Super Bowl XXVI

Lore & Background

Both teams finished the regular season with the best record in their respective conferences. The Redskins posted a 14–2 regular season record, and led the league during the regular season with 485 points. Washington head coach Joe Gibbs entered the game seeking his third Super Bowl victory with the team, but with his third starting Super Bowl quarterback, Mark Rypien. The Bills finished the regular season with a 13–3 record and advanced to their second consecutive Super Bowl, largely through the play of quarterback Jim Kelly and their 'K-Gun' no-huddle offense. However, their defense ranked second to last in the league in total yards allowed. Super Bowl XXVI was dominated by Washington. Early in the second quarter, the Redskins jumped out to a 17–0 lead from which the Bills could not recover. Washington also sacked Kelly four times and intercepted him four times. Rypien, who completed 18 of 33 passes for 292 yards, two touchdowns and an interception, was named Super Bowl MVP.

In Their Own Story

The artificial turf hummed under the bright lights of the Metrodome, far from the cold Minnesota night outside. Mark Rypien stood in the huddle, the weight of history pressing down on his shoulders. He wasn't supposed to be here; he was the understudy, the insurance policy. But as the Bills lined up for their fourth straight title shot, Rypien saw an opening. With a calm that belied the chaos, he launched a pass into the endzone, silencing the crowd and securing immortality for his team in burgundy and gold.

Reader's Guide

The telecast of the game on CBS was seen by an estimated 79.6 million viewers. This was the first time that a major television network successfully scheduled Super Bowl counterprogramming: Fox aired a special live football-themed episode of its popular sketch comedy show In Living Color during the halftime show. The Metrodome also hosted the 1992 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four, making it the only stadium to host both events in the same calendar year. It also hosted the 1991 World Series as the Twins defeated the Braves. Minneapolis is the only city, and the Metrodome is the only venue, to host all three events in a 12-month span (all three of these events aired on CBS, who would go on to purchase their Twin Cities affiliate, WCCO-TV, later in the year). The Metrodome was the smallest stadium to ever host the Super Bowl in terms of capacity. The attendance mark of 63,130 was second-lowest at the time (following the first Super Bowl's attendance of 61,946). It is now the 4th-lowest in history, behind LV (24,835), LVIII (61,629), and Super Bowl I.

Did You Know?

• Super Bowl XXVI was the second Super Bowl to be played in a cold, winter climate city; the first was Super Bowl XVI on January 24, 1982, at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan.
• The Redskins' offensive line, known as 'The Hogs', allowed the fewest sacks in the league with just 9, 10 sacks less than the team that allowed the second-fewest.
• Washington's defense ranked third in the NFL in fewest yards allowed (4,638), led by All-Pro defensive back Darrell Green and Pro Bowl linebacker Wilber Marshall.