Finally the Super Bowl, the championship round of the playoffs, was played at a neutral site, with the designated home team based on an annual rotation by conference.
at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania The Rams outgained the Eagles in total yards 409 to 306 and jumped to a 14-0 first half lead of the way to their first playoff win in four years.
Jim Everett finished the drive with a long pass to receiver Henry Ellard, who outjumped Izel Jenkins for the ball and raced 39 yards to the end zone.
The next time the Rams had the ball, Everett's 30-yard completion to Ellard set up his 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Damone Johnson, giving the team a 14–0 lead less than eight minutes into the game.
Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner then picked off a pass from Everett on the Philadelphia 30-yard line, giving the team a great chance to drive for the tying score.
This paid off as running back Tim Worley took a pitch and ran all the way to the end zone, evading linebacker Robert Lyles and plowing right through safety Bubba McDowell on the way to a 7–0 Steelers lead with 2:36 left in the first quarter.
But quarterback Warren Moon finally got his team to the end zone with a 10-play, 80-yard drive to score on his 18-yard touchdown pass to Ernest Givins that tied the game.
Fullback Kevin Mack carried the ball 4 times for 31 yards as the team drove to retake the lead with Ron Middleton's 3-yard touchdown catch shortly before the end of the first half.
The Bills gave the ball up again on their next drive when Larry Kinnebrew lost a fumble that was recovered on the Browns 25-yard line by defensive back Felix Wright.
But Browns running back Eric Metcalf returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to give his team a 31–21 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Buffalo responded by driving 67 yards, including a 27-yard completion from Kelly to Thomas, to score on Scott Norwood's 30-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 31–24.
Cleveland struck back with a 51-yard drive to score a field goal of their own, a 46-yard kick by Bahr, retaking their two-score lead at 34–24 with 6:57 left in the game.
Buffalo then drove 77 yards entirely on receptions by Thomas and fellow running back Ronnie Harmon, who hauled in a 22-yard catch on the Browns 3-yard line.
After Buffalo's defense forced the Browns to go three-and-out, Kelly led the Bills to Cleveland's 11-yard line, converting two fourth downs on the way there.
The 49ers could have had an even bigger lead, but Mike Cofer missed two fields goals from distances of 31 and 32 yards, along with an extra point, while Craig lost an early fumble on the Minnesota 9-yard line.
But LA stormed right back, with Everett completing two passes to Henry Ellard for gains of 23 and 16 yards, along with a 16-yard run by Greg Bell, on the way to a 31-yard field goal by Mike Lansford.
[3] at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado The Broncos recovered from two early 10-point deficits to eventually win on a 71-yard drive that was capped by Mel Bratton's 1-yard touchdown run with 2:27 left in the game.
In the third quarter, Broncos defenders Karl Mecklenburg and Greg Kragen forced a fumble from Worley that Tyrone Braxton recovered on the Steelers 37-yard line, setting up quarterback John Elway's 37-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vance Johnson to tie the game at 17.
Brister struck back, completing a 19-yard screen to Hoge and a 30-yard pass to rookie receiver Mark Stock on the way to a 35-yard Anderson field goal.
Then in the fourth quarter, Pittsburgh defensive back Thomas Everett intercepted an Elway pass and returned it 26 yards to midfield, setting up Anderson's 32-yard field goal to make the score 23–17.
On first down of their ensuring possession, Brister fired a pass to a wide open Stock, but he tried to turn upfield before securing the catch and it fell to the turf incomplete.
Denver scored first with David Treadwell's 29-yard field goal, five plays after Broncos safety Dennis Smith intercepted a pass from Bernie Kosar on the Cleveland 35 with just over two minutes left in the first quarter.
Now down by 17 points, Kosar desperately rallied the Browns back, completing passes to Reggie Langhorne, Lawyer Tillman, and Webster Slaughter for gains of 27, 15, and 16 yards.
A few plays after the ensuing kickoff, defensive end Al Baker forced a fumble from Broncos running back Mel Bratton.
Felix Wright recovered the ball and returned it 27 yards to the Denver 1-yard line, setting up Tim Manoa's 2-yard touchdown run and downing their deficit to 24-21 going into the fourth quarter.
[11][12][13] Los Angeles took advantage of a 31-yard punt by Barry Helton that gave them a first down at midfield, driving to the 6 in 10 plays and scoring on Mike Lansford's 23-yard field goal.
While the Rams had momentum at this point, it shifted to San Francisco's favor for good when safety Ronnie Lott batted down a pass intended for a wide open Anderson.
On LA's ensuing drive, Everett threw a pass that bounced off Ellard and Don Griffin before being intercepted by Tim McKyer, who returned the ball 27 yards to the Rams 27-yard line.
Cofer later missed a field goal after Lott picked off an Everett pass, but made a 36-yarder on the first play of the fourth quarter, and a 25-yard kick with 5:40 left in the game to make the final score 30–3.
This was the first postseason meeting between the Rams and 49ers as well as the second NFL playoff matchup between two California-based teams, following the Oakland Raiders' victory over the San Diego Chargers in the 1980 AFC Championship Game.