Fixing 10 Bad Super Bowls 8. Super Bowl XXII – January 31, 1988

Erased Super Bowl XXII: Redskins 42 Broncos 10

Super Bowl XXII provided one of the most unexpected blowouts in Super Bowl history. The Denver Broncos entered their second straight Super Bowl with league’s Most Valuable Player, quarterback John Elway, and had scored 72 points in their two playoff wins. Opposing them were the Washington Redskins. They had gone 11-4 in the regular season (thanks in part to one of the easiest schedules in the league) and managed to win the NFC without having to defeat either of 1987’s two best teams; the 12-3 Saints or the 13-2 49ers. The upstart 8-7 Vikings did that dirty work for them, before falling to the Redskins 17-10 at RFK Stadium in a hard-fought NFC Championship game. The stars looked aligned for the Broncos to finally win the Super Bowl after 10 years of close calls. The oddsmakers agreed, favoring Denver by 3.5 points.

 

It started well for Denver. They took a 10-0 lead into the 2nd quarter and Redskins starting quarterback Doug Williams twisted and injured his knee. Then, the unbelievable happened. Denver’s 7th ranked scoring defense gave up 35 unanswered points in the second quarter alone and the game was all but over. Washington won 42-10 and broke numerous Super Bowl records. This had to be a great game for Redskins fans, but for the rest of America, no one really cared to watch a team with no recognizable stars dominate the second half of the Super Bowl in garbage time. At least The Wonder Years debuted after the game!

 

 

The Switch: 1987 Cleveland Browns for 1987 Denver Broncos

In the late 80s, Denver and Cleveland had one of the best playoff rivalries in NFL history. There are not many NFL games recognizable by one word, but this rivalry produced two such games in “The Drive” and “The Fumble”. After surrendering “The Drive” to the Broncos in the 1986 AFC Championship Game, the Browns were determined to get to the Super Bowl in 1987. Cleveland won the AFC Central for the 3rd straight year while leading the conference in both points scored and fewest points allowed. Quarterback Bernie Kosar was the 2nd highest-rated passer in the league and was one of an NFL-high eight Browns selected to the Pro Bowl. The Browns overwhelmed the Colts 38-21 in the divisional playoffs, setting up a rematch at Mile High Stadium with a birth in Super Bowl XXII on the line. The Browns appeared jittery on the road and trailed 21-3 at halftime. Kosar and RB Ernest Byner led a furious comeback, tying the game in the 4th quarter at 31-31. An Elway touchdown pass to RB Sammy Winder with 4 minutes remaining gave Denver a 38-31 lead. Kosar would drive the Browns down to the Denver 8-yard line, but then “The Fumble” would occur when Ernest Byner lost the ball at the Denver 2 yard line as he was nearing the endzone. The Broncos recovered and won the game 38-33 after taking an intentional safety with seconds left to play. 

 

 

Reality Displacement Index: 2/10

If Byner had held on to the ball, he would have almost certainly have scored a touchdown. Assuming the extra point is good, the Browns would have had to shut down the Broncos for the final minute of regulation. Given the amount of time remaining, Cleveland had a chance. Denver would have likely played for the field goal, although Cleveland’s defense would also be playing quite conservative after being gashed with multiple big plays in the game. Had they held Denver to a field goal try, the outlook is favorable as barefooted Broncos kicker Rich Karlis had struggled that day and had already missed a field goal. For the second straight year, the AFC champion would have been determined in overtime.  What happens in the extra period would be anyone’s guess. The way the offenses had played in the second half, the winner of the coin toss would have likely won the game. So if Byner doesn’t fumble, Cleveland has a little less than a 50% chance of going to the Super Bowl. Browns fans today would do unspeakable things to have those odds again. 

 

 

Improved Super Bowl XXII: Redskins vs. Browns - Evaluating the Matchup

Each team would have entered the Super Bowl as somewhat of a question mark. Cleveland’s win in Denver would have been the largest postseason comeback in NFL history at the time, so they would have had that momentum, but their performance against the Broncos would’ve raised huge questions about their once strong defense. Fortunately for the Browns, Washington entered Super Bowl XXII after two unimpressive, workmanlike wins against the two weakest NFC playoff qualifiers (Chicago and Minnesota). Washington’s offensive output in their two games would have equaled what Cleveland had produced in just the second half and overtime of their game against the 7th ranked Denver defense. 

 

Cleveland’s offense would be hot coming into the game, as they had scored 38+ points in both playoff games (remember, they would have scored more than 38 points to have beaten the Broncos in this alternate universe). This would seem like an obvious advantage for Cleveland. However, while Washington might have only had a decent defense in 1987 (6th in points allowed, 18th in yards), in the NFC Championship game they held the red-hot Minnesota Vikings offense to 10 points. Earlier in the playoffs, Minnesota had scored 44 against the Saints’ 4th ranked defense in the Wildcard round and 36 against the 49ers’ number one ranked defense in the Divisional Playoffs.  

 

 

Prediction

Despite their red hot play coming in, Cleveland’s offense would have likely struggled against the Redskins. Hall of Famer Darrell Green would have limited Cleveland’s most consistent receiving threat Webster Slaughter and the 4th best sack unit in the league led by Dexter Manley and Charles Mann would’ve made life quite difficult for the statuesque Kosar. Cleveland would have had to rely heavily on their backfield tandem of Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner (who would’ve been coming off one of the best performances of his career). Washington had an average run defense in 1987, ranking 12th in the league in yards per attempt allowed, but had been quite stingy in the NFC playoffs. 

 

On the other side, Washington’s offense would have been playing the toughest defense they had met all year.  While statistically Cleveland and Denver had similar passing defenses (with Denver’s, of course, getting torched by Washington in the real Super Bowl XXII), Cleveland’s defense was much better in one area: run defense.  Cleveland had the number 2 rushing defense in the NFL compared to Denver’s 20th (out of 28) ranked run defense. And while struggling against Indianapolis and Denver, the Browns run defense might have gotten a boost in the Super Bowl with the return of injured Pro Bowl Nose Tackle Bob Golic. He claimed before the AFC Championship game that if Cleveland advanced, he would find a way to play in the Super Bowl with his injured right arm. If that happens, Redskins running back Timmy Smith would have likely remained in obscurity instead of becoming the most bizarre record holder in Super Bowl history (204 yards rushing against Denver in the real Super Bowl XXII). QB Doug Williams would have had to shoulder much more of the load, while wide receivers Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders would face much more difficult matchups than they did against the Broncos, facing perennial Pro Bowlers Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield. 

 

Cleveland’s tough defense would have been able to keep Washington’s offense in check while Cleveland’s balanced attach would move the ball on the Redskins. The Browns two all-purpose backs would be a nightmare for the Redskins, while Bernie Kosar would hit a few big passing plays. Joe Gibbs and his gritty team would have stayed in it, but they don’t have quite enough offensive firepower to overcome the Browns. Cleveland wins the Super Bowl, Marty Schottenheimer probably stays after 1988, they get a few more chances at the Super Bowl in the 1990s, and they open up the 1999 season on the road in the first-ever game of the expansion Baltimore Bombers.

 

Cleveland 21 Washington 17

MVP: Ernest Byner  

 

Number 8 had many repercussions on the future of NFL franchises. I suspect number 7 will do the same. Check back tomorrow…

 

Eric Drews
Host
Green and Gold Forever
@GreenGold4Ever

 

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