Super Bowl XVII
Teams ended up only playing nine regular season games, and the league conducted a special 16-team, four-round playoff tournament where divisions were ignored in the seeding.[6] The turning point in the game came with 10:10 remaining: trailing, 17–13, and facing fourth down and one yard to go at the Dolphins' 43-yard line, Washington running back John Riggins broke through the Miami defense and ran into the end zone for a touchdown to take the lead.The only other Super Bowl facilities to date which had replay screens were indoors: the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans (XII and XV), and the Pontiac Silverdome near Detroit (XVI).However, the Cleveland Browns and the Detroit Lions did qualify for the playoffs despite 4–5 records, becoming the first teams in NFL history to compete in postseason play despite regular-season winning percentages below .500.The 2014 Carolina Panthers, 2020 Washington Football Team and 2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers also achieved playoff berths with winning percentages below .500 in seasons not shortened by a players' strike.The Dolphins' secondary, consisting of defensive backs Don McNeal, Gerald Small and brothers Lyle and Glenn Blackwood, combined for 11 interceptions.However, Miami's passing attack, led by quarterback David Woodley, ranked second to last in the league with 1,314 total yards, 8 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.One reason for the Dolphins' rushing success was the blocking of their offensive line, led by future Hall of Fame center Dwight Stephenson, along with Pro Bowlers Bob Kuechenberg (a starter on Miami's early 1970s Super Bowl teams) and Ed Newman.Washington finished the strike-shortened regular season with an NFC-best 8–1 record, earning their first playoff appearance in six years and allowing the fewest points (128) in the league.[19] The Dolphins advanced through the special 16-team playoffs by defeating the New England Patriots, 28–13, the San Diego Chargers, 34–13, and the New York Jets, 14–0, earning a trip to the Super Bowl for the fourth time.Another key contributor in the NFC playoffs was backup wide receiver Alvin Garrett, who replaced Monk after he suffered a leg injury that kept him out of the entire postseason.Len Berman and his NFL '82 castmates, Mike Adamle (who also covered the Vince Lombardi Trophy presentation ceremony), Ahmad Rashad and Pete Axthelm anchored the pregame, halftime and postgame coverage.Locally, Super Bowl XVII was broadcast on WMAL-AM in Washington, D.C. by Frank Herzog, Sam Huff and Sonny Jurgensen, and on WIOD-AM in Miami, Florida by Rick Weaver and Hank Goldberg.[31] The halftime show was produced by Bob Jani Productions and titled "KaleidoSUPERscope", and featured the Los Angeles Super Drill Team.Running back Tony Nathan first picked up 4 yards, and then quarterback David Woodley (at 24 years, 3 months, and 5 days old was the youngest quarterback to start a Super Bowl at the time) froze Washington defensive end Dexter Manley with a pump fake before throwing the ball to wide receiver Jimmy Cefalo, who caught the ball ahead of single coverage by safety Tony Peters at the Redskins 45 and raced untouched down the right sideline for a 76-yard touchdown completion.The turnover led to Redskins kicker Mark Moseley's 31-yard field goal to cut the Dolphins' lead to 7–3, two plays into the second quarter.Woodley's pass fell incomplete on third down, however, so Miami had to settle for kicker Uwe von Schamann's 20-yard field goal to increase their lead to 10–3 with 6 minutes left in the half.The Dolphins' defense only allowed Washington to advance to the 3-yard line on their next three plays, though, so the Redskins settled for another 20-yard field goal by Moseley to cut their deficit to 17–13.However, Redskins cornerback Vernon Dean deflected the ball and safety Mark Murphy made a one-handed interception at the 5-yard line while falling to the ground.Theismann handed off to Riggins, who blasted through McNeal's arms at the line of scrimmage and still built up enough speed to outrun Glenn Blackwood for a 43-yard touchdown, giving Washington their first lead of the game, 20–17, with just over 10 minutes remaining.Despite a valiant effort, the 185-pound cornerback could do little more than hold on briefly as he met the 240-pound Riggins running with a full head of steam, hit him high, and slid down his body as "The Diesel" pulled away towards the end zone.Riggins advanced the ball three more yards on two more carries to reach the two-minute warning, at which point Theismann completed a 6-yard touchdown pass to Brown, giving Washington a 27–17 lead and essentially putting the game away.Fulton Walker returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards to the 35-yard line, but the Dolphins could only advance to the 39 before turning the ball over on downs with 1:12 remaining, enabling the Redskins to run out the clock and claim their first Super Bowl title."Their way is what we called Dolphin football," said left guard Bob Kuechenberg, one of only two holdovers from Miami's three previous Super Bowl teams in the 1970s (the other was defensive end Vern Den Herder who retired immediately following the game).[32] Woodley's poor performance in this game — four pass completions in 14 attempts for 97 yards, a touchdown, an interception and a lost fumble — was a factor in the Dolphins drafting Dan Marino three months later.Meanwhile, Theismann, the first starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl while wearing a single-digit uniform number (7), finished 15 of 23 for 143 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.Source:[38] Hall of Fame‡ Officials wore a black armband with number 11 in memory of side judge Vince Jacob, who died during the players' strike.
Super Bowl XVIIIMiami DolphinsWashington RedskinsDon ShulaJoe GibbsRose BowlPasadena, CaliforniaJohn RigginsfullbackRefereeJerry MarkbreitNational anthemLeslie EasterbrookElroy HirschHalftime showBob JaniLos Angeles Unified School DistrictDick EnbergMerlin OlsenNielsen ratingsCBS RadioJack BuckHank StramSuper BowlAmerican footballAmerican Football ConferenceNational Football ConferenceNational Football League1982 seasonSuper Bowl VIILos Angeles Memorial ColiseumSuper Bowl XIIIJimmy CefaloFulton WalkerSuper Bowl MVPPasadenaHonoluluDetroitSilverdomeLos AngelesColiseumSeattleKingdomeDallasCotton BowlHoustonRice StadiumOrange BowlDolphinsJoe RobbieDade CountySouth FloridaJoe Robbie StadiumJumbotronDiamond VisionLouisiana SuperdomeNew OrleansPontiac Silverdomeplayers' strikeSuper Bowl IVSan Francisco 49ersSuper Bowl XVIBuffalo BillsNew York GiantsPhiladelphia EaglesCleveland BrownsDetroit LionsSeattle Seahawks2010 season2014 Carolina Panthers2020 Washington Football Team2022 Tampa Bay Buccaneers1982 Miami Dolphins seasonPro BowlBob BaumhowerA. J. DuheDon McNealGerald SmallGlenn BlackwoodDavid WoodleyDuriel HarrisAndra FranklinTony NathanHall of FameDwight StephensonBob KuechenbergEd Newman1982 Washington Redskins seasonPittsburgh SteelersDallas CowboysJoe Theismannrated passerArt MonkThe Hogsspecial teamsMark MoseleyplacekickerNFL Most Valuable Player AwardMike NelmsDave ButzDexter ManleyTony McGeeVernon DeanJeris White1982–83 NFL playoffsNew England PatriotsSan Diego ChargersNew York JetsMinnesota VikingsAlvin Garrettfree agentsdrafted1978 Dallas CowboysUnited Statesplay-by-playcolor commentatorLen BermanMike AdamleVince Lombardi TrophyAhmad RashadPete AxthelmWRC-TVWashington, D.C.Brent MusburgerIrv CrossJimmy Snyder