Super Bowl VIII was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Miami Dolphins to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1973 season. The Dolphins defeated the Vikings by the score of 24–7 to win their second consecutive Super Bowl.
The game was played on January 13, 1974 at Rice Stadium in Houston, Texas. This was the first time that that the Super Bowl site was not the site of a NFL franchise. This was also the first Super Bowl not to be held in either the Los Angeles, Miami, or New Orleans areas.This was the last Super Bowl to feature goal posts at the front of the end zone.
This was the Dolphins third consecutive Super Bowl appearance. They posted a 12-2 record during the regular season, then defeated the Cincinnati Bengals and the Oakland Raiders in the playoffs. The Vikings were making their second Super Bowl appearance after also finishing the regular season with a 12-2 record, and posting postseason victories over the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys.
Super Bowl VIII was largely dominated by the Dolphins, who scored 24 unanswered points during the first three quarters, including two touchdowns on their first two drives. Minnesota's best chance to threaten Miami occurred with less than a minute left in the first half, but Vikings running back Oscar Reed fumbled the ball away at the Dolphins' 6-yard, and his team was unable to overcome Miami's lead in the second half. The Dolphins' Larry Csonka became the first running back to be named Super Bowl MVP; both his 145 rushing yards and his 33 carries were Super Bowl records.
Read more about Super Bowl VIII: Television and Entertainment, Game Summary, Super Bowl Postgame News and Notes, Starting Lineups, Officials
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