Super Bowl XXIII (1988): Cincinnati Bengals face San Francisco 49ers at Joe Robbie Stadium. Kickoff time: 5:00pm. Winner takes home the Lombardi Trophy. There is no next week for the loser.
Super Bowl XXIII (1988) is the season's final accounting for 1988. Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers arrive at Joe Robbie 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 Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers. Two conferences have produced their finalists; the rest of the 1988 season is already in the books. The Lombardi is decided here. Every other team's offseason calendar starts the morning after this kickoff.
Cincinnati Bengals versus San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl XXIII (1988). 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 Cincinnati Bengals-San Francisco 49ers 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 12-4 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 10-6 | W1 |
| Houston Oilers | 10-6 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 12-4 | L1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 9-7 | W1 |
| New England Patriots | 9-7 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 8-7-1 | W2 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6-10 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W2 |
| Denver Broncos | 8-8 | W1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | 7-9 | L2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6-10 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-11-1 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 10-6 | W3 |
| New Orleans Saints | 10-6 | W1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 10-6 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-11 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 12-4 | L1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 11-5 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5-11 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 4-12 | L2 |
| Green Bay Packers | 4-12 | W2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 10-6 | L1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W2 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 7-9 | L5 |
| Washington Redskins | 7-9 | L2 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 3-13 | L1 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 03131616 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 3 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 3362020 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 41 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bengals | Jim Breech 34 yard field goal | 3-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bengals | Jim Breech 43 yard field goal | 6-3 |
| 49ers | Mike Cofer 32 yard field goal | 6-6 |
| Bengals | Stanford Jennings 93 yard kickoff return (Jim Breech kick) | 13-6 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 14 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) | 13-13 |
| Bengals | Jim Breech 40 yard field goal | 16-13 |
| 49ers | John Taylor 10 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) | 16-20 |
San Francisco 49ers defeated Cincinnati Bengals 20-16 at Joe Robbie Stadium in the Super Bowl XXIII (1988). The final scoring play was 49ers: John Taylor 10 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick). Top line of the day: Joe Montana: 357 pass yards on 23-of-36, 2 TD, 0 INT. San Francisco 49ers take home the Lombardi Trophy.
San Francisco 49ers walked out of Joe Robbie Stadium as the team that survived a Super Bowl XXIII (1988) Cincinnati Bengals will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 20-16. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from 49ers: John Taylor 10 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. San Francisco 49ers hoist the Lombardi.
San Francisco 49ers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 16.
Round: Super Bowl XXIII (1988). Q1: 1 scoring play. Q2: 1 scoring play. Q3: 3 scoring plays. Q4: 3 scoring plays.
Top performers: - Joe Montana: 357 pass yards on 23-of-36, 2 TD, 0 INT - Ickey Woods: 79 rush yards on 20 carries - Jerry Rice: 11 catches for 215 yards
Super Bowl XXIII (1988), played at Joe Robbie Stadium. Final: Cincinnati Bengals 16, San Francisco 49ers 20, with San Francisco 49ers taking the result by 4.
**First quarter**
- 49ers: Mike Cofer 41 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Bengals: Jim Breech 34 yard field goal
**Third quarter**
- Bengals: Jim Breech 43 yard field goal - 49ers: Mike Cofer 32 yard field goal - Bengals: Stanford Jennings 93 yard kickoff return (Jim Breech kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- 49ers: Jerry Rice 14 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick) - Bengals: Jim Breech 40 yard field goal - 49ers: John Taylor 10 yard pass from Joe Montana (Mike Cofer kick)
**Top performers**
- Joe Montana: 357 pass yards on 23-of-36, 2 TD, 0 INT - Ickey Woods: 79 rush yards on 20 carries - Jerry Rice: 11 catches for 215 yards