Super Bowl XXI

Super Bowl XXI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion New York Giants to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1986 season. The Giants defeated the Broncos by the score of 39–20, winning their first ever Super Bowl, and their first NFL title since 1956. The game was played on January 25, 1987, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

This was the Broncos' second Super Bowl appearance. Led largely through the play of quarterback John Elway and a defense that led the AFC in fewest yards allowed, Denver posted an 11–5 regular season record and two narrow playoff victories. The Giants, led by quarterback Phil Simms, running back Joe Morris, and their "Big Blue Wrecking Crew" defense, advanced to their first Super Bowl after posting a 14–2 regular season record and only allowing a combined total of 3 points in their two postseason wins.

The game was tight in the first half, with the Broncos holding a 10–9 halftime lead, the narrowest margin in Super Bowl history. The only score in the second quarter, however, was Giants defensive end George Martin's sack of Elway in the end zone for a safety. This began New York's run of scoring 26 unanswered points through the third and fourth quarters. The Giants also posted a Super Bowl record 30 points in the second half, and limited the Broncos to only 2 net yards in the third quarter. Simms, who was named the Super Bowl MVP, finished the game with 22 of 25 passes completed for 268 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 25 rushing yards on 3 carries. His 22 out of 25 (88%) completion percentage not only broke a Super Bowl record, but also set an NFL postseason record that lasted for 21 years. This remains the only Super Bowl win for the Giants against a team that did not come from the AFC East; otherwise they have defeated Buffalo once and New England twice.

The telecast of the game on CBS was seen by an estimated 87.2 million viewers.^[4] This was one of the first times that a very large, national audience saw what is now the traditional Gatorade shower, where players dump a cooler full of liquid over a coach's head following a meaningful win. The practice was first started by Giants players in 1985 but it did not gain much national prominence until this season.

Background

NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXI to Pasadena, California on May 24, 1984 during their May 23–25, 1984 meetings in Washington, D.C. Fourteen cities were part of the bidding process, which was scheduled to award four Super Bowls (XXI, XXII, XXIII, and XXIV).^[5] The bidding cities included: Anaheim, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Pasadena, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Tampa, and Tempe.^[5] The Philadelphia host committee assembled what was considered a strong, but long-shot bid, hoping to win the first outdoor Super Bowl in a cold weather city.^[6]

The balloting for XXI took 13 ballots and over two hours to complete,^[6] with Pasadena finally receiving the winning bid. XXII was also voted on, but the voting for XXIII and XXIV was postponed. This was the fourth time that Pasadena hosted the game, and the sixth time it was held in the Greater Los Angeles Area.

New York Giants

Main article: 1986 New York Giants season

The Giants advanced to their first Super Bowl in team history, and were playing for their first league championship since they lost to the Chicago Bears in the 1963 NFL Championship Game. The Giants were led by quarterback Phil Simms, who threw for 3,487 yards and 21 touchdowns (but also 22 interceptions). Simms' main target was tight end Mark Bavaro, who caught 66 passes for 1,001 yards and 4 touchdowns. Although the Giants did not have one great wide receiver, they did have several good ones. Receivers Stacy Robinson, Bobby Johnson, and Phil McConkey combined for 76 receptions and 1,307 yards.

However, running the ball was the Giants' primary offensive attack. Running back Joe Morris finished the regular season with a then-franchise record 1,516 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, while also catching 21 passes for 223 yards and another touchdown. One reason for his success was fullback Maurice Carthon, who provided Morris with excellent blocking and was the team's second leading rusher with 260 yards. Another reason was the play of their offensive line, led by Pro Bowl left tackle Brad Benson and right tackle Karl Nelson. On special teams, punter Sean Landeta made the Pro Bowl with an average of 44.8 gross yards per punt, a net average of 37.1, and 24 punts inside the 20.

The Giants also had a lot of weapons on their defense, nicknamed The "Big Blue Wrecking Crew". After giving up 31 points in their opening day regular season loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the Giants had not given up more than 20 points in a game until the last game of the season, in a 55–24 win over the Green Bay Packers. The Giants' defensive leader was Hall of Fame outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who led the league with 20.5 sacks during the regular season, won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award for the third time in his career, and became just the second defensive player to ever win the NFL Most Valuable Player Award. At 6'3" and 245 pounds, Taylor was big enough to break through the offensive lines of many teams, but he still had enough speed to chase down running backs. The Giants' other starting linebackers, Gary Reasons, Carl Banks, and Harry Carson, did not get as much media attention as Taylor, but Carson had been selected to play in the Pro Bowl, while Reasons had two interceptions and Banks recorded 6.5 sacks and 2 fumble recoveries. Nose tackle Jim Burt and right end Leonard Marshall, who were also both selected to the Pro Bowl, anchored the defensive line. Marshall recorded 12 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, and 1 interception during the season.

With the play of their defense, the running attack led by Morris, and Simms' passing game, the Giants earned a 14–2 regular season record.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos won the AFC West with an 11–5 regular season record, largely through the play of quarterback John Elway. In just his fourth season in the league, Elway made an impact to the team with his ad-libbing skills. During the regular season, he had thrown for 3,480 yards and 19 touchdowns, while also rushing for 257 yards, the third-leading rusher on the team.

Elway did not really have a particular receiver who caught most of his passes during the regular season, but wide receivers Mark Jackson, Vance Johnson, Steve Watson, and tight end Orson Mobley all combined for 136 receptions and 2,132 yards. Pro Bowl running back Sammy Winder was the Broncos' top rusher with 789 yards and 9 touchdowns, while also catching 26 passes for another 171 yards and 5 touchdowns. Halfback Gerald Willhite rushed for 365 yards and 5 touchdowns, while also leading the team in receptions with 64 (for 529 yards and three touchdowns), and ranking third in the NFL in both punt return yards (468) and yards per return average (11.1). The Broncos also had a powerful offensive line, led by Pro Bowl guard Keith Bishop.

The Broncos' defense led the AFC in fewest rushing yards allowed (1,651). The defensive line was anchored by Pro Bowl defensive end Rulon Jones, who recorded 13.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. Denver's linebacking corps, led by three-time Pro Bowler Tom Jackson and Karl Mecklenburg, who recorded 9.5 sacks, was viewed as comparable to the Giants' Pro Bowl linebackers. Their secondary was led by Pro Bowl cornerbacks Dennis Smith and Louis Wright, along with Mike Harden, who intercepted 6 passes and returned them for 179 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wright, Steve Foley, and Jackson, the last remnants of Denver's Orange Crush defense of the 1970s, all retired after this Super Bowl.

Playoffs

For more details on this topic, see 1986–87 NFL playoffs.

Elway's ability to improvise on the fly, in part, helped Denver to make it through the playoffs, narrowly defeating the New England Patriots 22–17, and the Cleveland Browns 23–20, in the AFC Championship Game. The AFC Championship Game against the Browns was particularly significant because Elway displayed why many NFL experts thought Super Bowl XXI would be the first of many Super Bowls for him. In what became known as The Drive, the Broncos started from their own 2-yard line, trailing 20–13, with 5:32 left to play. But in 15 plays, Elway led Denver 98 yards for a game-tying touchdown pass with 39 seconds left. The Broncos then won in overtime after Elway led them 60 yards in 9 plays to set up kicker Rich Karlis' game-winning field goal.

Meanwhile, the Giants went on to only allow a combined total of 3 points in their playoff victories over the San Francisco 49ers, 49–3, and the Washington Redskins, 17–0, respectively. Such a dominating performance by the Giants' defense gave the team a lot of confidence going into the Super Bowl matchup versus the Broncos.

Super Bowl pregame news

Much of the pregame hype centered around the confrontation between Elway and Taylor, and whether or not Taylor would be able to hurry Elway's throws or sack him. The Giants had narrowly defeated Denver during the regular season, forcing four turnovers in a 19–16 win despite being outgained in total yards 405 to 262. This was the last Super Bowl until Super Bowl XXXIV in which both teams entered the game having never won a Super Bowl before.

Television and entertainment

The game was broadcast in the United States by CBS and featured the broadcast team of play-by-play announcer Pat Summerall and color commentator John Madden. Brent Musburger of The NFL Today anchored the The Super Bowl Today pregame, halftime and postgame coverage. Helping Musburger were reporters Irv Cross and Will McDonough and analysts Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Theismann, CBS News reporter Charles Osgood^[7] and Dan Dierdorf (in his final CBS assignment before moving on to ABC's Monday Night Football for the following season). The game was also the first NFL game to be broadcast in Dolby Surround sound and in stereo. The game was also broadcast in Canada on CTV and in the United Kingdom on Channel 4. This was also the first Super Bowl to be telecast on commercial television in Asia, as the GMA Network in the Philippines aired its first Super Bowl.

In the teams' local markets, the game was also broadcast by CBS stations in the New York City and Denver markets, WCBS-TV 2 in New York City and KMGH-TV 7 in Denver.

The pregame show was a salute to California and featured the pop music group The Beach Boys. Singer Neil Diamond performed the national anthem. The coin toss ceremony featured Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman Willie Davis.

The halftime show was a "Salute to Hollywood's 100th Anniversary" featuring an introduction by George Burns (who was only nine years younger than Hollywood) and a performance by the Southern California high school drill teams and dancers.

Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil Simms was the first athlete to appear in an "I'm going to Disney World!" television ad.

As had been their tradition all season, upon securing their victory, Giants players celebrated by dumping a Gatorade cooler on head coach Bill Parcells. The 1986 Giants were the first team to initiate what has now become a standard post-game celebration, and the Super Bowl telecast enabled a large, national audience to first witness what has become commonplace.

The postgame show was supposed to feature the song "One Shining Moment" but due to postgame interviews taking so long, CBS never aired it. They ultimately changed the lyrics from "The ball is kicked" to "The ball is tipped", and the song has since then been played at the end of the network's annual NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship coverage. CBS also debuted the theme music (composed by Lloyd Landesman) that would later be used for their college football coverage during this game (still used as of the 2016 season), as well as its open that was used through 1990.

This Super Bowl is featured in NFL's Greatest Games under the title Land of the Giants and was narrated by John Doremus.

Radio

Nationally, the game was carried over the NBC Radio Network. Don Criqui served as play-by-play with Bob Trumpy his color commentator. This was the last Super Bowl called by Criqui, as NBC Radio lost NFL rights following the season and he returned to his secondary play-by-play role on NBC television. Trumpy would call two more Super Bowls for NBC television (Super Bowl XXVII and Super Bowl XXVIII) as part of the network's #1 broadcast team. In the teams' local markets, the game was carried on WNEW-AM in New York City with Jim Gordon and Dick Lynch and KOA-AM in Denver, Colorado with Bob Martin and Larry Zimmer.

Game summary

On the Broncos' first play after receiving the opening kickoff, quarterback John Elway faked a handoff, then spun around and ran in the opposite direction for a 10-yard gain to the Denver 34-yard line. Then on third down, his 24-yard completion to receiver Mark Jackson advanced the ball to the New York 39-yard line. However, the Giants' defense tightened up and halted the drive at the 30-yard line, forcing Denver to settle for Rich Karlis's 48-yard field goal to give them a 3–0 lead. Karlis' kick tied a game record for longest field goal set by Jan Stenerud in Super Bowl IV.

The Giants then took the ensuing kickoff and stormed right back on a 9-play, 78-yard drive. First, quarterback Phil Simms completed a 17-yard pass to receiver Lionel Manuel. Then running back Joe Morris ran for 11 yards to the Denver 41-yard line. The Giants then marched to the Denver 6-yard line with Simms' 18-yard pass to receiver Stacy Robinson, and then a 17-yard completion to tight end Mark Bavaro two plays later. Finally, Simms threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zeke Mowatt, giving the Giants a 7–3 lead.

Denver kick returner Ken Bell gave his team great field position by returning the ensuing kickoff 28 yards to the Broncos 42-yard line. Then, Elway completed three consecutive passes: a 14-yard completion to running back Sammy Winder, an 11-yard completion to tight end Orson Mobley, and a 9-yard screen pass to Winder. On the second play to Winder, the Giants were flagged for two 15-yard penalties; the first was a personal foul called on Harry Carson, who was penalized for hitting Winder out of bounds, and the second penalty was an unsportsmanlike conduct foul on Lawrence Taylor, who picked up the first penalty marker and threw it. The penalties moved the ball to the Giants' 6-yard line, and three plays later, Elway ran a quarterback draw for a 4-yard touchdown run to give the Broncos a 10–7 lead.

On Denver's first drive of the second quarter, Elway dropped back to pass from his own 18-yard line on third down. The Giants' pass rush forced him to scramble out of the pocket, but it gave him time to find receiver Vance Johnson, who was wide open, for a 54-yard completion. Elway then moved the Broncos down the field further and after a third down completion to Steve Sewell, the third time Denver converted on the drive (Elway found Mobley for a second first down after the Johnson play), they had the ball on the New York 1-yard line with a chance to go up by ten.

Needing a stop, the Giants stood their ground. First, Elway tried a run-pass option, but Taylor broke through the line and tackled him for a 1-yard loss. Carson stopped fullback Gerald Willhite on the next play for no gain on a run up the middle, and Carl Banks chased down Winder as he attempted to score on a sweep, tackling him for a 4-yard loss. After losing 5 yards in three plays, Karlis tried to salvage the drive with a field goal, but he missed from 23 yards, giving him the record for the shortest missed field goal in Super Bowl history.

The first use of instant replay in a Super Bowl game came with approximately three minutes to play in the half. With Denver deep in its own end of the field, Broncos tight end Clarence Kay caught a pass from Elway for a gain of 25 yards. However, the officials conferred and ruled that Kay did not have control of the ball as he had gone down, thus the pass was ruled incomplete. After the ruling, the officials conferred again as Art McNally, the director of officiating, paged the umpire to signal they would take a look at the play. As referee Jerry Markbreit waited for their decision, CBS showed several replays of the play that were inconclusive. After several minutes, Markbreit announced the ruling on the field was confirmed. This proved crucial, as on the next play, Giants defensive tackle George Martin sacked Elway in the end zone, recording a safety and cutting the Denver lead to 10–9.^[8] To make matters more complicated, CBS' production staff found a reverse angle of the Kay catch that was unavailable to the replay booth, and it clearly showed the reception made by Kay. CBS broadcast this replay toward the end of the half.^[9]

With less than a minute remaining in the half, Elway completed a 31-yard pass to receiver Steve Watson and an 11-yard pass to Willhite, giving the Broncos a first down at the Giants 20-yard line. But the Giants defense forced three consecutive incompletions, leaving a 34-yard field goal attempt for Karlis. Karlis, who had made 11 of 12 field goals from inside 40 yards during the season, missed again, ending another Denver drive with nothing to show for it. Karlis later admitted his two misses in the first half were devastating to the Broncos. "Both times I didn't get my hips all the way through the kicks. I was steering the ball, and I know better than that. I felt the team unravel after that. I really hurt them."^[10]

In the second half, the Giants dominated the Broncos, outscoring them 30–10 with four touchdowns and a field goal on their first five possessions.

The Giants took the opening kickoff in the third quarter, but faced fourth down and one yard after their first three plays. New York sent their punt formation out onto the field. Parcells had entertained the possibility of running a fake punt and sent Jeff Rutledge, his backup quarterback, onto the field to line up as a third blocking back along with Maurice Carthon and Lee Rouson. Parcells said his reasoning was that if the Broncos were not going to pick up on Rutledge being used as a decoy for a potential fake, he would take advantage. As he had thought, Denver paid no attention to Rutledge, and he moved under center while punter Sean Landeta split out as a receiver and Carthon and Rouson lined up in a split back set behind him. Rutledge then took the snap from center and ran a quarterback sneak to the New York 48-yard line for a first down. On the next play, Simms completed a 12-yard pass to Morris, and then followed it up with a 23-yard completion to Rouson. Two plays later, Simms finished the drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Bavaro to give the Giants a 16–10 lead. The Broncos were forced to punt on their next drive, and receiver Phil McConkey returned the punt 25 yards to Denver's 36-yard line. The Broncos managed to keep the Giants out of the end zone, but New York kicker Raul Allegre kicked a 21-yard field goal to increase their lead to 19–10.

Denver was again forced to punt on their ensuing possession. Afterwards, Simms completed a 17-yard pass to Manuel at the Broncos 45-yard line. On the next play, the Giants executed a flea flicker play for a long gain. Simms handed off to Morris, but before he crossed the line of scrimmage, Morris pitched the ball back to Simms. With the ensuing pass, Simms found McConkey, who was wide open at the Broncos 20-yard line. After eluding one tackler, he was upended just before he reached the goal line, throwing his hands up in mock frustration after being stopped at the 1-yard line. On the next play, Morris scored on a 1-yard touchdown run, increasing New York's lead to 26–10.

Elway barely avoided a turnover by recovering his own fumble on the last play of the third quarter, but on the first play of the fourth quarter, he threw an interception to Giants defensive back Elvis Patterson. After that, Simms completed a 36-yard pass to Robinson. Two plays later from Denver's 6-yard line, Simms threw a pass to Bavaro in the end zone. The pass bounced off Bavaro's fingertips, but fell right into the hands of McConkey for a touchdown, extending the lead to 33–10.

The Broncos finally managed to get a good drive going on their next possession, advancing the ball 74 yards in 13 plays. Elway completed 5 of 6 passes for 46 yards and rushed for 14, while Karlis finished the drive with a 33-yard field goal, making the score 33–13. But New York recovered his ensuing onside kick attempt and stormed right back for more points. Rouson ran twice for 21 yards, and then Simms ran for a 22-yard gain. On the next play, Ottis Anderson scored on a 2-yard touchdown run, giving the Giants a 39–13 lead after Allegre missed the extra point.

Denver finally scored a touchdown when Elway found Johnson on a 47-yard bomb later on, which was the 100th recorded Super Bowl touchdown. However, by that point, the game had become so far out of reach that it did not do much good. Elway would eventually be replaced by Gary Kubiak, who took a sack to end the game, and the Giants were victorious in a 39–20 rout of the Broncos.

As the final seconds of the game ticked away, Harry Carson, continuing the recent trend started by the Giants, gave head coach Bill Parcells a Gatorade shower, going as far as to take off his jersey and pads and sneak behind Parcells with a Rose Bowl security team shirt on. Thanks in large part to this particular Gatorade dunking, a tradition of sorts was formed that continues to this day. In addition, Brad Benson and Bart Oates drenched Simms with a cooler of ice water; "I think it was very appropriate to cool the guy down", Oates explained, "as hot as he was in the game."^[10]

Simms finished with a passer rating of 150.92, the highest for one game in Super Bowl history.^[11] Morris was the top rusher of the game, gaining 67 yards, and added another 20 yards on 4 receptions. Robinson was the Giants' top receiver with 3 catches for 62 yards. Bavaro caught 4 passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. McConkey caught 2 passes for 50 yards and a touchdown, returned a punt for 25 yards, and even got to make a contribution after the game, discovering a dropped police pistol on the field and turning it over to a stadium security guard.^[12] Defensively, while the Broncos managed to bottle up Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks had 14 tackles, 10 of which were unassisted and four of those for negative yardage, while Leonard Marshall had two sacks and forced a fumble. Elway finished the game with 22 out of 37 pass completions for 304 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. He also was the Broncos' leading rusher in the game, with 27 rushing yards and a touchdown on 6 carries. Denver's Vance Johnson was the top receiver of the game, with 5 receptions for 121 yards, an average of 24.2 yards per catch, and a touchdown.

The Giants' victory in Super Bowl XXI marked the second time in four months that the New York metropolitan area had won a championship in a major professional sport; three months before, the New York Mets had won the 1986 World Series.

Box score

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	10	0	0	10	20
Giants	7	2	17	13	39

at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

Date: January 25, 1987
Game time: 3:13 p.m. PST
Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C), sunny

Game information
First Quarter DEN – FG: Rich Karlis 48 yards 3–0 DEN NYG – TD: Zeke Mowatt 6-yard pass from Phil Simms (Raul Allegre kick) 7–3 NYG DEN – TD: John Elway 4-yard run (Rich Karlis kick) 10–7 DEN Second Quarter NYG – Safety: George Martin sacked John Elway in end zone 10–9 DEN Third Quarter NYG – TD: Mark Bavaro 13-yard pass from Phil Simms (Raul Allegre kick) 16–10 NYG NYG – FG: Raul Allegre 21 yards 19–10 NYG NYG – TD: Joe Morris 1-yard run (Raul Allegre kick) 26–10 NYG Fourth Quarter NYG – TD: Phil McConkey 6-yard pass from Phil Simms (Raul Allegre kick) 33–10 NYG DEN – FG: Rich Karlis 28 yards 33–13 NYG NYG – TD: Ottis Anderson 2-yard run (kick failed) 39–13 NYG DEN – TD: Vance Johnson 47-yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick) 39–20 NYG

Game information

First Quarter

DEN – FG: Rich Karlis 48 yards 3–0 DEN
NYG – TD: Zeke Mowatt 6-yard pass from Phil Simms (Raul Allegre kick) 7–3 NYG
DEN – TD: John Elway 4-yard run (Rich Karlis kick) 10–7 DEN

Second Quarter

NYG – Safety: George Martin sacked John Elway in end zone 10–9 DEN

Third Quarter

NYG – TD: Mark Bavaro 13-yard pass from Phil Simms (Raul Allegre kick) 16–10 NYG
NYG – FG: Raul Allegre 21 yards 19–10 NYG
NYG – TD: Joe Morris 1-yard run (Raul Allegre kick) 26–10 NYG

Fourth Quarter

NYG – TD: Phil McConkey 6-yard pass from Phil Simms (Raul Allegre kick) 33–10 NYG
DEN – FG: Rich Karlis 28 yards 33–13 NYG
NYG – TD: Ottis Anderson 2-yard run (kick failed) 39–13 NYG
DEN – TD: Vance Johnson 47-yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick) 39–20 NYG

Final statistics

Sources: NFL.com Super Bowl XXI, Super Bowl XXI Play Finder NYG, Super Bowl XXI Play Finder Den

Statistical comparison

	New York Giants	Denver Broncos
First downs	24	23
First downs rushing	10	5
First downs passing	13	16
First downs penalty	1	2
Third down efficiency	6/12	7/14
Fourth down efficiency	1/2	0/0
Net yards rushing	136	52
Rushing attempts	38	19
Yards per rush	3.6	2.7
Passing – Completions/attempts	22/25	26/41
Times sacked-total yards	1–5	4–32
Interceptions thrown	0	1
Net yards passing	263	320
Total net yards	399	372
Punt returns-total yards	1-25	1-9
Kickoff returns-total yards	4-53	5-84
Interceptions-total return yards	1–(-7)	0–0
Punts-average yardage	3–46.0	2–41.0
Fumbles-lost	0-0	2–0
Penalties-total yards	6-48	4–28
Time of possession	34:39	25:21
Turnovers	0	1

Individual leaders

Giants Passing
	C/ATT¹	Yds	TD	INT	Rating
Phil Simms	22/25	268	3	0	150.9
Giants Rushing
	Car²	Yds	TD	LG³	Yds/Car
Joe Morris	20	67	1	11	3.35
Phil Simms	3	25	0	22	8.33
Lee Rouson	3	22	0	18	7.33
Tony Galbreath	4	17	0	7	4.25
Maurice Carthon	3	4	0	2	1.33
Ottis Anderson	2	1	1	2	0.50
Jeff Rutledge	3	0	0	2	0.00
Giants Receiving
	Rec⁴	Yds	TD	LG³	Target⁵
Mark Bavaro	4	51	1	17	5
Joe Morris	4	20	0	12	4
Maurice Carthon	4	13	0	7	4
Stacy Robinson	3	62	0	36	4
Lionel Manuel	3	43	0	17	3
Phil McConkey	2	50	1	44	3
Lee Rouson	1	23	0	23	1
Zeke Mowatt	1	6	1	6	1

Broncos Passing
	C/ATT¹	Yds	TD	INT	Rating
John Elway	22/37	304	1	1	83.6
Gary Kubiak	4/4	48	0	0	116.7
Broncos Rushing
	Car²	Yds	TD	LG³	Yds/Car
John Elway	6	27	1	10	4.50
Gerald Willhite	4	19	0	11	4.75
Steve Sewell	3	4	0	12	1.33
Gene Lang	2	2	0	4	1.00
Sammy Winder	4	0	0	3	0.00
Broncos Receiving
	Rec⁴	Yds	TD	LG³	Target⁵
Vance Johnson	5	121	1	54	6
Gerald Willhite	5	39	0	11	10
Sammy Winder	4	34	0	14	4
Mark Jackson	3	51	0	24	4
Steve Watson	2	54	0	31	3
Clint Sampson	2	20	0	11	2
Orson Mobley	2	17	0	11	5
Steve Sewell	2	12	0	7	4
Gene Lang	1	4	0	4	1
Clarence Kay	0	0	0	0	2

¹Completions/attempts ²Carries ³Long gain ⁴Receptions ⁵Times targeted

Starting lineups

Source:^[13]^[14]

Hall of Fame‡

Denver	Position	New York Giants
Offense
Vance Johnson	WR	Lionel Manuel
Dave Studdard	LT	Brad Benson
Keith Bishop	LG	Billy Ard
Billy Bryan	C	Bart Oates
Mark Cooper	RG	Chris Godfrey
Ken Lanier	RT	Karl Nelson
Clarence Kay	TE	Mark Bavaro
Steve Watson	WR	Stacy Robinson
John Elway‡	QB	Phil Simms
Sammy Winder	RB	Joe Morris
Gerald Willhite	FB	Maurice Carthon
Defense
Andre Townsend	LE	George Martin
Greg Kragen	NT	Jim Burt
Rulon Jones	RE	Leonard Marshall
Jim Ryan	LOLB	Carl Banks
Karl Mecklenburg	LILB	Gary Reasons
Ricky Hunley	RILB	Harry Carson‡
Tom Jackson	ROLB	Lawrence Taylor‡
Louis Wright	LCB	Elvis Patterson
Mike Harden	RCB	Perry Williams
Steve Foley	SS	Kenny Hill
Dennis Smith	FS	Herb Welch

Officials

Referee: Jerry Markbreit #9 second Super Bowl (XVII)
Umpire: Bob Boylston #101 first Super Bowl
Head Linesman: Terry Gierke #72 first Super Bowl
Line Judge: Bob Beeks #59 fourth Super Bowl (XIV, XVI, XVIII)
Field Judge: Pat Mallette #82 first Super Bowl
Side Judge: Gil Mace #90 second Super Bowl (XVIII)
Back Judge: Jim Poole #92 first Super Bowl
Alternate Umpire: Hendi Ancich #115 worked Super Bowl XXIV^[15]

References

↑ DiNitto, Marcus (January 25, 2015). "Super Bowl Betting History – Underdogs on Recent Roll". The Linemakers. Sporting News. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
↑ "Super Bowl History". Vegas Insider. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
↑ "Super Bowl Winners". NFL.com. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
1 2 "Historical Super Bowl Nielsen TV Ratings, 1967–2009 – Ratings". TVbytheNumbers. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
1 2 "N.F.L. Approves Sale of Broncos". New York Times. May 24, 1984. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
1 2 Forbes, Gordon (January 26, 1996). "Best lobbyists have best chance // Winning presentation doesn't guarantee winning game". USA Today. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
↑ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1987/BC-1987-01-19.pdf
↑ Wallace, William N. (January 26, 1987). "SUPER BOWL XXI; DITKA AND BERRY SIZE IT UP". The New York Times. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
↑ "Denver Broncos: 5 Worst Officiating Mistakes in Franchise History". Bleacher Report. April 20, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
1 2 Zimmerman, Paul (February 2, 1987). "SUPER BOWL XXI: Giants-Broncos Killer Giants". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
↑ "Super Bowl Leaders".
↑ http://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/26/sports/super-bowl-xxi-mcconkey-returns-gun.html
↑ "Super Bowl XXI–National Football League Game Summary" (PDF). National Football League. January 25, 1987. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
↑ Neft,, David S.; Cohen, Richard M.; Rick Korch (1994). The Complete History of Professional Football from 1892 to the Present. ISBN 0-312-11435-4.
↑ Lawrence Taylor Of The New York Giants Talks To A Referee… News Photo | Getty Images | 56403354

Bibliography

Super Bowl official website
2006 NFL Record and Fact Book. Time Inc. Home Entertainment. ISBN 1-933405-32-5.
Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. Harper Collins. ISBN 1-933405-32-5.
The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995. ISBN 0-89204-523-X.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198701250den.htm Super Bowl XXI box score and Large online database of NFL data and statistics
Super Bowl play-by-plays from USA Today (Last accessed September 28, 2005)
All-Time Super Bowl Odds from The Sports Network (Last accessed October 16, 2005)

Super Bowl

1960s	I (1967) II (1968) III (1969)

1970s	IV (1970) V (1971) VI (1972) VII (1973) VIII (1974) IX (1975) X (1976) XI (1977) XII (1978) XIII (1979)

1980s	XIV (1980) XV (1981) XVI (1982) XVII (1983) XVIII (1984) XIX (1985) XX (1986) XXI (1987) XXII (1988) XXIII (1989)

1990s	XXIV (1990) XXV (1991) XXVI (1992) XXVII (1993) XXVIII (1994) XXIX (1995) XXX (1996) XXXI (1997) XXXII (1998) XXXIII (1999)

2000s	XXXIV (2000) XXXV (2001) XXXVI (2002) XXXVII (2003) XXXVIII (2004) XXXIX (2005) XL (2006) XLI (2007) XLII (2008) XLIII (2009)

2010s	XLIV (2010) XLV (2011) XLVI (2012) XLVII (2013) XLVIII (2014) XLIX (2015) 50 (2016) LI (2017) LII (2018) LIII (2019)

2020s	LIV (2020) LV (2021)

Champions Pre-Super Bowl NFL champions Super Bowl ring Head coaches Active head coach history Quarterbacks Awards/Trophies Vince Lombardi Trophy Most Valuable Players Records Officials National Anthem Halftime Commercials USA Today Ad Meter Adbowl List Curse Broadcasting Network broadcasters Counterprogramming Lead-out programming Television ratings Super Bowl Sunday

New York Giants Super Bowl XXI champions

2 Raul Allegre 3 Joe Cooper 5 Sean Landeta 9 Bob Thomas 11 Phil Simms (MVP) 15 Jeff Hostetler 17 Jeff Rutledge 20 Joe Morris 22 Lee Rouson 23 Perry Williams 24 Ottis Anderson 25 Mark Collins 27 Herb Welch 28 Tom Flynn 30 Tony Galbreath 34 Elvis Patterson 34 Terry Kinard 44 Maurice Carthon 46 Greg Lasker 48 Kenny Hill 51 Robbie Jones 52 Pepper Johnson 53 Harry Carson 54 Andy Headen 55 Gary Reasons 56 Lawrence Taylor 57 Byron Hunt 58 Carl Banks 59 Brian Johnston 60 Brad Benson 61 Chris Godfrey 63 Karl Nelson 64 Jim Burt 65 Bart Oates 66 William Roberts 67 Billy Ard 68 Damian Johnson 70 Leonard Marshall 73 John Washington 74 Erik Howard 75 George Martin 76 Curtis McGriff 77 Eric Dorsey 78 Jerome Sally 80 Phil McConkey 81 Stacy Robinson 83 Vince Warren 84 Zeke Mowatt 86 Lionel Manuel 87 Solomon Miller 88 Bobby Johnson 89 Mark Bavaro

Head coach: Bill Parcells

Coaches: Bill Belichick Romeo Crennel Ron Erhardt Len Fontes Ray Handley Fred Hoaglin Pat Hodgson Lamar Leachman Johnny Parker Mike Pope Mike Sweatman

New York Giants

Founded in 1925 Based and headquartered in East Rutherford, New Jersey

Franchise	Franchise Seasons Coaches First-round draft picks Quarterbacks

History	1925–78 1979–93 1994–present Financial history

Stadiums	Polo Grounds Yankee Stadium Yale Bowl Shea Stadium Giants Stadium MetLife Stadium

Culture and Lore	Cleveland Bulldogs The Duke Sneakers Game The Greatest Game Ever Played The Fumble Crunch Bunch Gatorade shower Big Blue Wrecking Crew I'm going to Disney World! Wide Right Little Giants This team is going to the playoffs! One Wild Finish New York Groove We Fly High The Helmet Catch Bob Sheppard Jim Hall Yankee Stadium Legacy License Plate Guy The Comeback 2007 New England Patriots–New York Giants game Big Fan

Rivalries	Philadelphia Eagles Dallas Cowboys Washington Redskins San Francisco 49ers New York Jets

Key personnel	Owners: John Mara, Steve Tisch General Manager: Jerry Reese Head Coach: Ben McAdoo

Division championships (16)	1933 1934 1935 1938 1939 1941 1941 1944 1946 1986 1989 1990 1997 2000 2005 2008 2011

Conference championships (11)	1956 1958 1959 1961 1962 1963 1986 1990 2000 2007 2011

League championships (8)	1927 1934 1938 1956 1986 (XXI) 1990 (XXV) 2007 (XLII) 2011 (XLVI)

Retired numbers	1 4 7 11 14 14 16 32 40 42 50 56

Ring of Honor	Jessie Armstead Carl Banks Tiki Barber Mark Bavaro Al Blozis Rosey Brown Harry Carson Charlie Conerly Frank Gifford Pete Gogolak Mel Hein Jim Lee Howell Sam Huff Dave Jennings Tuffy Leemans Dick Lynch Jack Mara Tim Mara Wellington Mara George Martin Joe Morrison Charlie Conerly Steve Owen Bill Parcells Andy Robustelli Phil Simms Michael Strahan Ken Strong Lawrence Taylor Bob Tisch Y. A. Tittle Amani Toomer Emlen Tunnell Brad Van Pelt Alex Webster George Young

Media	Radio network Bob Papa Carl Banks Howard Cross

Current league affiliations	League: National Football League Conference: National Football Conference Division: East Division

Seasons (91)	1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1941 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Championship seasons in bold

Denver Broncos

Founded in 1960 Based in Denver, Colorado Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado

Franchise	History Players Starting quarterbacks Coaches Seasons First-round draft picks Broadcasters

Stadiums	Mile High Stadium Sports Authority Field at Mile High

Key personnel	Owner Pat Bowlen President/CEO Joe Ellis Executive Vice President/General Manager John Elway Head Coach Gary Kubiak

Culture	Miles Thunder Orange Crush Defense No Fly Zone The Barrel Man Cheerleaders "You Only Move Twice" (The Simpsons episode) South Park Mork & Mindy

Lore	Snowball Game The Drive The Fumble The Helicopter Mile High Miracle

Rivalries	Kansas City Chiefs Oakland Raiders San Diego Chargers Manning vs. Brady

Retired numbers	7 18 44

Ring of Fame	Steve Atwater Pat Bowlen Terrell Davis John Elway Goose Gonsoulin Randy Gradishar Rich Jackson Tom Jackson Charley Johnson Floyd Little Karl Mecklenburg Gene Mingo Craig Morton Haven Moses Tom Nalen Gerald Phipps Dan Reeves Shannon Sharpe Dennis Smith Paul Smith Rod Smith Lionel Taylor Billy Thompson Frank Tripucka Jim Turner Rick Upchurch Louis Wright Gary Zimmerman

Division titles	1977 1978 1984 1986 1987 1989 1991 1996 1998 2005 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Conference titles	1977 1986 1987 1989 1997 1998 2013 2015

League titles	1997 (XXXII) 1998 (XXXIII) 2015 (50)

Media	Broadcasters Dave Logan Brian Griese Scott Hastings Ed McCaffrey Alan Roach TV: KUSA 9News Radio: 850 KOA (AM)

Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: West Division

Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)

Seasons (56)	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Championship seasons in bold

1986 NFL season

East	Central	West	East	Central	West
Buffalo	Cincinnati	Denver	Dallas	Chicago	Atlanta
Indianapolis	Cleveland	Kansas City	NY Giants	Detroit	LA Rams
Miami	Houston	LA Raiders	Philadelphia	Green Bay	New Orleans
New England	Pittsburgh	San Diego	St. Louis	Minnesota	San Francisco
NY Jets		Seattle	Washington	Tampa Bay

National Football League Championship Games (1933–present)

NFL Championship Game (1933–1969)	1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

AFL Championship Game (1960–1969)	1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969

AFL-NFL World Championship Games^[1] (1966–1969)	1966 (I) 1967 (II) 1968 (III) 1969 (IV)

Super Bowl^[2] (1970–present)	1970 (V) 1971 (VI) 1972 (VII) 1973 (VIII) 1974 (IX) (1975) X 1976 (XI) 1977 (XII) 1978 (XIII) 1979 (XIV) 1980 (XV) 1981 (XVI) 1982 (XVII) 1983 (XVIII) 1984 (XIX) 1985 (XX) 1986 (XXI) 1987 (XXII) 1988 (XXIII) 1989 (XXIV) 1990 (XXV) 1991 (XXVI) 1992 (XXVII) 1993 (XXVIII) 1994 (XXIX) 1995 (XXX) 1996 (XXXI) 1997 (XXXII) 1998 (XXXIII) 1999 (XXXIV) 2000 (XXXV) 2001 (XXXVI) 2002 (XXXVII) 2003 (XXXVIII) 2004 (XXXIX) 2005 (XL) 2006 (XLI) 2007 (XLII) 2008 (XLIII) 2009 (XLIV) 2010 (XLV) 2011 (XLVI) 2012 (XLVII) 2013 (XLVIII) 2014 (XLIX) 2015 (50)

1921 APFA de facto championship game 1925 NFL Championship controversy 1932 NFL Playoff Game NFL Championship broadcasters AFL Championship broadcasters Super Bowl champions Super Bowl Most Valuable Players Super Bowl records Super Bowl broadcasters Super Bowl officials Super Bowl halftime Super Bowl commercials Pre-Super Bowl NFL champions NFL playoffs (Results) AFL playoffs

1 – From 1966 to 1969, the first four Super Bowls were "World Championship" games played between two independent professional football leagues, AFL and NFL, and when the league merged in 1970 the Super Bowl became the NFL Championship Game. 2 – Dates in the list denote the season, not the calendar year in which the championship game was played. For instance, Super Bowl XLI was played in 2007, but was the championship for the 2006 season.

NFL on CBS

Related programs

Inside the NFL The NFL on Westwood One Sports (commentators) The NFL Today Thursday Night Football (2014–present)

Non-NFL programs	Arena Football on CBS SEC on CBS (commentators)

Fox affiliate switches of 1994 (Repercussions) NFL on television (history) Primary television stations Super Bowl TV ratings (lead-out programs)

Prime-time results	Monday night NFL games prior to 1970 Thursday Night Football results (2006-present)

Commentators

Commentator pairings NFL Today personalities Pro Bowl

Postseason	AFC Championship Game NFC Championship Game Super Bowl

Pre-AFL–NFL merger	NFL Championship Game Playoff Bowl

Non-US based games	American Bowl Bills Toronto Series

Lore

AFL–NFL merger "Bounty Bowl series" "Miracle at the Meadowlands" "Porkchop Bowl" "The Snow Bowl" Tom Dempsey's 63-yard field goal "The Wrong Way Run" 16-0 Miracle in Motown Rivalries

Postseason lore	"The Block" "The Catch" "The Fog Bowl" "The Hail Mary" "The Instant Replay Game" "The Ice Bowl" "Mile High Miracle" Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime-show controversy "The Tuck Rule Game"

Holiday lore	NFL on Thanksgiving Day Christmas games

Music

NFL Championship

Super Bowl

Pre-AFL–NFL merger	I (1966) II (1967) IV (1969)

NFC package carrier (1970–1993)	VI (1971) VIII (1973) X (1975) XII (1977) XIV (1979) XVI (1981) XVIII (1983) XXI (1986) XXIV (1989) XXVI (1991)

AFC package carrier (1998–present)	XXXV (2000) XXXVIII (2003) XLI (2006) XLIV (2009) XLVII (2012) 50 (2015) LIII (2018)

Pro Bowl

NFL on NBC Radio

Related programs

Commentators

AFC playoffs commentators	AFC Championship Game

NFC playoffs commentators	NFC Championship Game

World championship commentators	NFL Championship Game Super Bowl

Key figures

Play-by-play men	Ken Coleman Don Criqui Tom Davis Jim Gibbons Marty Glickman Charlie Jones Joe McConnell Mel Proctor Jay Randolph Jim Simpson

Color commentators	John Brodie Al DeRogatis George Ratterman Kyle Rote Dave Rowe Pat Summerall Stan White

Studio hosts	Chris Carlin Bob Costas Scott Graham Al Trautwig

Studio analysts	Jerome Bettis Cris Collinsworth

NFL Championship

1962
1963

Super Bowl

Pro Bowl

1986
1987

Website: Official website - NBC Sports Radio

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