1990–91 NFL playoffs

TheNational Football League playoffsfor the1990 seasonbegan on January 5, 1991. The postseason tournament concluded with theNew York Giantsdefeating theBuffalo BillsinSuper Bowl XXV,20–19, on January 27, atTampa StadiuminTampa, Florida.

1990–91 NFL playoffs

Dates	January 5–27, 1991
Season	1990
Teams	12
Games played	11
Super Bowl XXVsite	Tampa Stadium Tampa, Florida
Defending champions	San Francisco 49ers
Champions	New York Giants
Runners-up	Buffalo Bills
Conference runners-up	Los Angeles Raiders San Francisco 49ers
NFL playoffs ←1989–90 1991–92→

The league expanded its playoff system from a 10-team to a 12-team tournament, which remained in use through the2019–20 NFL playoffs.With these changes, threewild-cardteams (those non-division champions with the conference's best won-lost-tied percentages) qualified from each conference, up from two the year before.

The format consisted of the following:

• The three division champions from each conference were seeded 1–3 based on their regular season won–lost–tied record.
• Three wild-card qualifiers were seeded 4, 5, and 6 within the conference.

The 3 seed hosted the 6 seed in one game while the 4 hosted the 5 seed in another game, both making up what was dubbed the "wild-card round". The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference receive a first-round bye, earning an automatic berth in the following week's "divisional playoff" games, where they faced the wild card survivors. The reseeding system was implemented in which the 1-seeded team played against the lowest-ranked wild card winner while the 2-seeded played against the other wild card winner. Whoever had the higher seed got the home-field advantage in a given game. In addition, a rule stating that teams from the same division cannot play against each other in the divisional round was abolished.

In each conference, the matchup between the 3 and 6 seeds in the wild-card round dictated where the wild-card round winners traveled to for the divisional round:

• If the 3-seeded team won, they traveled to the 2-seeded team while the winner of the 4 vs. 5 matchup traveled to the 1-seeded team.
• If the 6-seeded team won, they traveled to the 1-seeded team while the winner of the 4 vs. 5 matchup traveled to the 2-seeded team.

These changes meant that the lowest-seeded division winner in each conference no longer received automatic bye weeks, which had been done since the expansion of the playoffs to ten teams for the 1978 season. However, this did guarantee that the worst division winner would host a home playoff game for the first time. Before this change, the only way the #3 seed got the right to host a playoff game only if they were the highest remaining seed after the Divisional Playoffs, earning them the right to host their conference’s respective championship game.

This system was later modified before the2002–03 NFL playoffsafter the league realigned the teams into eight divisions (four per conference). The number of teams in the playoffs remained the same, but now there were four division champions and two wild-card teams from each conference. This system was kept until2020.

As of the2022–23 playoffs,this is the last postseason in which all division winners won a playoff game.

Participants

Bills

Bengals

Raiders

Dolphins

Chiefs

Oilers

Giants

Bears

49ers

Eagles

Redskins

Saints

AFC TeamsNFC Teams

Within each conference, the three division winners and the threenon-division winners with the best overall regular season recordsqualified for the playoffs. The three division winners wereseeded1–3 based on the overall won-lost-tied record, and the three wild card teams were seeded 4–6. The NFL did not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there were no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round. In the first round, dubbed thewild-card playoffsorwild-card weekend,the third-seeded division winner hosted the sixth seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosted the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference received afirst-round bye.In the second round, thedivisional playoffs,the number 1 seed hosted the worst-remaining seed from the first round (seed 4, 5, or 6), while the number 2 seed played the other team (seed 3, 4, or 5). The two winning teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although theSuper Bowl,the championship round of the playoffs, was played at a neutral site, the designated home team was based on an annual rotation by conference.

Playoff seeds
Seed	AFC	NFC
1	Buffalo Bills(Eastwinner)	San Francisco 49ers(Westwinner)
2	Los Angeles Raiders(Westwinner)	New York Giants(Eastwinner)
3	Cincinnati Bengals(Centralwinner)	Chicago Bears(Centralwinner)
4	Miami Dolphins(wild card)	Philadelphia Eagles(wild card)
5	Kansas City Chiefs(wild card)	Washington Redskins(wild card)
6	Houston Oilers(wild card)	New Orleans Saints(wild card)

Bracket

	Jan 6 –Riverfront Stadium					Jan 13 –Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
	6	Houston	14
						3	Cincinnati	10
	3	Cincinnati	41								Jan 20 – Rich Stadium
						2	LA Raiders	20
						AFC
	Jan 5 –Joe Robbie Stadium										2	LA Raiders	3
						Jan 12 –Rich Stadium
											1	Buffalo	51
	5	Kansas City	16								AFC Championship
						4	Miami	34
	4	Miami	17													Jan 27 –Tampa Stadium
						1	Buffalo	44
	Wild Card playoffs
						Divisional playoffs
	Jan 6 –Soldier Field															A1	Buffalo	19
						Jan 13 –Giants Stadium
																N2	NY Giants	20
	6	New Orleans	6													Super Bowl XXV
						3	Chicago	3
	3	Chicago	16								Jan 20 – Candlestick Park
						2	NY Giants	31
						NFC
	Jan 5 –Veterans Stadium										2	NY Giants	15
						Jan 12 –Candlestick Park
											1	San Francisco	13
	5	Washington	20								NFC Championship
						5	Washington	10
	4	Philadelphia	6
						1	San Francisco	28

Schedule

With the expansion from a 10-team to a 12-team playoff system, "wild card Sunday" became "wild card Weekend", with two games played on Saturday and two on Sunday, similar to the Divisional playoffs. FromSuper Bowl XXVonward, all Super Bowls have since been scheduled for 6 p.m.ESTor later, regardless of the local time zone, so the game runs into theprimetimehours.

ABCwas awarded the rights to broadcast the two Saturday wild-card playoff games.CBSthen televised the rest of theNFCgames andNBCbroadcast the rest of theAFCplayoff games. ABC also televisedSuper Bowl XXV.

Away team	Score	Home team	Date	Kickoff (ET/UTC–5)	TV
Wild card playoffs
Washington Redskins	20–6	Philadelphia Eagles	January 5, 1991	12:30 p.m.	ABC
Kansas City Chiefs	16–17	Miami Dolphins	January 5, 1991	4 p.m.	ABC
Houston Oilers	14–41	Cincinnati Bengals	January 6, 1991	12:30 p.m.	NBC
New Orleans Saints	6–16	Chicago Bears	January 6, 1991	4 p.m.	CBS
Divisional playoffs
Miami Dolphins	34–44	Buffalo Bills	January 12, 1991	12:30 p.m.	NBC
Washington Redskins	10–28	San Francisco 49ers	January 12, 1991	4 p.m.	CBS
Chicago Bears	3–31	New York Giants	January 13, 1991	12:30 p.m.	CBS
Cincinnati Bengals	10–20	Los Angeles Raiders	January 13, 1991	4 p.m.	NBC
Conference championships
Los Angeles Raiders	3–51	Buffalo Bills	January 20, 1991	12:30 p.m.	NBC
New York Giants	15–13	San Francisco 49ers	January 20, 1991	4 p.m.	CBS
Super Bowl XXV Tampa Stadium,Tampa, Florida
Buffalo Bills	19–20	New York Giants	January 27, 1991	6 p.m.	ABC

Wild card playoffs

Saturday, January 5, 1991

NFC: Washington Redskins 20, Philadelphia Eagles 6

See also:Commanders–Eagles rivalry

Washington Redskins vs. Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	0	10	10	0	20
Eagles	3	3	0	0	6

atVeterans Stadium,Philadelphia,Pennsylvania

• Game time:12:30 p.m.EST
• Game weather:31 °F (−1 °C), clear
• Game attendance:65,287
• Referee:Gene Barth
• TV announcers (ABC):Brent Musburger(play-by-play) andDick Vermeil(color commentator)

Game information
Scoring PHI – field goal Ruzek 37PHI 3–0 PHI – field goal Ruzek 28PHI 6–0 WAS – Monk 16 pass from Rypien (Lohmiller kick)WAS 7–6 WAS – field goal Lohmiller 20WAS 10–6 WAS – field goal Lohmiller 19WAS 13–6 WAS – Clark 3 pass from Rypien (Lohmiller kick)WAS 20–6

The Redskins overcame losing two turnovers and a 6–0 deficit to score 20 unanswered points. This game was sweet revenge for the Redskins, who had lost to the Eagles 28–14 in a Monday night game during the season in which the Eagles defense had scored two touchdowns and knocked nine Washington players out of the game, including all of their quarterbacks. The game has become known as the "Body Bag Game"because the Eagles defense had taunted the Redskins by asking if they had enough body bags for their team.

Philadelphia started the game strong as quarterbackRandall Cunninghamcompleted a 66-yard pass to tight endKeith Jacksonon their third play from scrimmage, giving the team a first down at the Redskins 11-yard line. However, the next three plays resulted in a 1-yard run, an incomplete pass, and a 10-yard sack by Washington linebackerMonte Coleman,forcing the Eagles to settle for a 37-yard field goal byRoger Ruzek.After a pair of punts by each team, the Redskins got the ball on their 21 yard line with 14:23 remaining in the second quarter. Running backGerald Riggslost the ball due to a tackle bySeth Joyner,and safetyWes Hopkinsrecovered it on the Redskins 25. A few plays later, a defensive holding penalty against the Redskins gave Philadelphia a first down on the 2-yard line, but they still could not get into the end zone. First, Washington defenderMarkus KochtackledHeath Shermanfor a 1-yard loss. Cunningham tried to pass the ball on the next two plays, but his first attempt was incomplete, and on his second try, he was sacked for an 8-yard loss by defensive tackleCharles Mann.Ruzek then kicked a 28-yard field goal to give Philadelphia a 6–0 lead just under five minutes into the second quarter.

Eagles cornerbackEric Allenended Washington's possession by intercepting a pass fromMark Rypienon their 46. But in what turned out to be a critical defensive stand, the Eagles could not move the ball and had to punt. From this point on, Washington took over the game. Faced with third and 9 on his own 33-yard line, Rypien completed a 28-yard pass to receiverArt Monk,and followed it up with a 23-yard completion to running backEarnest Byner.On the next play, his 16-yard touchdown pass to Monk gave the Redskins a 7–6 lead with 5:54 left in the half.Alvin Waltonrecovered a fumble from Sherman to end the Eagles next drive. Philadelphia's defense forced a punt, but their next drive fared no better as Cunningham was intercepted byDarrell Greenat midfield. A few plays later, Byner lost a fumble that turned into a 94-yard touchdown return by cornerbackBen Smith.It seemed to be a repeat of Byner's infamous play known as "The Fumble"in the1987 AFC Championship Game,but this time it was overturned by instant replay (George Sladky), as replays showed Byner was down by contact before the ball came out. Washington kept possession and ended up increasing their lead to 10–6 on a 20-yardChip Lohmillerfield goal.

Washington increased their lead to 13–6 late in the third quarter with a 19-yard field goal by Lohmiller. At this point, Cunningham was benched and replaced byJim McMahon,who promptly threw three straight incompletions beforeBrian Mitchellreturned their punt to the Redskins 45-yard line. Rypien subsequently completed a 47-yard pass toGary Clarkon third and 5, and then hit him with a 3-yard touchdown pass two plays later, increasing Washington's lead to 20–6. Cunningham would return to the starting lineup on the next series, but could not lead the Eagles to any more points.

Rypien finished his first playoff game completing 15 of 31 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. Cunningham completed 15 of 29 passes for 205 yards with one interception. He was also the game's leading rusher with 80 yards, but was sacked five times. Jackson was the top receiver of the game with five receptions for 116 yards.

This was the last game for Eagles head coachBuddy Ryanas he was fired shortly after this game. He failed to reach the playoffs in his next head-coaching job with theArizona Cardinalsand was fired after two seasons, thus failing to win a playoff game as a head coach.

This was the first (and, as of 2023, only) postseason meeting between the Redskins and Eagles.

AFC: Miami Dolphins 17, Kansas City Chiefs 16

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Miami Dolphins – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	3	7	6	0	16
Dolphins	0	3	0	14	17

atJoe Robbie Stadium,Miami,Florida

• Game time:4:00 p.m.EST
• Game weather:75 °F (24 °C), cloudy
• Game attendance:67,276
• Referee:Pat Haggerty
• TV announcers (ABC):Al Michaels(play-by-play),Frank Gifford,andDan Dierdorf(color commentators)

Game information
Scoring KC – field goal Lowery 27KC 3–0 MIA – field goal Stoyanovich 58Tie 3–3 KC – Paige 26 pass from DeBerg (Lowery kick)KC 10–3 KC – field goal Lowery 25KC 13–3 KC – field goal Lowery 38KC 16–3 MIA – Paige 1 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick)KC 16–10 MIA – Clayton 12 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick)MIA 17–16

With 3:28 left in the game, the Dolphins capped an 85-yard drive with quarterbackDan Marino's winning 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverMark Clayton.

On the Dolphins opening drive they reached midfield, but Marino was sacked on third down andReggie Roby's punt was blocked byCharles Washington,giving the Chiefs the ball at the Miami 37-yard line. After nine plays and a 28-yard gain, the Chiefs scored on a 27-yard field goal fromNick Lowery.Miami responded with a 40-yard drive, with Marino completing a 12-yard pass toMark Duperon third down and four yards needed to keep it moving. The drive ended on the Chiefs 40-yard line, wherePete Stoyanovichmade an NFL playoff record 58-yard field goal to tie the game.

The Chiefs responded with a drive to the Dolphins 30-yard line, featuring a 33-yard reception by receiverStephone Paige,but it ended with no points when safetyJarvis Williamsintercepted a pass fromSteve DeBerg.After an exchange of punts, Miami drove to the Chiefs 39-yard line. Stoyanovich attempted another long field goal, this one 57 yards, but this time he missed and the Chiefs got rolling with a 16-yard run fromChristian Okoye.Then DeBerg got his team into the end zone with two completions to Paige, the first for 16 yards and the second a 26-yard touchdown to make the score 10–3. Miami later threatened to score with a drive in the Chiefs territory, butNeil Smithforced a fumble from Marino andJ. C. Pearsonrecovered it, keeping the score 10–3 at halftime.

The Chiefs had to punt on their first drive, andBryan Barker's 44-yard kick pinned the Dolphins back at their own 6-yard line. Miami was forced to a three and out, but Roby's 64-yard punt sent the Chiefs all the way back to their own 30. DeBerg started off the possession with a 26-yard completion toEmile Harry.Following a sack and an incompletion, the Chiefs faced third and 15. On the next play, running backTodd McNairpicked up 13 yards on a screen pass, and on fourth down and 2 from the Dolphins 36, Okoye rushed five yards for a first down. Two more DeBerg completions advanced the ball to the 1-yard line, but an intentional grounding penalty moved the ball back 10 yards and the Chiefs ended up settling for a 25-yard field goal from Lowery. Then on the first play of the Dolphins next drive, Duper lost a fumble while being tackled byDeron Cherry,andDino Hackettrecovered for the Chiefs on the Miami 29-yard line. Three runs by Okoye gained eight yards, and then Lowery kicked his third field goal to give his team a 16–3 lead.

Miami fought back with a 66-yard, 10-play touchdown drive. On the last play of the third quarter,Sammie Smithconverted a fourth down with a 2-yard run. Then Marino connected withMark Claytonfor a 23-yard gain, setting up his 1-yard touchdown pass toTony Paigethat cut the deficit to six points with 12 minutes left. DeBerg responded with a 33-yard completion to Harry on the first play of the Chiefs ensuing drive, but it stalled on the Dolphins 41-yard line and Barker had to punt it away, giving the Dolphins the ball at their own 15 where Marino led his team 85 yards for the game winning score, starting with a 37-yard completion to tight endFerrell Edmunds.After 10 plays and three third down conversions, Marino finished the drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Clayton, giving Miami a 17–16 lead with 3:28 left in the game.

The Chiefs took the ball back and fought hard for a winning field goal, driving into Dolphins territory where Okoye's 26-yard burst moved the ball to the 26-yard line. But on the next play, a holding call wiped out his 12-yard run and pushed the team back 10 yards. As the final seconds of the game approached, the Chiefs could only make it back to the 34. Lowery, who had made his last 22 field goals, attempted a game winner from 52 yards out, but it fell just short.

Marino finished the game with 19 of 30 completions for 221 yards and two touchdowns.Stephone Paigecaught eight passes for 142 yards and a score.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Chiefs and Dolphins. Miami won the only previous meeting.

Previous playoff games

Miami leads 1–0 in all-time playoff games
1971 Miami Dolphins27 @ Kansas City Chiefs 24 (2OT) 1971 AFC divisional playoffs

Sunday, January 6, 1991

AFC: Cincinnati Bengals 41, Houston Oilers 14

Houston Oilers vs. Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Oilers	0	0	7	7	14
Bengals	10	10	14	7	41

atRiverfront Stadium,Cincinnati,Ohio

• Game time:12:30 p.m.EST
• Game weather:40 °F (4 °C), rain
• Game attendance:60,012
• Referee:Dale Hamer
• TV announcers (NBC):Don Criqui(play-by-play) andBob Trumpy(color commentator)

Game information

Scoring CIN – Woods 1 run (Breech kick)CIN 7–0 CIN – field goal Breech 27CIN 10–0 CIN – Green 2 pass from Esiason (Breech kick)CIN 17–0 CIN – field goal Breech 30CIN 20–0 CIN – Ball 3 run (Breech kick)CIN 27–0 CIN – Esiason 10 run (Breech kick)CIN 34–0 HOU – Givins 16 pass from Carlson (Garcia kick)CIN 34–7 CIN – Kattus 9 pass from Esiason (Breech kick)CIN 41–7 HOU – Givins 5 pass from Carlson (Garcia kick)CIN 41–14

Riverfront Stadium continued to be a house of horrors for the Oilers, who had lost in 9 of their last 10 trips to the Queen City and had given up 44, 61 (a Bengals team record) and 40 points in their last 3 visits. Not only had they lost their previous meeting with the Bengals, a 40–20 defeat in week 16, but they also lost starting quarterbackWarren Moon,who suffered a dislocated thumb in the game.

Despite losing starting running backJames Brooksto injury in the first quarter (ironically the same injury that sidelined Moon, a dislocated thumb), the Bengals crushed the Oilers by jumping to a 34–0 lead in the third quarter and holding the ball for 39:45. On the opening drive, they advanced 70 yards in 11 plays, including a 46-yard completion fromBoomer Esiasonto tight endRodney Holman,to score on a 1-yard run by fullbackIckey Woods.Then after forcing a punt, Esiason completed passes toTim McGeeandHarold Greenfor gains of 19 and 13 yards, while Brooks rushed for a 14-yard gain as the team drove to a 10–0 lead onJim Breech's 27-yard field goal with just over 1 minute left in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Bengals safetyDavid Fulcherintercepted a pass fromCody Carlsonand returned it 43 yards to the Oilers' 16-yard line, setting up Esiason's 2-yard touchdown toss to Green. The next time Cincinnati got the ball, they drove 75 yards to another Breech field goal to give the team a 20–0 lead going into halftime. Houston finished the first half with one first down and 36 yards, while Cincinnati gained 15 first downs, 222 yards, and 20 points.

Houston had to punt on the first drive of the second half, andMitchell PricereturnedGreg Montgomery's 47-yard kick 34 yards to the Oilers' 34-yard line. The Bengals then drove to another score, with Esiason rushing for 27 yards on a scramble before running backEric Ballfinished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. Less than a minute later, Carlson fumbled a snap, which linebackerJames Francisrecovered for Cincinnati on the Oilers 10-yard line. Esiason ran the ball into the end zone on the next play, giving the Bengals a 34–0 lead after just 3:51 had elapsed in the third quarter. This time, Houston was able to respond, driving 80 yards to score on Carlson's 16-yard touchdown pass toErnest Givins,making the score 34–7. With 14 minutes left in the final quarter, Cincinnati scored another touchdown on Esiason's 9-yard pass to tight endEric Kattus,while Givins caught another touchdown pass from Carlson to make the final score 41–14.

Esiason finished the game with 14 of 20 completions for 150 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for 57 yards and a score. Cincinnati's most lopsided playoff win in franchise history was the result of a team effort. The Bengals racked up 187 yards on the ground even though no player rushed for more than 57 yards, and added another 162 yards through the air, though no one caught more than two passes. Overall, the Bengals gained 349 yards while holding Houston to 227, with just 69 rushing yards. Ironically, Houston had helped get Cincinnati into the playoffs by defeating thePittsburgh Steelersin their final game of the season, causing the Bengals to win theAFC Centralbased on tiebreaker rules.

This win was the last one inSam Wyche's career and the last playoff win for the Bengals until the2021 season.The next season, the Bengals fell to 3–13 and began a streak of fourteen consecutive non-winning seasons.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Oilers and Bengals.

NFC: Chicago Bears 16, New Orleans Saints 6

New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Saints	0	3	0	3	6
Bears	3	7	3	3	16

atSoldier Field,Chicago,Illinois

• Game time:4:00 p.m.EST/3:00 p.m.CST
• Game weather:22 °F (−6 °C), partly cloudy
• Game attendance:60,767
• Referee:Jerry Seeman
• TV announcers (CBS):Verne Lundquist(play-by-play) andJohn Madden(color commentator)

Game information
Scoring CHI – field goal Butler 19CHI 3–0 CHI – Thornton 18 pass from Tomczak (Butler kick)CHI 10–0 NO – field goal Andersen 47CHI 10–3 CHI – field goal Butler 22CHI 13–3 NO – field goal Andersen 38CHI 13–6 CHI – field goal Butler 21CHI 16–6

The Bears defense held the Saints to 193 total yards, 65 rushing yards, six first downs, and two field goals. Chicago also recorded 365 yards of total offense. Bears running backNeal Andersoncompiled 102 rushing yards, 42 receiving yards, and threw a 22-yardhalfback option pass.

The score was 10–3 at the end of the first half, due to aKevin Butlerfield goal andMike Tomczak's 18-yard touchdown pass to tight endJames Thornton.The Saints' only score of the half was a 47-yard field goal byMorten Andersen,who would later miss from 41 yards and have another attempt blocked. Also, with three minutes left before halftime, New Orleans starting quarterbackSteve Walsh,who had completed just six of 16 passes, was knocked out of the game and replaced byJohn Fourcade.Fourcade fared no better, completing just five of 18 passes for 79 yards, including two interceptions.

Still the Saints were just trailing 10–3 near the end of the third quarter, and had a great chance to tie the game when defensive tackleRenaldo Turnbullblocked Butler's 45-yard field goal attempt. New Orleans defensive endVince Buckrecovered the ball and returned it 62 yards for a potential touchdown, only to see the play wiped out by an offsides penalty on teammateRobert Massey,who had lined up with his hand over the neutral zone. The penalty not only eliminated the score, but it also gave Chicago a first down, and seven plays later, Butler kicked a 25-yard field goal to put them up 13–3.

With 5:52 left in the fourth quarter, Andersen's 38-yard field goal brought the scoring difference back to just a touchdown at 13–6. However, when faced with third and 11 on the Bears ensuing drive, Tomczak completed a 38-yard pass toDennis Gentry,enabling Chicago to maintain possession and drive to Butler's game-clinching 21-yard field goal with 3:47 remaining on the clock.

"You just try to line up as close as you can; I didn't realize I was offside", said Massey about his critical penalty after the game. "But when I saw the flag, I said, 'Oh, God!' I knew it was me."

It wasMike Ditka's last playoff win as Bears head coach.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Saints and Bears.

Divisional playoffs

Saturday, January 12, 1991

AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34

See also:Bills–Dolphins rivalry

Miami Dolphins vs. Buffalo Bills – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	3	14	3	14	34
Bills	13	14	3	14	44

atRich Stadium,Orchard Park, New York

• Game time:12:30 p.m.EST
• Game weather:31 °F (−1 °C), rain and snow
• Game attendance:77,087
• Referee:Bob McElwee
• TV announcers (NBC):Marv Albert(play-by-play) andPaul Maguire(color commentator)

Game information

Scoring BUF – Reed 40 pass from Kelly (Norwood kick)BUF 7–0 MIA – field goal Stoyanovich 49BUF 7–3 BUF – field goal Norwood 24BUF 10–3 BUF – field goal Norwood 22BUF 13–3 BUF – Thomas 5 run (Norwood kick)BUF 20–3 MIA – Duper 64 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick)BUF 20–10 BUF – Lofton 13 pass from Kelly (Norwood kick)BUF 27–10 MIA – Marino 2 run (Stoyanovich kick)BUF 27–17 MIA – field goal Stoyanovich 22BUF 27–20 BUF – field goal Norwood 28BUF 30–20 MIA – Foster 2 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick)BUF 30–27 BUF – Thomas 5 run (Norwood kick)BUF 37–27 BUF – Reed 26 pass from Kelly (Norwood kick)BUF 44–27 MIA – Martin 8 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick)BUF 44–34

In a shootout, the Bills jumped to a 20–3 lead in the first half, and kept pace with the Dolphins as the two teams matched each other score for score for the rest of the game. By the end, both teams finished even in first downs (24) and nearly even in total yards (493 for Buffalo, 430 for Miami). Ultimately, Miami's three turnovers to the Bills' two would make the key difference.

The Bills took the opening kickoff and scored with a typical fast-paced drive, moving the ball 76 yards in five plays. Running backThurman Thomasrushed for 14 yards and caught a pass for 20, whileJim Kellyfinished it off with a 40-yard touchdown pass to receiverAndre Reed.Aided by three Bills penalties, the Dolphins responded with a 40-yard drive that ended onPete Stoyanovich's 49-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 7–3. The Bills struck back with Kelly's 44-yard completion toJames Loftonsetting up a 24-yardScott Norwoodfield goal, retaking their 7-point lead at 10–3. On the next series, Miami quarterbackDan Marinothrew a pass that was tipped byDarryl Talleyand intercepted byNate Odomes,who returned the ball nine yards to the Dolphins 38. Faced with third and 8 on their ensuing possession, Kelly took off for a 16-yard gain. He fumbled at the end, but centerKent Hullrecovered the ball for a first down on the 18-yard line. Norwood completed the drive with his second field goal, this one from 22 yards, upping the lead to 13–3.

The Dolphins had to punt early in the second quarter at the end of their next drive, once again forcing their defense to deal with the terror of Kelly, Thomas, and Reed. This time the three players would combine for 67 yards as Thomas rushed twice for eight and caught an 11-yard pass before Kelly's 43-yard completion to Reed brought up first and goal on the Miami 5-yard line. Thomas ran it across the goal line from there, giving the Bills a 20–3 lead. But on this occasion the Dolphins were ready to respond as Marino completed an 11-yard pass toMark Duperon third and 5, and then hooked up with him again for a 64-yard touchdown completion that cut the score to 20–10. Not to be outdone, Kelly led the Bills back on a 68-yard scoring drive, starting with a 19-yard pass to Lofton on the first play and a 9-yard run on the next. Later in the drive, he kept it going with a 13-yard pass to Reed on fourth and 3 from the Dolphins 32, and eventually finished it off with a 7-yard touchdown toss to Lofton. With Norwood's extra point, the Bills were up by 17 at 27–10 with five minutes left in the half.

The game seemed to be slipping away from Miami, particularly as they were forced to punt on their next possession and receiverAl Edwardsreturned the ball 17 yards. However, Edwards lost a fumble on the runback, which punterReggie Robyrecovered on the Bills 47. The Dolphins then made another big play when Marino completed a 38-yard pass to Duper on fourth down and 5 from the 42, and with just 27 seconds left on the clock, Marino scored on a 2-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 27–17 at halftime.

Miami continued to whittle away the Bills lead in the third quarter with an 8-play, 62-yard scoring drive, featuring a 17-yard run bySammie Smithon third and 2. Stoyanovich finished the drive with a 22-yard field goal that cut their deficit down to one score, 27–20. Buffalo responded with a drive to the Dolphins 27, but this time their defense was up to the task and Kelly was intercepted by safetyJarvis Williamson the 2. However, Miami could not pick up a first down pinned deep in their own territory. Marino tried to go deep on third down, but Bills safetyMark Kelsopicked him off at the Dolphins 48, leading to a 28-yard Norwood field goal that gave the Bills a 30–20 lead.

Dolphins running backMarc Loganreturned the ensuing kickoff 30 yards to the Dolphins 43, and Marino completed a 23-yard pass toMark Claytonon the next play. Then Smith ran twice for 18, bringing up first down on the Bills 13-yard line. Miami was on a roll and didn't stop until Marino completed the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to guardRoy Foster,who had checked in as an eligible receiver. His touchdown brought Miami back within three points less than two minutes into the fourth quarter. However, their comeback hopes were swiftly snuffed out by the Bills offense, who stormed back 63 yards in 10 plays, including Kelly's 5-yard completion to tight endKeith McKelleron fourth and 2, and retook a 10-point lead with Thomas' 5-yard touchdown run. Then linebackerHal Garnerforced a fumble from Logan on the ensuing kickoff, which Norwood recovered for Buffalo on the Dolphins 29. Two plays later, Kelly essentially put the game away with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Reed, giving the Bills a 44–27 lead with 9:42 left in regulation. Miami still tried to fight back, driving to the Bills 35, but lost the ball as Marino threw four straight incompletions. Following a Bills punt, Miami drove 91 yards in 15 plays to score on Marino's 8-yard pass to receiverTony Martin,but by then only 1:15 was left on the clock. The Bills recovered Miami's onside kick attempt and went on to win, 44–34.

Kelly, who returned to start for the Bills after missing the last two games of the season with a knee injury, passed for 339 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 37 yards. Reed was also a big factor, recording 123 receiving yards and a pair of touchdown catches. Lofton caught seven passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. Thomas led the Bills ground attack with 32 carries for 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while also catching three passes for 38 yards. Marino threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns, but was intercepted twice. Duper caught three passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Running backSammie Smithrushed for 99 yards and caught a 9-yard reception.

"It was lick-your-chops time", exclaimed Reed after the game. "I'll tell you, a lot of times he (Louis Oliver,who had five interceptions during the season) played off the line. And if the field would have been dry, I would have had 300 yards in catches. "

This was the first postseason meeting between the Dolphins and Bills.

NFC: San Francisco 49ers 28, Washington Redskins 10

Washington Redskins vs. San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	10	0	0	0	10
49ers	7	14	0	7	28

atCandlestick Park,San Francisco,California

• Game time:4:00 p.m.EST/1:00 p.m.PST
• Game weather:51 °F (11 °C), light rain
• Game attendance:65,292
• Referee:Red Cashion
• TV announcers (CBS):Dick Stockton(play-by-play) andMerlin Olsen(color commentator)

Game information
Scoring WAS – Monk 31 pass from Rypien (Lohmiller kick)WAS 7–0 SF – Rathman 1 run (Cofer kick)Tie 7–7 WAS – field goal Lohmiller 44WAS 10–7 SF – Rice 10 pass from Montana (Cofer kick)SF 14–10 SF – Sherrard 8 pass from Montana (Cofer kick)SF 21–10 SF – Carter 61 interception return (Cofer kick)SF 28–10

Although Washington outgained the 49ers in total yards 441 to 338, they were unable to overcome quarterbackMark Rypien's three interceptions, several controversial ref calls that went against them, as well as the performance ofJoe Montana,who passed for 200 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.

The Redskins opened up the scoring with an 8-play, 78-yard drive that culminated in Rypien's 31-yard touchdown completion to receiverArt Monk.San Francisco struck back by driving 74 yards in eight plays to tie the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by fullbackTom Rathman.A key play of the drive was an unnecessary roughness call against Redskins cornerbackDarrell Greenfor throwingJerry Riceto the ground during a tackle, turning Rice's reception into a 25-yard gain. Green was stunned by the penalty, stating he didn't realize the call was against him until he made his way to the sidelines.Near the end of the quarter, Redskins kickerChip Lohmillermade a 44-yard field goal that put Washington back in front at 10–7.

Montana quickly rallied the 49ers back in the second quarter, leading them on an 80-yard scoring drive that saw San Francisco fool Washington with ahalfback option playin which running backHarry Sydneycompleted a 28-yard pass to tight endBrent Jones.On the last play of the drive, Montana fired a 10-yard pass to Rice in the end zone, who caught the ball between two defenders to retake the lead for San Francisco at 14–10. The team was aided by another controversial call on the drive; Jones caught his 47-yard reception in the air and landed with a foot out of bounds, but officials ruled he had been forced out in the air by safetyAlvin Walton.At the time, a reception made by a player forced out of bounds still counted as a catch. This rule was changed in 2008. Then after a punt, Montana again went to work, completing a 32-yard pass to halfbackRoger Craigand a 47-yarder to Jones before finishing off the 89-yard possession with an 8-yard scoring toss toMike Sherrard.

Sherrard's touchdown made the score 21–10 going into halftime, and it turned out to be the final score of the day for the offenses of both teams. Washington advanced inside the 49ers' 15-yard line three times in the second half, but failed to score on all of them. On their second possession of the half, they advanced 66 yards to the 49ers' 7-yard line beforeJohnnie Jacksonpicked off a third down pass intended for Monk in the end zone. Early in the fourth quarter, Monk caught three passes for 63 yards on a drive to the San Francisco 15, only to see Rypien get hit as he threw a pass, which floated right into the hands of cornerbackDarryl Pollard.LinebackerMonte Colemanquickly gave the Redskins another chance to get back in the game, intercepting a pass from Montana and returning it 18 yards to the 49ers 19-yard line with 10:28 left in regulation. Faced with fourth down and 5 from the 14, Rypien threw the ball to receiverGary Clarkin the end zone.Eric Davisseemed to make contact with Clark before the ball arrived, but no flag was thrown and the pass fell incomplete, causing a turnover on downs. In the closing minutes of the game, 49ers linebackerCharles Haleydeflected a pass from Rypien into the arms of 295-pound defensive tackleMichael Carter,who rumbled 61 yards to the end zone to make the final score 28–10.

"I just couldn't believe there was no flag," Clark said after the game, in reference to Davis' contact with him. "I mean, I just assumed it would be thrown. When I heard the crowd cheering, I gave the ref an earful. I'm not saying that cost us the game. I don't think any of the calls would have changed anything because the 49ers have a better team. But there were some calls out there we should have had." "I'm not going to walk out of here crying," Redskins coachJoe Gibbsadded. "We got beat fair and square. I did think there were some things called wrong. Rice outweighs Darrell Green by 20 pounds and gets 15 yards (for Green's flinging tackle). That's hard to understand."Rypien added "I don't think the score was any indication of how the game was played. We have nothing to be ashamed about other than the score. You look at 28–10 and it looks like they pretty much handled us, but all of you that watched the game know that it's a different story. We had our chances. We had our shots. We just didn't make the plays we had to."

Rypien finished the game 27/48 for 361 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted three times. Monk had 10 receptions for 163 yards and a score. Montana finished the day 22/31 for 274 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. His top receiver was Jones, who caught four passes for 103 yards.

This was the third postseason meeting between the Redskins and 49ers. The teams split the previous two meetings.

Previous playoff games

Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff games
1971 Washington Redskins 20 @San Francisco 49ers24 1971 NFC divisional playoffs 1983 San Francisco 49ers 21 @Washington Redskins24 1983 NFC championship game

Sunday, January 13, 1991

NFC: New York Giants 31, Chicago Bears 3

See also:Bears–Giants rivalry

Chicago Bears vs. New York Giants – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bears	0	3	0	0	3
Giants	10	7	7	7	31

atGiants Stadium,East Rutherford, New Jersey

• Game time:12:30 p.m.EST
• Game weather:32 °F (0 °C), partly cloudy
• Game attendance:77,025
• Referee:Dick Hantak
• TV announcers (CBS):Pat Summerall(play-by-play) andJohn Madden(color commentator)

Game information
Scoring NYG – field goal Bahr 46NYG 3–0 NYG – Baker 21 pass from Hostetler (Bahr kick)NYG 10–0 CHI – field goal Butler 33NYG 10–3 NYG – Cross 3 pass from Hostetler (Bahr kick)NYG 17–3 NYG – Hostetler 3 run (Bahr kick)NYG 24–3 NYG – Carthon 1 run (Bahr kick)NYG 31–3

The Giants defense dominated the game by allowing only 27 rushing yards and three points. This was the fewest rushing yards Chicago had gained in a game since 1967. Their previous low for the season was 100. Bears running backNeal Anderson,who had rushed for over 1,000 yards in the season and 102 yards in the previous playoff game, was held to 19 yards on 12 carries. Giants quarterbackJeff Hostetler,playing because starterPhil Simmssuffered a season-ending injury, completed 10 out of 17 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 43 yards and another score.

On Chicago's second possession of the game,Mark Collinsof the Giants interceptedMike Tomczak's pass after it bounced out of the hands ofDennis Gentryand returned it 11 yards to set up a 46-yard field goal byMatt Bahr.The Bears took the ensuing kickoff and drove to the Giants 27, but on fourth and 12, coachMike Ditkadecided against attempting a field goal in the 13 mph winds. On Chicago's conversion attempt, Anderson caught a pass from Tomczak, but was stuffed after a short gain. The Giants then drove 75 yards, including a 6-yard fourth down conversion catch by reserve tight endBob Mrosko,to go up 10–0 on Hostetler's 21-yard completion toStephen Baker.

In the second quarter, Hostetler lost a fumble while being sacked bySteve McMichael,and Bears defensive tackleDan Hamptonrecovered the ball. Chicago then drove to the Giants 1-yard line. But on a fourth down conversion attempt, Giants defensive endJohn Washingtonplowed throughJim Covert's block attempt and tackled fullbackBrad Musterfor a loss. Still, the Bears managed to force a three-and-out, and convert good starting field position into a 33-yard field goal byKevin Butler.But before the end of the half, the Giants went up 17–3 with an 80-yard, 11-play scoring drive. On the first play, Hostetler scrambled away from a Bears blitz and rushed for 11 yards. Later on, he converted a fourth and 1 at the Bears 32 with a 10-yard burst, and eventually he finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight endHoward Cross.

In the third quarter, Hostetler converted his third fourth down of the day with a 9-yard scramble on fourth and 6, and eventually finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, putting his team up 24–3. Chicago responded with a drive to the Giants 5-yard line. On fourth and goal, Muster caught a pass at the 1, but was dropped by linebackersPepper JohnsonandGary Reasonsbefore he could get across the goal line. In the fourth quarter,Everson Wallsreturned an interception 37 yards to the Giants 49. The Giants then went on a grueling 51-yard drive consisting of 16 running plays, the last a 1-yard touchdown plunge by fullbackMaurice Carthon,that ate up a staggering 10:30 of play time.

This game offered a preview of what lay in store forSuper Bowl XXV,as the Giants scored on drives of 75, 80, 49 and 51 yards, which lasted nine, 11, 11 and 16 plays. Overall, the Giants held the ball for 38:22, compared to Chicago's 21:38. The only negative thing for New York was the loss of running backRodney Hampton,who suffered a broken leg in the first half.

This was the eighth postseason meeting between the Bears and Giants. Chicago had won five of the previous seven meetings.

Previous playoff games

Chicago leads 5–2 in all-time playoff games

1933 New York Giants 21 @Chicago Bears23 1933 NFL Championship Game 1934 Chicago Bears 13 @New York Giants30 1934 NFL Championship Game 1941 New York Giants 9 @Chicago Bears37 1941 NFL Championship Game 1946 Chicago Bears24 @ New York Giants 14 1946 NFL Championship Game 1956 Chicago Bears 7 @New York Giants47 1956 NFL Championship Game 1963 New York Giants 10 @Chicago Bears14 1963 NFL Championship Game 1985 New York Giants 0 @Chicago Bears21 1985 NFC divisional playoffs

AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 20, Cincinnati Bengals 10

Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Raiders – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bengals	0	3	0	7	10
Raiders	0	7	3	10	20

atLos Angeles Memorial Coliseum,Los Angeles,California

• Game time:4:00 p.m.EST/1:00 p.m.PST
• Game weather:60 °F (16 °C), clear
• Game attendance:92,045
• Referee:Tom Dooley
• TV announcers (NBC):Dick Enberg(play-by-play) andBill Walsh(color commentator)

Game information
Scoring CIN – field goal Breech 27CIN 3–0 RAI – Fernandez 13 pass from Schroeder (Jaeger kick)RAI 7–3 RAI – field goal Jaeger 49RAI 10–3 CIN – Jennings 8 pass from Esiason (Breech kick)Tie 10–10 RAI – Horton 41 pass from Schroeder (Jaeger kick)RAI 17–10 RAI – field goal Jaeger 25RAI 20–10

The Raiders, who had defeated Cincinnati 24–7 during the regular season, recorded 235 rushing yards (with 140 of them coming from running backMarcus Allen), while holding the Bengals to just 182 total yards and sackingBoomer Esiasonfour times (three by linemanGreg Townsend), but still had to score 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.

The Bengals came into this game crippled by injuries. Starting running backJames Brooks,still recovering from a dislocated thumb he received in the previous week, was held to just 26 rushing yards on 11 carries, while starting offensive tackleAnthony Muñozand guardBruce Reimersboth had to miss the game. The injury to Munoz, a futureHall of Famer,was particularly devastating, as the team was forced to assignKirk Scrafford,a rookie in his first NFL start, to block Townsend, who had led the Raiders with 12.5 sacks during the season.

After forcing the Bengals to punt on the opening drive,Tim Browngave his team good field position with a 17-yard return to the Raiders 45. Los Angeles then drove to the Bengals 24-yard line, only to turn the ball over whenSolomon Wilcotsbatted downJay Schroeder's pass on fourth down and 1. Los Angeles later advanced to midfield whereJeff Gossett's punt pinned the Bengals back at their own 5-yard line. But Cincinnati still managed to drive 87 yards in nine plays. QuarterbackBoomer Esiasoncompleted a 22-yard pass to Brooks and a 40-yard throw to tight endRodney Holman,whileIckey Woods' 11-yard run gave the Bengals a first down on the Raiders 19-yard line. However, the Raiders defense managed to keep Cincinnati out of the end zone, forcing them to settle forJim Breech's 27-yard field goal to take a 3–0 lead with 12:07 left in the second quarter. Los Angeles quickly countered withBo Jacksonrushing three times for 36 yards andMarcus Allenrushing once for 19 on the way to a 13-yard touchdown pass from Schroeder toMervyn Fernandez.

On the third play of the second half, Jackson broke off a 34-yard run, but was knocked out of the game on the play, and the team failed to score when Bengals safetyDavid Fulcherintercepted a pass that bounced out of Allen's hands and returned it 11 yards to the Cincinnati 19-yard line. After forcing a punt, the Raiders drove 45 yards in eight plays and scored on a 49-yardJeff Jaegerfield goal to increase their lead to 10–3. Cincinnati responded with a 13-play (11 runs), 71-yard drive to score on Esiason's 8-yard touchdown pass to running backStanford Jennings,tying the game with just under 12 minutes left in the game. But the Raiders took over the game from that point with consecutive scoring drives. The Bengals defense seemed ready to force a punt when linebackerCarl Zandersacked Schroeder for a 10-yard loss, bringing up third down and 20 from the Raiders 22-yard line. But on the next play, Schroeder completed a 26-yard pass to Brown for a first down. Following two running plays, Schroeder threw a 41-yard touchdown bomb to tight endEthan Hortonthat put the Raiders up 17–10 at the end of a 7-play, 80-yard drive. On the third play of the Bengals ensuing drive, Townsend sacked Esiason for a 15-yard loss that forced the Bengals to punt. Taking over on their own 30-yard line, Los Angeles put the game away with a 62-yard drive, featuring runs by Allen for gains of 20 and 18 yards, that ate up 5:13 and ended on Jaeger's 25-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in the game.

This wasBo Jackson's final NFL game, having injured his left hip during the third quarter while being tackled from behind by Bengals linebackerKevin Walker.The injury was later revealed to have caused a degenerative bone condition in Jackson's hip calledavascular necrosis.Before being knocked out of the game, he rushed six times for 77 yards. Some Bengals fans theorize that this injury to one of the greatest athletes ever placed a curse on the Bengals franchise (sometimes called "the curse of Bo Jackson" ), and that this curse is partially responsible for the Bengals' notorious failure to field a competitive football team for most of the next decade and a half.

This game is also notable for being Allen's last 100-plus yard rushing performance with the Raiders, as well as the last postseason game the Bengals would play in until 2005. The Bengals did not win another playoff game until 2022, when they ended the curse by beating the Raiders. Their winless playoff streak was the longest among all 32 NFL teams. Both quarterbacks combined for just 19 completions (8 by Esiason, 11 by Schroeder).

This was the second postseason meeting between the Bengals and Raiders. The Raiders won the only previous meeting while in Oakland.

Previous playoff games

Los Angeles/ Oakland Raiders leads 1–0 in all-time playoff games
1975 Cincinnati Bengals 28 @Oakland Raiders31 1975 AFC divisional playoffs

Conference championships

Sunday, January 20, 1991

AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3

Los Angeles Raiders vs. Buffalo Bills – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Raiders	3	0	0	0	3
Bills	21	20	0	10	51

atRich Stadium,Orchard Park, New York

• Game time:12:30 p.m.EST
• Game weather:38 °F (3 °C), occasional rain
• Game attendance:80,325
• Referee:Jim Tunney
• TV announcers (NBC):Dick Enberg(play-by-play) andBill Walsh(color commentator)

Game information

Scoring BUF – Lofton 13 pass from Kelly (Norwood kick)BUF 7–0 RAI – field goal Jaeger 41BUF 7–3 BUF – Thomas 12 run (Norwood kick)BUF 14–3 BUF – Talley 27 interception return (Norwood kick)BUF 21–3 BUF – K. Davis 1 run (kick blocked)BUF 27–3 BUF – K. Davis 3 run (Norwood kick)BUF 34–3 BUF – Lofton 8 pass from Kelly (Norwood kick)BUF 41–3 BUF – K. Davis 1 run (Norwood kick)BUF 48–3 BUF – field goal Norwood 39BUF 51–3

Raiders head coachArt Shellbecame the first African-American coach to take his team to a conference championship game, but the results were not in his favor.Two years after a devastating loss in Cincinnati,the Bills returned to the AFC title game and, this time, shredded the Raiders, 51–3.

On Buffalo's opening drive, Kelly completed six consecutive passes for 65 yards, the last a 13-yard touchdown toss to Lofton after he recovered a fumbled snap in shotgun formation. The Raiders responded with Schroeder's two 26-yard completions toWillie GaultandMervyn Fernandez,setting up a 41-yard field goal fromJeff Jaeger,but Buffalo stormed back to score just four plays after the ensuing kickoff on a 66-yard drive. Following a 41-yard completion from Kelly to Lofton, and an 11-yard scramble by Kelly, Thomas's 12-yard touchdown run gave the Bills a 14–3 lead. After a punt,Garry Lewisintercepted a pass from Kelly that went through Thomas's hands. But three plays later, Talley intercepted a pass from Schroeder and returned it for a touchdown. The Raiders were forced to punt on their next possession, andNate Odomesreturned it 18 yards to the Bills 42-yard line. Buffalo then drove 58 yards in 12 plays, scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run by Davis on fourth and goal, which gave the team a 27–3 lead after LA'sScott Davisblocked the extra point.

The Bills had a chance to score again whenJamie Muellerrecovered a fumble fromJamie Hollandon the ensuing kickoff. But this time LA's defense stopped Buffalo on three straight plays andScott Norwoodmissed a 45-yard field goal attempt. Still, Buffalo's dominance would resume after this. Following a Raiders punt, Kelly's completions to Thomas andSteve Taskerfor gains of 15 and 44 yards set up Davis's second touchdown run. Then Odomes intercepted a pass from Schroeder and returned it 9 yards to the Bills 38-yard line. Buffalo drove for 62 yards and took a 41–3 lead just before the end of the half. The key player of the drive was Lofton, who caught a 36-yard pass from Kelly, and then caught an 8-yard scoring pass from him on the next play.

The misery would continue for Los Angeles in the second half, as their first three drives ended with interceptions. Meanwhile, Buffalo increased their lead to 48–3 with Davis's third touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. Later on, Talley intercepted a pass from Schroeder and returned it 31 yards to the Raiders 27-yard line, setting up Norwood's 39-yard field goal to make the final score 51–3.

On offense, the Bills amassed 502 total yards, including 202 yards on the ground. Running backThurman Thomasrushed for 138 yards and a touchdown while also catching five passes for 61 yards. Running backKenneth Davistied an AFC playoff record with three rushing touchdowns, despite gaining only 21 yards on 10 carries. Buffalo also set an NFL playoff record by scoring 41 points in the first half. Bills quarterbackJim Kellythrew for 300 yards and two touchdowns to wide receiverJames Lofton,who finished the game with five receptions for 113 yards. Thomas recorded a 12-yard touchdown run, while Davis scored from one yard, three yards, and one yard out. LinebackerDarryl Talleyreturned one of his two interceptions 27 yards for a touchdown.

Buffalo recorded a total of six interceptions, the third highest total ever in a single NFL game.Mark Kelsorecorded his fourth career postseason interception in the game, a Bills' record.

For Los Angeles, quarterbackJay Schroedercompleted only 13 of his 31 passes for 150 yards. Of those 150 yards, 52 came on two 26-yard completions to Mervyn Fernandez and Willie Gault on Los Angeles's first offensive series. His five interceptions tied him withDan Pastorini of the OilersandRichard Todd of the Jetswith what was at the time the most interceptions thrown in a playoff game since theAFL–NFL merger(eleven years later,Brett Favrewould throw six in a game). That record still stands for either conference championship games or Super Bowls; twelve years after Schroeder threw five interceptions in Buffalo,Rich Gannondid so for the Raiders against Tampa Bay inSuper Bowl XXXVII.Vince Evans replaced Schroeder in the fourth quarter and completed two of his eight passes for 26 yards but threw L.A.'s sixth interception of the day.

Running backMarcus Allen,seeking to return to Tampaseven years after winning Super Bowl MVP honors in Tampa Stadium,gained just 26 yards on 10 carries. Former RamGreg Bell,himself a year removed from ablowout loss in the NFC title gamein San Francisco, led the Raiders in rushing with 36 yards, despite only carrying the ball 5 times. Coincidentally, as was the case for the Rams a year earlier, the Raiders only scored three points the entire game during the first half of play.

Arguably, what hurt the Raiders the most (besides inclement weather conditions) was the loss of Bo Jackson.On television,both the day before and the day of the game,O. J. Simpsonopined that Jackson's injury would cause him to miss both the AFC title game (and, additionally, the Super Bowl) and the start ofbaseballthat spring. Simpson, though roundly criticized for the remark, was proven correct.So onerous was Jackson's absence that January day that, according to Mike Downey of theLos Angeles Times,"Buffalo fans batted [...] a Bo Jackson inflatable doll [...] around in the stands.

That January day in Buffalo would be the last AFC title game appearance for the Raidersfor ten years.Coincidentally, the Raiders only managed three points inthatgame; coincidentally, theirSuper Bowlopponent would have been the New York Giants; and, coincidentally, that Super Bowl was also played in Tampa, albeit this time atRaymond James Stadium.

RefereeJim Tunneyretired following this game, concluding a stellar 31-year career in which he was the referee for three Super Bowls (VI,XIandXII).

This was the first postseason meeting between the Raiders and Bills.

NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13

See also:49ers–Giants rivalry

New York Giants vs. San Francisco 49ers – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Giants	3	3	3	6	15
49ers	3	3	7	0	13

atCandlestick Park,San Francisco,California

• Game time:4:00 p.m.EST/1:00 p.m.PST
• Game weather:51 °F (11 °C), passing clouds
• Game attendance:65,750
• Referee:Jerry Markbreit
• TV announcers (CBS):Pat Summerall(play-by-play) andJohn Madden(color commentator)

Game information
Scoring SF – field goal Cofer 47SF 3–0 NYG – field goal Bahr 28Tie 3–3 NYG – field goal Bahr 42NYG 6–3 SF – field goal Cofer 35Tie 6–6 SF – Taylor 61 yard pass from Montana (Cofer kick)SF 13–6 NYG – field goal Bahr 46SF 13–9 NYG – field goal Bahr 38SF 13–12 NYG – field goal Bahr 42NYG 15–13

The Giants were seeking their first trip to the Super Bowl since they wonSuper Bowl XXI,while the 49ers were looking to join theMiami Dolphinsas the only other team to advance to three consecutive Super Bowls. Exactly six years after winninghis second ring in four years,49ers quarterback Joe Montana was aiming to play for (and, the 49ers hoped, to win)his fifth ring in ten years.

Following their win over Chicago, Giants coachBill Parcellsmentioned travel arrangements in a team meeting during the week. Since the customary week off before the Super Bowl for this season was not on the schedule, Parcells told the team prior to leaving forNewark Airportthat they had two packing options: either pack just for the trip to San Francisco, or pack for that trip and a second trip to Tampa. He then showed the team he was packing for both trips as a motivational tactic.

In a mostly defensive battle, 49ers running backRoger Craig's (playing in what would be his final game in a 49er uniform) fumble with 2:36 left in the game led to Giants kickerMatt Bahr's 42-yard game-winning field goal as time ran out. Bahr was New York's only scorer, as he made five out of six field goals. Although the Giants outrushed the 49ers, 152 yards to 49, the game was tied 6–6 at halftime.

San Francisco opened the game with a 10-play, 44-yard drive, the longest play a 14-yard reception byJohn Taylor.Replays showed the ball coming out of his hands as he went to the ground, but the play was ruled a catch and NFL rules at the time did not allow a replay challenge. A few plays later,Mike Coferkicked a 47-yard field goal to make the score 3–0. New York struck back by driving 69 yards in 15 plays, including a 21-yard completion fromJeff HostetlertoMark Ingram Sr.on 3rd and 14 (Hostetler's longest completion of the game). Near the end of the drive,Dave Meggetttook the ball on a halfback option, rolled out and delivered a strike to fullbackMaurice Carthon.Carthon dropped the ball in the back of the end zone. It was the closest the Giants would get to scoring a touchdown. Bahr finished the drive with a 35-yard field goal that tied the game with 2:41 left in the first quarter.

The second quarter was mostly uneventful, but following a few punts, New York drove 56 yards in 14 plays to take a 6–3 lead on Bahr's 42-yard field goal with one minute left in the half. However, the 49ers offense which had been dominated the entire quarter suddenly sprung to life. First,Dexter Carterreturned the kickoff 27 yards to the 49ers 34-yard line. ThenJoe Montanawent to work, completing a 19-yard pass toJerry Riceand rushing for a 7-yard gain, and then completing a 5-yard pass to Craig over the next three plays. A personal foul penalty on Giants linemanEric Dorseyadded 15 yards to Craig's catch and gave the 49ers a first down on the New York 21. On the next play, Montana was sacked for an 8-yard loss byLeonard Marshall,but he followed this up with two completions to Craig that advanced the ball to the 17, where Cofer kicked a 35-yard field goal that tied the score at 6 going into halftime.

New York had to punt on the first possession of the second half, and Taylor returned the ball 31 yards to the 49ers 39-yard line. On the next play, Taylor took in a pass from Montana while in single coverage byEverson Walls.Walls stepped in front of Taylor, but completely missed the ball, enabling Taylor to catch the pass with no one between him and the end zone, where he proceeded to take off for a 61-yard touchdown catch that gave San Francisco a 13–6 lead. New York responded by driving 50 yards and scoring with a 46-yard field goal by Bahr that made the score 13–9 with 6:06 left in the third quarter. The Giants soon had a chance to score again whenDave Meggettreturned a 49ers punt 18 yards to the New York 45-yard line. Two carries byOttis Andersongained 36 yards and moved the ball into the red zone, but they could go no further and Bahr missed a 37-yard field goal attempt.

In the fourth quarter, Giants quarterbackJeff Hostetlerwas hit at the knees by 49ers defensive tackleJim Burt.Hostetler was injured on the play, but walked off the field without assistance. Giants linebackerCarl Bankslater recalled that the defense was infuriated by the play and looked to strike back. "It was unspoken...that if you hurt one of our guys, we knew who to go after," Banks said.

On the 49ers' next drive, Montana called a pass play on third down. With the New York defense covering all of his receivers, Montana was forced to move outside the pocket towards his right to make a play. Giants linebackerLawrence Taylorwas the first Giant to try to bring Montana down, with defensive endLeonard Marshalltrailing the play, getting up from a crawl after going to the ground from aTom Rathmanblock earlier in the sequence. Montana stepped back out of the path of Taylor's rush, only to move into Marshall's oncoming charge from the blind side. Marshall drilled Montana hard in the back, driving him into the turf and forcing a fumble. The 49ers managed to recover the fumble as the ball skipped past Giants cornerbackMark Collinsand linemanSteve Wallacecorralled the football, enabling the 49ers to punt. Marshall hit Montana so hard that he suffered a bruised sternum, bruised stomach, cracked ribs, and a broken hand.Montana would not play in another regular-season game until December 1992.

Hostetler returned for the next drive but the Giants went three-and-out. On the next play, the Giants executed the most important special-teams play of the contest. New York called a fake punt with the ball snapped directly to linebackerGary Reasons,the upback in the punt formation, and he ran 30 yards for a first down through an undermanned 49ers defense that had only sent 10 men on to the field.Only a tackle by Taylor, the 49ers punt returner, prevented him from taking it all the way. Hostetler then drove the Giants to the opposing 21-yard line, but could get no further and nearly threw an interception on a third-down pass toward the end zone. Bahr kicked his fourth field goal of the game with 5:47 left to bring the score to 13–12.

Steve Youngcame in to replace Montana on the next drive, and the 49ers tried to run as much time as they could off the clock. On the second play of the driveBrent Jonesgot behind the Giants defense; on his only pass attempt of the afternoon, Young hit Jones for a 25-yard gain. Two plays later, Craig recorded a six-yard gain for the 49ers' first rushing first down of the day. It would also be their last offensive first down of the game.

The 49ers called another run on their next play, with Craig called on to run up the middle through a hole created by guardGuy McIntyreand centerJesse Sapoluwith a double team block on defensive tackleErik Howard.However, McIntyre was forced to move off of the block to defend against linebackerPepper Johnson,and the hole closed. Sapolu was able to push Howard down to the ground, but did so just as Craig was reaching him. While all this was going on, Taylor was converging on the play from the other side having gotten past tight endBrent Jones.Howard made contact with the football on his way down, knocking it free from Craig's hands, and Taylor was able to grab it out of the air before it hit the turf.

With 2:36 left and with all three timeouts, Hostetler and the Giants began driving again. He hitMark Bavarofor 19 yards on the first play and later hitStephen Bakerfor 13 more on a second down to set up a short run byOttis Andersonfor two yards and a first down. The Giants called two running plays to get the ball to the middle of the field, and with four seconds left Bahr was called on to try to win the game. His kick went through the uprights as time ran out and the Giants won 15–13.

As mentioned earlier, the Giants outrushed the 49ers 152 yards to 49. Anderson led all rushers with 67 yards on 20 carries. Hostetler completed 15 of 27 passes for 176 yards, threw no touchdowns, was not intercepted, and had a quarterback rating of 75 for the game. Montana, meanwhile, completed 18 of 26 passes for 190 yards and 1 touchdown for a quarterback rating of 103. Sixty-one of those yards, though, came on said touchdown pass to Taylor. Montana's quarterback rating, minus the touchdown, was 80.3 (17 of 25 for 129 yards). Craig, despite losing a costly fumble, still led the 49ers in rushing: 8 carries for 26 yards. Montana (2 carries for 9 yards) andTom Rathman(1 carry for 4 yards) rounded out the 49ers' rushing statistics.

After the game, it was speculated that, even if the 49ers had won, Young would have started the Super Bowl because of the severity and scope of the injuries Montana incurred from the hit by Leonard Marshall (see above).

The game was featured in theNFL's Greatest Gamesas theEnd of a Dynasty.

This was the fifth postseason meeting between the Giants and 49ers. Both teams split the previous four meetings.

Previous playoff games

Tied 2–2 in all-time playoff games
1981 New York Giants 24 @San Francisco 49ers38 1981 NFC divisional playoffs 1984 New York Giants 10 @San Francisco 49ers21 1984 NFC divisional playoffs 1985 San Francisco 49ers 3 @New York Giants17 1985 NFC wild card playoffs 1986 San Francisco 49ers 3 @New York Giants49 1986 NFC divisional playoffs

Super Bowl XXV: New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19

Further information:Super Bowl XXV

Super Bowl XXV – Buffalo Bills vs. New York Giants – game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Bills (AFC)	3	9	0	7	19
Giants (NFC)	3	7	7	3	20

atTampa Stadium,Tampa, Florida

• Date:January 27, 1991
• Game attendance:73,813
• Referee:Jerry Seeman
• TV announcers (ABC):Al Michaels(play-by-play),Frank Gifford,andDan Dierdorf(color commentators)

This was the first Super Bowl meeting between the Bills and Giants.

References

• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League(ISBN0-06-270174-6)
• The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995(ISBN0-89204-523-X)