Super Bowl XXV (1990): Buffalo Bills face New York Giants at Tampa Stadium. Kickoff time: 5:30pm. Winner takes home the Lombardi Trophy. There is no next week for the loser.
Super Bowl XXV (1990) is the season's final accounting for 1990. Buffalo Bills and New York Giants arrive at Tampa 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 Buffalo Bills and New York Giants. Two conferences have produced their finalists; the rest of the 1990 season is already in the books. The Lombardi is decided here. Every other team's offseason calendar starts the morning after this kickoff.
Buffalo Bills versus New York Giants in the Super Bowl XXV (1990). 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 Buffalo Bills-New York Giants 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 | 9-7 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 | L1 |
| Houston Oilers | 9-7 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 3-13 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 13-3 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 12-4 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 7-9 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 6-10 | W2 |
| New England Patriots | 1-15 | L14 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Raiders | 12-4 | W5 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 11-5 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 9-7 | W2 |
| San Diego Chargers | 6-10 | L3 |
| Denver Broncos | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 14-2 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 8-8 | W2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5-11 | W2 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 5-11 | L4 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 11-5 | L1 |
| Detroit Lions | 6-10 | L1 |
| Green Bay Packers | 6-10 | L5 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 6-10 | L4 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6-10 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 13-3 | W2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10-6 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 10-6 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 7-9 | L2 |
| Phoenix Cardinals | 5-11 | L3 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 3 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 312121919 |
| New York Giants | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 310172020 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Giants | Matt Bahr 28 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| Bills | Scott Norwood 23 yard field goal | 3-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bills | Don Smith 1 yard rush ( Scott Norwood kick) | 10-3 |
| Bills | Safety, Smith tackled Hostetler in end zone | 12-3 |
| Giants | Stephen Baker 14 yard pass from Jeff Hostetler ( Matt Bahr kick) | 12-10 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Giants | Ottis Anderson 1 yard rush ( Matt Bahr kick) | 12-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Bills | Thurman Thomas 31 yard rush ( Scott Norwood kick) | 19-17 |
| Giants | Matt Bahr 21 yard field goal | 19-20 |
| Bills | Giants | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 18 | 24 |
| Total Yards | 371 | 386 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 18/30 | 20/32 |
| Pass yards | 212 | 222 |
| Pass TD | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions | 0 | 0 |
| Sacks taken | 1 | 2 |
| Sack yards lost | 7 | 8 |
| Net pass yards | 205 | 214 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 25 | 39 |
| Rush yards | 166 | 172 |
| Rush TD | 2 | 1 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 1 | 0 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Penalties | 6 | 5 |
| Penalty yards | 35 | 31 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUF | |||||
| Jim Kelly | 18/30 | 212 | 0 | 0 | |
| NYG | |||||
| Jeff Hostetler | 20/32 | 222 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUF | ||||
| Thurman Thomas | 15 | 135 | 1 | 31 |
| Jim Kelly | 6 | 23 | 0 | 9 |
| Kenneth Davis | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| Jamie Mueller | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Don Smith | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| NYG | ||||
| Ottis Anderson | 21 | 102 | 1 | 24 |
| Dave Meggett | 9 | 48 | 0 | 17 |
| Maurice Carthon | 3 | 12 | 0 | 5 |
| Jeff Hostetler | 6 | 10 | 0 | 5 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BUF | ||||
| Andre Reed | 8 | 62 | 0 | 20 |
| James Lofton | 1 | 61 | 0 | 61 |
| Thurman Thomas | 5 | 55 | 0 | 15 |
| Kenneth Davis | 2 | 23 | 0 | 19 |
| Keith McKeller | 2 | 11 | 0 | 6 |
| NYG | ||||
| Mark Ingram | 5 | 74 | 0 | 22 |
| Mark Bavaro | 5 | 50 | 0 | 19 |
| Howard Cross | 4 | 39 | 0 | 13 |
| Stephen Baker | 2 | 31 | 1 | 17 |
| Dave Meggett | 2 | 18 | 0 | 11 |
| Ottis Anderson | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Maurice Carthon | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
New York Giants defeated Buffalo Bills 20-19 at Tampa Stadium in the Super Bowl XXV (1990). The final scoring play was Giants: Matt Bahr 21 yard field goal. The result came down to the final possession; New York Giants won by 1. Top line of the day: Jeff Hostetler: 222 pass yards on 20-of-32, 1 TD, 0 INT. New York Giants take home the Lombardi Trophy.
New York Giants walked out of Tampa Stadium as the team that survived a Super Bowl XXV (1990) Buffalo Bills will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 20-19. The game stayed within 1 points throughout, the kind of contest where every drive felt like a referendum and every defensive stop carried twice its usual weight. The final scoring play came from Giants: Matt Bahr 21 yard field goal. Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. New York Giants hoist the Lombardi.
New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19. Round: Super Bowl XXV (1990). Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 1 scoring play. Q4: 2 scoring plays. Top performers: - Jeff Hostetler: 222 pass yards on 20-of-32, 1 TD, 0 INT - Thurman Thomas: 135 rush yards on 15 carries - Mark Ingram: 5 catches for 74 yards
Super Bowl XXV (1990), played at Tampa Stadium. Final: Buffalo Bills 19, New York Giants 20, with New York Giants taking the result by 1. **First quarter**
- Giants: Matt Bahr 28 yard field goal - Bills: Scott Norwood 23 yard field goal
**Second quarter**
- Bills: Don Smith 1 yard rush ( Scott Norwood kick) - Bills: Safety, Smith tackled Hostetler in end zone - Giants: Stephen Baker 14 yard pass from Jeff Hostetler ( Matt Bahr kick)
**Third quarter**
- Giants: Ottis Anderson 1 yard rush ( Matt Bahr kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Bills: Thurman Thomas 31 yard rush ( Scott Norwood kick) - Giants: Matt Bahr 21 yard field goal
**Top performers**
- Jeff Hostetler: 222 pass yards on 20-of-32, 1 TD, 0 INT - Thurman Thomas: 135 rush yards on 15 carries - Mark Ingram: 5 catches for 74 yards
A 1-point margin in Super Bowl XXV (1990) is the kind of result that defines reputations on both sidelines.