Super Bowl XXII (1987): Washington Redskins face Denver Broncos at Jack Murphy Stadium. Kickoff time: 6:00pm. Winner takes home the Lombardi Trophy. There is no next week for the loser.
Super Bowl XXII (1987) is the season's final accounting for 1987. Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos arrive at Jack Murphy Stadium carrying every snap they have played since training camp. Championship games strip the rest of the schedule away; what is left is whichever team executes its identity longest under the brightest light. The narrative that wins is the one with the trophy attached. Lose, and the season collapses into a footnote no matter how it was played.
The whole league is watching Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos. Two conferences have produced their finalists; the rest of the 1987 season is already in the books. The Lombardi is decided here. Every other team's offseason calendar starts the morning after this kickoff.
Washington Redskins versus Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl XXII (1987). The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Washington Redskins-Denver Broncos cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 10-5 | W3 |
| Houston Oilers | 9-6 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 8-7 | L2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 4-11 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-6 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 8-7 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 8-7 | W3 |
| Buffalo Bills | 7-8 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 6-9 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 10-4-1 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-6 | L1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8-7 | L6 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 5-10 | L3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 13-2 | W6 |
| New Orleans Saints | 12-3 | W9 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 6-9 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 3-12 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 11-4 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 8-7 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 5-9-1 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-11 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4-11 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 11-4 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 7-8 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 7-8 | W2 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 7-8 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 6-9 | W2 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 0 | 35 | 0 | 7 | 035354242 |
| Denver Broncos | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1010101010 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | Ricky Nattiel 56 yard pass from John Elway ( Rich Karlis kick) | 0-7 |
| Broncos | Rich Karlis 24 yard field goal | 0-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Redskins | Ricky Sanders 80 yard pass from Doug Williams ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) | 7-10 |
| Redskins | Gary Clark 27 yard pass from Doug Williams ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) | 14-10 |
| Redskins | Timmy Smith 58 yard rush ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) | 21-10 |
| Redskins | Ricky Sanders 50 yard pass from Doug Williams ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) | 28-10 |
| Redskins | Clint Didier 8 yard pass from Doug Williams ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) | 35-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Redskins | Timmy Smith 4 yard rush ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) | 42-10 |
| Redskins | Broncos | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 25 | 18 |
| Total Yards | 602 | 327 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 18/30 | 15/39 |
| Pass yards | 340 | 280 |
| Pass TD | 4 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 3 |
| Sacks taken | 2 | 5 |
| Sack yards lost | 18 | 50 |
| Net pass yards | 322 | 230 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 40 | 17 |
| Rush yards | 280 | 97 |
| Rush TD | 2 | 0 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 6 | 5 |
| Penalty yards | 65 | 26 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAS | |||||
| Doug Williams | 18/29 | 340 | 4 | 1 | |
| Jay Schroeder | 0/1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DEN | |||||
| John Elway | 14/38 | 257 | 1 | 3 | |
| Steve Sewell | 1/1 | 23 | 0 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAS | ||||
| Timmy Smith | 22 | 204 | 2 | 58 |
| Kelvin Bryant | 8 | 38 | 0 | 15 |
| Gary Clark | 1 | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| George Rogers | 5 | 17 | 0 | 5 |
| Keith Griffin | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Doug Williams | 2 | -2 | 0 | -1 |
| Ricky Sanders | 1 | -4 | 0 | -4 |
| DEN | ||||
| Gene Lang | 5 | 38 | 0 | 13 |
| John Elway | 3 | 32 | 0 | 21 |
| Sammy Winder | 8 | 30 | 0 | 13 |
| Steve Sewell | 1 | -3 | 0 | -3 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WAS | ||||
| Ricky Sanders | 9 | 193 | 2 | 80 |
| Gary Clark | 3 | 55 | 1 | 27 |
| Art Monk | 1 | 40 | 0 | 40 |
| Kelvin Bryant | 1 | 20 | 0 | 20 |
| Don Warren | 2 | 15 | 0 | 9 |
| Timmy Smith | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Clint Didier | 1 | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| DEN | ||||
| Mark Jackson | 4 | 76 | 0 | 32 |
| Ricky Nattiel | 2 | 69 | 1 | 56 |
| Steve Sewell | 4 | 41 | 0 | 18 |
| Clarence Kay | 2 | 38 | 0 | 27 |
| Sammy Winder | 1 | 26 | 0 | 26 |
| John Elway | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| Gene Lang | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Washington Redskins defeated Denver Broncos 42-10 at Jack Murphy Stadium in the Super Bowl XXII (1987). The final scoring play was Redskins: Timmy Smith 4 yard rush ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick). The 32-point margin made it a one-sided afternoon. Top line of the day: Doug Williams: 340 pass yards on 18-of-29, 4 TD, 1 INT. Washington Redskins take home the Lombardi Trophy.
Washington Redskins walked out of Jack Murphy Stadium as the team that survived a Super Bowl XXII (1987) Denver Broncos will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 42-10. This was a 32-point margin, which is unusual for this round of the postseason and tells a story about which staff out-prepared the other from the opening series. The final scoring play came from Redskins: Timmy Smith 4 yard rush ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Washington Redskins hoist the Lombardi.
Washington Redskins 42, Denver Broncos 10.
Round: Super Bowl XXII (1987). Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 5 scoring plays. Q4: 1 scoring play.
Top performers: - Doug Williams: 340 pass yards on 18-of-29, 4 TD, 1 INT - Timmy Smith: 204 rush yards on 22 carries - Ricky Sanders: 9 catches for 193 yards
Super Bowl XXII (1987), played at Jack Murphy Stadium. Final: Washington Redskins 42, Denver Broncos 10, with Washington Redskins taking the result by 32.
**First quarter**
- Broncos: Ricky Nattiel 56 yard pass from John Elway ( Rich Karlis kick) - Broncos: Rich Karlis 24 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Redskins: Ricky Sanders 80 yard pass from Doug Williams ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) - Redskins: Gary Clark 27 yard pass from Doug Williams ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) - Redskins: Timmy Smith 58 yard rush ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) - Redskins: Ricky Sanders 50 yard pass from Doug Williams ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick) - Redskins: Clint Didier 8 yard pass from Doug Williams ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Redskins: Timmy Smith 4 yard rush ( Ali Haji-Sheikh kick)
**Top performers**
- Doug Williams: 340 pass yards on 18-of-29, 4 TD, 1 INT - Timmy Smith: 204 rush yards on 22 carries - Ricky Sanders: 9 catches for 193 yards
The 32-point margin says most of what needs saying about how the day went; the box score is the rest.