Editing Super Bowl XXII (section)

==Game summary==
[[File:1988 Redskins Police - 10 Raleigh McKenzie (crop).jpg|thumb|left|Redskins guard [[Raleigh McKenzie]] covering an opponent on the Broncos during Super Bowl XXII.]]

===First quarter===
The game got off to a promising start for Denver. After forcing the Redskins to go three-and-out, the Broncos scored on their very first play from scrimmage, when quarterback [[John Elway]] threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver [[Ricky Nattiel]], giving Denver a 7–0 lead after just 1:57 had elapsed in the game. It was the earliest touchdown any team had ever scored in Super Bowl history to that point (the record was later broken by [[Jerry Rice]] in [[Super Bowl XXIX]], and again by [[Devin Hester]] in [[Super Bowl XLI]]). The Broncos quickly forced Washington to punt again, and once again Elway displayed his superb scrambling skills. On the second play of Denver's ensuing possession, Elway completed a 32-yard pass to wide receiver [[Mark Jackson (wide receiver)|Mark Jackson]]. Then, Elway caught a 23-yard pass from running back [[Steve Sewell]], becoming the first quarterback ever to catch a pass in the Super Bowl (Elway had scored a receiving touchdown during opening day the [[1986 NFL season|previous year]] against the Raiders). Washington managed to halt Denver's drive on the 6, but kicker [[Rich Karlis]] kicked a 24-yard field goal to increase the Broncos' lead to 10–0.

After yet another Redskins punt, Denver managed to drive to the Washington 30 on their third possession with two runs by running back [[Gene Lang (American football)|Gene Lang]] for a total of 24 yards and an 18-yard reception by Sewell. But this time, they failed to extend their lead after Elway threw two incomplete passes, then got sacked for an 18-yard loss by safety [[Alvin Walton]] on third down, pushing the Broncos out of field goal range and forcing their first punt of the game.

Meanwhile, the Redskins could not generate any offensive momentum in the first quarter, with the Broncos' defense forcing a punt on every drive. On the second play of Washington's ensuing drive, a 25-yard run by running back [[Timmy Smith]] was nullified by a holding penalty on tight end [[Don Warren]]. To make matters worse, three plays later, after completing a 20-yard pass to running back [[Kelvin Bryant]], quarterback [[Doug Williams (quarterback)|Doug Williams]] slipped and twisted his back left leg while planting to make a throw and had to leave the game. Williams was untouched by the Broncos' defense before he dropped the ball while falling to the ground; referee [[Bob McElwee]], however, blew the play dead, costing Denver a fumble recovery, along with a 22-yard fumble return touchdown by defensive end [[Rulon Jones]]. Backup quarterback [[Jay Schroeder]] was sacked for an 8-yard loss by Broncos linebacker [[Karl Mecklenburg]] on his first snap, continuing the Redskins' offensive woes. By the time the quarter ended, the Broncos had more than twice as many total yards of offense (142) as the Redskins (64).

===Second quarter===
Williams returned 43 seconds into the second quarter, and the Washington offense began to click. In the previous 21 Super Bowls, no team had ever overcome a 10-point deficit to win, but the second quarter took an abrupt turn in favor of the Redskins. And much like they had in the second half of [[Super Bowl XXI]] against the [[New York Giants]], Denver's defense suffered an on-field meltdown, giving up six unanswered touchdowns to Washington, five of which were scored in the second quarter alone, and all of which were scored by the offense.

Following another Broncos punt, on the Redskins' first play of the second quarter, wide receiver [[Ricky Sanders]] got behind cornerback [[Mark Haynes]] (who tried to jam him at the [[line of scrimmage]]) and safety [[Tony Lilly]], and caught a pass from Williams, taking it 80 yards for a touchdown, cutting Washington's deficit to 10–7. After forcing the Broncos to punt on their next possession, Washington advanced to the Denver 27 on a 19-yard run by Smith. Facing 3rd-and-1, Williams connected with receiver [[Gary Clark (American football)|Gary Clark]], who made a diving catch in the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown to give Washington a 14–10 lead. From this point forward, the Redskins would go on to dominate the Broncos.

After the ensuing kickoff, Denver drove to the Washington 26, aided by running back [[Sammy Winder]]'s 25-yard reception and Elway's 21-yard run. But offensive tackle [[Dave Studdard]], blocking defensive end [[Dexter Manley]], went down with a knee injury. After Elway threw an incomplete pass on third down, Karlis missed a 43-yard field goal attempt wide left. On the first play of the Redskins' ensuing drive, Williams threw a 16-yard pass to Clark. Then on the next play, Smith took off for a 58-yard touchdown run, with blocking from guard [[Raleigh McKenzie]] and offensive tackle [[Joe Jacoby]], increasing their lead to 21–10.<ref name="Redskins pull Bronc-Buster" /> Washington's offensive line featuring McKenzie and Jacoby figured greatly in a play known as the Counter Gap, which the Redskins ran repeatedly in the game.<ref name="One Super Show">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.si.com/vault/1988/02/08/106778760/one-super-showand-the-rout-was-on|title=One Super Show!|magazine=Sports Illustrated}}</ref>

The Redskins again forced a Broncos punt and increased their lead to 28–10 in three plays, the last two of which consisted of passes from Williams to Sanders; the first for 11 yards, and the second for a 50-yard touchdown, which made Sanders the first player in Super Bowl history to catch two touchdowns in one quarter. Three plays after the ensuing kickoff, Washington cornerback [[Barry Wilburn]] intercepted a pass intended for Nattiel on the Redskins 21, and once again, the Redskins stormed down the field to score. First, Smith broke loose for a 43-yard run, then Williams completed a pair of passes to Sanders for 28 yards to reach the Denver 7. Two plays later, Williams threw the fifth Washington touchdown of the quarter, an 8-yard pass to tight end [[Clint Didier]] to make the score 35–10. On Denver's next drive, Elway completed three consecutive passes for 40 total yards (including a 24-yard pass to Jackson) to advance to the Redskins 36. However, cornerback [[Brian Davis (American football)|Brian Davis]] intercepted Elway's next pass at the 21 to end the half.

In the second quarter alone, Williams completed 9 of 11 passes for 228 yards and four touchdowns; Smith rushed five times for 122 yards and a touchdown; and Sanders caught five passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns. The Redskins scored 35 points and gained 356 yards in total offense, both Super Bowl records, and scored five touchdowns on 18 total offensive plays.

During the regular season, the Broncos had allowed 35 points for the entire game only once—and it was in that game, a 40–10 loss to the [[1987 Houston Oilers season|Houston Oilers]] in Week 4, that they fielded replacement players, with the regular players having gone on strike.

Washington's 25-point lead at the half surpassed the previous record of 20 points set by [[San Francisco 49ers|San Francisco]] in [[Super Bowl XVI]].

===Second half===
The Broncos' second consecutive Super Bowl appearance continued to go downhill in the second half as the Redskins shut them out for the rest of the game. On Denver's first possession of the second half, Elway was intercepted again by Wilburn. Washington then drove to the Denver 29-yard line, aided by a 15-yard run by Bryant and a 12-yard reception by Clark, but kicker [[Ali Haji-Sheikh]]'s 46-yard field goal attempt hit the right upright of the goal post. On the Redskins' next possession, their only turnover of the game was recorded when Williams threw a deep pass intended for Clark that was intercepted by cornerback [[Jeremiah Castille]] at the Broncos 2-yard line. Elway then managed to escape a safety by completing a 10-yard pass to Jackson from his own end zone. After another punt by the Broncos, Clark delivered a 25-yard run on a reverse to start the Redskins' next possession and end the third quarter.

Clark's run was the start of a four-play, 68-yard scoring drive, which also featured three runs by Smith for 43 yards, the last one being a 4-yard touchdown run to bring the game to its final score of 42–10. On the Broncos' next possession, Elway appeared to complete a 33-yard pass to wide receiver [[Vance Johnson]] on 4th-and-17, but this was nullified by a holding penalty on center [[Mike Freeman (guard)|Mike Freeman]], bringing up 4th-and-27, and forcing yet another Denver punt. Washington then reached the Denver 13 to run out the clock and win the game.

By the end of the game, Elway was sacked five times and threw three interceptions. Smith finished the game with a Super Bowl record 204 rushing yards, and scored two touchdowns. Sanders caught nine passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns, and returned three kickoffs for 46 yards. His 193 receiving yards and his 235 total offensive yards were both Super Bowl records, and his 80-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter also tied a Super Bowl record. Clark caught three passes for 55 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing once for 25 yards. Wilburn recorded two interceptions, while Walton had two sacks. Meanwhile, running back Gene Lang was the Broncos' leading rusher, with only 38 yards on five carries. Elway finished the game with 14 out of 38 pass completions for 257 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. He was also Denver's second-leading rusher with 32 yards on three carries; this was the only Super Bowl in which Elway played without scoring a rushing touchdown. Jackson was Denver's top receiver with four catches for 76 yards.

In 2015, on the occasion of [[Super Bowl 50]], ''[[Slate (website)|Slate]]'' writer Justin Peters watched all the games over a two-month period. He considered Super Bowl XXII to be the best Super Bowl ever, declaring it was, "The most significant Super Bowl ever played. The most unlikely comeback from the most unlikely quarterback, Doug Williams, who led his team to score 35 points in the second quarter: a single-quarter Super Bowl scoring record that still stands!"<ref name="Best Super Bowl ever">{{cite news|last=Peters|first=Justin|title=Every Super Bowl, Ranked|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/the_completist/2016/02/every_single_super_bowl_ranked_from_best_to_worst.html|newspaper=[[Slate (website)|Slate]]|date=February 4, 2016|access-date=February 12, 2016}}</ref>

===Box score===
{{Americanfootballbox|bg=#eee
|titlestyle=text-align:center; {{NFLPrimaryStyle|NFL|border=2}};
|title=Super Bowl XXII: Washington Redskins 42, Denver Broncos 10
|Road='''Redskins (NFC)'''
|R1=0
|R2=35
|R3=0
|R4=7
|Home=Broncos (AFC)
|H1=10
|H2=0
|H3=0
|H4=0
|stadium=[[San Diego Stadium|Jack Murphy Stadium]], [[San Diego|San Diego, California]]
|date=January 31, 1988
|time=3:20 p.m. [[Pacific Time Zone|PST]]
|weather={{convert|61|°F|°C}}, partly cloudy<ref>{{cite web|title=Super Bowl Game-Time Temperatures|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/news/super-bowl-game-time-temperatures/|publisher=[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]|access-date=March 10, 2018}}</ref>
|state=uncollapsed
}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryStart |VisitorName=WAS |HomeName=DEN |state=expanded}}
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{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=1 |Time=9:09 |Team=DEN |DrivePlays=7 |DriveLength=61 |DriveTime=2:05 |Type=FG |yards=24 |Kicker=Karlis |Visitor=0 |Home=10}}
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{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=2 |Time=10:15 |Team=WAS |DrivePlays=5 |DriveLength=64 |DriveTime=2:44 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=[[Gary Clark (American football)|Gary Clark]] |QB=Williams |yards=27 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Haji-Sheikh |Visitor=14 |Home=10}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=2 |Time=6:27 |Team=WAS |DrivePlays=2 |DriveLength=74 |DriveTime=0:51 |Type=RushTD |Runner=[[Timmy Smith]] |yards=58 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Haji-Sheikh |Visitor=21 |Home=10}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=2 |Time=3:42 |Team=WAS |DrivePlays=3 |DriveLength=60 |DriveTime=0:52 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=Sanders |QB=Williams |yards=50 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Haji-Sheikh |Visitor=28 |Home=10}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=2 |Time=1:04 |Team=WAS |DrivePlays=7 |DriveLength=79 |DriveTime=1:10 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=[[Clint Didier]] |QB=Williams |yards=8 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Haji-Sheikh |Visitor=35 |Home=10}}
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{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEnd |Visitor=42 |Home=10}}