Super Bowl XVIII - 2nd Half

Super Bowl XVIII - Washington Redskins vs Los Angeles Raiders: 2nd Half

Part 1 - SB XVIII Pregame | Part 2 - SB XVIII 1st Half

The Redskins needed to take the kickoff and score a touchdown, and that's what they did.

Quarter 3

Alvin Garrett took the kick 5y in the end zone and ran out to the 30. Theismann found Charlie Brown for his first catch of the day. He beat Haynes on a down-and-out for 23y. Riggins ran twice for a total of 7y. Joe then converted the third down by hitting uncovered motion man Giaquinto for 14y to the LA 26. Theismann rolled left and found Didier at the left sideline for 13y. Not forgetting Riggins, Joe gave the ball to John, who headed around RE for 8y to the five. Riggins ran again for a first down at the two. Two more plunges by the big running back behind FB Otis Wansley produced the much needed touchdown. However, Don Hasselback blocked Moseley's PAT attempt. Raiders 21 Redskins 9 (10:52)

The Raiders knew the Redskins had to pass. So they put even more pressure on Theismann. Mark May: "They were gambling. It was one of those things, if you got the ball off on time and on the mark, it was six."
When the Redskins scored on the first possession, May recalled, "We felt we were back in the game again."

Marcus Allen heads around the left side.

After Greg Pruitt returned the "knuckle kick" 17y to the 30, the Raiders answered with a touchdown drive of their own. Marcus Allen gained two, then Jim Plunkett threw long to WR Malcolm Barnwell, who ran into CB Darrell Green as he went for the ball. A flag for defensive interference put the pigskin on the Washington 30.

Christensen: "When our lead had been narrowed to 21-9, there was a degree of trepidation on our part. It was important that we had success on our next drive. We were helped on our second play when Plunkett threw a post pattern to Malcolm Barnwell, and his legs got tanged up with Darrell Green's. It was an unfortunate interference by Green, but they had to call it. That resulted in a 38y gain and was perhaps the biggest play of the game. If we'd gone three and out after they had scored, who knows? Instead that play set us up in Washington territory."

Plunkett threw three consecutive passes. First he hit Branch for 7y on the left. After the tackle, Cliff started jawing with Anthony Washington. Then LB Neal Olkewicz joined the conversation, causing Branch to push him. Cooler heads escorted Branch back to the huddle. Plunkett found Christensen in the middle for 6y to move the chains, then threw incomplete to Branch in the end zone. Allen got six through RT to the 11. Jim dropped a pass to Hawkins in the left flat, and Frank lunged to the five to make it first and goal. Allen then zipped through a big hole up the middle and veered back to the left into the end zone, leaving three defenders clutching air. Raiders 28 Redskins 9 (7:06)

Christensen catches a pass down the middle.

Allen scores the Raiders' fourth touchdown.

Christensen: "Marcus Allen scored his first touchdown. I think the play was 14-Lead-Man and was designed to go to the right, but Marcus saw an opening and just made an amazing cutback to his left on S Mark Murphy that, anatomically, he shouldn't have been able to do. That made the score 28-9, and they're looking at themselves and saying, 'Jeez, we've got to score three touchdowns,' and obviously against our defense that wasn't going to happen."
Matt Millen: "When we came right back and scored, the game was over."
Redskins S Mark Murphy: "We always thought we could win, but when they came right back and scored after we scored to open the second half, that was pretty discouraging."

Garrett returned the kickoff 30y to the 30. The Redskins started with a flea flicker. Theismann handed to Riggins who tossed the ball back to Joe. Finding no one open downfield, Theismann dumped the ball back to Riggins who gained a yard. Joe then threw a wobbly pass that sailed high over Brown's head and followed that with another overthrow intended for Art Monk, who had yet to catch a pass. The Raiders declined the holding penalty to force the punt, Pruitt fair-catching on the LA 28.

A common sight: Theismann rolling out to avoid the rush.

The defenses won the next four possessions. The Raiders gained a first down on a 12y rollout pass to Allen before two incompletions and a sack by Coleman forced a 44y punt that Green returned 34y down the right sideline to the LA 46. It was the longest punt return in Super Bowl history.
But the Redskins couldn't take advantage of the excellent field position as Theismann was sacked for a loss of five on 3rd-and-5.
The Raiders converted 3rd-and-one when Allen leaped over LT for 4y to the 26. On the next play, Branch caught a 9y pass but fumbled when hit by Anthony Washington, who recovered the ball at the LA 35.

Allen literally runs "over" LT.

Again, the Skins could not capitalize. After a 6y pass to Didier, Riggins gained two, and Joe Washington got one. On 4th-and-1, Theismann called 70 Chip, the Redskins' bread-and-butter play that had worked so well the year before against the Dolphins. Riggins headed for the same spot, left tackle, that he burst through the year before for the clinching touchdown against Miami . But Rod Martin stood up TE Rick Walker and, with an assist from S Mike Davis, stuffed The Diesel at LT for no gain, and the Raiders took over.

Riggins: "I felt there was some daylight to the outside, but when I got there, I just couldn't see it. I didn't have 20-20 vision today. I made some bad reads, and I was guessing on their defense. Unfortunately I was guessing wrong almost all day."
Martin: "It was so ironic. The night before, John Madden and Pat Summerall had interviewed me about the game and different scenarios. They asked me about the tight ends. I said they were very good blockers, but I didn't think either one could block me, especially Rick Walker. He couldn't block me when I was at USC, and he was at UCLA." Summerall mentioned the two players' colleges when he called the play on the TV broadcast.

Just as the second quarter ended with a Raiders touchdown, they struck like lightning with an electrifying play to finish the third period and put the last nail in the Redskins' coffin. Plunkett called "17 Bob-Trey-O", but Allen didn't run it the way it was diagramed. He took the handoff and started left. But the defense had pushed the left side of the Raider line backwards and S Ken Coffey came up from the outside. So Marcus let instinct take over. He reversed his field, barely eluding Coffey's outstretched grasp, and spotted an open lane up the middle. He roared through it into the clear past defenders who were frantically trying to change directions. Allen veered to the left sideline to the end zone. Watch the run ...

The 74y run eclipsed by the previous longest run in Super Bowl history - 58y by Tom Matte of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III. Allen's scamper was also the longest touchdown run in NFL playoff history. "I should have gone inside the (left) guard but didn't," said Marcus, "and decided to reverse field. I felt someone grab me from behind (Coffey), but I pulled away and then there was an alley. Darrell Green did not see me go by, and I felt like I could outrun the rest of the guys. Cliff Branch brushed someone downfield. My first thought was not to get caught, and then I hoped there was no penalty. It was the greatest run I've ever had on this level. You always dream of things like this happening."
May: "We had at least seven guys touch him and couldn't bring him down. That really snapped our backs."

End of Q3: Raiders 35 Redskins 9

Theismann looks for a receiver.

Quarter 4

The anti-climactic last period began with the Redskins gaining 17y before having to punt. The highlight of the possession was Art Monk's first reception, a 26-yarder. But a 9y sack by Jeff Barnes proved too much to overcome.
The Raiders ran three times for 9y and punted.
Washington moved deep into enemy territory when Brown got past Haynes and took a beautiful pass from Theismann in full stride for a 60y gain to the 11. S McElroy made the touchdown-saving tackle with Haynes. That became important because the Redskins couldn't punch it in from there. An incompletion and a false start penalty made it 2nd-and-15. Then Theismann threw another incompletion, but DT Dave Stalls was called for roughing the passer for an automatic first down at the eight. But the roof fell in on the next snap. S Mike Davis blitzed untouched and blasted Theismann from behind, causing a backward fumble that Martin corralled out at the 31.
With King and Pruitt replacing Allen, the Raiders failed to make a first down, in part because of an illegal motion penalty. So Guy punted 53y out of bounds at the 17.

Flores: "When we came out in the second half and still were dominating the game, I felt good. But you know how coaches are. We're never happy until it's over. Guys would want to come up and congratulate me with a couple minutes left, and it's pretty obvious it's over, but I'd say, 'No, no, no. It's not over yet."

Theismann made a quick first down on a 10y pass to Brown. But following a 5y completion to Joe Washington, Haynes got some payback by intercepting the pass intended for Monk.
Allen went back in and immediately made his presence felt, showing again his great change of direction style. He took a pitchout around right end, then veered to the middle and meandered to the left for 39y to the 19. That gave him a total of 191y, a new Super Bowl record, wiping out the mark of 166 that John Riggins had set the year before.

Allen breaks into the clear on a 39y jaunt to set a new Super Bowl record.

Pruitt came in and ran for 4y. Hawkins followed with a 3y gain before Pruitt scampered around the right side behind Hawkins' block for 11y to the one. The Redskin defense showed some pride by staging a goal line stand.
First down: Coleman stopped Pruitt for no gain.
Second down: Plunkett lost two when Pruitt missed the handoff.
Third down: Olkewicz tackled Pruitt for no gain.
Fourth down: Bahr booted a 21y field goal that gave the Raiders 38 points, breaking the record of 35 held jointly by the Packers (Super Bowl I) and the Steelers (Super Bowl XIII). It also gave them the largest margin of victory in a Super Bowl - 29 points, breaking the record of 25 by the Packers in the first Super Bowl.
Raiders 38 Redskins 9 (2:24)

Christensen: "We had first-and-goal on the 1, and Tom Flores felt compelled to put Greg Pruitt in the game because he wanted him to get an honorary touchdown. Defense aren't stupid, and they saw him come in, and they kept stuffing him. I remember Frank Hawkins saying in the huddle, 'I've been blocking all game. Why don't I get an honorary touchdown?' And I'm thinking the same thing."

Both coaches sent reserves into the game in the last minutes. DE Greg Townsend joined the Sack Brigade on first down, dumping Theismann for a loss of 10. A 7y screen pass to Giaquinto and yet another incompletion to Monk brought Hayes out for a 40y punt to the LA 35.
With Marc Wilson at QB, RB Chester Willis got in the box score with a 7y run. Another backup, Washington S Curtis Jordan, stopped Hawkins for no gain, and time mercifully expired for the Redskins.

Coach Flores had one of his most satisfying moments of the day with about two minutes left in the game. "I was walking down the sideline, and there was big, mean, vicious Lyle Alzado with tears in his eyes. I had to turn away to keep from getting tears myself." After the game, Alzado, a 13-year veteran in his second year with the Raiders who had played for a month with painkillers for his injured right ankle, said he thought he might retire, but Flores said that was probably the emotion of the moment, and he'd like to talk to Alzado about it first. (He played two more years.)

FINAL SCORE: RAIDERS 38 REDSKINS 9

Christensen: "They had the ball at the two-minute warning, and I was on the sidelines thinking: We'd won the Super Bowl before in 1981, and it had been exciting, but I could relish this more because I had been a key factor. ... I waxed philosophical and the tears came. On the highlight reel for that Super Bowl, you can see me dropping to one knee to thank my maker and my face is covered with my hands as I'm getting emotional. The game was pretty much won for the entire fourth quarter, but for some reason that wave hit me with two minutes left.
"When the gun sounded, I joined the celebration in the locker room. ... I'm not a demonstrative person, but I made a point to hug or shake hands with every person on that team to thank them for being part of this.

Marcus Allen was the obvious choice as the game's MVP.

Theismann had a different view. "Reggie Kinlaw to me was the MVP of the Super Bowl. He controlled the interior part of that line, which is really where we hung our hat."

Watch the entire game ...

Final statistics

Time of possession: Raiders 29:22 Redskins 30:38
First downs: Raiders 18 Redskins 19
Rushing: Raiders 33-231 Redskins 32-90
Passing: Raiders 25-16-0/154 Redskins 35-16-2/193
Return yardage: Raiders 5-30 Redskins 9-167
Fumbles-Lost: Raiders 3-2 Redskins 1-1
Penalties: Raiders 7-56 Redskins 4-62
Punting average: Raiders 7-42.7 Redskins 8-32.4
Attendance: 72,920

Postgame

Raiders Locker Room

Effusive owner Al Davis told his squad: "Not only in my opinion are you the greatest Raider team of all time. I think you rank with the great teams to have ever played any professional sport."
Coach Flores: "This was our best overall game of the season. I thought we were well-prepared, and I thought we would have to play an outstanding game to win. But I thought the Redskins would have to play a great game to beat us."
On the game's MVP: "Marcus is a great player. I've never seen a better back in the playoffs. He proved today that he's a class player, a big-game player. He also prove that he can run faster than most people think. He's the most complete back that I've seen in a long time."
Asked how he felt about his team, Tom responded, "This is such a great group of guys. We just go out and do our job. We don't pay attention to what's said about us. We don't pay attention to the hoopla or all the distractions or whatever. We have a job to do and get it done. Blue-collar guys. It's just tremendous."
Allen, who had won the Heisman Trophy at USC, admitted he had thought about winning the MVP award, "but really I just wanted to win. The award is the icing on the cake. I feel I will be back in future years. I'm more happy for guys like Lyle Alzado, Charley Hannah, Greg Pruitt, Mike Haynes, and Shelby Jordan. They're older guys who have played in this league but have never gone to the Super Bowl."

President Ronald Reagan mentioned the game's MVP in his post-game telephone call to Coach Flores. "I have already had a call from Moscow," Reagan said. "They think that Marcus Allen is a new secret weapon, and they insist that we dismantle it."

Rod Martin spoke for the defense, which held Riggins to 64y on 26 carries. "We wanted to be in the Hogs' faces all day. We wanted our linemen to play them straight up and physical. And we wanted our linebackers to stay disciplined, stay in their lanes. That cut down on the holes for John Riggins. If we stopped Riggins, we knew everything else would fall into place."
Lester Hayes explained the successful pass defense, which limited Theismann to 16 of 35 for 243y and two picks. "I figured out that in the bump zone [the five yards off the line of scrimmage in which a defender can legally bump a receiver], they only like to spend six-tenths of a second. We wanted to try and keep them there two seconds if at all possible. We knew that would disrupt their timing, and it worked." He added, "Going into the game, we planned to play about 45% man-to-man coverage. By the fourth period, that had changed to about 95%. Why? Because the Smurfs cannot function properly with tight, physical man-to-man coverage."
When a reporter told Hayes, "Charlie Brown said he was open all day long, and Theismann just didn't have the time to get him the ball," Lester threw back his head and howled. "Oh, that's good," he said. "Please tell the Redskin trainers to procure some NoDoz for Charlie, because there's a strong possibility he was dreaming out there."
DE Howie Long: "We got tired of hearing about the Hogs. I never had Hog before. It tasted good." On a more serious note, he added, "I could see the frustration in Riggins' face. I could see the fear in Theismann's face. I thought Joe heard footsteps all day; we were just rushing so well. Except for one blocking assignment on a particular play, they didn't change a thing from the first time we played them. We didn't expect them to. We knew that to win today, we had to play tough, physical defense. All day long, we got the job done."

Redskins Locker Room

Coach Gibbs: "The Raiders just did a great job. They played super, and it was their day. I just wish we'd played better, but we just couldn't get it together today. They did a very good job of covering us to the outside and played a very aggressive defense. They did a good job of pressing us. They went hard for Theismann, and they went hard for Riggins, and their corners covered our wide receivers well outside."
Joe added: "A bunch of critical plays went against us. Most of all, I remember the blocked punt for their first touchdown and their intercepting our screen pass for their third touchdown just before halftime. We just couldn't get an all-around game going. If our offense did something, our defense had a problem. And vice versa."
QB Joe Theismann: "We got our rear ends handed to us on a platter. We embarrassed ourselves. We weren't able to get our wide receivers in the offense. The wind grabbed the long stuff and took the ball where it wanted to."
C Jeff Bostic: "It just wasn't in the cards, was it? You have to give all the credit to them. They made plays happen and kept us from opening up. We made our bed early and had to lie in it .They're not the kind of team to be trying to come from behind against. But we had a great year and won 16 games, so we have nothing to be ashamed of. 26 other teams would have loved to have been here today."
Dexter Manley recalled: "They beat us in every facet of the game that day. I can't tell you why. They were a different football team from the regular season."
Gibbs recalled years later, "I've never had a worse feeling after a game than when we lost Super Bowl XVIII. You'd think it would be enough to get to the Super Bowl, but it wasn't. That was a bitter plane flight home."