Halftime

• Landry warned the Cowboys that the Broncos had made big plays during the season that started comebacks. He told them that, if that happened, they had to take the initiative right back.
• The Denver coaching staff decided to send in backup QB Norris Weese on a second down during the second half. Miller wrote on the blackboard: No More Turnovers. Offense Break the Ice, Defense Keep Working. Attack, Attack, Attack!

Quarter 3

John Schultz returned Herrera's line drive kickoff 25y to the 10. Despite a terrible first half, the Broncos could get right back into the game with a TD. They didn't get six but did get on the scoreboard. After Jon Keyworth was stuffed for no gain, Otis Armstrong sped around RE for 18y. Morton threw his first pass, but, moving to his left because of Too Tall's rush, fired too high down the middle. Then Craig ran a college-style option play, tossing to Keyworth around RE for 6y. On 3rd-and-4, RE Harvey Martin poured through and forced Morton to throw the ball away on a screen right. So Bucky Dilts came in to punt. But it was a fake. Dilts wanted to pass but couldn't find an open receiver and tried to run and was dropped for a 4y loss. However, Dallas was penalized for 12 men on the field. A measurement showed the 5y was just enough for a first down at the Cowboy 36. Under pressure again, Morton threw too short for Haven Moses. Trying to dampen the rush, Morton handed to Keyworth on a draw play for 5y. Armstrong tried to turn RE as he did earlier but this time Randy Hughes chopped down the runner after a gain of only one. So Jim Turner booted a 47y FG. Dallas 13 Denver 3 (12:32)
After his first kick went out of bounds, Turner lofted the ball to Butch Johnson, who fumbled the pigskin as he did at the beginning of the game on a reverse, picked it up and gained 15y to the 21. MLB Randy Grandishar came back in, bum ankle and all. After Robert Newhouse gained 2, Staubach threw to Newhouse in the right flat where LB Tom Jackson held him to a gain of 5. Roger then rolled left and threw to Preston Pearson for an apparent first down. But an ineligible lineman downfield nullified the gain and made it 3rd-and-13. From the shotgun, Staubach looked to pass but had to run, getting just 2. Danny White punted 53y to Schultz, who caught the ball running backward at the 27 and returned to the 35.
Hoping to build on the success of their previous possession, the Broncos instead went three-and-out. An incompletion, a gain of nothing by Rob Lytle on a RE sweep, and a Morton sack by Martin made it 4th-and-19. Tony Hill fair caught Dilts's punt at the Dallas 41.
Staubach rolled around LE for 5. Then the penalty bug bit Dallas again - illegal motion on Tony Dorsett's 1y gain. Roger faked to Dorsett and whipped a pass down the middle to Drew Pearson, who gave ground to get around a defender to the Denver 45. Following no gain by Dorsett, Roger threw too long for Golden Richards running behind the defender at the goal line. That made it 3rd-and-10 and set up the most-remembered play of the sloppy game. Butch Johnson had so far had a terrible game, fumbling a reverse handoff on Dallas's first play and then doing the same with the second half kickoff. Now he made perhaps the most spectacular catch in Super Bowl history, one right up there with Lynn Swann's receptions in Super Bowl X. Flying down the field from his left flanker position, Butch dove and caught the pass on his finger tips and landed in the EZ. He let go of the ball as he got up, but the official on the spot raised his hands for a touchdown to the consternation of the Denver secondary. Herrera converted. Dallas 20 Denver 3 (6:59) Just when the Broncos seemed down and out, Rick Upchurch gave them a spark by returning the kickoff 67y, a Super Bowl record, wiggling and juking his way through the entire Cowboy coverage unit to the Dallas 26. Just before Larry Cole slammed him to the turf, Morton threw off-balance into the hands of Too Tall Jones in the right flat. But with open field in front of him, Jones dropped it. That was enough for Red Miller. With Craig only 4-for-15, he sent in Norris Weese at QB. Weese began by handing to Lytle for 4y. Then he rolled right and threw short to HB Jim Jensen for 5y to the 17. On 4th-and-1, Weese ran the option right, pitching to Jensen who turned the corner to the half-yard-line as Aaron Kyle made a TD-saving tackle. It was easy from there. Lytle slanted over LT behind Jensen for Denver's first TD. Turner's PAT brought the Broncos within 10. Dallas 20 Denver 10 (5:39) Turner kicked off from the 40 because Dallas was offside on the PAT try. Larry Brinson took Turner's kick on the run and ran it back 22y. But Hollywood Henderson was flagged for unnecessary roughness to move the ball back to the 14. Needing to regain momentum, the Cowboys kept the ball for the rest of the quarter thanks to Staubach's passing. Following a 1y run by Newhouse, Roger hit Billy Joe Dupree running across from the left. Aided by a blind side by Drew Pearson, the big TE ran out to the 33. Newhouse gained 6, then 3. On 3rd-and-1, Roger threw a quick pass to Butch Johnson in the left flat. S Steve Foley had a good shot at stopping him in his tracks but whiffed, and Butch got the 1st down at midfield. Then a pass to Richards gained 9 - Roger's 15th completion in 21 attempts. Newhouse got 4 to move the sticks again. On the last play of the period, Staubach faked a pass left, then turned and threw laterally to Dorsett, who was dropped for a 4y loss by S Bill Thompson. Tony got up after the hit, walked a few steps, then went down.
END OF Q3: DALLAS 20 DENVER 10

Quarter 4

Escaping the blitz, Staubach threw short to Preston Pearson for 5y to bring up 3rd-and-9. From the shotgun, Staubach evaded blitzing LB Tom Jackson momentarily, but Tom reached back to cause a fumble that NG Rubin Carter recovered on the Denver 45.
With a chance to pull within three points, the Broncos started badly when Weese handed to Lytle, who wanted to throw a pass. But Charlie Waters had diagnosed the play and pulled Rob down for a loss of 8. But the safety grabbed the face mask while doing so. That made it 1st-and-10 at the 42. Trying to surprise the Doomsday Defense by taking the snap from the shotgun position in a spread formation, Weese showed why he had replaced Morton. The second-year QB rolled right to avoid the rush and threw to Upchurch, who was hit right after receiving the ball and fumbled. Dallas recovered, but the officials ruled Rick's knee had hit the ground at the Dallas 49 before the ball came loose. A measurement showed only inches to go for a 1st. Meanwhile, Staubach headed for the Dallas locker room with the team physician. Armstrong plunged for the first down at the 46. Weese again rolled right and threw to WR Jack Dolbin, who caught the ball but came down with a foot out of bounds. Then Norris went long to Upchurch, but two defenders won the jump ball at the goal line, knocking the pass away. On 3rd-and-10, Weese threw incomplete just before being hit by Henderson. Dilts got off a fine punt that just made it into the EZ before the Broncos could down it. Danny White took over at QB for Dallas and started with a simple screen pass to Preston Pearson for 5 to the 25. After Newhouse struggled to gain 2, White dropped into the shotgun and ran a QB draw for 13y to the 40 as Roger threw on the sideline. White's next pass was deflected by Grandishar, and Drew Pearson couldn't quite get it on a dive. Newhouse gained just 1. As the Cowboys lined up for 3rd down, White called time. That gave Landry a chance to put Staubach back in. Despite his deadened finger, Roger took the shotgun snap and threw long down the left sideline far over the head of Drew Pearson. So White came right back in and punted to the right sideline to Upchurch, who couldn't get loose at the 24.
The Cowboys continued their relentless pressure. Weese was being tackled by Martin but managed to toss the ball to the right flat to TE Riley Odoms for a loss of only one. Then Norris kept the ball through RT for 7y. Then RE Martin manhandled LT Andy Maurer to get to Weese and cause a fumble that bounced forward into the hands of CB Kyle for turnover #8 at the 29. That set up the play that broke the Broncos' back. Landry called a play he rarely used - "Brown Right, X-opposite shift, toss 38, halfback lead, fullback pass to Y." Staubach pitched out to Newhouse running left. The split end on the left, Golden Richards, took off toward RCB Steve Foley as if to block him. Foley, as was his tendency, came up fast for what appeared to be a FB sweep. But after a few steps, Robert stopped and lofted a pass to the goal line that Richards caught just behind Foley and FS Bernard Jackson arrived. Herrera kicked the point. Dallas 27 Denver 10 (7:11) The Broncos' slim hopes were helped when Jensen returned Herrera's shanked kick 17y to the Dallas 47. After Jones pressured Weese into an incompletion, a draw to Armstrong gained 3, and Lytle added 5 more around RE to make it 4th-and-2. Then Weese rolled right, found a seam, and rambled for 10y to the 29. Norris fired to Dolbin, who came back to the football for a 9y gain. Next, Weese bootlegged left to the 11 for another 1st down. That's where the Dallas defense shut the door. Larry Cole burst up the middle, forcing Weese to overthrow Moses in the EZ. Then Norris had no chance as blitzing LB D.D. Lewis got Dallas's fourth sack at the 16. With the Cowboys expecting a pass, Lytle took a handout and was met by MLB Breunig for a loss of 3. In frustration, Lytle spiked the ball, earning a 5y delay of game penalty. What do you call on 3rd-and-20 against a dominant defense? Weese found enough time to throw to Upchurch at the 5. But Rick peeked behind him to the goal line just before the ball hit him in the chest and bounced to the turf. Surprisingly, Staubach rolled out and threw to Dupree incomplete. Following Preston Pearson's gain of 5, Staubach tossed a shuttle pass to Preston for 8y but a lineman downfield penalty, Dallas's 12th - a Super Bowl record - negated the gain. Scott Laidlaw took a pitchout for only 1y. So White came in to punt at the two-minute warning.
Danny kicked to Upchurch, who returned 10y. But in a fitting ending to Denver's ill-fated day, a running into the kicker penalty allowed Dallas to keep the ball at the 26. Newhouse for 3, Pearson 5, Newhouse another 3, and a Staubach -1 fall down ran out the clock.
FINAL SCORE: DALLAS 27 DENVER 10