Quarter 1
After both teams went three-and-out on their first possessions, Washington got moving on their second possession.

• Starting from his 11 after Chris Mohr's 56y punt, Mark Rypien, rolling out to avoid the rush, completed back-to-back passes to WR Art Monk for 12y at the left sideline and 17y down the middle. Rypien was knocked down both times after he released the ball.
  Rypien wasn't used to getting hit. He had been sacked only seven times all season. He wouldn't discover until the next week at the Pro Bowl that he had a cracked rib.
  "The ball is out of my hand, and I'm getting smoked," said Rypien. "I remember Jeff Bostic coming over and saying 'Don't worry, big fella. Everything's going to be fine. These guys have a lot of adrenalin going right now. We're going to wear them down.'"
  Coach Gibbs: "We did a lot with Mark, a lot of audible, packages where he could audible, and as a consequence, ifyou go back and study him, here's what will really come up about him: hard to sack. Because he knew where every outlet was, he knew where he was exposed, and he got rid of that ball."
• Earnest Byner ran twice for 8, then 4y for a first down at the Buffalo 48. But blitzing LB Cornelius Bennett nailed Byner for a 4y loss on the next snap.
• That forced Rypien to go back to the air. After an incompletion to Gary Clark, Rypien hit Monk on the right side for 19 to the Buffalo 33.
• Monk got free again, taking a short pass and eluding CB Kirby Jackson for 31y to the 2, where S Mark Kelso made a touchdown-saving tackle.
• That became important because the Bills stuffed Gerald Riggs for no gain on two straight carries.
• Washington replaced their "Heavy Jumbo" run personnel with three tight ends with their three wide receiver package.
• Rypien threw to Monk again for an apparent touchdown in the back of the end zone. But replay reversed the call because Monk's right foot came down on the back line of the end zone.
• So K Chip Lohmiller came in for a chip-shot field goal. However, Jeff Rutledge fum­bled the snap. He recovered the ball just before the Bills swarmed him. The drive took 5:19 off the clock but produced no points.
• During the possession, Buffalo lost Pro Bowl LB Shane Conlan, the team's best run-stopper, who limped off with a knee injury and never returned.
  Conlan's departure was a major blow to Buffalo's game plan. Defensive coordinator Walt Corey felt Washington was most vulnerable up the middle, occupied by 270lb C Jeff Bostic, the lighest of the Hogs. So Corey had DE Bruce Smith and OLB Cor­nelius Bennett take turns with NT Jeff Wright lining up over the center. But such a tactic wouldn't be as helpful after Conlan went out.
  "We tried to make band-aid adjustments," Corey said afterward. "We had Cornelius Bennett in the middle, and we had special-teams players at outside linebacker."

L: Gerald Riggs runs. R: Art Monk catches pass but comes down on back line of end zone.

The Bills' possession got off to a terrible start. QB Jim Kelly threw to WR Andre Reed down the middle, but CB Darrell Green coming across in front of Reed got a finger on the ball and deflected it over Reed's head to S Brad Edwards, who returned 21y to the 14.

But the Redskins still weren't able to put points on the board because of the great play of one Buffalo defender with help from his friends.

• LCB Kirby Jackson made two straight tackles, first of Ricky Ervins for no gain, then Ricky Sanders on a reverse for just a yard.
• So Rypien tried a pass that was batted into the air by NT Jeff Wright. Johnny-on-the-spot again, Jackson grabbed the deflection and returned 4y to the 11.
  Rypien said afterward: "We weren't discouraged (by the interception). We had a good feeling. We knew we could do some things. The defense was giving us opportu­nities, and we just had to take advantage of them."

Ricky Ervins runs as Dwight Drane (45) is blocked.

• Thurman Thomas gained 3y before Kelly connected with Reed for 12 more and a first down at the 26.
• Thomas's 2y gain and an incompletion brought up third-and-8.
• Kelly fired to WR James Lofton for 18y to the 46.
• But Thomas gained only 2y, and Lofton took a handoff on an end-around but fumbled out of bounds for a loss of 3y.
• Then Kelly got flushed out of the pocket as he tried to pass for a gain of three to force a punt.
• Mohr's kick went out of bounds on the 19.
  DE Charles Mann explained the effectiveness of Washington's defense: "The key has been that we've been able to put pressure on the quarterback with just the front four. That way you don't lose anything in the secondary, and they can focus on cover­ing the pass."

Kelly passes as Howard Ballard (75) and Keith McKeller (84) block Wilbur Marshall.

• Byner zipped 19y through left tackle for a first down at the Washington 42.
• Then came the big gainer. Rypien threw long down the middle to WR Ricky Sanders, who was immediately tackled by Kelso at the Buffalo 17.
  Rypien recalled: "On our next drive we got a long pass play to Ricky Sanders, who was covered by their safety Mark Kelso. I had a double pump called with Art (Monk) running down the right sideline. The corner on Art stayed pretty deep and didn't bite on the fake, but Kelso, with the pocket moving to the right, kind of slid a little bit with me, and that's when Rickey, in the middle of the field, gave a little hesitation fake and cut back across the field. I put it out there, and he made a nice play on it."
• The drive hit a snag when Byner's 3y run was negated by a holding penalty on T Jeff Bostic.
• Rypien then passed three straight times. The first one went Byner for 10y to get the penalty back.
• The second two misfired to Sanders in the end zone and Clark to bring out the field goal team.
• Lohmiller booted the 34y field goal.
  Washington 3 Buffalo 0 (13:02)

• Edwards returned the kickoff 24y to the 29.
• Thomas was dropped for a loss of one.
• Flushed out of the pocket, Kelly threw incompletions to Reed and Edwards.
• Mohr got off a 23y punt that bounced backward to the Washington 49.

Byner runs as Shane Conlan (58) chases.

• Rypien connected with Clark on the left sideline for 16y to the Buffalo 35.
• After Byner gained 6y, Rypien went back to Monk for 8y and a first down at the 21.
• The next pass went astray, but Buffalo was penalized half the distance to the goal for roughing the passer to make it 1st down at the 11.
• DT Leon Seals stopped Byner for a gain of just a yard.
• Rypien threw to Byner on his left side. He caught the ball on the 7 and fell into the end zone as he was tackled.
• Lohmiller converted.
  Washington 10 Buffalo 0 (9:45)

• They started from the 14 after Edwards returned the kickoff just 11y.
• Kelly threw incomplete for Lofton, who was hit by DB Marvin Mayhew just as the ball arrived.
• The next pass was caught but by the wrong team. Green intercepted the long aerial in front of Lofton and fell down on the Washington 45.

• An incompletion was negated by a 5y illegal contact penalty on Jackson.
• Ervins' 1y run and an incompletion to Clark gave the Bills defense an opportunity to get off the field on third-and-9.
• Ignoring the blitz, Rypien fired to Clark streaking across the middle from the left. He caught the ball in full stride on the 35 and continued to the 15.
• Earvins slipped off the left side to the one.
• With four tight ends on the field for Washington, Gerald Riggs took a handoff through a gaping hole on the right side into the end zone.
• Lohmiller converted.
  Washington 17 Buffalo 0 (7:17)
  The Redskins had now outscored their opponents in the second quarters of their last two Super Bowls 52-0.
  

• From the 20 after the touchback, Kelly hit Reed for 6y.
• After Thomas gained one, Lofton snagged a low pass for 12y and a first down at the 39.
• Kelly found Reed again, and he fumbled out of bounds at the 47.
• LB Andre Collins crashed through to dump Thomas as soon as he took the handoff for a loss of 4y.
• An incompletion to TE Keith McKeller brought in Mohr, who punted 43y to the Washington 14.

• After Byner gained 8y around right end, Bennett stopped him for no gain on second down.
• An incompletion to Monk forced a punt.
• Kelly Goodburn, making his first appearance since the Redskins opening possession, punted 45y to the Buffalo 40.

• Kelly threw five straight passes, completing three – Reed for 4y, McKeller for 8 and a first down at the Washington 48, and Lofton for 10.
• After the second incompletion, Kelly was sacked by DE Jason Buck for a loss of 11.
• Another incompletion forced a punt that was downed on the Washington one by Steve Tasker, one of the best special teams players in the NFL.

• Rypien sneaked for 2y.
• Byner barely got out of the end zone as he was tackled by Wright.
• Rypien threw a long pass way over the receiver and defenders, which saved Buffalo a timeout.
• Standing at the back of the end zone, Goodburn punted to Clifford Hicks on the 43, and he was hit immediately at the 41.

Kelly went back to pass four straight snaps.

• His first one was good for 21y to TE Keith McKeller to the 20.
• Kelly looped a pass to Don Beebe down the left sideline at the pylon. A split second after Beebe caught the ball, FS Brad Edwards hit him and knocked it loose.
• On second down, LB Wilbur Marshall hit Kelly and forced a fumble. Fortunately for Buffalo, T Howard Ballard recovered back at the 28.
In the spring of 1988, Marshall became the first NFL free agent in eleven years to sign with another team after the Bears refused to match Washington's offer. He had been a significant member of the Bears' defense that helped win Super Bowl XX. Marshall was "fast enough to cover wide receivers and certainly strong enough to bench press one." He started every game at weak side linebacker for Washington from his first year with the club.
• Kelly threw down the middle to Andre Reed, but Edwards jumped over his shoulders and knocked the ball away. Reed was furious because he felt Edwards arrived too soon, and replay backed him up. When Reed slammed his helmet to the ground, he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The 15y penalty took the Bills out of field goal range.
• So Mohr punted, but the ball bounced backward again and was downed at the Washington 33 - a net of just 10y.
• Rypien took a knee to run out the clock.
  END OF FIRST HALF: WASHINGTON 17 BUFFALO 0