The New York Jets had started a new era in 1990 when they hired Bruce Coslet, fresh off his work as coordinator on the high-powered Cincinnati Bengals offenses in the late 1980s. Coslet inherited a 4-12 team and made modest improvements to 6-10. He continued the improvement in 1991 by reaching .500 and making the playoffs in a AFC field.
Quarterback Ken O’Brien was the team’s only Pro Bowl player and his primary virtue was game management. O’Brien was in the bottom half of the league in both completion percentage and yards-per-attempt, but he was top five when it came to avoiding interceptions. He was surrounded by veteran receiver Al Toon and Rob Moore, who each caught 70-plus passes and running backs Blair Thomas and Brad Baxter, who were each respectable. The Jets managed to rank 11th in the league in scoring.
The defense ranked 10th and was keyed by a pretty good front four. Marvin Washington, Dennis Byrd and Jeff Lageman all did a nice job pressuring the passer and they combined for 23 sacks. None of it was particularly exciting or flashy, but Jets fans were just looking for some respectable football and signs of hope. They got both in 1991.
Thomas keyed a season-opening 16-13 win at home over lowly Tampa Bay, rushing for 92 yards. A road trip to Seattle went awry with four turnovers and resulted in a 20-13 loss. None of it was promising as New York went into a difficult schedule stretch against contenders Buffalo, Chicagoand Miami.
But they started playing some decent football. They held the potent Bills offense to 64 yards rushing and controlled the ball for forty minutes even though a late touchdown pass beat them 23-20. A similar script was followed on Monday Night in Soldier Field. Leading 13-3 in the fourth quarter, the Jets gave up two touchdown passes to Jim Harbaugh and ultimately fell in overtime, 19-13.
Miami came into East Rutherford for a late Sunday afternoon kickoff and the season was already on the line. The Jets build off the promise shown in the two tough losses. They pounded the Dolphins on the ground, with Thomas, Baxter and Freeman McNeil leading an attack that produced 206 yards. They won 41-23. New York then went to Cleveland and got an efficient 19/23 for 195 yard performance from O’Brien in a 17-14 win.
A visit from Houston, again in the late Sunday afternoon window, was a good game, but another case of not-quite-enough against a playoff-bound opponent. There was no running game and O’Brien couldn’t keep up with Warren Moon in a 23-20 loss. O’Brien was more than enough to beat the horrible Indianapolis Colts on the road, going 14/19 for 205 yards. The 17-6 win had the Jets at .500 when they went into their bye week at the end of October.
The bye didn’t exactly help lift New York to a higher level. They barely escaped the lousy Green Bay Packers at home, needing eight catches for 109 yards from Toon to survive in overtime, 19-16. And a visit from the still-winless Colts went worse (Indy was an AFC East team prior to 2002, along with the division’s four current teams). The Jets trailed 28-21 in the fourth quarter, drove into the red zone twice and each time settled for field goals. The 28-27 loss was an embarrassment and looked like it would be difficult to overcome in a packed AFC playoff race.
Another bad opponent was on deck in the New England Patriots and after taking a 21-0 lead, New York barely avoided another embarrassment. After giving up three straight touchdowns to cough up the lead, the Jets ultimately won the game on a three-yard touchdown pass to Trevor Matich, an offensive lineman who reported eligible. It was Matich’s biggest moment before he became an ESPN analyst in his post-playing days.
New York played its best game of November against mediocre San Diego, forcing four turnovers, grabbing an early 14-0 lead and cruising to a 24-3 win at home. The Jets were somehow 7-5 and in the lead for the final wild-card berth.
But the schedule was going to turn difficult. They had road trips to Buffalo and Detroit, both teams that would end up with first-round byes in the playoffs. O’Brien threw two interceptions against the Bills and they were unable to take advantage some sloppiness by the home favorite in a 24-13 loss. The Lions game wasn’t any better, with five turnovers and five sacks allowed leading to a 34-20 loss for the late Sunday afternoon national audience.
New York now trailed Miami by one game, but they had the head-to-head win over the Dolphins and the rematch would be in the season finale. The Jets still controlled their own destiny when they hosted the Patriots. With the winds gusting at 30 mph, New York failed in the kicking game. Pat Leahy missed a 23-yarder and had to be sidelined for sciatica afterwards. New England got two field goals from 40-plus yards and that was the difference.
The 6-3 loss meant the Jets had to watch and hope when Miami took the field in San Diego later that day. New York got the help they needed—the Dolphins lost and even at 7-8, the Jets were playing a winner-take-all game for the playoffs in the season’s last week.
New York needed a kicker and they signed one who was familiar to Big Apple fans—Raul Allegre had been kicking for the Giants from 1986 until his release earlier this season. He would get an opportunity to make a difference in this game.
In today’s NFL world, this would have been flexed to the Sunday Night spot. In 1991, it was just played in the 1 PM ET window. The Jets were a (+5.5) underdog, but they got 132 yards on the ground from Johnny Hector. McNeil chipped in 55 yards and they shut down the Miami running game. New York led 17-13 late in the game.
But the Dolphins had Dan Marino and when he led a drive that culminated with a touchdown pass, it looked like the playoff bid was finally going to be over. But O’Brien got Allegre a last chance and the new kicker delivered a 44-yard field goal that tied it 20-20. In overtime, Allegre came through one more, a 30-yarder that sent the Jets into the playoffs.
New York was a nine-point underdog in Houston in the fourth and final game of wild-card weekend. Their defense played well, sacking Moon four times, two from linebacker Mo Lewis. The Jets only trailed 17-10 into the fourth quarter. But failure to execute in the red zone ended their season. One of O’Brien’s three interceptions came inside the Houston 10-yard line. They were stopped on downs two more times in the fourth quarter. The 17-10 score stood up.
There was still reason for good feeling in the offseason, as the franchise continued incremental improvement under Coslet. But with the Jets, these stories haven’t had happy endings since the Namath era. The team collapsed back to 4-12 in 1992 and in spite of returning to .500 in 1993, Coslet was fired. The flash of hope in 1991 was doused quickly.
The 1991 Buffalo Bills were driven by a mission. They had come within one missed field goal of winning a Super Bowl in 1990and only taking the final step would be enough in the immediate years after. Buffalo fans would watch a lot of outstanding championship football over the ensuing three years—winning an AFC title an unprecedented four straight times. But the Lombardi Trophy would continue to be the missing element.
Buffalo had one of the most high-octane offenses in the NFL, with frequent recourse to the no-huddle and quarterback Jim Kelly often calling his own plays. Kelly was 1st-team All-Pro in 1991, ranking in the top five among QBs in both completion percentage and yards-per-attempt. His 17 interceptions were high—but so were his 33 touchdown passes.
There was no shortage of weapons around Kelly and that started with versatile running back Thurman Thomas. Known as “the Michael Jordan of the NFL” for his tremendous athleticism, Thomas had his best year in 1991. He finished third in rushing with 1,407 yards. He led all running back with 4.9 yards-per-carry in spite of a heavy workload that often works against high averages in a stat like this. He caught 62 passes out of the backfield. His individual exploits were honored with the MVP award.
Kelly and Thomas were both future Hall of Famers and were joined by two more Canton-bound players at wide receiver who had Pro Bowl years in 1991. Andre Reed caught 81 balls for 1,113 yards. James Lofton, at age 35, was still a big play threat, catching 57 passes and averaging 18.8 yards per catch. The offensive line had the league’s best center in Kent Hull, a Pro Bowler in guard Jim Ritcher and at the tackles were Will Wolford and Howard Ballard, who were each consistent Pro Bowl players even if they did not get that honor in 1991.
The offense scored the second-most points in the NFL and often had to cover for a defense that could be a little lax. There were some great individual players to be sure, particularly at linebacker. Cornelius Bennett was a Pro Bowler on the outside, as was Darryl Talley on the inside. Shane Conlan was coming off three straight Pro Bowl years and while 1991 marked the beginning of a gradual career descent, he was still a tough player on the inside.
What Buffalo lacked was great players in the secondary. Normally they could make up for that by the presence of future Hall of Fame defensive end Bruce Smith. But knee problems limited Smith to five regular season games and the Bills defense ended up 19th in the league in points allowed.
The Bills had gotten their stiffest challenge in the AFC East a year earlier from the Miami Dolphins and that’s who they opened the season with in the late Sunday afternoon time slot at home. After spotting the Dolphins a 14-zip lead, Buffalo kicked into gear. Kelly went 29/39 for 381 yards. Reed caught eleven balls for 154 yards. And Thomas? Merely 165 yards rushing and 103 more receiving, as the Bills rallied for a 35-31 win.
Pittsburgh had been a borderline playoff contender the previous two seasons and they were the next visitor to Rich Stadium. This Steelers team wouldn’t be very good and Kelly lit them up for 363 yards and six touchdowns, four going to Don Beebe. Reed and Thomas cleared the 100-yard barrier in receiving and rushing respectively in a 52-34 win.
A road trip to play the New York Jets gave Buffalo their first real challenge of the 1991 season. They were outrushed 168-64. Thomas made up for it with his receiving skills—he caught 13 passes for 112 yards, including the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter as the Bills survived 23-20. It was more of the same in Tampa the next week, as Buffalo spent three quarters futzing around against a bad team and was tied 10-10. Kelly finally found tight end Keith McKeller on a 29-yard touchdown pass and the upset bid was turned back, 17-10.
It would take a better performance to beat Mike Ditka’s playoff-bound Chicago Bearson their visit to Buffalo that closed out September. The game was tight defensively for a half, with the Bills leading 7-6, before the offense finally unleashed again. Kelly was 19/29 for 303 yards, with Lofton doing the most damage this time, his four catches going for over 120 yards. Thomas ran though the tough Bear defense for 117 yards and Buffalo pulled away to win 35-20.
The Bills stepped onto the Monday Night stage in Kansas City, with the Chiefs another team who had made the playoffs in 1990, would do so again in 1991 and generally play pretty good football throughout the decade. Buffalo was pounded on the ground, losing rush yardage 239-65 and this time they weren’t going to wiggle out of it. They also turned the ball over five times and the first loss of the season was a 33-6 prime-time embarrassment.
A woeful Indianapolis team was the right antidote. The Bills got physical on the ground with Thomas and Kenneth Davis each rushing for 100-plus in a 42-6 win. A quick return to Monday Night Football at home against Cincinnati provided an opportunity for redemption in front of the national audience. Lofton caught eight passes for 220 yards in a 35-16 rout. Buffalo went into their bye week with a 7-1 record.
Two weak opponents in New England and Green Bay awaited out of the bye. Buffalo didn’t dazzle anyone but they got the job done. Thomas ran a combined 232 yards in the two games. Reed and Lofton took turns as Kelly’s lead target. The victories of 22-17 and 34-24 sent Buffalo into another Monday Night appearance, this time in Miami.
Buffalo was locked in a tight 10-10 game, but the running game was the difference, with Thomas going for 135 and Davis pounding out 98 more, as the Bills pulled away to win 34-13. On the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving they made a return trip to New England and Kelly played poorly. He threw four interceptions in a 16-13 upset loss.
The Bills were 10-2 and still in command of the AFC East with a three-game lead. They had a one-game edge on the Houston Oilers for the top playoff seed. The Jets, the nearest pursuer in the division came up to Buffalo and forced four turnovers and the game was tied 10-10 at the half. Thomas was rolling though, rushing for 124 yards and they got some chunk plays from Lofton, whose five catches generated 109 yards. The 24-13 win clinched the organization’s fourth straight division title and an Oiler loss nudged Buffalo ever-closer to home-field advantage in the playoffs.
It was needed cushion because a rematch of the previous year’s AFC Championship Game against the Los Angeles Raiders was next. The Bills fell behind 27-14 on the road, but Kelly got rolling, finished the game 33/52 for 347 yards and pulled out a 30-27 win.
The following Sunday Night in Indianapolis (the Colts were an AFC East team prior to 2002, along with the division’s four current teams), Buffalo locked up the 1-seed with an easy 35-7 win. The regular season ended with a 17-14 loss to a good Detroit Lions team, but Kelly and Thomas didn’t play, the winds were gusting at 22mph and the Lions were playing for a chance at a first-round bye. There was no reason for the defeat to raise any alarms.
In fact, there was reason for increased optimism as the playoffs beckoned—Bruce Smith’s recovery had gone well enough that he would be available for postseason play. After a week off, Buffalo hosted Kansas City in a revenge game on early Sunday afternoon.
The October result between these two teams notwithstanding, the Bills were still a hefty 10 ½ point favorite. Kelly got it going early with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Andre Reed and the pair hooked up again in the second quarter, this time for 53 yards. Before the half was over, Kansas City quarterback Steve DeBerg was knocked out.
Buffalo’s lead grew to 24-0 in the third quarter, 37-7 in the fourth and the final was 37-14. Even with Kelly throwing three interceptions, the Bills got 100-yard games from Thomas on the ground and Reed in the air. They shut down the potent KC ground game and intercepted backup quarterback Mark Vlasic four times, two of the picks coming from Kirby Jackson. This was a Bills team that looked like it was coasting into the Super Bowl and a heavyweight fight with the NFC’s powerful Washington Redskins.
Except that this was the last really good football game the 1991 Buffalo Bills played. They got timely defensive play against Denver in the AFC Championship Game, turning back five first-half drives past midfield and keeping the game scoreless. They knocked John Elway out of the game. But the offense could do nothing and it was still a 0-0 tie in the third quarter.
Linebacker Carlton Bailey made the play of the game, intercepting a tipped screen pass on the Denver 11-yard line and taking it in for Buffalo’s only touchdown of the afternoon. They got a field goal in the fourth quarter and hung on for a 10-7 win. They were headed back to the Super Bowl.
During the season the Bills and Redskins had been eyeing each other up from across the conference aisle. But as the year went on and the playoffs progressed, Washington seemed to separate themselves, at least in the eyes of Las Vegas. Buffalo was a seven-point underdog in Minneapolis for the Super Bowl and that proved to be overly generous.
Thomas missed the game’s first couple plays because he couldn’t find his helmet and the game went downhill from there. Kelly threw four interceptions, including two that set up easy Redskin touchdowns. The Bills were in a 24-0 hole in the third quarter. When they closed it to 24-10, Washington promptly reeled off 13 straight points and put the game away. A couple late TD passes by Kelly made the 37-24 final score respectable, but it was a game that was never in doubt.
Buffalo was in the midst of a four-year stretch where they were the NFL’s pre-eminent franchise. The teams they lost Super Bowls too—the Giants in 1990, the Redskins in 1991 and the Cowboys each of the next two years—all had sub-.500 years in that same 1990-93 stretch. It’s how this era of Bills teams should be remembered. But their loyal fans can’t be blamed for longing for that one last win that never came.
The Houston Oilers were on a nice run from 1987-90 of producing good football teams, but losing in the playoffs. The 1991 Houston Oilers took it to the next level—no, they didn’t break through and get to a Super Bowl. In this case the next level means even better regular seasons, finally winning division titles…and even tougher postseason defeats.
Houston had gone the wild-card route to the playoffs in the old AFC Central (including Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Cleveland) in each of the previous four years. Jerry Glanville coached the first three of those teams and Jack Pardee was in his second year at the helm in 1991. Whomever was the head coach mattered less than the fact Warren Moon was at quarterback.
The future Hall of Famer was still playing solid football at age 35. His 62% completion rate and 7.2 yards-per-attempt were each top ten among quarterbacks. The interceptions were high, but 21 picks was manageable by the standards of 1991 if you also made big plays—and Moon did, throwing 23 touchdown passes.
He had a good corps of receivers, with Haywood Jeffires and Drew Hill each clearing the 1,000-yard mark and Ernest Givins nearing that threshold with 990 receiving yards. The offensive line was led by two more future Hall of Famers, center Bruce Matthews and guard Mike Munchak. They led the way for a running game that was decent, if underused, with Alan Pinkett and Lorenzo White each getting better than four yards a pop.
Houston’s offense ranked fourth in the league in scoring and got the media attention, but the defense wasn’t far behind. A tough front four keyed the sixth-best unit in the NFL. William Fuller and Sean Jones combined for 25 sacks coming off opposite edges. Ray Childress had seven sacks at defensive tackle. Fuller and Childress were both Pro Bowlers and were joined by middle linebacker Al Smith. The secondary had great players in Cris Dishman, one of the game’s top corners and safeties Bubba McDowell and Bo Orlando, each of whom intercepted four passes.
The fan base was hungry for a Super Bowl breakthrough and it was easy to understand why. The necessary pieces were in place. Houston just had to put it together with enough consistency to first win a division title and get decent playoff seeding, and then finally do some damage in January.
A high-profile home game with the Los Angeles Raiders, who had reached the AFC Championship Game in 1990 and would go back to the playoffs in 1991, started the season. For a national audience in the late Sunday afternoon TV window, Houston came out firing. They forced four turnovers and shut down the Raider ground game, while Pinkett rumbled for 144 yards and Givins caught six balls for 90 yards. The result was a 47-17 demolition.
Sunday Night Football in Cincinnati was next and the rivalry with the Bengals was particularly heated at this time, after some bad blood the previous year and the Oilers ultimately losing in the playoffs at Cincy. They took a small measure of revenge here. Pinkett ran for 100-plus again, Moon was 22/37 for 315 yards and Houston pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 30-7 win.
The challenging early schedule continued with a third straight playoff team from 1990, this time the Kansas City Chiefs. And the Oiler defense continued to deliver. They shut down a solid KC running game, held them to 93 passing yards and Moon needed only to play mistake-free football to deliver a 17-7 win.
After these three wins, perhaps a letdown in Foxboro was inevitable. The Patriots of this era were a bottom-feeder, but Houston’s running game was non-existent and they allowed a late touchdown pass that sent them to a 24-20 loss. The Oilers went into their bye week at 3-1.
John Elway’s Denver Broncoscame to the Astrodome to start October and the Houston defense met him with five sacks—three from Fuller. They also scored defensive touchdowns when McDowell recovered a fumble in the end zone and Dishman brought another one to the house. The final was 42-14, although the Oilers had not seen the last of these Broncos.
A late afternoon game in the Meadowlands against the playoff-bound Jets saw the running game stumble, but Moon pick up the slack. The great quarterback threw the ball 50 times, completed 35 and generated 423 yards. Jeffires was the prime target, with 13 catches for 186 yards. Houston pulled out a 23-20 win against another team that would see further on down the line. The road trip continued with a visit to Miami and their own great quarterback, Dan Marino. Both Moon and Marino were under steady pressure and it was a sloppy game, with nine combined turnovers. The Oilers survived, 17-13.
Cincinnati was going through a down year and their return trip to Houston meant boom times for the Oilers. Moon got the ball rolling with touchdown passes to Jeffires, Hill and Givins and they never stopped rolling, en route to a 35-3 blowout. Houston was soaring at 7-1 and running neck-and-neck with Buffalo for the top seed in the AFC.
Two tough games with playoff-bound teams from the NFC East were on deck and the toughest was a trip to Washington. The Redskins would ultimately win their third Super Bowl in the last ten years and this was their best unit yet. They were undefeated coming into this November 3 game. Houston forced four turnovers and in a 13-13 game were in position to win it with a 33-yard field goal attempt. Ian Howfield missed. The Oilers lost in overtime. Howfield was cut two days later.
Dallas was a rising force under third-year coach Jimmy Johnson coming into the Astrodome and for the second straight week, Houston went overtime. The Oilers gave up an early special teams touchdown, but made up for it by shutting down Emmitt Smith on the ground. Moon threw for 452 yards, spreading the ball out so exquisitely that no one receiver exceeded 100 yards. This OT period was kinder to the Oilers and they won it 26-23.
A Sunday Night home date with Clevelandwas next. The Browns were just starting a rebuilding project under novice first-year head coach Bill Belichick. Houston did not play well, committing four turnovers and the running game continued to be a non-factor. Moon continued to be the biggest factor though—he went 31/44 for 399 yards, this time hooking up with Hill eleven times. It was the difference in the 28-24 win.
With everything in their grasp, Houston suddenly got careless with the football. Moon threw five interceptions in a 26-14 road loss to a bad Pittsburgh team. The Oilers lost five fumbles the next Monday Night at home in a 13-6 loss to a good Philadelphia team. The back-to-back losses realistically removed the Oilers from the race with the Bills for the #1 playoff seed. But they were still tied with AFC West-leading Denver for the #2 seed and first-round bye, and held the tiebreaker thanks to the decisive October beatdown of the Broncos.
Everyone got back on track when the Steelers made their return visit to the Astrodome. Pinkett ran for 98 yards, Hill caught eight passes for 97 yards and the 31-6 rout clinched the franchise’s first division title since 1967.
Houston rematched with Cleveland on a snow-covered field in the Dawg Pound. Fuller came up with two sacks and the Oilers clung to a 17-14 lead with the Browns on the doorstep in the closing seconds. Cleveland opted to try a tying field goal rather than win or lose it on one play from the two-yard line. On the bad terrain, the kick was shanked.
Denver was keeping pace though and with both teams at 11-4, the Oilers still needed to win their season finale on the road against the New York Giants. The Giants were the defending Super Bowl champion, but in the first year after Bill Parcells’ retirement they were struggling badly under overmatched head coach Ray Handley and at 7-8 were out of the playoff picture.
Which makes the result of this early Saturday afternoon game even more difficult to understand. Houston was simply pounded on the ground, giving up nearly 200 yards. They had the ball for only 22 minutes and they lost 24-20. The Oilers had left the door open for the Broncos, who won the following day. Instead of a week off and preparing to stay at home for the divisional playoffs, Houston had to be immediately ready to bounce back.
The Jets had snuck into the playoffs at 8-8 and the Oilers were a decisive nine-point favorite in the wild-card game that would go down on late Sunday afternoon to conclude the first round of the playoffs. When Moon came out firing, leading a touchdown march on the first drive of the game, capped off with a five-yard toss to Givins, it looked like an easy day.
But Houston couldn’t protect Moon consistently, giving up four sacks. They didn’t run the ball and Moon put it up 40 times. He played well, completing 28 for 271 yards and threw a 20-yard touchdown strike to Givins in the second quarter. But the lead was only 14-10 and the offense would not see the end zone again.
Fortunately, the Oiler defense came ready. They intercepted three Ken O’Brien passes, two by McDowell and one inside their own 10-yard line. Holding on to a 17-10 lead in the fourth quarter and with the Jets on the three-yard line, the Oilers stuffed running back Freeman McNeil to preserve the lead. When the offense almost gave it back, by fumbling it away on their own 26, the D delivered one last time. Three times the Jets had the ball in the red zone in the second half. All three times Houston turned them back.
Now it was time to go to Denver. Moon again come out firing on all cylinders. In the first half, he found Jeffires, Hill and Curtis Duncan for touchdown passes. With a 21-6 lead, it looked like Houston would avoid the negative consequences of blowing the 2-seed.
But the postseason history of the Houston Oilers and John Elway couldn’t be more different and that was underscored on this day. The Oilers couldn’t salt the game away on the ground and the lead was chipped down to 24-23. Even with Elway backed up on his own two-yard line with 2:07 to play, the result seemed inevitable. Denver drove for a field goal and Houston’s season was over, 26-24.
It was still a historic year for the 1991 Houston Oilers, marked by that long-sought division title and a playoff win. But the collapse at the end—starting with the no-show performance in the regular season finale to the playoff defeat—left a bad taste.
It was the start of a pattern. Houston had another good year in 1992, but then blew a 35-3 lead at Buffalo in the playoffs. In 1993, the Oilers got the 2-seed and were playing as well as anyone in the NFL down the stretch. They lost at home to Kansas City in the divisional round. These Oilers were good and as exciting to watch as any team in football. But there was something missing in the biggest moments.
The dynasty Jimmy Johnson built in Dallas defined the NFL for the first half of the 1990s. The big breakthrough came when the 1991 Dallas Cowboys got into the playoffs for the first time under Johnson and the first time for the franchise since 1985.
Johnson took over the team in 1989 and a bad team was allowed to bottom out, with a 1-15 record. But the Cowboys had stockpiled assets when they traded running back Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for a boatload of draft picks. Progress came immediately, as the 1990 Cowboys won seven games and contended for a playoff spot. The burden of expectations were with them to at least get into the postseason, when the 1991 NFL season began.
Troy Aikman was in his third year at quarterback and he stepped up and finished in the top five in both completion percentage and yards-per-attempt. The mistakes were still there, but the 11-10 interception ratio was at least manageable by the standards of this era.
Aikman was surrounded by Pro Bowlers. Running back Emmitt Smith won the rushing title with 1,563 yards. Michael Irvin led all receives with over 1,500 yards. Tight end Jay Novacek caught 59 balls for 664 yards. There were no Pro Bowlers on the offensive line, but the building blocks of a line that would eventually become one of the great units in league history were in place, with center Mark Stepnoski and right tackle Nate Newton. Dallas finished seventh in the NFL in points scored.
The defense would also eventually join the league’s elite, but not in 1991. Defensive end Tony Tolbert got seven sacks, but that was the only notable achievement with a young group that included two rookies, defensive tackle Russell Maryland and corner Larry Brown. Dallas ended up 17th in a 28-team league in points allowed.
Aikman, Emmitt and Irving would eventually take their place in NFL lore as “The Big Three” and they came out of the gate firing at the season opener in Cleveland. The Browns were on a rebuilding project led by Bill Belichick, in his first game as a a head coach, and Dallas had too much firepower. Emmitt ran for 112 yards, Aikman went 24/37 for 274 yards and no interceptions, and Irvin caught nine balls for 123 yards. The result was a 26-14 win.
A showcase opportunity awaited at home on Monday Night against a powerful Washington Redskins team that was nearing the end of its own glory era, but had its best team yet in store for 1991. Dallas played well. Aikman went 27/42 for 242 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Emmitt ran for another 112 yards. But the Cowboys narrowly lost the turnover battle, 2-1 and were beaten 33-31 on an exceptional performance from Redskins kicker Chip Lohmiller.
The offensive line collapsed six days later in the face of the Philadelphia Eagles defense. Aikman was sacked eleven times, Emmitt couldn’t find running room and the 24-0 loss handed Dallas their second straight defeat at home to an NFC East rival. They bounced back on trip to Phoenix, where Emmitt ran for two early touchdowns, including a 60-yard jaunt, pounded out 182 yards on the day and led a 17-9 win.
Dallas played their fourth divisional game of September when they hosted the New York Giants (the Cardinals were in the NFC East prior to 2002 and were also known as “Phoenix” rather than “Arizona”). The Giants were the defending Super Bowl champions, but under new leadership after Bill Parcells retired and the reins were given to an unknown in Ray Handley. Aikman spread the ball out to ten different receivers. Defensive back Ray Horton kept his team in it with a touchdown and Aikman’s 23-yard TD pass to Irvin eventually won the game, 21-16.
Horton did it again one week later in Green Bay, starting the scoring with a 65-yard Pick-6. It turned out to be another badly needed defensive score, because the Cowboys did not play well against what was then a poor Packers team, still a year away from getting Brett Favre. But they won the turnover battle 3-zip and survived 20-17. The following week at home with Cincinnati, the Cowboys picked off Boomer Esiason twice, got six catches for 148 yards from Irvin and after spotting the Bengals a 10-0 lead, took over and won 35-23.
Dallas was 5-2 as they headed into their bye week. On its face, the record was on track for the playoffs. But there were reasons for concern—namely, that the three toughest divisional opponents—Redskins, Eagles and Giants—had already come to Texas Stadium and the Cowboys had tough road trips ahead of them. The NFC was also shaping up as by far the more difficult conference to reach the postseason in.
The job got more difficult at playoff-bound Detroit, when Dallas turned it over four times and fell apart in the second half of a 34-10 loss. The Cowboys got back on the board with a 27-7 home win over the Cardinals, although it was another sloppy offensive performance. At 6-3, Dallas was looking at an exceptionally difficult three-game road trip that could make or break the season.
It started in Houston, where the Oilers were on their way to an 11-5 season. The Cowboys got on the board first when they recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown. But they couldn’t run the ball, nor could they stop the run. They eventually lost in overtime, 26-23. A high-profile road game in New York in the late Sunday afternoon TV window went worse. Three trips to the red zone resulted in field goals and the 22-9 loss put the Cowboys on the brink.
On the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving, Dallas was in a desperate spot, facing undefeated Washington in old RFK Stadium. What happened was a franchise-defining moment. The Cowboys came at the Redskins when everything Johnson could conjure up in the defensive arsenal and they slowed an offense that had been demolishing its opponents. Emmitt ran for 132 yards. Irvin and Alvin Harper each had over 100 yards receiving and the 24-21 upset kept the Cowboys alive.
But even though Aikman played well, going 13/20 for 204 yards, he injured his thumb and was lost for the remainder of the year. With five teams competing for two wild-card spots all packed within a game of each other, the hopes of the 1991 Dallas Cowboys were put on the shoulders of Steve Beurlein.
Dallas had its annual Thanksgiving feast against the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers. The Cowboys played a mistake-free game and led 13-10 in the fourth quarter, when Beurlein went 66 yards to Irvin for the touchdown that clinched the win. A home game with playoff-bound New Orleans was next. Again, the Cowboys played mistake-free and again they won in the fourth quarter. Trailing 14-13, they scored ten straight points to close it out. Emmitt and Irvin each cleared the 100-yard threshold and at 9-5, Dallas had some momentum.
The Cowboys, Eagles and Falcons were all 9-5. The 49ers were 8-6 and two straight losses by the Giants had left them 7-7 and realistically eliminated. There were two wild-card spots available for the four contenders and the Dallas-Philadelphia game in old Veterans Stadium on December 15 was a monster regular season battle.
Winds were blowing at 22mph and quarterback play was erratic on both sides. The Cowboys managed just two field goals and a safety through three quarters, but only trailed 10-8. Special teams made the difference—Kelvin Bryant returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown and Dallas continued its trend of strong fourth quarter play down the stretch. They won the game 25-13. When all the different tiebreaking possibilities were calculated, the Cowboys had clinched a playoff berth.
Atlanta had secured the other wild-card spot and the season-ending Cowboys-Falcons game in Dallas lost some of its juice. It was still a good game, with Emmitt rushing for 160 yards, including a six-yard TD run in the fourth quarter that won it, 31-27. Dallas moved up to the 5-seed with the win and earned a trip to Soldier Field in Chicago.
Mike Ditka’s Bears were in the playoffs for the seventh time in eight years. But they had gotten crushed in San Francisco to end the season, a loss that cost them the division title and a first-round bye. And the rise of a new power necessarily means the fall of an old one. Johnson’s Cowboys would replace Ditka’s Bears on this early Sunday afternoon in the Windy City.
Dallas used a turnover and a blocked punt by Darrick Brownlow to grab an early 10-0 lead. Chicago countered with two consecutive drives to the doorstep of the end zone, but the Cowboy defense stiffened. The first drive ended with a goal-line stand, the second with a 19-yard field goal. Instead of trailing 14-10 at half, Dallas led 10-3.
The game tightened in the third quarter when the Bears kicked another field goal. The Cowboy defense would be on the field a long time in this game—over 37 minutes—but the offense was at least taking care off the football and they won turnovers 3-0. Beurlein flipped a short touchdown pass to Novacek to make it a 17-6 game.
Chicago drove two more times inside the 10-yard line. They were stopped on downs a second time (the two-point conversion did not exist prior to 1996, so a fourth quarter field goal for a team down 11 points was pointless). The Bears did get a touchdown on their fourth trip inside the Cowboy 10-yard line, but it was too late. Dallas won 17-13, with Emmitt rushing for 105 yards.
Another road trip to Detroit for the late Sunday afternoon finale to Divisional Round weekend was next. Dallas was playing for the chance to go back to Washington, where they had turned their season around, and play for a Super Bowl berth. But this trip to Motown went a lot like the one in October had.
Beurlein led a couple drives in the red zone, but this time it was the Cowboys settling for field goals. He also threw a Pick-6. Trailing 17-6, Beurlein’s starting career in Dallas came to an end, as Johnson tried Aikman. It went no better, the Cowboy pass defense was shredded and the result was a 38-6 loss.
The poor showing in Detroit could not take away from the excellence of the season though, particularly the closing stretch drive, with the wins in Washington and Chicago. The Dallas Cowboys were back in business and one year later they kicked the dynasty into high gear with a Super Bowl trophy.
The good run the Cleveland Browns enjoyed through the latter part of the 1980s had come to a crashing end with a disastrous 1990 season. That meant it was time for a coaching change and the Browns hit the jackpot—they hired a New York Giants assistant by the name of Bill Belichick. In turn, Belichick hired Nick Saban as his defensive coordinator. The 1991 Cleveland Browns began the long road back to respectability.
Bernie Kosar enjoyed a good year at quarterback in 1991. His 62% completion rate was sixth in the NFL and he played smart, mistake-free football. The downfield passing game didn’t scare anyone, but it was respectable. Webster Slaughter caught 64 balls for over 900 yards to lead up the receivers corps.
The Browns, with no Pro Bowl players on offense, relied on depth and a number of players contributed. Brian Brennan and Reggie Langhorne combined to catch 70 passes and ease some of the pressure on Slaughter. Kevin Mack’s 72 catches out of the backfield led the team. Eric Metcalf and Leroy Hoard were also receiving threats from the running back position. Tight end Scott Galbraith added 27 more catches.
Taken collectively, the offense ranked 16th in the league, which was at least manageable. Defensively, Cleveland also ranked in the middle of the league. They were led by Pro Bowl defensive tackle Michael Dean Perry. Cornerback Frank Minnifield, a star of the 1980s teams, was still hanging on and able to contribute at age 31.
Belichick’s head coaching debut came on September 1 in a home game with Dallas. The Cowboys were a rising force under Jimmy Johnson and the Browns were outrushed decisively and lost 26-14. The new head coach’s first victory came—ironically off—in New England. They forced four turnovers and got two sacks from defensive back Randy Hilliard. Kosar went 15/22 for 187 yards in the 20-0 whitewash.
Slaughter got loose the next week at home against Cincinnati, catching eight balls for 107 yards. Cleveland didn’t find the end zone, but they got four field goals, a safety and won a strange 14-13 game. Belichick then faced his old employer, the defending champion Giants. They hung in the game, but gave up over 200 yards rushing in a 13-10 loss that took them into the bye week.
Cleveland was slow out of the gate when they returned against the New York Jets, falling behind 14-0. the Browns eventually tied the game, before losing on a late field goal. A visit to the powerful Washington Redskins, the eventual Super Bowl champs was next. For the third time in seven games, Cleveland’s rush defense was overwhelmed by an NFC East team, giving up 208 yards in a 42-17 loss.
At 2-4, the season was in danger of slipping away when they went to San Diego and trailed 24-17 in the fourth quarter. Kosar was playing well though and would go 26/42 for 297 yards with no mistakes. He tied the game with a 15-yard TD pass to Hoard. In overtime, Browns’ linebacker David Brandon, a former Charger, beat his old team when he intercepted a pass and took it to the house for the 30-24 win.
Cleveland came home to face a mediocre Pittsburgh team, built an early 10-0 lead and then used mistake-free football to churn out the 17-14 win that got them back to .500. In an AFC playoff race that was being defined by mediocrity—an 8-8 record would ultimately get the final wild-card spot—the Browns were back in it.
The problems in the running game persisted though, as the Browns lost the rush yardage battle to the Bengals, 162-83 and lost the football game 23-21. The problems running the ball foretold disaster the following week at home against Philadelphia. Kosar threw touchdown passes to Slaughter and Hoard and built up a 23-0 lead. But the Browns could only control the ball for 19 minutes of clock time and they blew the lead, losing 32-30.
It was more of the same the following Sunday Night in Houston against the playoff-bound Oilers. Cleveland led 17-7, but only ran the ball for 49 yards and watched Warren Moon throw three second-half touchdowns to beat them 28-24. It was almost more of the same the next week at home against Kansas City, coached by old friend Marty Schottenheimer and playoff-bound themselves. The Browns led 20-3 and then had to hang on for the 20-15 win.
A road trip to woeful Indianapolis provided some stress relief. Brandon got three sacks and Clay Matthews Sr. (father of the current Green Bay Packers linebacker) got two more in a 31-0 rout. The Browns were 6-7 and a game back of both the Jets and Dolphins in the race for #6 playoff seed. The loss to the Jets though, meant the tiebreaker situation did not look promising and there was no room for error.
Any Cleveland fan of this era knew that the Denver Broncos were the opponent were dreams were brought to die. The 14th game of the 1991 season was no different. The Browns played well defensively, getting two sacks from Matthews and they were in a 7-7 tie in the fourth quarter. But there was no offense generated and Denver ultimately won 17-7. The playoff bid was over.
Cleveland didn’t quit, hosting Houston in a game that was important for AFC playoff seeding. In a hard snow, Kosar went 28/40 for 258 yards, with Hoard catching ten passes. They were on the Oiler 2-yard line trailing 17-14 with time for one more play.
The poor field conditions meant a field goal was no sure thing and in either case, it would only tie the game. The percentages seemed to point to winning or losing on one play. But Belichick opted to try the field goal…which was badly shanked.
There was only a visit to Pittsburgh left and Cleveland basically mailed this one in, turning the ball over five times, giving up five sacks and losing 17-10. The game was meaningless as far as playoff implications, but far-reaching in terms of historic implications. It was the final game for Steeler legend Chuck Noll, the coach of the greatest dynasty of the 1970s. This was basically the place where Belichick and Noll saw their ships pass in the night.
But as Cleveland fans know all too well, Belichick wouldn’t build his dynasty in Cleveland. This rebuilding project was going along reasonably well, and they made the playoffs by 1994–a reasonable timeframe in the era prior to free agency when teams couldn’t be rebuilt as quickly as they are now. They won five of their first seven games in 1995.
Then owner Art Modell completely pulled the plug, announcing his team was relocating to Baltimore, where they would become the Ravens. The Browns collapsed in 1995. The city got its franchise back in 1999, but they’ve never truly recovered. As for Belichick…it’s safe to say he landed on his feet.
The Chuck Noll era in the Steel City came to an end with the 1991 Pittsburgh Steelers. The legendary head coach who had led the franchise to four Super Bowl wins in a six-year span during the 1970s stepped down after this season was over. It wasn’t a fitting conclusion to a great career—after consecutive winning seasons in 1989 and 1990, the 1991 Pittsburgh Steelers were never in serious playoff contention and finished 7-9.
Quarterback was a position in flux all year, with starter Bubby Brister missing half the season with injuries and giving way to rookie Neil O’Donnell, who would eventually became the permanent starter in future years. Running back Barry Foster also missed time, and wide receiver Louis Lipps suffered a decline.
The Steelers had a future Hall of Fame center in Dermontti Dawson, though the 26-year-old was not yet a Pro Bowler and a pretty good tight end in Eric Green. But by year’s end, the offense only ranked 17th in the NFL in points scored.
Defense had covered for a lack of offensive production the two prior years, but a disappointing decline on this side of the ball saw the D finish 22nd in the NFL. Rod Woodson was still a great Pro Bowl defensive back and linebacker Greg Lloyd registered eight sacks, but it wasn’t enough to compensate for unexpected decline elsewhere from players that were in their prime.
The season still began with optimism, with a late afternoon kickoff at home against the San Diego Chargers. Brister threw a 33-yard touchdown pass early and O’Donnell flipped an 89-yard touchdown pass to shifty running back Dwight Stone late in the game to key a 26-20 win. But Foster suffered an ankle sprain that would keep him out several weeks.
A road trip to Buffalo didn’t go well. The Bills would win their third straight AFC title this season, and offensively were at their peak. Running back Thurman Thomas won the MVP award, and quarterback Jim Kelly led an explosive attack. Kelly threw six touchdown passes and the Steelers were routed, 52-34.
Pittsburgh bounced back with a home win over the New England Patriots, but this was a bad Patriots team, and the game was tied 6-6 in the fourth quarter. Brister threw a touchdown pass to Green and finished 22/29 for 262 yards. But the 20-6 win wasn’t inspiring. It was followed by a 23-14 loss in Philadelphia where the Foster-less running game couldn’t get anything going.
After a bye week, the Steelers traveled to Indianapolis to play a prime-time game against a woeful opponent. They trailed 3-0 early, before Brister opened up. He threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Green, and a 24-yard scoring pass to the now-healthy Foster. Indy quarterback Jeff George couldn’t get the ball down the field, as he went 22/28, but the Steelers limited him to 191 yards and won 21-3.
With a 3-2 record, there was still reason to be hopeful. Then, over a four-week stretch, the season got away from Pittsburgh. They fell behind the New York Giants on the road 20-0. O’Donnell came in and rallied the Steelers to tie it 20-20 before they ultimate lost—to a non-playoff team that was in its first year without Bill Parcells as head coach.
O’Donnell got the start at home against Seattle and went 14/22 for 184 yards, but there was no running game and no defense in a 27-7 loss. A trip to Cleveland for a late afternoon kick again saw the running game fail, O’Donnell not able to pick up the slack and a 17-14 defeat. With the season basically on the line, Pittsburgh traveled to Denver for a Sunday Night game.
The Steelers and Broncos had played some big games in old Mile High Stadium. Pittsburgh pulled an upset here in the 1984 playoffs and almost did so in 1989. John Elway had this Denver team rolling again and they eventually reached the AFC Championship Game. Pittsburgh’s defense played well, holding Elway to 10/23 for 140 yards. O’Donnell threw an early touchdown pass to Green, and built up a 10-0 lead.
Pittsburgh was not able to stop the running of Greg Lewis though, and Denver moved out to a 20-13 lead when the Steelers mounted one last drive. On fourth down, O’Donnell spotted Green in the middle of the end zone and put the ball on the numbers. There were defenders in the area, and the tight end was under some duress. Nonetheless, it’s a catch that needs to be made, and this time it wasn’t. The Steelers lost, dropped to 3-6 and would require a miracle finish to have any playoff hopes.
O’Donnell threw for 309 yards the following week in a win at Cincinnati, while Green made amends by catching the winning TD pass in a 33-27 overtime victory. But the Steelers quickly lost to thepowerful Washington Redskins, the eventual Super Bowl champs, 41-14.
The playoffs were realistically gone, but Noll could still inspire some Steeler pride. His team hosted the soon-to-be division champs, the Houston Oilers, as a (+7.5) point underdog. Foster, now fully healthy, keyed a running attack that rolled up 139 yards. The Steeler D held Houston to 24 yards rushing. They picked off prolific quarterback Warren Moon five times and won the game 26-14. It was the last really big win of Noll’s career.
Pittsburgh gave Dallas a tough game on Thanksgiving, trailing 13-10 in the fourth quarter, before the playoff-bound Cowboys scored a clinching touchdown. The Steelers made another trip to the Lone Star State to play a rematch with Houston, and this one didn’t go well, a 31-6 loss.
The final two games of Noll’s career would be at home against division rivals in Cincinnati and Cleveland. The games wouldn’t affect the playoffs for anyone involved, so in that regard it was not a fitting finish, but the results of the games were.
Brister started the Bengal game, threw an early 47-yard touchdown pass to Adrian Cooper and won 17-10. In the Browns’ game, defensive back Richard Shelton intercepted three passes and returned one for a touchdown. Jerroll Williams recorded four sacks and it was another 17-10 win.
The Chuck Noll era was now in the history books. It would have been nice if the 1991 Pittsburgh Steelers could have given the old coach an ending in the playoffs, but nothing could detract from a great career and his last team still played hard all the way to the end.
The Washington Redskins had gone to three Super Bowls in the 1980s and won two, but they only had one playoff victory over the last three years, and there were questions about whether quarterback Mark Rypien was the one who could lead them back. Over the long-term arc of his career, those questions proved fair enough, but in 1991, Rypien had a magical year and took his team along for the ride.
The 1991 Washington Redskins were also a complete team in all phases. The receivers were dynamic, with Gary Clark, Ricky Sanders and Art Monk providing a balance of possession-types and deep threats. The “Hogs”, the famed offensive line, cleared the way for 1,000-yard running back Earnest Byner and change-of-pace sidekick Ricky Ervins.
It added up to an offense that scored more points than anyone in the NFL. Rypien, Byner, Clark and right guard Mark Schlereth made the Pro Bowl. Left tackle Jim Lachey was 1st-team All-Pro.
Defensively, the ‘Skins ended up #2 in the league. Charles Mann led the pass rush with 11.5 sacks, Wilbur Marshall was a playmaker at linebacker and Darrell Green provided lockdown coverage at corner. Mann and Green were both Pro Bowlers. On top of it, the special teams were one of the league’s best.
Under the coaching leadership of Joe Gibbs, there was nothing the 1991 Washington Redskins didn’t do at an extremely high level.
Two prime-time games opened the season. Washington opened the season at home on Sunday night against the Detroit Lions. Byner led a balanced rushing attack that produced 191 yards. Rypien was 16/21 for 201 yards and three touchdowns. The defense held the Lions to 154 total yards and the Redskins won 45-0, putting on an absolute clinic.
A Monday Night visit to the Dallas Cowboyswas a little tougher. This was the breakthrough year for Jimmy Johnson’s Cowboys, when they would make the playoffs for the first time. Washington took some early shots and trailed 21-10. But they got it together and the difference-maker proved to be kicker Chip Lohmiller. He hit field goals of 53, 52, 45 and 46 in a dazzling display. Every one of them was needed in a 33-31 win.
The Redskins hosted the Phoenix Cardinals and coasted to a 34-0 win as the defense held the Cardinals to 55 rush yards and intercepted three passes. Two of the picks came courtesy of Marshall who brought one of them back for a score.
Washington went on the road to play the Cincinnati Bengals. Though Cincy would finish the season 3-13, at the time they were still seen as the defending champions of the old AFC Central (including the Steelers, Browns and Houston Oilers). A punt return for a touchdown by Brian Mitchell helped the ‘Skins build a 27-10 lead. Then they blew the lead before short-yardage back Gerald Riggs scored the last of his three touchdowns in a 34-27 survival.
Another prime-time home game awaited, this time on Monday Night with the Philadelphia Eagles, who were missing starting quarterback Randall Cunningham. Washington held Philly to 89 total yards of offense and won 23-0. In two home games under the lights, the Redskin defense spun shutouts both times.
The defense continued to dominate at the Chicago Bears, a perennial contender under Mike Ditka. Washington intercepted Jim Harbaugh three times and controlled the game in a 20-7 win.
A home game with the Cleveland Browns was a tougher test. Even though the Browns struggled this season, they still had a good quarterback in Bernie Kosar, and he moved the ball consistently. The Redskins only led 21-17 after three quarters, but their running game took over. Washington ran for 208 yards as a team and Gibbs unveiled backup running back Ricky Ervins, shiftier than Byner and able to provide another weapon. Ervins gained 133 yards and the offense broke through late in a 42-17 win.
After a bye week it was time for a date with the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants. The Redskins had lost six straight games to the Giants, each of them uniquely aggravating and down to the wire. Bill Parcells had retired and this New York team was not the same. But that didn’t stop them from jumping out to a 13-0 halftime lead. It seemed like this was the same old Giant nightmare repeating itself.
Even though the running game only produced 95 yards, Rypien made enough plays to lead a rally. He found Clark on a short touchdown pass and then a 54-yarder. Washington won 17-13 in a Sunday Night game, and all of Redskins Nation could switch the channel over to Game 7 of the magnificent 1991 World Series with a victory under their belt.
The ‘Skins hosted the Oilers next. Houston was coached by an old friend–Jack Pardee had led the Redskins from 1978-80, and the Oilers would win the AFC Central. Byner’s running was the difference in an excellent game. He led an attack that produced 154 yards on the ground, while Houston quarterback Warren Moon threw for 250.
Still, it looked like Washington would lose when the Oilers lined up to try a 33-yard field goal with four seconds left in a 13-13 game. But the kick was missed and the Redskins won on Lohmiller field goal in overtime.
Having survived a scare, Rypien unleashed the next two games. He completed 16/31 passes for 442 yards and six touchdowns against the Atlanta Falcons–that’s over 25 yards on every completion, and Clark’s four catches produced 203 yards. The defense forced six turnovers and the final score was 56-17.
A historical footnote to this game is that an unknown third-string quarterback named Brett Favre got in the game for some mop-up duty. He was 0-for-4, though given his later reputation, it’s perhaps surprising he didn’t contribute to the turnover count.
Rypien then went 21/28 for 325 yards with no interceptions in a 41-14 rout at Pittsburgh. Monk was the top target in this game and the future Hall of Fame receiver was on a good two-game run of his own. In the Falcon and Steeler games, Monk combined for 15 catches for 294 yards.
The record was 11-0. Rypien was throwing the deep ball with the ease and accuracy of someone playing catch in their back yard and the talk of an undefeated season was very much alive around the NFL. Then Dallas came to town.
Redskins’ corner Martin Mayhew intercepted a Troy Aikman pass and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter and it looked like business as usual. Only it wasn’t. The running game couldn’t get started, with only 50 yards on the game. The Cowboys turned it around and won 24-21. Although even in losing, a different aspect of Washington’s greatness came out.
This game was must-win for Dallas if they wanted to make the playoffs, and Johnson would later write that the Cowboys felt they had no choice but to unleash everything they had against the Redskins. From going for it on fourth down, to onside kicks at odd times, to constantly blitzing, Johnson threw the kitchen sink at the ‘Skins.
The analogy the Dallas coach made in his book was that if you wanted to hit a gorilla you couldn’t tap him, you had to hit him with everything you had. It might blow up on you, but it was the only chance of winning. That a fellow contender, one that would win 11 games and one more in the playoffs, would feel such extreme measures were required speaks volumes about the excellence of the 1991 Washington Redskins.
WATCH THESPORTSNOTEBOOK’S VIDEO DISCUSSION OF THE JOE GIBBS ERA WITH THE REDSKINS
Washington rolled to the end of the season, winning three more games that clinched the #1 seed in the NFC playoffs. They beat three successive non-playoff teams, the Los Angeles Rams, the Cardinals (who were in the NFC East prior to 2002) and were only tested at Phoenix, when they trailed 14-0 at the half. A takeover in the second half produced a 20-14 win. The ‘Skins then lost a meaningless 24-22 game in Philadelphia to close the year.
The first playoff game was against the Falcons. In spite of the rout that had taken place in RFK Stadium on November 10, Atlanta was still gaining respect in the NFL. They had an electric corner in Deion Sanders was making his first really big splash in the league. A monsoon hit Washington and the sloppy field could serve to equalize a potential mismatch.
Redskins-Falcons was the 12:30 PM ET game on Saturday that got the divisional round started. With the bad weather, no one scored in the first quarter. Washington was able to get their running game going, getting 162 yards on the ground for the game. They got a pair of rushing touchdowns in the second quarter, with Ervins maneuvering his way in from 17, and then Riggs crashing in from down close. The ‘Skins led 14-7 at the half.
The defense was dominating. Atlanta would gain only 43 yards on the ground and most important, Washington was forcing turnovers. They intercepted Chris Miller four times, and strangely enough it was defensive tackle Fred Stokes getting two of the picks. Six turnovers in all came Washington’s way and they pulled away to a 24-7 win.
The final home game of the year would be back against the team where it all began. Detroit, with its great running back Barry Sanders, had enjoyed a breakout year and been the second-best team in the NFC. The Lions had blown out the Cowboys in the second round of the playoffs to reach this game.
Washington came out fast in the NFC Championship Game, with Riggs finishing off a drive with a 2-yard touchdown run. Another drive down close stalled, but Lohmiller kicked a field goal. Riggs scored another TD, this one from three yards out, but the Lions were able to get a touchdown drive of their own and a field goal just before the half that kept the game at 17-10.
But the Redskin defense was in control of the great Lion running back Barry Sanders, who would gain only 44 yards. Rypien was playing flawless football and would go 12/17 for 228 yards and no interceptions. After a Lohmiller field goal gave the Redskins breathing room, Rypien connected with Clark on a 45-yard touchdown pass that broke it open. Another touchdown pass to Monk followed. Green administered the coup de grace, with a 32-yard interception return that sealed the 41-10 win.
The best measurement of Washington’s dominance of the NFC is this–they beat the conference’s clear second-best team by a combined 85-10 in two games.
The Buffalo Bills dominated the AFC the same way Washington had owned the NFC, and the Redskins-Bills Super Bowl debate started fairly early in the season. Buffalo running back Thurman Thomas would win the MVP award. But the Bills, even in clinching the #1 playoff seed and then winning their two playoff games, had started to show some vulnerabilities. The ‘Skins came into the Super Bowl as a solid seven-point favorite.
Washington looked ready to grab an early lead when Rypien appeared to finish an 89-yard touchdown drive with a third-down scoring pass to Monk. But instant replay showed Monk’s foot out of bounds and the call was correctly overturned. The ‘Skins flubbed the hold on the field goal and the first quarter went by without a score, and with Rypien and counterpart Jim Kelly each throwing an interception.
In the second quarter, the Redskins got settled in. Lohmiller hit a field goal and Rypien flipped a short touchdown pass to Byner. The defense was getting after Kelly and would end up with five sacks on the game, all from different players. Another short-yardage touchdown from Riggs put them in command, 17-0 at halftime.
The defense forced another turnover right out of halftime and the lead quickly grew to 24-0. Then Buffalo threatened to make it interesting–they scored on two successive drives to cut the lead to 24-10 and it was still in the third quarter.
It was time for Rypien to come through by throwing the ball downfield to Clark one more time. They two hooked up on a 30-yard touchdown pass that opened the game back up. Two more Lohmiller field goals followed. For the game, the ‘Skins intercepted Kelly four times, two by free safety Brad Edwards. After the lead grew to 37-10, the Bills added a couple meaningless touchdowns and it ended a deceptively close 37-24.
It not only marked the third Super Bowl win for Washington head coach Joe Gibbs, but he’d now done it with three different quarterbacks, an unprecedented feat. Rypien was named Super Bowl MVP. He would never again have a season anything like this, but what a year this one was.
The 1991 Washington Redskins don’t get the same historical love that other great champions—the 1984 San Francisco 49ers, the 1985 Chicago Bearsand of course the undefeated 1972 Miami Dolphins do. While I understand that when it comes to the ’72 Dolphins, the reality is that the ’91 Redskins deserve to be in the discussion when it comes to the best Super Bowl team of all time.
Washington’s legacy is hurt by the fact Rypien didn’t have a great career and they lost two games. If you’re asked to compare two teams, one of whom went 18-1 and was quarterbacked by Joe Montana (the 1984 49ers) and another that was 17-2 and quarterbacked by Rypien, you’re going to have a natural human reaction to instinctively favor the former.
What has to be emphasized is that for one year Rypien was as good as any of the game’s great quarterbacks. His career was nowhere in the ballpark, but his best year was as good, if not better than the best year of any quarterback in the league.
When it comes to the record, the last loss was a meaningless, and the first one was against a talented and desperate team all but admitting that the only way to beat Washington was to throw the kitchen sink at them and hope it didn’t blow up.
Finally, the completeness of the 1991 Washington Redskins team hurts them in historical discussion. Their defense was outstanding, but it’s not remembered the way the 1985 Chicago Bears unit was. It was Washington’s consistent three-phase excellence, including special teams, that made them stand out. It wins you a lot of football games, but doesn’t add up to anything that stands out a quarter-century later.
This Redskins team was very much like its head coach—not flashy, not likely to stand out, but absolutely as good, if not better, than anyone who came before or after.