Super Bowl XXIII

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Lore & Background

This was the second meeting between these two teams in the Super Bowl; their first meeting was seven years earlier. The game was also the third rematch between Super Bowl teams after Super Bowl XIII and Super Bowl XVII. This was the Bengals' second Super Bowl appearance after finishing the regular season with a 12–4 record. The 49ers were making their third Super Bowl appearance after posting a 10–6 regular season record. The game is best remembered for the 49ers' fourth-quarter game-winning drive. Down 16–13, San Francisco got the ball on their own 8-yard line with 3:10 on the clock and marched 92 yards down the field in under three minutes. They then scored the winning touchdown on a Joe Montana pass to John Taylor with just 34 seconds left in the game. The game was tight throughout. The teams combined for five field goals, and battled to a 3–3 score by the end of the second quarter, the first halftime tie in Super Bowl history. Cincinnati's only touchdown, a 93-yard kickoff return by Stanford Jennings in the third quarter, was quickly answered by a four-play, 85-yard drive that ended with San Francisco wide receiver Jerry Rice's 14-yard touchdown reception. The touchdown came one play after Cincinnati cornerback Lewis Billups dropped what would have been a drive-ending interception in the end zone. Rice, who was named the Super Bowl MVP, caught 11 passes for a Super Bowl record 215 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing once for five yards.

In Their Own Story

It was the 49ers' fourth Super Bowl championship, and their second in as many seasons. With the win, the 49ers became only the second NFL/NFC team to repeat since the Green Bay Packers in 1967. The Broncos were handed their fourth Super Bowl loss in franchise history, following losses in 1977's Super Bowl XII, 1986's Super Bowl XXI, and 1987's Super Bowl XXII. The game set numerous Super Bowl records, including the most points scored by one team (55), the largest margin of victory (45 points), and the most touchdowns scored by one team (8). Super Bowl XXIV has been ranked as one of the worst Super Bowls, due to the 49ers' dominance over the Broncos. The game's broadcast on CBS was watched by around 73.85 million viewers, the smallest Super Bowl audience since 1969's Super Bowl III.

Reader's Guide

NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXIII to Miami, Florida on March 14, 1985, during their March 10–15, 1985 meetings held in Phoenix. This was the sixth time that Miami hosted the game, and the first at Joe Robbie Stadium; the 5 previous Super Bowls in the area were played at the Miami Orange Bowl. Originally, the selection was to be voted on during the May 23–25, 1984 meetings. However, after balloting for XXI took more than two hours, voting for XXIII was rescheduled. Twelve cities were part of the bidding process, which was scheduled to award two Super Bowls (XXIII and XXIV). The bidding cities included: Anaheim, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, and Tempe. Miami entered as the favorite. This was the last Super Bowl played on the second to last Sunday in January. From 1990 to 2001, the game was played on the last Sunday of January, and from 2002 to 2021, on the first Sunday in February (with the exception of Super Bowl XXXVII, which was played on January 26, 2003). This was also the last east coast Super Bowl that began under daylight.

Did You Know?

• The 49ers' game-winning drive started on their own 8-yard line with 3:10 left and covered 92 yards in under three minutes.
• The 3–3 halftime score was the first halftime tie in Super Bowl history.
• Jerry Rice set a Super Bowl record with 215 receiving yards on 11 catches.
• Cincinnati's only touchdown was a 93-yard kickoff return by Stanford Jennings.
• This was the first Super Bowl hosted in the Miami area in 10 years, and the first in Miami not held at the Orange Bowl.