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.
On Kansas City's ensuing drive, New York defenders Harry Hamilton and Russell Carter shared a tackle on running back Larry Moriarty, forcing a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Kyle Clifton.
However, this was quickly countered on the Jets next possession as Ryan completed a 38-yard pass to Wesley Walker before finishing it with a 6-yard touchdown throw to tight end Billy Griggs (his first NFL reception).
In the first quarter, a fumble lost by Los Angeles running back Eric Dickerson led to Washington kicker Jess Atkinson's 25-yard field goal.
LA had a great chance to respond when quarterback Jim Everett completed a 45-yard pass to Kevin House on the Redskins 28, but the drive ended with no points when Dickerson lost another fumble.
Hill's fumble was confirmed by a replay review that lasted nearly five minutes, prompting Redskins safety Curtis Jordan to declare "I thought they were trying to get in touch with Oliver North.
Quarterback Pat Ryan started it off with a 28-yard completion to Al Toon and finished it with a 42-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Wesley Walker on a flea flicker play.
Cleveland had to punt on the opening drive of the third quarter, and Kurt Sohn gave the Jets great field position with a 9-yard return to the Browns 41-yard line.
Early in the fourth quarter, the Browns drove all the way to the New York 3-yard line, only to come up empty when Russell Carter intercepted a pass from Kosar in the end zone.
Then after a punt, Kosar's next pass attempt was intercepted again, this time by Jerry Holmes, which set up Freeman McNeil's 25-yard touchdown run on the next play to give his team a 20–10 lead with 4:14 left in regulation.
But the Browns then drove 68-yards to score on Mack's 1-yard touchdown run with 1:57 left on the clock, on a drive that was aided by a roughing the passer penalty on Mark Gastineau that nullified an incompletion on second down and 24 from Cleveland's 18-yard line.
[2] at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois The Redskins converted two turnovers into two touchdowns in the second half to overcome the defending champion Bears' 13–7 halftime lead.
But after a three-minute drive, the Bears ended up netting just three yards due to penalties and Kevin Butler missed a 49-yard field goal attempt on the last play.
In the third quarter, defensive back Darrell Green returned an interception from Flutie 17 yards to the Bears 26-yard line that set up Schroeder's 23-yard touchdown pass to Monk.
Chicago seemed primed to respond when Gentry returned their kickoff 48 yards to the Redskins 42, but after advancing to the Washington 17-yard line, running back Walter Payton lost a fumble due to a hit by defensive tackle Darryl Grant, and safety Alvin Walton recovered the ball.
Washington then drove 83 yards, aided by a 17-yard pass interference penalty against Richardson in the end zone, for a touchdown on a George Rogers one-yard run less than a minute into the fourth quarter.
Washington place kicker Jess Atkinson made two field goals in the final quarter to close out the scoring, the second one set up by Lew Barnes' muffed punt return that was recovered by Eric Yarber.
San Francisco responded with a 26-yard field goal by Ray Wersching, but in the second quarter, Giants safety Herb Welch intercepted a pass from Montana and lateralled the ball to Elvis Patterson, who ran for 16 yards before being tackled.
The situation only got worse for San Francisco from there, as Montana was knocked out of the game due to a hit by nose tackle Jim Burt, while linebacker Lawrence Taylor intercepted his pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown, giving the Giants a 28–3 halftime lead.
Believing he had crossed the plain, Elway angrily spiked the ball into the ground, drawing a penalty that pushed the team back five yards and they ended up having to settle for Rich Karlis' field goal to go up 3–0.
Later in the second quarter, New England linebacker Johnny Rembert's interception of an Elway pass on the Broncos 29-yard line led to Tony Franklin's 38-yard field goal, tying the game at 10 by the end of the half.
The Patriots responded with a trick play, a flea flicker that involved fullback Mosi Tatupu taking a handoff and then pitching the ball back to Eason, who threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Morgan to retake the lead, 17–13.
But Elway then threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vance Johnson for the go-ahead score on the last play of the third quarter, giving the team a 20–17 lead.
Broncos punter Mike Horan averaged 49 yards per kick on his five punts, and placed three of them in the 20, including the final one that set up Jones' game-clinching safety.
Cleveland managed to respond with Kosar's 42-yard completion to receiver Clarence Weathers, setting up Mark Moseley's 29-yard field goal to tie the score at 10 with less than a minute left in the half.
On the ensuing kickoff, returner Ken Bell misplayed the kick and it hit the ground in front of him, bouncing to the 2-yard line before he managed to dive on the ball.
After forcing Cleveland to punt on the opening drive of overtime, Elway led the Broncos 60 yards to set up Karlis' game winning 33-yard field goal.
After the Redskins were forced to punt on their opening possession, punter Steve Cox could only manage to kick the ball in the strong wind 23 yards to the Washington 47-yard line.
Rather than take the incompletion to bring up fourth down, Redskins coach Joe Gibbs accepted the holding penalty, hoping to push and keep the Giants out of field goal range.
[1] Washington's best chance to score came in the second quarter, when a 48-yard reception by receiver Art Monk set up a field goal attempt, but it never got off the ground because quarterback Jay Schroeder fumbled the snap.