Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, January 27, 1992 TAG: 9201270157
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jack Bogaczyk
DATELINE: MINNEAPOLIS LENGTH: Medium
REDSKINS SPEND BILLS' HOPES
At halftime of Super Bowl XXVI, it would have been appropriate for CBS to switch to the pre-empted "Murder, She Wrote."Washington was killing Buffalo.
After only two plays in the second half, the Bills finally dialed 911. Quarterback Jim Kelly tried to Nupe it, but Buffalo was soon dead on arrival.
Minnesota hasn't experienced such a rout since its Walter Mondale lost 49 states to Ronald Reagan in 1984. And the 37-24 score was much closer than the game indicated.
Have you noticed those Bud Bowls are never flat like this?
Under the Metrodome's Teflon roof Sunday night, the Bills couldn't stick with the Redskins. Washington bullied and buffaloed the seven-point underdogs on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
Maybe Buffalo should have gotten the message early. The Bills started their first offensive series with running back Thurman Thomas, the NFL's most valuable player, on the sideline.
It took Thomas two plays to find his helmet on the ground under the bench.
The Metrodome was a house of horrors in the first quarter. Then, the Redskins really scared Buffalo, creating another Stupor Bowl that could have been played to a metronome.
Washington could have been up by another 10 points at the half. The Redskins' botched a couple of opportunities offensively. The last time Kelly saw the sort of flooding rush he faced in the Redskins' defensive ferocity, he was visiting Niagara Falls.
Washington took a record four interceptions to its third Super Bowl victory in a decade. It was the eighth straight for a National Football Conference champ over the AFC - Another Football Chump? The average score in that stretch is 37-16.
The first quarter was pointless, but eerie. Maybe everyone was adjusting to the 73-degree night in the dome. In a different way, the last quarter was pointless, too.
In Super Bowl I of the indoor-blimp era, the opening 15 minutes included a redone kickoff because the referee wasn't ready, Thomas' missing helmet, the first instant-replay touchdown reversal in Super history, a fumbled snap on a Washington field goal try, two tipped interceptions and the first 0-0 first quarter in 15 Super years.
When the teams changed directions on the field, Buffalo went south. When Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien wasn't passing for big yardage, running back Earnest Byner was slashing the Bills. When Rypien sent out his "Posse" receivers, it was as if they couldn't find the Bills' defensive backs.
Washington scored 17 points in 5:45. Halftime was truly a break for the Bills, who couldn't even down a punt. Buffalo scored in the third quarter, but by then the Redskins were already drawing up their play to dump a water bucket on coach Joe Gibbs.
The Redskins, in winning a club-record 17th game, simply continued their NFL playoff domination. In three postseason victories, Washington outscored its foes 102-41. Like Buffalo coach Marv Levy said two days before kickoff, "I wish I could say there was one thing that concerns me most about them."
Levy's worst fears were realized. To say Washington was a team without a weakness wouldn't be an overstatement, but close - much closer than Super Bowl XXVI.
The Redskins will get Super Bowl rings. The Bills will get ringing in their ears as Super Bowl losers for a second straight season.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL