in Daingerfield, Texas) is a former American football safety in the National Football League for the New York Giants, the San Francisco 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Philadelphia Eagles. He pla ...
with 1:09 left in the half. Four plays later, Young threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jones, who fumbled the ball when hit by Edwards at the 1, but managed to recover it in the end zone to give San Francisco a 17-3 halftime lead.
In the second half, Washington converted two Young fumbles into 10 points. The 49ers got a great scoring opportunity after Whitmore intercepted a pass from
Mark Rypien
Mark Robert Rypien (born October 2, 1962) is a Canadian-born former American football quarterback who played 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Washington State and was drafted by the Washington Redsk ...
in the third quarter. But while scrambling for a first down, Young lost a fumble without being touched and linebacker
Monte Coleman
Monte Leon Coleman (born November 4, 1957) is a former American football linebacker who played for sixteen seasons with the Washington Redskins from 1979 to 1994. He was the head football coach for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
Footba ...
recovered it. This led to a 71-yard drive finished off by Lohmiller's 32-yard field goal, cutting Washington's deficit to 17-6. On the next series, the ball again slipped out of Young's hands, this time on a pass attempt, and Redskins offensive tackle
Charles Mann recovered it on the San Francisco 15-yard line. Three plays later, Rypien scored on a 1-yard sneak, cutting the deficit to 17-13 early in the fourth quarter.
Following a 49ers punt, Washington moved the ball 52 yards to the 49ers 23-yard line. But with 9:52 left, Mitchell fumbled a botched handoff attempt by Rypien and linebacker
Michael Walter recovered the fumble. San Francisco then marched 59 yards in 14 plays, featuring a 16-yard completion from Young to Rice on third and 10, on a drive that consumed more than seven minutes off the clock and scored on Cofer's game-clinching 33-yard field goal, making the score 20-13. Washington got the ball back with 2:15 remaining and had one last chance to drive for a tying score, but they could only advance a few yards before turning the ball over on downs, as Rypien's final two passes were dropped by wide open targets, receiver
Ricky Sanders
Ricky Wayne Sanders (born August 30, 1962) is a former American football wide receiver who played professionally for 12 seasons from 1983 to 1994, two with the United States Football League's Houston Gamblers and ten in the National Football Lea ...
and tight end
Ron Middleton.
49ers running back
Ricky Watters
Richard James Watters (born April 7, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). Watters played ...
was the game's top rusher with 83 yards, while also catching two passes for 19. Defensive end
Pierce Holt
Leslie Pierce Holt (born January 1, 1962) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a defensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) from 1988 to 1995. H ...
had three of San Francisco's five sacks. Redskins receiver
Gary Clark caught seven passes for 100 yards. This was the last game of
Joe Gibbs
Joe Jackson Gibbs (born November 25, 1940) is an American auto racing team owner and former professional football coach. In football, he was head coach for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1981 to 1992, and a ...
' first tenure as Redskins head coach. Washington would not return to the playoffs again until
1999
File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Redskins and 49ers. San Francisco won two of the previous three meetings.
Sunday, January 10, 1993
NFC: Dallas Cowboys 34, Philadelphia Eagles 10
The Cowboys defense had five sacks (two each by linemen
Russell Maryland
Russell James Maryland (born March 22, 1969) is a former professional American football player. He played defensive tackle for ten seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He w ...
and
Tony Tolbert
Anthony Lewis Tolbert (born December 29, 1967) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Texas-El Paso. He was drafted in the fourth round ...
), and held the Eagles offense to 178 yards and 10 points.
Philadelphia scored on the opening drive of the game, holding the ball for seven minutes on the way to a 32-yard field goal by kicker
Roger Ruzek
Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ...
, but then Dallas scored 34 consecutive points.
Kelvin Martin
Kelvin Darnell Martin (July 24, 1964 – October 24, 1987), also known as 50 Cent, was an American criminal based in Brooklyn, New York. Martin is primarily known as the inspiration for the name of rapper 50 Cent.
Biography
Born in the Bronx bor ...
returned the ensuing kickoff 39 yards to the Eagles 46, sparking a 10-play drive that ended on
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman (born November 21, 1966) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. After transferring from Oklahoma, he played college football at UCLA, ...
's 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Derek Tennell, who had been signed by the team as a free agent only a week before this game. After the next three drives from each team ended in punts, Aikman completed a 41-yard pass to
Alvin Harper
Alvin Craig Harper (born July 6, 1967) is a former football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the firs ...
on the Philadelphia 14-yard line with 1:04 left in the half. Following an 8-yard scramble by Aikman, he finished the 67-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end
Jay Novacek
Jay McKinley Novacek (born October 24, 1962) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League who played for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals (1985–1989) and the Dallas Cowboys (1990–1995). Novacek was a five-time Pro ...
. Then
Darren Woodson
Darren Ray Woodson (born April 25, 1969) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire career for the Dallas Cowboys from 1992 to 2003. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round (37th o ...
forced a fumble from
Vai Sikahema
Vai Sikahema (born 29 August 1962) is a former professional football player and broadcaster, who has served as a general authority seventy of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) since April 2021.
Of Tongan descent, he ...
on the following kickoff, which
Thomas Everett
Thomas Gregory Everett (born November 21, 1964) is a former American football safety in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at Baylor University, where he ...
recovered for Dallas on the Eagles 29. This enabled
Lin Elliott
Lin or LIN may refer to:
People
*Lin (surname) (normally ), a Chinese surname
*Lin (surname) (normally 蔺), a Chinese surname
*Lin (The King of Fighters), Lin (''The King of Fighters''), Chinese assassin character
*Lin Chow Bang, character in Fat ...
to kick a 20-yard field goal before halftime that put them up 17-3.
In the third quarter, Dallas held the ball for more than 12 minutes and gained 176 yards, while holding the Eagles to -16. Cowboys running back
Emmitt Smith
Emmitt James Smith III (born May 15, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. Among other accolades, he is the lea ...
, who finished the game with 114 rushing yards, scored a 23-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the second half. Elliott later kicked a 43-yard field goal to put the team up 27-3.
Late in the fourth quarter, Smith was taken out of the game and got to watch
Derrick Gainer
Derrick "Smoke" Gainer (born August 22, 1972) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1990 to 2012. He held the WBA featherweight title from 2000 to 2003.
Professional career
In 2000, Gainer defeated Freddie Norwood to win t ...
carry the ball nine times for 29 yards on an 11-play, 80-yard drive that ended on Gainer's 1-yard touchdown run. Meanwhile, all the Eagles could do was score a meaningless touchdown on
Randall Cunningham
Randall Wade Cunningham Sr. (born March 27, 1963) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He spent the majority of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles and is also known for ...
's 18-yard pass to
Calvin Williams with 50 seconds left in the game.
Aikman completed 15/25 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Cunningham finished the game 17/30 for 160 yards and one touchdown, along with 25 rushing yards.
"There was a lot of talking before this game", said Cowboys linebacker
Ken Norton Jr.
Kenneth Howard Norton Jr. (born September 29, 1966) is an American football coach and former linebacker who most recently served as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) from 2018 to 2021. H ...
"We did our talking on the field. I don't think they have too much they can say right now."
This was the second postseason meeting between the Eagles and Cowboys. Philadelphia won the only prior meeting.
AFC: Miami Dolphins 31, San Diego Chargers 0
The Dolphins defense shut out the Chargers, holding San Diego quarterback
Stan Humphries
William Stanley Humphries (born April 14, 1965) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers.. He played high school football a ...
to just 18 of 44 completions for 140 yards and intercepting him four times as they snuffed out San Diego's eight-game winning streak. Overall, San Diego gained just 202 yards and 10 first downs, while losing five turnovers. The Chargers had seven sacks in their wild card win against Kansas City, but none in this game.
Dolphins quarterback
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. (born September 15, 1961) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. After a successful college career at Pittsburgh and be ...
threw three touchdown passes in the second quarter, all of them set up by interceptions. With 11:30 remaining in the second quarter, rookie
Troy Vincent
Troy Darnell Vincent (born June 8, 1970) is a former American football cornerback for the Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Dolphins as the 7th ...
intercepted a pass from Humphries and returned it two yards to the San Diego 48. Nine plays later, Miami cashed in with Marino's 1-yard touchdown pass to
Tony Paige. With less than two minutes left in the half, Humphries threw a pass that slipped out of the hands of receiver
Nate Lewis
Nathaniel "Nate" Lewis (born October 19, 1966) is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He played six seasons for the San Diego Chargers (1990–1993) and the Chicago Bears (1994–1995).
Born ...
and was picked off by Vincent on the Chargers 37. Marino threw a 28-yard completion to
Mark Duper
Mark "Super" Duper (born January 25, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1982 to 1992. He played collegiately at Northwestern State ...
on the next play, and finished the drive with a 9-yard touchdown toss to tight end
Keith Jackson
Keith Max Jackson (October 18, 1928 – January 12, 2018) was an American sports commentator, journalist, author, and radio personality, known for his career with ABC Sports (1966–2006). While he covered a variety of sports over his career ...
. Then on the fourth play after the ensuing kickoff, linebacker
Bryan Cox
Bryan Keith Cox Sr. (born February 17, 1968) is an American football coach and former player. He is the assistant defensive line coach for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Western Illino ...
intercepted a pass intended for
Shawn Jefferson
Vanchi LaShawn "Shawn" Jefferson Sr. (born February 22, 1969) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the associate head coach & wide receivers coach for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He previ ...
and returned it seven yards to the San Diego 42. Four plays later, Marino's 30-yard touchdown pass to Jackson gave Miami a 21-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, Miami relied primarily on their running game to protect their lead. Running back
Aaron Craver
Aaron LeRenze Craver (born December 18, 1968, in Los Angeles, California) is a former American football running back and kick returner in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, and the New Orleans Saints. He playe ...
led the team with eight carries for 72 yards, including a 25-yard touchdown burst in the fourth quarter. Before that, the Dolphins also scored on a 22-yard field goal from kicker
Pete Stoyanovich
Peter Stoyanovich (born April 28, 1967) is an American football placekicker of Macedonian descent. His father Mijalce and his mother Slobodanka are from Ljubojno, North Macedonia. He played with the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and brief ...
. The final score of 31-0 marked a record setting day for the Dolphins offense, who had scored just six touchdowns in the last six games. Their 21 points was the highest single quarter amount they had ever scored in a playoff game, and their 31-point margin of victory was also a franchise postseason record.
Marino finished the game with 167 passing yards and three touchdowns. Running back
Bobby Humphrey
Bobby Gene Humphrey (born October 11, 1966) is a former professional American football player who played for the Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins in the National Football League. He played college football at the University of Alabama.
Colleg ...
rushed for 71 yards and caught three passes for 30. Miami also got a big performance out of punter
Reggie Roby
Reginald Henry Roby (July 30, 1961 – February 22, 2005) was an American professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for the Iowa H ...
, who planted four of his eight punts inside the Chargers 20-yard line, including three that were inside the 7. Lewis gained 130 all-purpose yards, including four kickoff returns for 111. San Diego rookie linebacker
Junior Seau
Tiaina Baul "Junior" Seau Jr. (; ; January 19, 1969May 2, 2012) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL), mostly with the San Diego Chargers. Known for his passionate play, he was a ...
had 18 tackles.
This was the third postseason meeting between the Chargers and Dolphins. Both teams split the previous two meetings.
Conference Championships
Sunday, January 17, 1993
AFC: Buffalo Bills 29, Miami Dolphins 10
The Bills intercepted Dolphins quarterback
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. (born September 15, 1961) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. After a successful college career at Pittsburgh and be ...
twice, recovered three fumbles, forced four sacks, and held Miami to just 33 rushing yards. Although the Buffalo offense had trouble getting into the end zone because they played the game with a rusty
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United State ...
back in command of the offense for the first time in the postseason, kicker
Steve Christie
Geoffrey Stephen Christie (born November 13, 1967) is a former Canadian American football placekicker in the National Football League (NFL), who, as a member of the Buffalo Bills, became known for his ability to kick clutch field goals, even in p ...
made an NFL playoff record-tying five field goals.
Thurman Thomas
Thurman Lee Thomas (born May 16, 1966) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He was selected by the Bills in the second round of the ...
, who had been knocked out of the game in both of the Bills prior two playoff contests, rushed for 96 yards and caught five passes for 70, while
Kenneth Davis added 61 rushing yards and four receptions for 52.
Midway through the first quarter, Bills defensive end
Bruce Smith
Bruce Bernard Smith (born June 18, 1963) is an American former football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Virginia Tech, where he was ...
forced a fumble from Marino while sacking him, and linebacker
Darryl Talley
Darryl Victor Talley (born July 10, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was an outside linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for West V ...
recovered it, setting up a 21-yard field goal by Christie. Miami struck back on their next drive with a 51-yard field goal from
Pete Stoyanovich
Peter Stoyanovich (born April 28, 1967) is an American football placekicker of Macedonian descent. His father Mijalce and his mother Slobodanka are from Ljubojno, North Macedonia. He played with the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs and brief ...
. After the ensuing kickoff, Kelly led the Bills 64 yards in seven plays and finished the drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Thomas early in the second quarter. Later on, Buffalo defensive end
Phil Hansen intercepted a pass from Marino on the Dolphins 24-yard line, setting up Christie's second field goal and giving the Bills a 13–3 lead by the end of the first half.
On the opening kickoff of the second half, Miami returner
Mike Williams fumbled the ball while being tackled by
Mark Pike
Mark Harold Pike (December 27, 1963 – December 8, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker, defensive end, and special teamer for twelve seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Buffalo Bills. He pl ...
, and Buffalo's
Carwell Gardner
Carwell Ernest Gardner (born November 27, 1966) is a former professional American football Fullback (American football), fullback in the National Football League. He played eight seasons in the NFL; six for the Buffalo Bills (1990–1995), one f ...
recovered it at the Dolphins 25-yard line. Five plays later, Davis scored on a 2-yard touchdown run, giving the Bills a 20–3 lead. Buffalo's defense took over the rest of the third quarter, holding the Dolphins offense to two offensive yards while Christie added two more field goals to increase their lead to 26–3. Marino completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Mark Duper
Mark "Super" Duper (born January 25, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL) from 1982 to 1992. He played collegiately at Northwestern State ...
in the final quarter. However, Christie kicked his fifth field goal of the game to clinch the victory.
This was the second straight year the Bills defeated a future
Hall of Fame
A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...
quarterback to advance to the Super Bowl as they beat
John Elway
John Albert Elway Jr. (born June 28, 1960) is an American professional football executive and former quarterback who is the president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL).
Elway played college f ...
and his
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
10–7 a season earlier.
This was the second postseason meeting between the Bills and Dolphins. Buffalo won the only previous meeting.
NFC: Dallas Cowboys 30, San Francisco 49ers 20
Even though the Cowboys had only one more yard of total offense than the 49ers (416–415), Dallas forced four critical turnovers that helped them earn the win. On San Francisco's first drive of the game, a controversial holding penalty on guard
Guy McIntyre
Guy Maurice McIntyre (born February 17, 1961) is a former professional American football offensive lineman in the National Football League (NFL). He played in three Super Bowls and five Pro Bowls as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
McIntyre w ...
nullified a 63-yard touchdown completion from quarterback
Steve Young
Jon Steven Young (born October 11, 1961) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccane ...
to wide receiver
Jerry Rice
Jerry Lee Rice (born October 13, 1962) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 20 seasons. Known primarily as a member of the San Francisco 49ers, winning three championshi ...
, and the 49ers had to punt. Despite a 19-yard reception from
Michael Irvin
Michael Jerome Irvin (born March 5, 1966) is an American sports commentator and former professional football wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). In 2007, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame ...
on the Cowboys first play, they also had to punt, but returner
Alan Grant fumbled after a hit from
Dixon Edwards
Dixon Voldean Edwards, III (born March 25, 1968) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings. He played college football at Michigan State University were he studied ...
and Dallas fullback
Daryl Johnston
Daryl Peter "Moose" Johnston (born February 10, 1966) is a former fullback in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Syracuse University. He was the General Manager of the San Antonio Commanders of t ...
recovered on the 49ers 22. The Cowboys restarted their drive with a completion to Irvin, this one a 21-yard gain to the 1-yard line. But the San Francisco defense managed to hold them up on three consecutive plays, forcing Dallas to settle for
Lin Elliott
Lin or LIN may refer to:
People
*Lin (surname) (normally ), a Chinese surname
*Lin (surname) (normally 蔺), a Chinese surname
*Lin (The King of Fighters), Lin (''The King of Fighters''), Chinese assassin character
*Lin Chow Bang, character in Fat ...
's 20-yard field goal.
San Francisco running back
Marc Logan
Marc Anthony Logan (born May 9, 1965) is a former American football running back that played NCAA D1-A before playing in the NFL.
Marc weighs in at 6'0, 228 lbs. Marc attended the University of Kentucky in college wearing the number 25. At Kent ...
returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards to the Cowboys 48-yard line. Aided by a 16-yard run from
Ricky Watters
Richard James Watters (born April 7, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a running back for the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). Watters played ...
, San Francisco drove 48 yards and scored with Young's 1-yard touchdown run to take a 7–3 lead. Dallas was forced to punt on their next drive after
Troy Aikman
Troy Kenneth Aikman (born November 21, 1966) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. After transferring from Oklahoma, he played college football at UCLA, ...
was sacked twice (one by
Bill Romanowski
William Thomas Romanowski (born April 2, 1966) is a former American football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. Nicknamed "Romo" and "RomoCop", he spent the majority of his career with the San Francisco 4 ...
and the other by
Martin Harrison) for 19 total yards, and Grant returned the football to the Cowboys 47-yard line. San Francisco then drove to the Dallas 29-yard line, but the drive stalled there and
Mike Cofer missed a 47-yard field goal try. After a punt, Watters lost a fumble that was recovered by defensive back
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co ...
. Aided by a defensive holding call against
Pierce Holt
Leslie Pierce Holt (born January 1, 1962) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a defensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL) from 1988 to 1995. H ...
for holding up running back
Emmitt Smith
Emmitt James Smith III (born May 15, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Dallas Cowboys. Among other accolades, he is the lea ...
at the line on third down (the 49ers objected, stating that Holt was fooled by a fake handoff into thinking Smith actually had the ball), Dallas took a 10–7 lead with Smith's 4-yard touchdown run. A 21-yard reception by Rice sparked a 49ers drive to the Cowboys 10-yard line where Cofer made a 28-yard field goal to tie the game with less than two minutes left in the second quarter. Cofer's kickoff went out of bounds, giving Dallas a chance to score before the end of the half. Aikman managed to lead them to the 49ers 25-yard line, but Elliott's 43-yard field goal attempt went wide right and it was tied at 10 going into halftime.
After receiving the second half kickoff, the Cowboys marched 78 yards, featuring a 38-yard leaping catch by
Alvin Harper
Alvin Craig Harper (born July 6, 1967) is a former football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the firs ...
over
Eric Davis, to score on Johnston's 3-yard touchdown run to take a 17–10 lead.
The 49ers struck back with a 35-yard completion from Young to Rice that set up a 43-yard field goal by Cofer, cutting the score to 17–13. However, Dallas put together a 79-yard drive which consumed nine minutes with a key 31-yard reception by tight end
Jay Novacek
Jay McKinley Novacek (born October 24, 1962) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League who played for the St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals (1985–1989) and the Dallas Cowboys (1990–1995). Novacek was a five-time Pro ...
. This second long drive was capped by Aikman's 16-yard touchdown pass to Smith, giving the Cowboys a 24–13 advantage.
On the ensuing drive for San Francisco midway into the fourth, Cowboys linebacker
Ken Norton Jr.
Kenneth Howard Norton Jr. (born September 29, 1966) is an American football coach and former linebacker who most recently served as the defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL) from 2018 to 2021. H ...
intercepted a pass from Young and returned it to the 49ers 45-yard line, and Dallas subsequently marched to the 7. Rather than attempt a field goal on fourth down and 1, Smith attempted to run for the first down, but was tackled by linebacker
Michael Walter for no gain. The 49ers then drove 93 yards to score on Rice's 5-yard touchdown reception, cutting the lead to 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 Harper, who ended up running for a 70-yard gain to the San Francisco 9-yard line. Three plays later, wide receiver
Kelvin Martin
Kelvin Darnell Martin (July 24, 1964 – October 24, 1987), also known as 50 Cent, was an American criminal based in Brooklyn, New York. Martin is primarily known as the inspiration for the name of rapper 50 Cent.
Biography
Born in the Bronx bor ...
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, this time by free safety
James Washington at the 2:00 warning, thus ending any hope of a 49er comeback.
Aikman threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Smith rushed for 24 carries and 114 yards, caught seven passes for 59 yards, and scored two touchdowns. Harper caught three passes for 117 yards. Defensive tackle
Tony Casillas
Tony Steven Casillas (born October 26, 1963) is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) from 1986 through 1997. While at the University of Oklahoma he helped win the 1985 NCAA National Championship. He ...
recorded three sacks. Meanwhile, Young recorded 313 passing yards and one touchdown, but threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter. Rice caught eight passes for 123 yards and a score. Watters rushed for 69 yards and caught six passes for 69. In the Cowboys post-game locker room speech cameras caught coach
Jimmy Johnson saying "How Bout Them Cowboys" which has become a popular expression. This game stands as the last road playoff win for the Cowboys.
This was later featured on
NFL's Greatest Games
''NFL's Greatest Games'' is a series of television programs that air on NFL Network, ESPN and related networks. They are condensed versions of some of the most famous games in the history of the National Football League, using footage and sound ca ...
as Changing of the Guard.
This was the fifth postseason meeting between the Cowboys and 49ers. Dallas won three of the four meetings.
Super Bowl XXVII: Dallas Cowboys 52, Buffalo Bills 17
This was the first Super Bowl meeting between the Bills and Cowboys.
References
Bibliography
*''Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League'' ()
*''The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995'' ()
{{DEFAULTSORT:1992-93 NFL Playoffs
National Football League playoffs
Playoffs
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...