SafekipediaSuper Bowl XXI
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
Super Bowl XXI was an American football game played on January 25, 1987, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. It was the 21st Super Bowl and decided the National Football League champion for the 1986 season. The New York Giants faced the Denver Broncos, with the Giants winning 39–20. This was the Giants' first Super Bowl victory and their first NFL title since 1956.
The Broncos, led by quarterback John Elway, had their first Super Bowl appearance since the 1977 season. They had an 11–5 regular season record and narrow playoff wins. The Giants, led by quarterback Phil Simms, had a 14–2 regular season record and allowed only 3 points in their two postseason games.
The game was close in the first half, with the Broncos leading 10–9 at halftime. But the Giants scored 26 unanswered points in the second half and set a Super Bowl record with 30 points in that half. Simms was named the Super Bowl MVP, completing 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards and three touchdowns. The game was watched by about 87.2 million viewers on CBS, and it featured one of the first Gatorade showers for a coach after a big win.
Background
Host selection process
NFL owners chose Pasadena, California, to host Super Bowl XXI in 1984. Fourteen cities tried to be chosen, including Anaheim, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Minneapolis, New Orleans, Pasadena, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Tampa, and Tempe. Pasadena won after many votes, becoming the host city for the fourth time.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos won their division with an 11–5 record. Quarterback John Elway helped the team with his quick thinking and good plays. The team had strong running backs and a solid defense, allowing few points during the season.
New York Giants
The New York Giants reached their first Super Bowl. They had a great running back in Joe Morris and a strong defense led by Lawrence Taylor. The team finished the regular season with a 14–2 record.
Playoffs
In the playoffs, the Broncos narrowly won their games, with Elway leading important drives. The Giants' defense was very strong, allowing only three points in their playoff games.
Super Bowl pregame news
Before the game, many people were excited to see if Lawrence Taylor could challenge John Elway. The Giants had beaten the Broncos earlier in the season. Both teams were playing in their first Super Bowl. The Giants wore special stickers and patches to honor former players who had passed away.
Broadcasting
The game was shown in the United States on CBS. The broadcast team included Pat Summerall and John Madden. Brent Musburger hosted special segments before, during, and after the game.
This was the first NFL game to be broadcast with special sound quality and in stereo. The game was also heard on radio across the country and in several other countries around the world.
Entertainment
The pregame show celebrated California and featured the pop music group The Beach Boys and the Canadian jazz fusion band The Shuffle Demons. Singer Neil Diamond performed the national anthem. The coin toss ceremony included Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive lineman Willie Davis.
The halftime show honored Hollywood's 100th anniversary, with an introduction by George Burns and performances by high school drill teams and dancers from Southern California. After the game, Giants players celebrated by pouring a Gatorade cooler over their head coach Bill Parcells, starting a fun tradition. The game's most valuable player, Phil Simms, later appeared in an "I'm going to Disney World!" ad.
Game summary
Super Bowl XXI was a big football game between the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants. The Giants won the game 39–20, which was their first Super Bowl win and first NFL title since 1956.
The game started with the Broncos scoring the first points with a field goal. The Giants answered back with a touchdown to take the lead. The Broncos tied the game before the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the game had some exciting moments and a few mistakes, but the Broncos still led at halftime.
In the second half, the Giants played much better. They scored several touchdowns and a field goal to take control of the game. The Broncos tried to come back, but the Giants kept scoring, and the game ended with the Giants winning by a big margin.
Final statistics
Sources: NFL.com Super Bowl XXI, Super Bowl XXI Play Finder NYG, Super Bowl XXI Play Finder Den
Statistical comparison
Individual statistics
1Completions/attempts 2Carries 3Long gain 4Receptions 5Times targeted
Records set
The following records were set in Super Bowl XXI, according to the official NFL.com boxscore, the 2016 NFL Record & Fact Book and the Pro-Football-Reference.com game summary.
Some records have to meet NFL minimum number of attempts to be recognized. The minimums are shown (in parentheses).
Turnovers are defined as the number of times losing the ball on interceptions and fumbles.
This is also the first, and only time in history, an NFL game ended with a final score of 39–20.
| Denver Broncos | New York Giants | |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 23 | 24 |
| First downs rushing | 5 | 10 |
| First downs passing | 16 | 13 |
| First downs penalty | 2 | 1 |
| Third down efficiency | 7/14 | 6/12 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 0/0 | 1/2 |
| Net yards rushing | 52 | 136 |
| Rushing attempts | 19 | 38 |
| Yards per rush | 2.7 | 3.6 |
| Passing – Completions/attempts | 26/41 | 22/25 |
| Times sacked-total yards | 4–32 | 1–5 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 0 |
| Net yards passing | 320 | 263 |
| Total net yards | 372 | 399 |
| Punt returns-total yards | 1–9 | 1–25 |
| Kickoff returns-total yards | 5–84 | 4–53 |
| Interceptions-total return yards | 0–0 | 1–(−7) |
| Punts-average yardage | 2–41.0 | 3–46.0 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2–0 | 0–0 |
| Penalties-total yards | 4–28 | 6–48 |
| Time of possession | 25:21 | 34:39 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Broncos passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C/ATT1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating | |
| John Elway | 22/37 | 304 | 1 | 1 | 83.6 |
| Gary Kubiak | 4/4 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 116.7 |
| Broncos rushing | |||||
| Car2 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Yds/Car | |
| John Elway | 6 | 27 | 1 | 10 | 4.50 |
| Gerald Willhite | 4 | 19 | 0 | 11 | 4.75 |
| Steve Sewell | 3 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 1.33 |
| Gene Lang | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1.00 |
| Sammy Winder | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.00 |
| Broncos receiving | |||||
| Rec4 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Target5 | |
| Vance Johnson | 5 | 121 | 1 | 54 | 6 |
| Gerald Willhite | 5 | 39 | 0 | 11 | 10 |
| Sammy Winder | 4 | 34 | 0 | 14 | 4 |
| Mark Jackson | 3 | 51 | 0 | 24 | 4 |
| Steve Watson | 2 | 54 | 0 | 31 | 3 |
| Clint Sampson | 2 | 20 | 0 | 11 | 2 |
| Orson Mobley | 2 | 17 | 0 | 11 | 5 |
| Steve Sewell | 2 | 12 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
| Gene Lang | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Clarence Kay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Giants passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C/ATT1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating | |
| Phil Simms | 22/25 | 268 | 3 | 0 | 150.9 |
| Giants rushing | |||||
| Car2 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Yds/Car | |
| Joe Morris | 20 | 67 | 1 | 11 | 3.35 |
| Phil Simms | 3 | 25 | 0 | 22 | 8.33 |
| Lee Rouson | 3 | 22 | 0 | 18 | 7.33 |
| Tony Galbreath | 4 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 4.25 |
| Maurice Carthon | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1.33 |
| Ottis Anderson | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.50 |
| Jeff Rutledge | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Giants receiving | |||||
| Rec4 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Target5 | |
| Mark Bavaro | 4 | 51 | 1 | 17 | 5 |
| Joe Morris | 4 | 20 | 0 | 12 | 4 |
| Maurice Carthon | 4 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
| Stacy Robinson | 3 | 62 | 0 | 36 | 4 |
| Lionel Manuel | 3 | 43 | 0 | 17 | 3 |
| Phil McConkey | 2 | 50 | 1 | 44 | 3 |
| Lee Rouson | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| Zeke Mowatt | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Player records set | ||
|---|---|---|
| Passing records | ||
| Highest passer rating, game | 150.9 | Phil Simms (New York) |
| Highest completion percentage, game, (20 attempts) | 88.0% (22–25) | |
| Most consecutive completions, game | 10 | |
| Records tied | ||
| Longest field goal | 48 yards | Rich Karlis (Denver) |
| Most 40-plus yard field goals, game | 1 | |
| Most Safeties, Game | 1 | George Martin (New York) |
| Team records set | ||
|---|---|---|
| Points | ||
| Most points scored, second half | 30 points | Giants |
| Passing | ||
| Highest completion percentage (20 attempts) | 88.0% (22–25) | Giants |
| Defense | ||
| Most yards allowed in a win | 372 | Giants |
| Records tied | ||
| Most touchdowns, game | 5 | Giants |
| Most Safeties, Game | 1 | |
| Fewest turnovers, game | 0 | |
| Fewest punts, game | 2 | Broncos |
| Records set, both team totals | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Giants | Broncos | |
| Points, Both Teams | |||
| Most points scored, second half | 40 points | 30 | 10 |
| Rushing, both teams | |||
| Fewest rushing yards (net) | 155 yards | 136 | 19 |
| Turnovers, Both Teams | |||
| Fewest Turnovers | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Punting, Both Teams | |||
| Fewest punts, game | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Records tied, both team totals | |||
| Most points, first quarter | 17 points | 7 | 10 |
| Fewest times intercepted | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Fewest fumbles lost | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fewest punt returns, game | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Starting lineups
Officials
The Super Bowl XXI game had several important officials who helped make sure everything ran smoothly. These officials included a referee, an umpire, a head linesman, a line judge, a back judge, a side judge, a field judge, and an alternate umpire. Each of them had a special job to ensure the game was fair and followed all the rules.
Here are the names of the officials and the Super Bowl numbers they had worked in before:
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit #9-second Super Bowl (XVII)
- Umpire: Bob Boylston #101 first Super Bowl
- Head linesman: Terry Gierke No. 72 first Super Bowl
- Line judge: Bob Beeks #59 fourth Super Bowl (XIV, XVI, XVIII)
- Back judge: Jim Poole No. 92 first Super Bowl
- Side judge: Gil Mace #90 second Super Bowl (XVIII)
- Field judge: Pat Mallette #82 first Super Bowl
- Alternate umpire: Hendi Ancich #115 worked Super Bowl XXIV
Related articles
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Super Bowl XXI, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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