Super Bowl XXII - Game Summary

Game Summary

The game started out very well for Denver. After forcing Washington to go 3 and out, the Broncos' scored on their first play from scrimmage, when quarterback John Elway threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to wide open receiver Ricky Nattiel, giving Denver a quick 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, and later by Devin Hester 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, becoming 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. But this time they failed to score because Washington safety Alvin Walton sacked Elway for an 18-yard loss on third down, pushing the Broncos out of field goal range. This play would turn out to be the turning point in the game.

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, Timmy 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 five times and threw three interceptions, and Washington scored another touchdown on a 68-yard fourth quarter drive featuring a 25-yard run by Clark on a reverse and three runs by Smith for 43 yards, the last a 4-yard touchdown 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.