NFL playoffs, 1989-90
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The NFL playoffs following the 1989 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXIV.
This was the last season in which the NFL used a 10-team playoff format. The league would expand the playoffs to 12 teams next season.
For this year only, the traditional starting times for the Conference Championship Games were changed from 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST respectively. This was to accommodate the fact that the Denver Broncos and the San Francisco 49ers hosted the AFC and NFC championship games in the Mountain Standard Time Zone and Pacific Standard Time Zone, respectively — thus avoiding a locally played game at 9:30 a.m. PST / 10:30 a.m. MST
| Playoff seeds | ||
| Seed | AFC | NFC |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Broncos (West winner) | San Francisco 49ers (West winner) |
| 2 | Cleveland Browns (Central winner) | New York Giants (East winner) |
| 3 | Buffalo Bills (East winner) | Minnesota Vikings (Central winner) |
| 4 | Houston Oilers | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Los Angeles Rams |
Note: The San Francisco 49ers (the NFC 1 seed) did not play the Los Angeles Rams (the 5 seed) in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.
Contents |
[edit] Wild Card playoffs
[edit] December 31, 1989
[edit] NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Philadelphia Eagles 7
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
- Referee: Gordon McCarter
- Game Attendance: 65,479
Rams quarterback Jim Everett threw two touchdown passes in the first half as the Rams allowed only one Eagles touchdown in the fourth quarter. Everett connected on a 39-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Henry Ellard and a 4-yarder to tight end Damone Johnson. After Philadelphia running back Anthony Toney scored on a 1-yard rushing touchdown, Los Angeles running back Greg Bell, who rushed for 124 yards, scored on a 7-yard touchdown to clinch the victory.
- Scoring
- RAMS - Ellard 39 pass from Everett (Lansford kick)
- RAMS - Johnson 4 pass from Everett (Lansford kick)
- PHI - Toney 1 run (Ruzek kick)
- RAMS - Bell 7 run (Lansford kick)
[edit] AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 26, Houston Oilers 23 (OT)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 7 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 3 | 26 |
| Oilers | 0 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 23 |
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
- TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Bob Trumpy
- Referee: Pat Haggerty
- Game Attendance: 59,406
Steelers defensive back Rod Woodson's recovered a fumble to set up Gary Anderson's winning 50-yard field goal in overtime to give Pittsburgh the win. The Steelers scored first with running back Tim Worley's 1-yard rushing touchdown. But from that point on until the fourth quarter, the two teams exchanged 6 field goals. In the final period, Oilers quarterback Warren Moon, who finished the game with 315 passing yards, threw two touchdowns to wide receiver Ernest Givins, an 18-yarder and a 9-yarder. However, Pittsburgh running back Merrill Hoge tied the game on a 2-yard ruching touchdown with 46 seconds left in regulation.
- Scoring
- PIT - Worley 9 run (Anderson kick)
- HOU - FG Zendejas 26
- HOU - FG Zendejas 35
- PIT - FG Anderson 25
- HOU - FG Zendejas 26
- PIT - FG Anderson 30
- PIT - FG Anderson 40
- HOU - Givins 18 pass form Moon (Zendejas kick)
- HOU - Givins 9 pass form Moon (Zendejas kick)
- PIT - Hoge 2 run (Anderson kick)
- PIT - FG Anderson 50
[edit] Divisional playoffs
[edit] January 6, 1990
[edit] AFC: Cleveland Browns 34, Buffalo Bills 30
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 30 |
| Browns | 3 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 34 |
at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Merlin Olsen
- Referee: Dick Jorgenson
- Game Attendance: 77,706
In a shootout, Browns linebacker Clay Matthews intercepted Bills quarterback Jim Kelly at the Cleveland 1-yard line with 3 seconds remaining to preserve a 34-30 victory. Kelly threw for 405 yards and 4 touchdowns while Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar threw for 251 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions. Browns receiver Webster Slaughter had the best postseason performance of his career with 3 receptions for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns. Buffalo scored first with wide receiver Andre Reed's 72-yard touchdown reception. But after a 45-yard field goal by Cleveland kicker Matt Bahr, the two teams exchanged 5 touchdowns. Later, the Browns' Eric Metcalf scored on a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to give his team a 31-21 lead by the end of the third quarter. After an exchange of field goals, Buffalo running back Thurman Thomas, who tied an NFL playoff record with 13 receptions for 150 yards, caught a three yard touchdown pass. But the extra point failed, forcing the Bills to attempt to score a touchdown instead of a field goal on their final drive.
- Scoring
- BUF - Reed 72 pass from Kelly (Norwood kick)
- CLE - FG Bahr 45
- CLE - Slaughter 52 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick)
- BUF - Lofton 33 pass from Kelly (Norwood kick)
- CLE - Middleton 3 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick)
- CLE - Slaughter 44 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick)
- BUF - Thomas 6 pass from Kelly (Norwood kick)
- CLE - Metcalf 90 kickoff return (Bahr kick)
- BUF - FG Norwood 30
- CLE - FG Bahr 47
- BUF - Thomas 3 pass from Kelly (Kick failed)
[edit] NFC: San Francisco 49ers 41, Minnesota Vikings 13
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 3 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| 49ers | 7 | 20 | 0 | 14 | 41 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco, CA
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST
- TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Terry Bradshaw
- Referee: Tom Dooley
- Game Attendance: 64,585
49ers quarterback Joe Montana threw for 241 yards and four touchdowns as San Francisco dominated the Vikings. Minnesota scored first on a kicker Rich Karlis' 38-yard field goal, but then Montana completed 4 unanswered scores: a 72-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jerry Rice, an 8-yarder to tight end Brent Jones, an 8-yarder to wide receiver John Taylor, and a 13-yarder to Rice. 49ers defensive back Ronnie Lott returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown, and running back Roger Craig rushed for a 4-yard score. Craig finished the game with 125 rushing yards and a touchdown, while Rice caught 6 passes for 114 yards and 2 scores. One of the few bright spots of the game for Minnesota was tight end Steve Jordan, who caught 9 passes for 149 yards
- Scoring
- MIN - FG Karlis 38
- SF - Rice 72 pass from Montana (Cofer kick)
- SF - Jones 8 pass from Montana (Cofer kick)
- SF - Taylor 8 pass from Montana (Cofer kick)
- SF - Rice 13 pass from Montana (Cofer kick)
- MIN - FG Karlis 44
- SF - Lott 58 interception return (Cofer kick)
- SF - Craig 4 run (Cofer kick)
- MIN - Fenney 3 run (Karlis kick)
[edit] January 7, 1990
[edit] NFC: Los Angeles Rams 19, New York Giants 13 (OT)
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 19 |
| Giants | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
- Referee: Bob McElwee
- Game Attendance: 76,325
The Rams upset the Giants with quarterback Jim Everett's 30-yard touchdown pass to Flipper Anderson with 1:06 left in overtime. New York jumped to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter with two field goals by kicker Raul Allegre. With 17 seconds left in the first half, Anderson cuaght a 20-yard touchdown reception from Everett to take a 7-6 lead. In the third quarter, Giants running back Ottis Anderson scored on a 2-yard touchdown. But in the fourth period, Los Angeles kicker Mike Lansford made two field goals to tie the game, the second one coming with 3:01 left in regulation.
- Scoring
- NYG - FG Allegre 35
- NYG - FG Allegre 41
- RAMS - F. Anderson 20 pass from Everett (Lansford kick)
- NYG - O. Anderson 2 run (Allegre kick)
- RAMS - FG Lansford 31
- RAMS - FG Lansford 22
- RAMS - F. Anderson 30 pass from Everett
[edit] AFC: Denver Broncos 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 23
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steelers | 3 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
| Broncos | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. MST
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh
- Referee: Gene Barth
- Game Attendance: 75,868
A 71-yard Broncos drive was capped by Melvin Bratton's 1-yard touchdown run with 2:27 remaining to win the game. The Steelers jumped to a 10-0 early lead with a 32-yard field goal by Gary Anderson and a 7-yard touchdown by running back Tim Worley. Bratton's 1-yard touchdown cut the deficit to 10-7, but Pittsburgh responded with quarterback Bubby Brister's 9-yard touchdown to wide receiver Louis Lipps. Denver kicker David Treadwell then made a 43-yard field goal before halftime to cut the Steelers' lead, 17-10. In the third quarter, Broncos defensive back Tyrone Braxton recovered a fumble at the Pittsburgh 37-yard line, setting up quarterback John Elway's 37-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Vance Johnson. Anderson later kicked two field goals to give the Steelers a 23-17 lead before Bratton scored the winning touchdown.
- Scoring
- PIT - FG Anderson 32
- PIT - Worley 7 run (Anderson kick)
- DEN - Bratton 1 run (Treadwell kick)
- PIT - Lipps 9 pass from Brister (Anderson kick)
- DEN - FG Treadwell 43
- DEN - V. Johnson 37 pass from Elway (Treadwell kick)
- PIT - FG Anderson 35
- PIT - FG Anderson 32
- DEN - Bratton 1 run (Treadwell kick)
[edit] Conference Championships
[edit] January 14, 1990
[edit] AFC: Denver Broncos 37, Cleveland Browns 21
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browns | 0 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 21 |
| Broncos | 3 | 7 | 14 | 13 | 37 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
- Game time: 1:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. MST
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh
- Referee: Dick Hantak
- Game Attendance: 76,005
Quarterback John Elway led the Broncos to a 37-21 victory with 385 passing yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, while also leading the Broncos in rushing with 39 yards on the ground. Denver jumped to a 10-0 halftime lead with kicker David Treadwell's 29-yard field goal and wide receiver Michael Young's 70-yard touchdown reception. However, the two teams scored a combined 5 touchdowns in the third period. Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to receiver Brian Brennan, but Elway countered with a 5-yard touchdown to tight end Orson Mobley. Running back Sammy Winder's 7-yard rushing touchdown extended the Broncos lead to 24-7. However, Cleveland scored two touchdowns in a span of 2:11 to cut the lead to 24-21: a 10-yard touchdown reception by Brennan and 2-yard touchdown run by Tim Manoa. But then Denver scored 13 unanswered points in the final period to clinch the victory: Winder's 39-yard touchdown reception and two field goals by Treadwell.
- Scoring
- DEN - FG Treadwell 29
- DEN - Young 70 pass from Elway (Treadwell kick)
- CLE - Brennan 27 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick)
- DEN - Mobley 5 pass from Elway (Treadwell kick)
- DEN - Winder 7 run (Treadwell kick)
- CLE - Brennan 10 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick)
- CLE - Manoa 2 run (Bahr kick)
- DEN - Winder 39 pass from Elway (Treadwell kick)
- DEN - FG Treadwell 34
- DEN - FG Treadwell 31
[edit] NFC: San Francisco 49ers 30, Los Angeles Rams 3
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Tot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 49ers | 0 | 21 | 3 | 6 | 30 |
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco
- Game time: 5:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. PST
- TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
- Referee: Jerry Markbreit
- Game Attendance: 64,769
The 49ers crushed the Rams with 442 total yards and held the ball for 39:48. Los Angeles jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter with a 23-yard field goal by Mike Lansford, but that eventually was their lone score of the game. San Francisco quarterback Joe Montana threw 2 touchdown passes in the second period: a 20-yarder to tight end Brent Jones and an 18-yarder to wide receiver John Taylor. Running back Roger Craig recorded a 1-yard rushing touchdown, while kicker Mike Cofer made 3 field goals in the second half.
- Scoring
- RAMS - FG Lansford 23
- SF - Jones 20 pass from Montana (Cofer kick)
- SF - Craig 1 run (Cofer kick)
- SF - Taylor 18 pass from Montana (Cofer kick)
- SF - FG Cofer 28
- SF - FG Cofer 36
- SF - FG Cofer 25
[edit] Bracket
| Wild Card Playoffs | Divisional Playoffs | Conference Championships | Super Bowl XXIV | |||||||||||||||
| 5 | Rams | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Eagles | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Rams | 19 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2* | Giants | 13 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Rams | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| NFC | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | 49ers | 30 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Vikings | 13 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1* | 49ers | 41 | ||||||||||||||||
| N1 | 49ers | 55 | ||||||||||||||||
| A2 | Broncos | 10 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Bills | 30 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Browns | 34 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Browns | 21 | ||||||||||||||||
| AFC | ||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Broncos | 37 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Steelers | 26 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Oilers | 23 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Steelers | 23 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Broncos | 24 | ||||||||||||||||
*The 49ers (the NFC 1 seed) did not play the Rams (the 5 seed) in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.
[edit] Super Bowl
- Further information: Super Bowl XXIV
San Francisco 49ers (NFC) 55, Denver Broncos (AFC) 10, at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
[edit] References
- Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
- The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995 (ISBN 0-89204-523-X)
| Preceded by: NFL playoffs, 1988-89 |
NFL playoffs 1989-90 |
Succeeded by: NFL playoffs, 1990-91 |
