Editing Super Bowl XXVII

{{short description|1993 edition of the Super Bowl}}
{{redirect|1993 Super Bowl|the Super Bowl that was played at the completion of the 1993 season|Super Bowl XXVIII}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox Super Bowl
| type = sb
| name = XXVII
| image = Super Bowl XXVII Logo.svg
| image_size = 200px
| visitor = [[1992 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo Bills]]
| home = [[1992 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]]
| home_coach = [[Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)|Jimmy Johnson]]
| home_record = 13–3
| home_place = 2
| visitor_coach = [[Marv Levy]]
| visitor_record = 11–5
| visitor_place = 4
| visitor_abbr = BUF
| home_abbr = DAL
| visitor_conf = [[American Football Conference|AFC]]
| home_conf = [[National Football Conference|NFC]]
| visitor_total = 17
| home_total = 52
| visitor_qtr1 = 7
| visitor_qtr2 = 3
| visitor_qtr3 = 7
| visitor_qtr4 = 0
| home_qtr1 = 14
| home_qtr2 = 14
| home_qtr3 = 3
| home_qtr4 = 21
| date = {{start-date| January 31, 1993}}
| time = 3:25 p.m. [[Pacific Standard Time|PST]] ([[UTC-8]])
| stadium = [[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]]
| city = [[Pasadena,&nbsp;California]]
| attendance = 98,374<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/results/superbowl|title=Super Bowl Winners|publisher=National Football League|website=NFL.com|access-date=February 4, 2015}}</ref>
| odds = Cowboys by 6.5<ref>{{cite news|url=http://linemakers.sportingnews.com/nfl/2015-01-25/super-bowl-betting-history-patriots-vs-seahawks-point-spread-line-vegas-odds|title=Super Bowl Betting History – Underdogs on Recent Roll|first=Marcus|last=DiNitto|magazine=[[Sporting News]]|date=January 25, 2015|access-date=February 4, 2015|archive-date=February 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204100054/http://linemakers.sportingnews.com/nfl/2015-01-25/super-bowl-betting-history-patriots-vs-seahawks-point-spread-line-vegas-odds|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vegasinsider.com/nfl/superbowl/history/|title=Super Bowl History|publisher=Vegas Insider|access-date=February 4, 2015}}</ref>
| MVP = [[Troy Aikman]], [[quarterback]]
| anthem = [[Garth Brooks]]
| coin_toss = [[O. J. Simpson]]
| referee = [[Dick Hantak]]
| HOFers = '''Bills:''' [[Ralph Wilson]] (owner), [[Bill Polian]] (general manager), [[Marv Levy]] (head coach), [[Jim Kelly]], [[James Lofton]],  [[Andre Reed]], [[Bruce Smith]], [[Thurman Thomas]]<br />'''Cowboys:''' [[Jerry Jones]] (owner), [[Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)|Jimmy Johnson]] (head coach), [[Troy Aikman]], [[Charles Haley]], [[Michael Irvin]], [[Emmitt Smith]]
| halftime = [[Michael Jackson]]
| network = [[NFL on NBC|NBC]]
| announcers = [[Dick Enberg]], [[Bob&nbsp;Trumpy]], [[O. J. Simpson]] and [[Todd&nbsp;Christensen]]
| rating = 45.1 <br/><small>(est. 90.99 million viewers)</small><ref>{{cite web|url=http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/01/18/historical-super-bowl-tv-ratings/11044|title=Historical Super Bowl Nielsen TV Ratings, 1967–2009 – Ratings|publisher=TVbytheNumbers|access-date=October 9, 2012|archive-date=February 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100208213536/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/01/18/historical-super-bowl-tv-ratings/11044|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| share = 66
| commercial = $850,000
| radio = [[NFL on Westwood One Sports|CBS Radio]]
| radioannouncers = [[Jack Buck]] and [[Hank&nbsp;Stram]]
| last = XXVI
| next = XXVIII
}}
'''Super Bowl XXVII''' was an [[American football]] game between the [[American Football Conference]] (AFC) champion [[1992 Buffalo Bills season|Buffalo Bills]] and the [[National Football Conference]] (NFC) champion [[1992 Dallas Cowboys season|Dallas Cowboys]] to decide the [[National Football League]] (NFL) champion for the [[1992 NFL season|1992 season]]. The Cowboys defeated the Bills by the score of 52–17, winning their third Super Bowl in team history, and their first one [[Super Bowl XII|in 15 years]]. This game is tied with [[Super Bowl XXXVII]] as the fourth-highest scoring Super Bowl with 69 combined points, as of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/records/superbowls/team/scoring|title=Super Bowl Records: Team - Scoring|website=www.nfl.com|language=en|access-date=April 14, 2017|archive-date=April 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170415104044/http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/records/superbowls/team/scoring|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Bills became the first team to lose three consecutive Super Bowls, and just the second of four teams to play in three straight (the [[Miami Dolphins]] played in Super Bowls [[Super Bowl VI|VI]]–[[Super Bowl VIII|VIII]], winning [[Super Bowl VII|VII]] and [[Super Bowl VIII|VIII]], the [[New England Patriots]] played in Super Bowls [[Super Bowl LI|LI]]–[[Super Bowl LIII|LIII]], winning [[Super Bowl LI|LI]] and [[Super Bowl LIII|LIII]], and the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] played in Super Bowls [[Super Bowl LVII|LVII]]–[[Super Bowl LIX|LIX]], winning [[Super Bowl LVII|LVII]] and [[Super Bowl LVIII|LVIII]]. The following [[1993 NFL season|1993 season]], the Bills became the only team to both play and lose four consecutive Super Bowls (on January 30, 1994, losing [[Super Bowl XXVIII]] to the [[Dallas Cowboys]] 30–13). The game was played on January 31, 1993, at the [[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]] in [[Pasadena, California]], and is the last NFL championship game to date to be held in a non-NFL stadium. It was also the seventh Super Bowl held in the [[Greater Los Angeles Area]], which [[History of the National Football League in Los Angeles|did not host another]] until [[Super Bowl LVI]] in 2022.

The Bills advanced to their third consecutive Super Bowl after posting an 11–5 regular season record, but entered the playoffs as a [[wild card (sports)|wild card]] after losing [[tiebreaker]]s. The Cowboys were making their sixth Super Bowl appearance after posting a 13–3 regular season record. It was the first time that the two franchises had played each other since [[1984 NFL season|1984]].

The Cowboys scored 35 points off of a Super Bowl-record nine Buffalo turnovers, including three first half touchdowns. Bills backup quarterback [[Frank Reich]], who replaced injured starter [[Jim Kelly]] in the second quarter, threw a 40-yard touchdown on the final play of the third quarter to cut the lead to 31–17. Dallas then scored three more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Cowboys quarterback [[Troy Aikman]] was named [[Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award|Super Bowl MVP]], completing 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns for a [[passer rating]] of 140.6, while also rushing for 28 yards.

In response to [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]'s [[Super Bowl counterprogramming]] of a special episode of ''[[In Living Color]]'' during the previous year, the NFL booked [[Michael Jackson]] to perform during the entire [[Super Bowl XXVII halftime show]]. Jackson's performance started the league's trend of signing top acts to appear during the Super Bowl to attract more viewers and interest.

==Background==

===Arizona's Martin Luther King Day controversy===
This Super Bowl (XXVII) was originally scheduled to be played at [[Sun Devil Stadium]] in [[Tempe, Arizona]], the home of the [[1992 Phoenix Cardinals season|Phoenix Cardinals]] and the [[1992 Arizona State Sun Devils football season|Arizona State Sun Devils]].<ref name="AR03-14-1990pg1">{{cite news|title=Valley wins Super Bowl (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/141005168/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first1=Betty|last1=Beard|first2=Jean|last2=Novotny|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 14, 1990|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="AR03-14-1990pg5">{{cite news|title=Valley wins Super Bowl (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic-arizon-state-1990/93907248/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first1=Betty|last1=Beard|first2=Jean|last2=Novotny|page=5|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 14, 1990|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref> In 1983, [[President of the United States|U.S. president]] [[Ronald Reagan]] signed a bill creating [[Martin Luther King Jr. Day]], a [[Federal holidays in the United States|federal holiday]] honoring African-American civil rights leader [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] Many states had adopted the holiday at the state level by the time it was first observed in 1986. [[List of governors of Arizona|Arizona governor]] [[Bruce Babbitt]] issued an executive order creating the state holiday after the state legislature had voted it against it.<ref name="AR05-19-1986pg1">{{cite news|title=Babbit declares state holiday for King|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/43005556/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=John|last=Winter|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=May 19, 1986|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref> Babbitt's successor, [[Evan Mecham]], rescinded the order upon taking office in January 1987 on the grounds that Babbitt did not have the authority to issue such an order.<ref name="AR01-13-19870pg1">{{cite news|title=Mecham cancels King holiday (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic-mecham-cancels-king-hol/101572230/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=January 13, 1987|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="AR01-13-19870pg8">{{cite news|title=Mecham cancels King holiday (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic-cancels-king-holday-pt/101572587/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|page=8|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=January 13, 1987|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref> Mecham had made his displeasure for the holiday widely known, saying that King did not deserve a holiday.<ref name="AR12-13-1986pg30">{{cite news|title=A Gathering Storm|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/141010013/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|page=30|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=December 13, 1986|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="AR12-17-1986pg22">{{cite news|title=Public-worker union's chief urges Mecham to keep holiday for King|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/141010309/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Don|last=Harris|page=30|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=December 17, 1986|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref> In response, Dr. King's widow [[Coretta Scott King]] and musician [[Stevie Wonder]] spearheaded an entertainment and convention boycott of Arizona, condemning Mecham for rescinding the law and accused him of racism.<ref name="AR01-22-1987pg3">{{cite news|title=Convention of blacks quits state (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/141010498/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Randy|last=Collier|page=3|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 14, 1990|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="AR01-22-1987pg4">{{cite news|title=Convention of blacks quits state (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/141010784/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Randy|last=Collier|page=4|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 14, 1990|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref> Mecham was impeached and removed from office in 1988 on charges of [[obstruction of justice]] and financial misconduct. In September 1989, the state legislature approved the holiday, and it was signed into law by new governor [[Rose Mofford]].<ref name="AR09-23-1989pg1">{{cite news|title=King Day made law by Mofford (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/141011506/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Don|last=Harris|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=September 23, 1989|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="AR09-23-1989pg5">{{cite news|title=King Day made law by Mofford (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/141011644/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Don|last=Harris|page=5|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=September 23, 1989|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref> However, a petition drive blocked enactment of the law until voters approved it at the ballot box.<ref name="AR11-04-1990pg215">{{cite news|title=2 ways to approve paid King Day on ballot|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/113744469/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|page=215|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=November 4, 1990|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref>

On March 13, 1990, the NFL held its annual owners meeting in [[Orlando, Florida]]. One of the items on the agenda was to determine a host city for Super Bowl XXVII. Three cities submitted bids: [[Los Angeles]]/[[Pasadena, California|Pasadena]] ([[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]]), [[San Diego]] ([[San Diego Stadium|Jack Murphy Stadium]]), and [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]]/[[Tempe, Arizona|Tempe]] ([[Mountain America Stadium|Sun Devil Stadium]]).<ref name="Sent03-14-1990pg19">{{cite news|title=Phoenix: Super site in 1993|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-orlando-sentinel/140952957/|newspaper=[[Orlando Sentinel]]|first=Jerry|last=Greene|page=19|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 14, 1990|accessdate=February 14, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref> While the Los Angeles proposal guaranteed the most profit,<ref name="AR03-14-1990pg5"/> Phoenix represented a fresh market for the game, and the owners wanted to reward Cardinals owners [[Bill Bidwill]] for his years of service to the league.<ref name="Sent03-14-1990pg19"/> Arizona civil rights activist Art Mobley was sent to the meeting to lobby against Phoenix winning the vote, attempting to build awareness to the MLK Day controversy.<ref name="cineq31490">{{cite news|title=Phoenix awarded Super Bowl|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-cincinnati-enquirer/140954550/|newspaper=Cincinnati Enquirer|first=Timothy W.|last=Smith|page=69|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 14, 1990|accessdate=February 14, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref> The vote was conducted and Tempe was awarded the game, but committee chairman and [[Philadelphia Eagles|Eagles]] owner [[Norman Braman]] warned that if the upcoming MLK Day ballot initiative failed, the NFL would not hesitate to pull the game from Arizona and move it elsewhere.<ref name="cineq31490"/> The relocation effort was heavily pressured by NFL players, the majority of whom were African American.{{cn|date=November 2024}} Many players expressed concern in playing a Super Bowl in a state which MLK Day wasn't recognized.<ref name="cineq31490"/> 

The issue began to heat up again as election day approached. Polls were mixed, but generally showed that the Arizona electorate approved of an MLK holiday.<ref name="AR03-14-1990pg2pol">{{cite news|title=Views on Election Propositions|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/141013403/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|page=2|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=November 1, 1990|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref> However, the issue was confusing to voters since there were two competing initiatives.<ref name="AR11-04-1990pg215"/> Proposition 301 called for replacing [[Columbus Day]] with MLK Day while Proposition 302 would create a new paid holiday on King's birthday.<ref name="AR11-04-1990pg215"/> Both initiatives required a yes/no vote, and some voters were unsure if they could vote "yes" on both. Both propositions were defeated;<ref name="AR11-08-1990pg1">{{cite news|title=King loss peril to Super Bowl (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/141014390/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first1=Steve|last1=Yozwiak|first2=Cathryn|last2=Creno|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=November 8, 1990|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="AR11-08-1990pg5">{{cite news|title=King loss peril to Super Bowl (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/141014345/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first1=Steve|last1=Yozwiak|first2=Cathryn|last2=Creno|page=5|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=November 8, 1990|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref> Proposition 302 lost by a narrow 49.2%–50.8% margin, while Proposition 301 fell convincingly (24.6%–75.4%). Some observers believed that ''[[The NFL Today]]'' on [[NFL on CBS|CBS Sports]] may have created a backlash on the vote. Two days before the election, [[Greg Gumbel]] reported that the NFL was threatening to move the game if the vote failed. Some voters resented that notion, and felt they were being intimidated by the league, and voted "no" in protest.<ref name="AR11-08-1990pg5b">{{cite news|title=Sportscaster ha no regrets over breaking NFL story|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/141014744/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Bob|last=Cohn|page=5|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=November 8, 1990|accessdate=February 15, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="ar03-21-1991pg2"/> After the failed vote, NFL commissioner [[Paul Tagliabue]] recommended that the game be moved, and announced that the issue would be on the agenda at the next owners meeting.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tagliabue stands by recommendation to move 1993 Super Bowl from Arizona|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-jersey-journal/140953887/|newspaper=The Jersey Journal|first=Paul|last=Page|page=25|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=December 8, 1990|accessdate=February 14, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref>

The NFL reopened the bidding for Super Bowl XXVII at the owners meetings [[Kohala, Hawaii]], on March 19, 1991. The Phoenix/Tempe contingent was permitted to defend their position, and the two losing cities (Pasadena and San Diego) also made presentations to the selection committee.<ref name="ar03-19-1991pg1">{{cite news|title=NFL chief irritated on even of Bowl vote (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/140956093/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Steve|last=Schoenfield|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 19, 1991|accessdate=February 14, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="ar03-19-1991pg2">{{cite news|title=NFL chief irritated on even of Bowl vote (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/140956198/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Steve|last=Schoenfield|page=2|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 19, 1991|accessdate=February 14, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref> After deliberating for over three hours, owners voted by a better than {{frac|3|4}} margin to pull the game from Tempe.<ref name="ar03-20-1991pg1">{{cite news|title=NFL pulls Super Bowl (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/140956525/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Steve|last=Schoenfield|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 20, 1991|accessdate=February 14, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="ar03-20-1991pg2">{{cite news|title=NFL pulls Super Bowl (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/140956588/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Steve|last=Schoenfield|page=2|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 20, 1991|accessdate=February 14, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref> The [[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]] was voted as the replacement site, the first time it had hosted the game since [[Super Bowl XXI|XXI]]. The NFL offered a compromise by reserving [[Super Bowl XXX]] for Tempe on a "preliminary" and "conditional" basis.<ref name="ar03-21-1991pg1">{{cite news|title='96 Bowl link to King Day is denied (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/140956928/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Steve|last=Schoenfield|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 21, 1991|accessdate=February 14, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="ar03-21-1991pg2">{{cite news|title='96 Bowl link to King Day is denied (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/140957011/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Steve|last=Schoenfield|page=2|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 21, 1991|accessdate=February 14, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref><ref name="ar03-21-1991pg2a">{{cite news|title=Behind NFL's closed doors, compromise|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/140957251/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Steve|last=Schoenfield|page=2|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 21, 1991|accessdate=February 14, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref> Arizona voters approved the MLK Day holiday in November 1992. The NFL responded by formally assigning [[Super Bowl XXX|XXX]] to Tempe at their March 1993 meeting.<ref name="ar03-23-1993pg1">{{cite news|title=Super Bowl for Valley-NFL makes it official for '96|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic/140957567/|newspaper=Arizona Republic|first=Steve|last=Schoenfield|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 23, 1993|accessdate=February 14, 2024}}{{Open access}}</ref>

===Buffalo Bills===
{{main|1992 Buffalo Bills season}}

The Bills entered Super Bowl XXVII trying to avoid becoming the first team to lose three consecutive Super Bowls. Once again, the team was loaded with Pro Bowl players, boasting 12 Pro Bowl selections. During the regular season, Buffalo's [[hurry-up offense|no-huddle offense]] ranked as the number two offense in the league (6,114 yards) and ranked as the number one rushing offense (2,436 yards). Running back [[Thurman Thomas]] rushed for a career-high 1,487 yards and 9 touchdowns during the regular season, while also catching 58 passes for 626 yards and another 3 touchdowns. Running back [[Kenneth Davis (American football)|Kenneth Davis]] rushed for 613 yards, caught 15 passes for 80 yards, and added another 251 yards returning kickoffs. Quarterback [[Jim Kelly]] had 269 out of 462 completions for 3,457 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions. Wide receiver [[Andre Reed]] led the team with 65 receptions for 913 yards and 3 touchdowns, receiver [[James Lofton]] contributed 51 receptions for 786 yards and 6 touchdowns, and wide receiver [[Don Beebe]] caught 33 passes for 554 and 2 touchdowns. Also, tight end [[Pete Metzelaars]] recorded 30 receptions for 298 yards and 6 touchdowns. The Bills also had one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, led by Pro Bowlers [[Will Wolford]], [[Jim Ritcher]], and [[Howard Ballard]], along with center [[Kent Hull]].

On defense, the line was anchored by end [[Bruce Smith]] (14 sacks) and nose tackle [[Jeff Wright (defensive tackle)|Jeff Wright]] (6 sacks, 1 fumble recovery), who were both fully recovered after missing almost all of the previous season due to injuries. The Bills were once again led by their trio of linebackers [[Darryl Talley]] (77 tackles, 4 sacks), [[Shane Conlan]] (66 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 interception), and Pro Bowler [[Cornelius Bennett]] (52 tackles, 4 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries). The secondary was aided by the emergence of second-year safety [[Henry Jones (American football)|Henry Jones]], who tied for the NFL lead with 8 interceptions, returning them for 263 yards and 2 touchdowns. Safety [[Mark Kelso]] recorded 7 interceptions, while Pro Bowl cornerback [[Nate Odomes]] had 5.  Defensive back [[Cliff Hicks]] led the Bills special teams unit, returning 29 punts for 289 yards (9th in the NFL).

However, the Bills' quest for a third consecutive Super Bowl suffered a major setback when they lost the final game of the season to the [[1992 Houston Oilers season|Houston Oilers]]. The loss caused the Bills to finish with an 11–5 record, losing out on the [[AFC East]] title to the [[1992 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]] based on tie-breaking rules, making them a [[wild card (sports)|wild card]] team for the playoffs. Thus, even if they won their first playoff game, they would have to win two on the road to make the Super Bowl. To make matters worse, Kelly also suffered strained knee ligaments during the loss to the Oilers and had to miss the first two playoff games. Furthermore, their first opponent in the playoffs ended up being the Oilers. A headline on a Buffalo newspaper stated the Bills' situation: "Bills Begin The Longest Road Today."

===Resurrection of the Dallas Cowboys===
{{main|1992 Dallas Cowboys season}}

Super Bowl XXVII saw the resurrection of the Dallas Cowboys. From [[1966 NFL season|1966]] to [[1985 NFL season|1985]], "America's Team" made the playoffs 18 out of 20 seasons under coach [[Tom Landry]], including five Super Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl wins. But in the late 1980s, the team suffered several losing seasons, including a 3–13 regular season record in [[1988 NFL season|1988]]. Then [[Jerry Jones]] bought the team on February 25, 1989, and in a controversial move, promptly fired Landry, the only coach Dallas had in 29 years as an NFL franchise. Jones replaced Landry with [[Miami Hurricanes football|University of Miami]] head coach [[Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)|Jimmy Johnson]], his former [[Arkansas Razorbacks football|University of Arkansas]] teammate.

With Johnson as head coach and Jones as his own general manager, people in the league thought they could take advantage of them. Both lacked NFL experience, and instead of hiring coaching assistants with experience in the league, they hired ones that worked with Johnson in Miami. Compounding this issue was the departure of the two men that brought previous success to Dallas: founding president [[Tex Schramm]] and famed personnel man [[Gil Brandt]].

The Cowboys' 3–13 record in 1988 did have a silver lining; it was the worst in the league and thus gave the Cowboys the first pick in the [[1989 NFL draft]]. Jones and Johnson picked [[UCLA Bruins football|UCLA]] quarterback [[Troy Aikman]], who would eventually go on to be selected to the [[Pro Bowl]] six times in his NFL career. Meanwhile, Jones and Johnson immediately started to shuffle the team's depth chart to find players talented enough to build a winning team. Linebacker [[Ken Norton Jr.]], one of the few holdovers from Landry's last losing seasons, would later claim that he would often go into a player huddle and meet new teammates for the first time.

Then, Jones and Johnson made a move midway through the 1989 season that shocked many in the league: they [[Herschel Walker trade|trade]]d their only Pro Bowl player, running back [[Herschel Walker]], to the [[1989 Minnesota Vikings season|Minnesota Vikings]] for five veteran players and eight draft choices. Although the Cowboys finished the [[1989 NFL season|1989 season]] with a 1–15 record, their worst record since the team's inception, the foundations for the Cowboys' return to glory had been set. Although Dallas had the league's worst record, they traded away the first pick in the 1990 draft so they could get backup quarterback [[Steve Walsh (American football)|Steve Walsh]] in the supplemental draft. Then with the 17th pick, they drafted [[running back]] [[Emmitt Smith]], and the trifecta of Aikman, Smith, and [[wide receiver]] [[Michael Irvin]] (who was drafted by Landry in 1988) was now set. Dallas also signed veteran tight end [[Jay Novacek]] away from [[Arizona Cardinals|Phoenix]], who went on to make the Pro Bowl in five of his six years with the Cowboys.

Johnson also started to rebuild the team by drafting players who were fast, quick, and athletic. The defense was designed to become aggressive, while the offense was made to be a conservative one that did not make mistakes.  In 1990, the Cowboys finished 7–9, but Smith won the [[National Football League Rookie of the Year Award|NFL Rookie of the Year Award]] and Johnson was selected as [[National Football League Coach of the Year Award|NFL Coach of the Year]]. In [[1991 NFL season|1991]], the Cowboys finished with an 11–5 record and made the playoffs for the first time in six years.

In [[1992 NFL season|1992]], the Cowboys finished with a 13–3 regular season record, the second-best in the league and the best in team history. Although not a single one of their defensive players made the [[Pro Bowl]], Dallas was ranked as the number one defense in the league (allowing only 4,278 yards), fourth in fewest points allowed (243), and ranked as the number one defense against the run (allowing only 1,244 yards), bringing back many fans' memories of the [[Doomsday Defense]]s of old. The defensive line was anchored by [[Jim Jeffcoat]] (10.5 sacks) and [[Tony Tolbert]] (8.5 sacks), along with future [[Pro Football Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] pass rusher [[Charles Haley]] (six sacks), who had led the NFC in sacks in 1990 and had been acquired by Dallas in a trade with [[San Francisco 49ers|San Francisco]]. While Norton and Defensive Rookie of the Year [[Robert Jones (linebacker)|Robert Jones]] anchored the linebacking corps, the team's solid secondary was led by defensive backs [[Kenneth Gant]] and [[James Washington (safety)|James Washington]], who both recorded 3 interceptions each, and rookie cornerback [[Kevin Smith (cornerback)|Kevin Smith]]. The last member of the secondary was defensive back [[Issiac Holt]] who had been acquired as part of the trade with the Vikings for Walker.

Dallas' offense finished second in the league in scoring with 409 points.  Aikman had the best season of his career, completing 302 out of 473 passes (ranking second and fourth in the league) for 3,445 yards (fourth in the league) and 23 touchdowns (third in the league) while throwing only 14 interceptions, producing a quarterback rating of 89.6 (third best in the league).  Smith led the NFL in rushing for the second year in a row with 1,713 yards and scoring 18 rushing touchdowns, while also catching 59 passes for 335 yards and a touchdown.  Fullback [[Daryl Johnston]] was also an asset in the backfield, providing Smith with effective blocking and hauling in 32 receptions. Irvin, the team's emotional lightning rod, caught 78 passes for 1,396 yards and 7 touchdowns. Other contributors on the offense included wide receiver [[Alvin Harper]] (35 receptions for 562 yards and 4 touchdowns) and Novacek (68 receptions for 630 yards and 6 touchdowns). Dallas' dominant offensive line, later dubbed "The Great Wall of Dallas", was led by Pro Bowlers [[Nate Newton]] and [[Mark Stepnoski]], along with 10-year veteran [[Mark Tuinei]], free agent acquisition [[John Gesek]] and the youngster [[Erik Williams]].

With all this talent, the Cowboys would be considered by many to be one of the deepest and most talented teams to take to the gridiron.

===Playoffs===
{{see also|1992–93 NFL playoffs}}

The Cowboys easily defeated their first playoff opponent, the [[1992 Philadelphia Eagles season|Philadelphia Eagles]], 34–10. Dallas' defense held the Eagles to only 178 offensive yards and sacked quarterback [[Randall Cunningham]] five times. Meanwhile, the Cowboys recorded 160 rushing yards and 185 passing yards. Aikman completed 15 of 25 passes and 2 touchdowns, while Smith ran for 114 yards and a touchdown.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys - January 10th, 1993 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199301100dal.htm |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

Dallas then defeated the [[1992 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] 30–20 in the NFC Championship Game at [[Candlestick Park]]. This was the first time that the two teams met in the NFC Championship since the 49ers narrowly beat the Cowboys in the 1981 NFC Championship Game on [[Joe Montana]]'s late touchdown pass to [[Dwight Clark]] known as "[[The Catch (American football)|The Catch]]". The 49ers came into the game with the league's best regular season record at 14–2 and led the league in scoring with 431 points. But in this game, the Cowboys built a 24–13 lead going into the fourth quarter, as Aikman capped a nine-minute drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Smith. However, [[Steve Young]]'s 5-yard touchdown pass to [[Jerry Rice]] cut the lead to 24–20 with 4:22 left in the game. But instead of trying to run out the clock with a running play, the Cowboys called a pass play: 896 F Flat, with a post on one side and a curl on the other. Irvin switched places in the formation with Harper to catch the curl since Aikman had thrown there twice before, but Aikman threw to Harper on the post when the 49ers showed blitz and Harper caught it and turned it into a 70-yard gain to the 49ers 10-yard line. Three plays later, Aikman threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver [[Kelvin Martin (American football)|Kelvin Martin]] to clinch the victory (the extra point was blocked). Aikman finished with 332 passing yards and 2 touchdowns, with no interceptions.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NFC Championship - Dallas Cowboys at San Francisco 49ers - January 17th, 1993 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199301170sfo.htm |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |title=America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions - 1992 Dallas Cowboys |type=Documentary film |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyKIsbXztQg |publisher=NFL Films |access-date=December 15, 2024 |date=January 31, 2007 |via=[[YouTube]]}}</ref>

The Bills first defeated the [[1992 Houston Oilers season|Houston Oilers]] 41–38 in overtime, overcoming a 32-point deficit<ref>{{cite news|last=Moran|first=Malcolm|title=PRO FOOTBALL: Bills and Eagles Turn Mountains Into Molehill; Philadelphia Blitzes Saints|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/04/sports/pro-football-bills-eagles-turn-mountains-into-molehill-philadelphia-blitzes.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 4, 1993|access-date=December 6, 2016}}</ref> in what became known as "[[The Comeback (American football)|The Comeback]]".  Playing without Kelly or Bennett in the lineup, nothing seemed to go right for the Bills in the first half. The Bills' offense could only score a single field goal, while their defense played even worse, as Oilers quarterback [[Warren Moon]] passed for 222 yards and 4 touchdowns, and Houston jumped to a 28–3 halftime lead. The disaster only seemed to get worse in the second half, as Thomas was knocked out of the game with a hip injury, while backup quarterback [[Frank Reich]]'s first pass of the second half was intercepted by [[Bubba McDowell]] and returned 58 yards for a touchdown, making the score 35–3. However, the Bills suddenly stormed back to score five unanswered touchdowns to overcome the seemingly insurmountable deficit. First, [[Kenneth Davis (American football)|Kenneth Davis]] scored on a 1-yard touchdown run. Then Buffalo recovered an onside kick and immediately scored again on Reich's 36-yard touchdown pass to [[Don Beebe]]. Reich then threw touchdowns of 26 and 18 yards to [[Andre Reed]]. In the fourth quarter, Reich hit Reed with a 17-yard score to give the Bills a 38–35 lead. The Oilers kicked a field goal late in the game to send it into overtime, but [[Nate Odomes]]' interception in the extra period set up kicker [[Steve Christie]]'s game-winning field goal to give the Bills the biggest comeback win in NFL history at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wild Card - Houston Oilers at Buffalo Bills - January 3rd, 1993 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199301030buf.htm |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> The record was surpassed by the Minnesota Vikings' erasure of a 33-point deficit in their 39–36 routing of the Indianapolis Colts during week 15 of the 2022 NFL regular season, but the Buffalo victory remains the largest comeback win in NFL playoff history.<ref name="PHOF">{{cite web |url=http://www.profootballhof.com/football-history/greatest-comebacks-in-nfl-history/#postseason |title=Greatest Comebacks in NFL History | publisher=Pro Football Hall of Fame |access-date=July 12, 2016 | quote=Buffalo Bills-From 32 points behind to win}}</ref>

Buffalo then recorded a 24–3 win on the road against the [[1992 Pittsburgh Steelers season|Pittsburgh Steelers]], the [[AFC North|AFC Central]] champions with the AFC's best regular season record at 11–5. Although [[Jim Kelly]] and [[Thurman Thomas]] had not recovered enough to play in this game, Reich threw for 160 yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions, while Davis rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, the defense redeemed themselves after giving up 38 points against the Oilers by holding the Steelers to only a field goal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Divisional Round - Buffalo Bills at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 9th, 1993 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199301090pit.htm |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref>

The Bills then defeated the [[1992 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]] 29–10 in the AFC Championship Game.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFC Championship - Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins - January 17th, 1993 |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199301170mia.htm |access-date=2024-07-06 |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |language=en}}</ref> The Dolphins were coming off a 31–0 blowout playoff win over the [[1992 San Diego Chargers season|San Diego Chargers]]. But Buffalo's defense dominated the Dolphins' offense, intercepting quarterback [[Dan Marino]] twice, recovering three fumbles, and limiting Miami to just 33 rushing yards. Although Buffalo's offense had trouble scoring touchdowns because Kelly and Thomas were rusty coming back from their injuries, Christie scored five field goals to make up for the difference. Kelly did connect with Thomas on a screen pass for a 17-yard touchdown, and Davis ran it in from two yards out for another score. As a result, the Bills became the fourth [[wild card (sports)|wild-card]] team to advance to the Super Bowl.

This marked the first time since the [[AFL–NFL merger]] that the two Super Bowl teams each won their conference championship on the road, with Dallas winning in San Francisco and Buffalo in Miami. The only time  it happened prior to 1992 was in 1966 ([[Super Bowl I]]), when Kansas City won at Buffalo and Green Bay won at Dallas. This would happen again in 1997, with Green Bay winning in San Francisco and Denver in Pittsburgh; in 2012, with San Francisco winning in Atlanta and Baltimore in New England; and in 2018, with the Los Angeles Rams winning in New Orleans and New England in Kansas City.

===Super Bowl pre-game news and notes===
Even though the Bills had more experienced players than the Cowboys, Dallas was favored to win Super Bowl XXVII based on the recent dominance of NFC teams in the Super Bowl. Some writers and fans were starting to compare Buffalo to the Super Bowl losers [[Minnesota Vikings]] and the [[Denver Broncos]].

Still, many thought that the inexperienced Cowboys might panic under the pressure of playing in their first Super Bowl, and thus make a number of mistakes. Also, some thought Buffalo's no-huddle offense could eventually wear down and dominate Dallas' young defense.

Finally, [[Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)|Jimmy Johnson]] was looking to become the first head coach to win a [[College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS|college football national championship]] ([[Miami Hurricanes football|Miami]] in 1987) and a Super Bowl.

This became last of five Super Bowl games played at the [[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]] in Pasadena. Two other Super Bowl games were played nearby at the [[Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum]]. This was the last time that a Super Bowl was hosted in a different stadium than the city's NFL teams, as the Rose Bowl has long been considered more suitable than the Coliseum for the high-profile game. Los Angeles would not host another Super Bowl for almost three decades, since it [[History of the National Football League in Los Angeles|had no NFL teams from 1995 to 2015]], and having an NFL team in a market or region has long been a ''[[de jure]]'' requirement for bidding on the game.<ref name="ESPN20150519">{{cite web | url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/12916777/atlanta-miami-new-orleans-tampa-bidding-2019-2020-super-bowls | title=Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans, Tampa eye 2019, 2020 Super Bowls | publisher=ESPN | first=Mike | last=Triplett | date=May 19, 2015 | access-date=May 21, 2015}}</ref><ref>Kelly, Omar (November 6, 2014). [http://touch.sun-sentinel.com/#section/1098/article/p2p-81895130/ Dolphins will host New York Jets in London in 2015] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200118101012/http://touch.sun-sentinel.com/#section/1098/article/p2p-81895130/ |date=January 18, 2020 }}. ''South Florida Sun-Sentinel''. Retrieved November 6, 2014.</ref> Los Angeles hosted [[Super Bowl LVI]] in 2022 at [[SoFi Stadium]], and any other Los Angeles Super Bowl moving forward will be played there and not the Rose Bowl; since the 1990s the league has given preference in awarding the Super Bowl to brand new or recently renovated NFL stadiums, alongside a trend of teams [[Cleveland Browns relocation controversy#Aftermath and legacy|demanding public money or relocating]] to play in new stadiums.

As the [[Super Bowl#Home team designation|designated home team]] in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, the Cowboys elected to wear their home white uniforms with silver pants, forcing the Bills to wear their home blue uniforms with white pants.

This was the first meeting between Buffalo and Dallas since [[1984 NFL season|1984]], when the 0–11 [[1984 Buffalo Bills season|Bills]] won 14–3 at home, with [[Greg Bell (running back, born 1962)|Greg Bell]] running for an 85-yard touchdown on the game's first play. The loss cost the [[1984 Dallas Cowboys season|Cowboys]] a playoff berth, as they lost a tiebreaker with the NFC East rival [[1984 New York Giants season|Giants]].

==Broadcasting==
The game was broadcast on television in the United States by [[NFL on NBC|NBC]]. [[Dick Enberg]] served as the [[play-by-play]] announcer with [[color commentator]] [[Bob Trumpy]] in the broadcast booth. [[NFL on CBS|CBS]] was originally scheduled to broadcast Super Bowl XXVII, but the NFL allowed NBC and CBS to swap Super Bowls XXVI and XXVII so CBS could use Super Bowl XXVI as a strong lead-in for its coverage of the [[1992 Winter Olympics]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Draper |first=Kevin |date=February 5, 2018 |title=NBC's Super Bowl Win (Everyone Knows About the Olympics Now, Right?) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/05/sports/football/super-bowl-ratings.html |access-date=February 12, 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

[[Bob Costas]] hosted all the events with analyst [[Mike Ditka]], who joined NBC almost immediately after he was fired as head coach of the [[Chicago Bears]] earlier in January. Other contributors included former ''[[The Boston Globe|Boston Globe]]'' sportswriter [[Will McDonough]] (assigned to Buffalo's locker room); former [[Oakland Raiders|Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders]] tight end [[Todd Christensen]]; [[The Tonight Show with Jay Leno|''The Tonight Show'']] host [[Jay Leno]]; [[Cris Collinsworth]] (participating in an [[National Football League Experience|NFL Experience]] piece with Christensen as well as reporting from the Dallas locker room); former [[Los Angeles Lakers]] basketball player [[Magic Johnson]] (then working as a commentator for the ''[[NBA on NBC]]''; Johnson was assigned to an interview with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, running back Emmitt Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin); [[Paul Maguire]]; [[Gayle Gardner]]; [[Jim Lampley]] (who would replace Costas as host of ''[[The NFL on NBC pregame show|NFL Live]]'' for the [[1993 NFL season|following season]]); and ''[[Dateline NBC]]'' correspondent [[Deborah Roberts]] (producing a special report on the Michael Jackson halftime show). Also included was an interview with former [[New York Jets]] defensive end [[Dennis Byrd]] and his wife Angela in the first one-on-one interview since Byrd suffered a paralyzing neck injury (which he eventually recovered from) suffered in a collision with teammate [[Scott Mersereau]] during their game against [[Kansas City Chiefs|Kansas City]].

NBC's [[List of Super Bowl lead-out programs|Super Bowl lead-out program]] was the series debut of ''[[Homicide: Life on the Street]]''. This would be the third successful series to premiere after a [[Super Bowl]] (''[[The A-Team]]'', which premiered after [[Super Bowl XVII]], and ''[[The Wonder Years]]'', which premiered after [[Super Bowl XXII]], were the other two successful series).

Super Bowl XXVII was broadcast to 125 countries around the world. In addition to the United States, this Super Bowl was also broadcast in Canada on [[CTV Television Network|CTV]], in Germany on [[Tele 5]], in Mexico on [[Canal 5 (Televisa Network)|Canal 5]], in Australia on the ABC, in the [[Philippines]] on [[GMA Network]] and [[Southern Broadcasting Network|World TV 21]] and the United Kingdom on [[Channel 4]].

The ''NFL's Greatest Games'' episode ''A Man and His Moment'' features [[Jimmy Johnson (American football coach)|Jimmy Johnson]] reading excerpts from his book ''Turning the Thing Around: My Life in Football'', interspersed with game footage and audio from Super Bowl XXVII.  It was based on the Super Bowl XXVII highlight film, which had the same title as this episode.

==Entertainment==
===Pregame ceremonies===
The pre show featured [[The Rockettes]] dance company in a tribute to [[Film score|Hollywood music]] and [[cinema in the United States]]. Also featured were former [[Eagles (band)|Eagles]] singer [[Glenn Frey]] and [[Fleetwood Mac]].

====National anthem====
[[Country music]] singer [[Garth Brooks]] sang the national anthem. He was accompanied by actress [[Marlee Matlin]], who [[American Sign Language|signed]] the anthem for the deaf fans. Brooks very nearly did not perform the anthem—he left the stadium less than an hour before he was slated to sing, because of a dispute with NBC, regarding a video he asked them to air for the song "[[We Shall Be Free]]". Television producers spotted rocker [[Jon Bon Jovi]] in the crowd and were prepared to have him perform the anthem, until Brooks was finally coaxed back into the stadium.

====Coin toss====
The [[coin flipping|coin toss]] ceremony featured a future infamous celebrity, former Bills running back [[O. J. Simpson]], who was working for NBC Sports at the time.

===Halftime show===
{{Main|Super Bowl XXVII halftime show}}
After [[Super Bowl XXVI]], where a special episode of ''[[In Living Color]]'', broadcast by [[Fox NFL|future NFL broadcaster]] [[Fox network|Fox]] [[Super Bowl counterprogramming|during]] the game's halftime period, successfully attracted viewers away from the Super Bowl telecast on [[CBS]] (with viewership falling by 22% over halftime), the NFL began the process of heightening the profile of the halftime show in an effort to attract mainstream viewers. Radio City Productions, who would produce the halftime show, attempted to court [[Michael Jackson]] to serve as the headline act by meeting with him and his manager [[Sandy Gallin]]. After three failed negotiations, one having asked the NFL for a fee of $1 million, Jackson's management agreed to allow him to perform at Super Bowl XXVII.<ref name=nyt-jacksonredefine>{{cite news|last=Sandomir|first=Richard|title=How Jackson Redefined the Super Bowl|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/sports/football/30sandomir.html?_r=0|work=The New York Times|access-date=February 1, 2013|date=June 30, 2009}}</ref><ref name="trib-goalofspectacle">{{cite news|last=Miers|first=Jeff|date=February 1, 2019|title=Michael Jackson Changed Super Bowl Halftime Shows Forever|work=Buffalonews.com|url=https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/jeff-miers-michael-jackson-changed-super-bowl-halftime-shows-forever/article_d087d825-dc55-5d34-ab5f-9c0b3c91ba01.html|access-date=January 9, 2021}}</ref><ref name="lat-tacklessuperbowl">{{cite web|last1=Weinstien|first1=Steve|title=Fox Tackles Super Bowl With Sly Plan : Television: The 'rebel network' hopes to siphon off viewers from CBS with a halftime show of its own featuring the gang from 'In Living Color.'|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-01-25-ca-724-story.html|website=Los Angeles Times|date=January 25, 1992 |access-date=November 15, 2016}}</ref>

Although the league does not pay appearance fees for Super Bowl halftime performers, the NFL and [[Frito-Lay]] agreed to donate $100,000 to the [[Heal the World Foundation]]—a charity that was founded by Jackson, as well as commercial time to air an appeal for the foundation's Heal L.A. campaign, which aimed to provide health care, drug education, and mentorship for Los Angeles youth, particularly children affected by the aftermath of the [[1992 Los Angeles riots]].<ref name="lat-healla">{{Cite web |last=Rivera |first=Carla |date=January 27, 1993 |title=Heal the Kids : Rebuilding: Michael Jackson announces a $1.25-million program to help children in riot-torn areas. Drug education, immunizations and mentor services will be provided. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-01-27-me-1822-story.html |access-date=January 26, 2017 |website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref name=nyt-jacksonredefine/><ref name="SeattleTimesPabst">{{cite news|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19930208/1684302/jacksons-foundation-aimed-at-helping-children|title=Jackson's Foundation Aimed At Helping Children|last=Pabst|first=Georgia|date=February 8, 1993|newspaper=[[The Seattle Times]]|access-date=August 12, 2009|archive-date=September 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913045746/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19930208&slug=1684302|url-status=live}}</ref>

Jackson's set included a medley consisting of "[[Jam (Michael Jackson song)|Jam]]" (with the beginning of "Why You Wanna Trip On Me"), "[[Billie Jean]]" and "[[Black or White]]" (with the beginning of "[[Another Part of Me]]"). The finale featured an audience [[card stunt]], a video montage showing Jackson participating in various [[humanitarianism|humanitarian]] efforts around the world, and a choir of 3,500 local Los Angeles area children singing "[[We Are the World]]", later joining Jackson as he sang his single "[[Heal the World]]".

The halftime show was a major success, marking the first time in Super Bowl history that ratings increased between halves during the game with a whopping 133.4 million people tuning in, making it the most watched Halftime Show at the time.<ref name=trib-goalofspectacle/> Nine days later, Jackson would give the most watched television interview of all time with [[Oprah Winfrey]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/8105428/Michael-Jacksons-brother-angry-at-Oprah-Winfrey-visit.html|date=November 2, 2010|title=Michael Jackson's brother angry at Oprah Winfrey visit |work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]}}</ref>
 
{{hidden
| headercss = background: #ccccff; font-size: 100%; width: 65%;
| contentcss = text-align: left; font-size: 100%; width: 65%;
| header = Super Bowl XXVII halftime show
| content =
#"[[Jam (Michael Jackson song)|Jam]]"{{efn|contains instrumental intro from "Why You Wanna Trip on Me"}} (0:52)
#"[[Billie Jean]]" (1:03)
#"[[Black or White]]"{{efn|contains instrumental intro from "[[Another Part of Me]]"}} (2:42)
#"[[We Are the World]]" (1:01)
#"[[Heal the World]]" (3:46)
{{notelist}}
}}

==Game summary==

===First quarter===
The game got off to a promising start for Buffalo. After both teams were forced to punt on their opening possessions, Bills wide receiver [[Steve Tasker]] blocked Cowboys punter [[Mike Saxon]]'s ensuing punt, knocking the ball out of bounds at the Dallas 16-yard line. Four plays later, running back [[Thurman Thomas]] scored on a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Bills the 7–0 early lead.

Dallas then reached their own 40-yard line on their next drive, but an illegal formation penalty on offensive tackle [[Mark Tuinei]] nullified running back [[Emmitt Smith]]'s 12-yard run. Quarterback [[Troy Aikman]] then threw two consecutive incompletions, and the Cowboys were forced to punt again. The Bills subsequently advanced to midfield with the aid of a roughing the passer penalty on Cowboys defensive tackle [[Leon Lett]] and a 21-yard pass from quarterback [[Jim Kelly]] to wide receiver [[Andre Reed]].

Then the wave of turnovers began. On the next play, a blitz by safety [[Kenneth Gant]] led to Kelly throwing an interception to safety [[James Washington (safety)|James Washington]], who returned the ball 13 yards to the Bills 47-yard line. Six plays later, aided by a 20-yard reception by wide receiver [[Michael Irvin]] on 3rd-and-16, the Cowboys tied the game on Aikman's 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end [[Jay Novacek]].

Buffalo had to start at their own 10 following the ensuing kickoff due to an illegal block by Bills linebacker [[Mark Maddox]].<ref name="USA Today Super Bowl XXVII Play by Play">{{cite news|title=Super Bowl XXVII play-by-play|url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/nfl/super/superbowl-xxvii-plays.htm|work=USA Today|date=January 11, 2002|access-date=August 25, 2011|publisher=USATODAY.com}}</ref> On the first play of the drive, defensive end [[Charles Haley]] strip-sacked Kelly, and defensive tackle [[Jimmie Jones]] picked the ball out of the air at the 2-yard line and dove into the end zone for a touchdown to give Dallas a 14–7 lead. The Cowboys had scored two touchdowns in a span of 15 seconds, the shortest time between touchdowns in Super Bowl history.

The Cowboys nearly forced yet another turnover when Bills wide receiver [[Brad Lamb (American football)|Brad Lamb]] returned the ensuing kickoff 33 yards to the Buffalo 37-yard line before Gant stripped the ball from him, but linebacker [[Keith Goganious]] recovered the ball for Buffalo on the 42. Running back [[Kenneth Davis (American football)|Kenneth Davis]] then ran twice for a gain of 14 yards to end the first quarter.

===Second quarter===
On the first play of the second quarter, Kelly's 40-yard completion to Reed set up 1st-and-goal for the Bills at the Cowboys' 4-yard line. However, the Dallas defense immediately tightened up as Buffalo failed to score on three rushing attempts, with linebacker [[Ken Norton Jr.]] meeting Davis in a hole inside the 1-yard line on third down and driving him backwards. On fourth down, Kelly threw a pass that safety [[Thomas Everett]] intercepted in the end zone for a touchback.

Despite being forced to punt following Everett's interception, Dallas began to take over the game from there. On Buffalo's next drive, Norton delivered a hard hit on Kelly that re-injured the latter's knee, which he sprained earlier in the season, and playoff star [[Frank Reich]] took Kelly's place. Reich started out well, completing his first two passes, including a 38-yard completion to Reed to advance the ball to the Dallas 22-yard line, while Davis was also a major contributor on the drive, rushing five times for 28 yards. However, Thomas was stopped for no gain on 3rd-and-1 at the 4-yard line. Rather than attempt another fourth-down play near the goal line, the Bills settled for kicker [[Steve Christie]]'s 21-yard field goal to cut their deficit to 14–10 with 3:24 left in the half.

The Cowboys exploded in the closing minutes of the first half. First, they responded to the Bills' field goal on their next possession with a 5-play, 72-yard drive, which consisted of a pair of passes from Aikman to Smith and Novacek for 17 yards, followed by a 38-yard run by Smith to give Dallas a first down inside the Buffalo 20-yard line as the half came to the two-minute warning. Aikman then finished the drive with a 19-yard touchdown pass to Irvin, increasing the lead to 21–10. On the first play of the Bills' ensuing drive, Thomas caught a swing pass from Reich, but fumbled the ball while being tackled by Lett, and Jones recovered it at the Buffalo 18-yard line. Aikman then threw another touchdown pass to Irvin to give Dallas a 28–10 lead (Irvin's two touchdown receptions made him the seventh player to do so in a Super Bowl. Irvin also became the second player, after [[Washington Redskins]] wide receiver [[Ricky Sanders]] in [[Super Bowl XXII]], to catch two touchdowns in a single quarter. Furthermore, Irvin's two catches occurred in a span of 18 seconds, the fastest pair of touchdowns scored by the same player in Super Bowl history).

With just over a minute left in the first half, the Bills barely avoided another turnover when Davis recovered a fumbled handoff from Reich. But two plays later, cornerback [[Larry Brown (cornerback)|Larry Brown]] intercepted Reich's pass at the Dallas 28-yard line to preserve the Cowboys' 18-point lead at halftime.

===Third quarter===
Dallas then took the opening drive of the second half and advanced 77 yards in 11 plays, which included two receptions by Irvin for 37 yards and four runs by Smith for 28 yards. However, on 3rd-and-goal at the Buffalo 2-yard line, Aikman's pass to Novacek in the end zone was overthrown, forcing Dallas to settle for kicker [[Lin Elliott]]'s 20-yard field goal, increasing their lead to 31–10. After the Bills' next possession resulted in a punt and the Cowboys' resulted in a turnover on downs, Buffalo responded to Dallas' field goal with a 5-play, 61-yard drive, which ended with Reich's 40-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver [[Don Beebe]] on the last play of the quarter. Despite their five turnovers in the first half, Buffalo only trailed Dallas 31–17 going into the final quarter, and after their [[The Comeback (American football)|comeback from the 32-point deficit to the Houston Oilers in the Wild Card game]], a two-touchdown comeback seemed perfectly within their capabilities.

===Fourth quarter===
However, the Cowboys tightened up on both offense and defense, and held the Bills scoreless for the rest of the game. On Dallas' next possession, Smith fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Aikman, but resulted in a 12-yard loss. Two plays later, Aikman completed an 18-yard pass to Smith, but it brought up 4th-and-1 and the Cowboys punted. During the punt, Bills cornerback [[Cliff Hicks]] fumbled the catch and had to fall on the ball at the Buffalo 12. From there, the Bills did not gain a yard and punted back to the Cowboys. After an 11-yard run by Smith, Aikman threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to wide [[Alvin Harper]], giving Dallas a 38–17 lead, and essentially putting the game away.<ref name="pfr sb XXVII">{{cite web|title=Super Bowl XXVII Full Play by Play|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199301310buf.htm#pbp_132|publisher=Pro Football Reference}}</ref> However, the Cowboys were not done adding to their lead. On the second play of the Bills' next possession, Everett intercepted a pass from Reich and returned it 22 yards to the Buffalo 8-yard line, setting up another touchdown three plays later on Smith's 10-yard run. Two plays after Buffalo received the ensuing kickoff, Reich fumbled a high snap while in a [[shotgun formation]]. Norton recovered the loose ball and returned it 9 yards for a touchdown, capping off the scoring at 52–17. The 21 points by the Cowboys is the most for a team in the 4th quarter, matched by the Kansas City Chiefs in [[Super Bowl LIV]].<ref name="Records">{{Cite web |url=https://nflcommunications.com/Documents/2018%20Record%20and%20Fact%20Book%20(8.6.18).pdf |title=Super Bowl Records |date=August 14, 2018 |website=2018 Official National Football League Record and Fact Book |publisher=National Football League |access-date=January 14, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Reference">{{cite web|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/super-bowl/ | title=Super Bowl History|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|website=[[Pro-Football-Reference.com]]|access-date=December 6, 2012}}</ref> The Cowboys also became just the second team to score two defensive touchdowns in a Super Bowl. The Raiders also did so in [[Super Bowl XVIII]] with a blocked punt return and an interception return.

One of the more memorable moments of the game came after the Cowboys had built a 35-point lead. Cowboys defensive end [[Jim Jeffcoat]] strip-sacked Reich, and Lett picked up the ball with no one in front of him, appearing ready to score on a 64-yard fumble return, but Beebe ran a showboating Lett down from behind and stripped him of the ball just before he crossed the goal line, as the ball rolled out of the end zone for a touchback. Lett would redeem himself when he sacked Reich to end the game and give the Cowboys their first championship title since [[Super Bowl XII|1978]]. After the game, in an otherwise dejected Buffalo locker room, Bills owner [[Ralph Wilson]] went straight to Beebe and thanked him for his hustle and perseverance.

Smith was the top rusher of the game, rushing for 108 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 6 passes for 27 yards. Irvin was the Cowboys' leading receiver with 6 receptions for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns. Novacek added 7 receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. Lett recorded a sack, a fumble recovery, and 2 forced fumbles.

Reich and Kelly combined for 22 out of 38 completions for 276 yards and a touchdown, but also threw 4 interceptions. Thomas, who gained 2,113 combined rushing and receiving yards during the season, was held to just 29 combined rushing and receiving yards in the game. Reed was the Bills' top receiver with 8 receptions for 152 yards. Bills running back [[Kenneth Davis (American football)|Kenneth Davis]] was their leading rusher with 86 yards. Davis also caught 3 passes for 16 yards and returned a kickoff for 21 yards, giving him 123 total yards.

Buffalo had seven possessions which ended in four plays or less because of turnovers and resulted in five Dallas touchdowns.<ref name="USA Today Super Bowl XXVII Play by Play"/> Irvin and Bills receiver [[Andre Reed]] each had over 100 yards receiving, making it the first time players from different teams had at least 100 yards receiving in a Super Bowl; Irvin had 114 yards, while Reed had 152. Reed's total is the highest for a player on a losing team.

===Postgame notes===

By virtue of his national championship with Miami in 1987, Jimmy Johnson also became the first coach to win both an NCAA Division I-A/[[Football Bowl Subdivision|FBS]] national championship and a Super Bowl. Only two coaches have since accomplished the feat: Johnson's Cowboys successor [[Barry Switzer]] of [[Oklahoma Sooners football|Oklahoma]] and [[Pete Carroll]] of [[USC Trojans football|USC]] and [[Seattle Seahawks|Seattle]].

Aikman, Irvin and Norton also provided commentary for the 1992 Cowboys' installment of ''[[America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions]]'', narrated by [[Alec Baldwin]]. The 1992 Cowboys were also ranked 5th out of the first 40 Super Bowl winning teams as selected by a 53-person panel of "[[Blue ribbon|Blue Ribbon]]" experts on the NFL and were the highest-placing Cowboys team.<ref name="Larry Stewart">{{cite news |last=Stewart |first=Larry |author-link=Larry Stewart (journalist) |url=http://www.latimes.com/sports/custom/extras/la-spw-tvcol17nov17,1,3858969.column?coll=la-sports-extras&ctrack=1&cset=true |title=The most super of Super Bowl winners? NFL Network will rank the top 20 |access-date=January 28, 2007 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}{{dead link|date=June 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

===Box score===
{{Americanfootballbox | bg=#eee
|titlestyle=text-align:center; {{NFLPrimaryStyle|NFL|border=2}};
|title=Super Bowl XXVII: Dallas Cowboys 52, Buffalo Bills 17
|Road=Bills (AFC)
|R1=7 |R2=3 |R3=7 |R4=0
|Home='''Cowboys (NFC)'''
|H1=14 |H2=14 |H3=3 |H4=21
|stadium=[[Rose Bowl (stadium)|Rose Bowl]], [[Pasadena, California]]
|date=January 31, 1993
|time=3:25 p.m. [[Pacific Time Zone|PST]]
|weather={{convert|61|°F|°C}}, sunny<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=BUF |HomeName=DAL |state=expanded}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=1 |Time=10:00 |Team=BUF |DrivePlays=4 |DriveLength=16 |DriveTime=1:40 |Type=RushTD |Runner=[[Thurman Thomas]] |yards=2 |kickresult=good |Kicker=[[Steve Christie]] |Visitor=7 |Home=0}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=1 |Time=1:36 |Team=DAL |DrivePlays=6 |DriveLength=47 |DriveTime=3:04 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=[[Jay Novacek]] |QB=[[Troy Aikman]] |yards=23 |kickresult=good |Kicker=[[Lin Elliott]] |Visitor=7 |Home=7}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=1 |Time=1:21 |Team=DAL |DrivePlays=— |DriveLength=— |DriveTime=— |Type=FumbleTD |Def=[[Jimmie Jones]] |yards=2 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Elliott |Visitor=7 |Home=14}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=2 |Time=3:24 |Team=BUF |DrivePlays=12 |DriveLength=82 |DriveTime=4:46 |Type=FG |yards=21 |Kicker=Christie |Visitor=10 |Home=14}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=2 |Time=1:54 |Team=DAL |DrivePlays=5 |DriveLength=72 |DriveTime=1:30 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=[[Michael Irvin]] |QB=Aikman |yards=19 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Elliott |Visitor=10 |Home=21}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=2 |Time=1:36 |Team=DAL |DrivePlays=1 |DriveLength=18 |DriveTime=0:07 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=Irvin |QB=Aikman |yards=18 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Elliott |Visitor=10 |Home=28}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=3 |Time=8:21 |Team=DAL |DrivePlays=12 |DriveLength=77 |DriveTime=6:39 |Type=FG |yards=20 |Kicker=Elliott |Visitor=10 |Home=31}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=3 |Time=0:00 |Team=BUF |DrivePlays=5 |DriveLength=61 |DriveTime=2:10 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=[[Don Beebe]] |QB=[[Frank Reich]] |yards=40 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Christie |Visitor=17 |Home=31}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=4 |Time=10:04 |Team=DAL |DrivePlays=2 |DriveLength=56 |DriveTime=0:50 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=[[Alvin Harper]] |QB=Aikman |yards=45 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Elliott |Visitor=17 |Home=38}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=4 |Time=8:12 |Team=DAL |DrivePlays=3 |DriveLength=8 |DriveTime=1:29 |Type=RushTD |Runner=[[Emmitt Smith]] |yards=10 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Elliott |Visitor=17 |Home=45}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=4 |Time=7:31 |Team=DAL |DrivePlays=— |DriveLength=— |DriveTime=— |Type=FumbleTD |Def=[[Ken Norton Jr.]] |yards=9 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Elliott |Visitor=17 |Home=52}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEnd |Visitor=17 |Home=52}}

==Final statistics==
Sources:  [http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history/boxscore/sbxxvii NFL.com Super Bowl XXVII], [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/play_finder.cgi?request=1&super_bowl=1&match=summary_all&year_min=1966&year_max=1992&team_id=dal&opp_id=buf&quarter=1&quarter=2&quarter=3&quarter=4&quarter=5&tr_gtlt=lt&minutes=15&seconds=00&down=0&down=1&down=2&down=3&down=4&yg_gtlt=gt&is_first_down=-1&field_pos_min_field=team&field_pos_max_field=team&end_field_pos_min_field=team&end_field_pos_max_field=team&type=PASS&type=RUSH&type=PUNT&type=KOFF&type=ONSD&type=FG&type=XP&type=2PCR&type=2PCP&is_complete=-1&is_turnover=-1&turnover_type=interception&turnover_type=fumble&is_scoring=-1&score_type=touchdown&score_type=field_goal&score_type=safety&is_sack=-1&include_kneels=-1&no_play=0&order_by=yards Super Bowl XXVII Play Finder Dal], [https://www.pro-football-reference.com/play-index/play_finder.cgi?request=1&super_bowl=1&match=summary_all&year_min=1966&year_max=1992&team_id=buf&opp_id=dal&quarter=1&quarter=2&quarter=3&quarter=4&quarter=5&tr_gtlt=lt&minutes=15&seconds=00&down=0&down=1&down=2&down=3&down=4&yg_gtlt=gt&is_first_down=-1&field_pos_min_field=team&field_pos_max_field=team&end_field_pos_min_field=team&end_field_pos_max_field=team&type=PASS&type=RUSH&type=PUNT&type=KOFF&type=ONSD&type=FG&type=XP&type=2PCR&type=2PCP&is_complete=-1&is_turnover=-1&turnover_type=interception&turnover_type=fumble&is_scoring=-1&score_type=touchdown&score_type=field_goal&score_type=safety&is_sack=-1&include_kneels=-1&no_play=0&order_by=yards Super Bowl XXVII Play Finder Buf]

===Statistical comparison===
{| class="wikitable"
!
!'''Buffalo Bills'''
!'''Dallas Cowboys'''
|-
|First downs||22||20
|-
|First downs rushing||7||9
|-
|First downs passing||11||11
|-
|First downs penalty||4||0
|-
|Third down efficiency||5/11||5/11
|-
|Fourth down efficiency||0/2||0/1
|-
|Net yards rushing||108||137
|-
|Rushing attempts||29||29
|-
|Yards per rush||3.7||4.7
|-
|Passing – Completions/attempts||22/38||22/30
|-
|Times sacked-total yards||4–22||1–2
|-
|Interceptions thrown||4||0
|-
|Net yards passing||254||271
|-
|Total net yards||362||408
|-
|Punt returns-total yards||1–0||3–35
|-
|Kickoff returns-total yards||4–90||4–79
|-
|Interceptions-total return yards||0–0||4–35
|-
|Punts-average yardage||3–45.3||4–32.8
|-
|Fumbles-lost||8–5||4–2
|-
|Penalties-total yards||4–30||8–53
|-
|Time of possession||28:48||31:12
|-
|Turnovers||9||1
|-
|}

===Individual statistics===
{{col-float|width=50%}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="6" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Buffalo Bills|border=2}};"|Bills passing
|-
! 
!C/ATT<sup>1</sup>
!Yds
!TD
!INT
!Rating
|-
|[[Frank Reich]]
|18/31
|194
|1
|2
|60.4
|-
|[[Jim Kelly]]
|4/7
|82
|0
|2
|58.9
|-
! colspan="6" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Buffalo Bills|border=2}};"|Bills rushing
|-
!
!Car<sup>2</sup>
!Yds
!TD
!LG<sup>3</sup>
!Yds/Car
|-
|[[Kenneth Davis (American football)|Kenneth Davis]]
|15
|86
|0
|14
|5.73
|-
|[[Thurman Thomas]]
|11
|19
|1
|9
|1.73
|-
|[[Carwell Gardner]]
|1
|3
|0
|3
|3.00
|-
|Frank Reich
|2
|0
|0
|0
|0.00
|-
! colspan="6" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Buffalo Bills|border=2}};"|Bills receiving
|-
!
!Rec<sup>4</sup>
!Yds
!TD
!LG<sup>3</sup>
!Target<sup>5</sup>
|-
|[[Andre Reed]]
|8
|152
|0
|40
|10
|-
|Thurman Thomas
|4
|10
|0
|7
|4
|-
|Kenneth Davis
|3
|16
|0
|13
|4
|-
|[[Don Beebe]]
|2
|50
|1
|40
|5
|-
|[[Steve Tasker]]
|2
|30
|0
|16
|3
|-
|[[Pete Metzelaars]]
|2
|12
|0
|7
|3
|-
|[[Keith McKeller]]
|1
|6
|0
|6
|2
|-
|[[James Lofton]]
|0
|0
|0
|0
|6
|-
|Carwell Gardner
|0
|0
|0
|0
|1
|-
|}
{{col-float-break|width=50%}}
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="6" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|border=2}};"|Cowboys passing
|-
! 
!C/ATT<sup>1</sup>
!Yds
!TD
!INT
!Rating
|-
|[[Troy Aikman]]
|22/30
|273
|4
|0
|140.7
|-
! colspan="6" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|border=2}};"|Cowboys rushing
|-
! 
!Car<sup>2</sup>
!Yds
!TD
!LG<sup>3</sup>
!Yds/Car
|-
|[[Emmitt Smith]]
|22
|108
|1
|38
|4.91
|-
|Troy Aikman
|3
|28
|0
|19
|9.33
|-
|[[Derrick Gainer (American football)|Derrick Gainer]]
|2
|1
|0
|1
|0.50
|-
|[[Steve Beuerlein]]
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0.00
|-
|[[Daryl Johnston]]
|1
|0
|0
|0
|0.00
|-
! colspan="6" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|border=2}};"|Cowboys receiving
|-
!
!Rec<sup>4</sup>
!Yds
!TD
!LG<sup>3</sup>
!Target<sup>5</sup>
|-
|[[Jay Novacek]]
|7
|72
|1
|23
|10
|-
|[[Michael Irvin]]
|6
|114
|2
|25
|8
|-
|Emmitt Smith
|6
|27
|0
|18
|6
|-
|Daryl Johnston
|2
|15
|0
|8
|2
|-
|[[Alvin Harper]]
|1
|45
|1
|45
|1
|-
|[[Kelvin Martin (American football)|Kelvin Martin]]
|0
|0
|0
|0
|1
|-
|}
{{col-float-end}}

<sup>1</sup>Completions/attempts
<sup>2</sup>Carries
<sup>3</sup>Long gain
<sup>4</sup>Receptions
<sup>5</sup>Times targeted

===Records set===
The following records were set in Super Bowl XXVII, according to the official NFL.com boxscore<ref name="boxscore">{{cite web|title=Super Bowl XXVII box score|url=http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history/boxscore/sbxxvii|publisher=NFL Enterprises, LLC|website=NFL.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071020080959/http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history/boxscore/sbxxvii|archive-date=October 20, 2007|access-date=March 13, 2023|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the Pro-Football-Reference.com game summary.<ref name="Stats" />

{| class="wikitable"
!colspan=3 | Player Records Set<ref name="Stats">{{cite web |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199301310buf.htm |title=Super Bowl XXVII statistics |website=[[Pro Football Reference]] |access-date=November 6, 2016}}</ref>
|-
|Most receptions, career || 21 || Andre Reed
|-
|Most fumble return yards, game || 64 || rowspan=2 | [[Leon Lett]]<br />(Dallas)
|-
|Longest fumble return || 64 yards
|-
!colspan=3 | Records Tied
|- style="border-bottom: 2px solid gray"
|Most fumbles, game || 3 || Frank Reich
|-
|Most fumbles recovered, game || 2 || rowspan=3 | [[Jimmie Jones]]<br />(Dallas)
|-
|Most fumbles recovered, career || 2
|- style="border-bottom: 2px solid gray" 
|Most fumble returns for touchdowns, game || 1
|-
|Most fumble returns for touchdowns, game || 1 || [[Ken Norton]]<br />(Dallas)
|-
|Most (one point) extra points, game || 7 || [[Lin Elliott]]<br />(Dallas)
|}

{{col-float|width=50%}}
{| class="wikitable"
!colspan=3 | Team Records Set<ref name="Stats" />
|-
|Most Super Bowl appearances || 6 || rowspan=3 | Cowboys
|-
|Most points, fourth quarter || 21
|- style="border-bottom: 2px solid gray"
|Most fumble returns for touchdowns, game || 2
|-
|Most consecutive Super Bowl losses|| 3||rowspan=4 | Bills
|-
|Most fumbles, game || 8
|-
|Most fumbles lost, game || 5
|- style="border-bottom: 2px solid gray"
|Most turnovers, game || 9
|-
!colspan=3 | Records Tied
|-
|Most consecutive Super Bowl appearances || 3 || rowspan=2 | Bills
|- style="border-bottom: 2px solid gray" 
|Most first downs, penalty || 4
|-
|Most points, first quarter || 14 || rowspan=3 style="border-bottom: 2px solid gray" | Cowboys
|-
|Most (one point) PATs || 7
|- style="border-bottom: 2px solid gray"
|Most Interceptions by || 4
|}

Turnovers are defined as the number of times losing the ball on interceptions and fumbles.

{{col-float-break|width=50%}}

{| class="wikitable"
!colspan=4|Records Set, both team totals<ref name="Stats" />
|-
! !!{{0}}{{0}}Total{{0}}{{0}} !!Cowboys!!{{0}}{{0}}Bills{{0}}{{0}} 
|-align=center
|align=left | Most points || 69 || 52 || 17
|-align=center
|align=left | Most points, first quarter || 21 || 14 || 7
|-align=center
|align=left | Most fumbles || 12 || 4 || 8
|-align=center
|align=left | Most fumbles lost || 7 || 2 || 5
|-
!colspan=4 | Records tied, both team totals
|-align=center
|align=left | Most touchdowns || 9 || 7 || 2 
|-align=center
|align=left | Most (one point) PATs || 9 || (7–7) || (2–2)
|-align=center
|align=left | Most Turnovers || 11 || 2 || 9
|}
{{col-float-end}}

==Starting lineups==
Source:<ref>{{cite web|title=Super Bowl XXVII – National Football League Game Summary|url=http://www.nflgsis.com/1992/Post/04/16515/Gamebook.pdf|publisher=National Football League|date=January 31, 1993|access-date=January 3, 2016}}</ref><ref>Neft, David S., Cohen, Richard M., and Korch, Rick. ''The Complete History of Professional Football from 1892 to the Present''. 1994 {{ISBN|0-312-11435-4}}</ref>

{{hilite|Hall of Fame‡|#FFCC00}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! style="width:100px" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Buffalo Bills|border=2}};" | Buffalo !! Position !! Position !! style="width:100px" style="{{NFLPrimaryStyle|Dallas Cowboys|border=2}};" | Dallas
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" | '''Offense'''
|-
| bgcolor="#FFCC00" | [[James Lofton]]‡ || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | WR || [[Alvin Harper]]
|-
| [[Will Wolford]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | LT || [[Mark Tuinei]]
|-
| [[Jim Ritcher]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | LG || [[Nate Newton]]
|-
| [[Kent Hull]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | C || [[Mark Stepnoski]]
|-
| [[Glenn Parker]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | RG || [[John Gesek]]
|-
| [[Howard Ballard]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | RT || [[Erik Williams]]
|-
| [[Pete Metzelaars]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | TE || [[Jay Novacek]]
|-
| bgcolor="#FFCC00" | [[Andre Reed]]‡ || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | WR || bgcolor="#FFCC00" | [[Michael Irvin]]‡
|-
| bgcolor="#FFCC00" | [[Jim Kelly]]‡ || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | QB || bgcolor="#FFCC00" | [[Troy Aikman]]‡
|-
| bgcolor="#FFCC00" | [[Thurman Thomas]]‡ || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | RB || bgcolor="#FFCC00" | [[Emmitt Smith]]‡
|-
| [[Don Beebe]] || style="text-align:center;" | WR || style="text-align:center;" | FB || [[Daryl Johnston]]
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" | '''Defense'''
|-
| [[Phil Hansen (American football)|Phil Hansen]] || style="text-align:center;" | DE || style="text-align:center;" | LE || [[Tony Tolbert]]
|-
| [[Jeff Wright (defensive tackle)|Jeff Wright]] || style="text-align:center;" | NT || style="text-align:center;" | LT || [[Russell Maryland]]
|-
| bgcolor="#FFCC00" | [[Bruce Smith]]‡ || style="text-align:center;" | DE || style="text-align:center;" | RT || [[Tony Casillas]]
|-
| [[Marvcus Patton]] || style="text-align:center;" | LB || style="text-align:center;" | RE || bgcolor="#FFCC00" | [[Charles Haley]]‡
|-
| [[Shane Conlan]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | LB || [[Vinson Smith]]
|-
| [[Cornelius Bennett]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | LB || [[Robert Jones (linebacker)|Robert Jones]]
|-
| [[Darryl Talley]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | LB || [[Ken Norton Jr.]]
|-
| [[James Williams (defensive back)|James Williams]] || style="text-align:center;" | LCB || style="text-align:center;" | CB || [[Kevin Smith (cornerback)|Kevin Smith]]
|-
| [[Nate Odomes]] || style="text-align:center;" | RCB || style="text-align:center;" | CB || [[Larry Brown (cornerback)|Larry Brown]]
|-
| [[Henry Jones (American football)|Henry Jones]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | SS || [[Thomas Everett]]
|-
| [[Mark Kelso]] || colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | FS || [[James Washington (safety)|James Washington]]
|}

==Officials==
*'''Referee:''' [[Dick Hantak]] #105 second Super Bowl (XVII as back judge)
*'''Umpire:''' [[Ron Botchan]] #110 second Super Bowl (XX)
*'''Head Linesman:''' Ron Phares #10 first Super Bowl
*'''Line Judge:''' Dick McKenzie #41 second Super Bowl (XXV)
*'''Back Judge:''' [[James Richard Poole|Jim Poole]] #92 second Super Bowl (XXI)
*'''Side Judge:''' [[Dean Look]] #49 third Super Bowl (XIII, XV)
*'''Field Judge:''' Donnie Hampton #44 first (and only) Super Bowl
*'''Alternate Referee:''' [[Dale Hamer]] #104 (head linesman for XVII and XXII)
*'''Alternate Umpire:''' John Keck #67 (alternate for XV, umpire for XXX)

For the first (and to date only) time in Super Bowl history, officials changed shirts at halftime, going from short sleeves in the first half to long sleeves for the second.

Donnie Hampton died January 30, 1995, at age 47, one day after [[Super Bowl XXIX]].

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{YouTube|id=qMmcIR9maQs|title=Super Bowl XXVII: NFL Full Game}}
*[http://www.superbowl.com/ Super Bowl official website]
*{{cite book | title=2006 NFL Record and Fact Book | date=July 25, 2006 | publisher=Time Inc. Home Entertainment | isbn=1-933405-32-5 | url=https://archive.org/details/2006nflrecordfac00edit }}
*{{cite book | title=Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League | date=July 25, 2006 | publisher=[[HarperCollins]] | isbn=1-933405-32-5 | url=https://archive.org/details/2006nflrecordfac00edit }}
*{{cite book | title=The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995 | isbn=0-89204-523-X| publisher=Sporting News| date=February 1995}}
*http://www.pro-football-reference.com – Large online database of NFL data and statistics
*[https://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/super/superbowl-plays.htm Super Bowl play-by-plays] from [[USA Today]] (Last accessed September 28, 2005)
*[http://www.sportsnetwork.com/default.asp?c=sportsnetwork&page=nfl/superbowl/2005/superbowl-alltime-odds.htm All-Time Super Bowl Odds]{{dead link|date=October 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} from The Sports Network (Last accessed October 16, 2005)
*[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199301310buf.htm Super Bowl XXVII Box Score] at [[Pro Football Reference]]

{{Super Bowl}}
{{Super Bowl XXVII}}
{{Dallas Cowboys}}
{{Buffalo Bills}}
{{1992 NFL season by team}}
{{NFLC-SuperBowl}}
{{NFL on NBC}}

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[[Category:Buffalo Bills postseason]]
[[Category:Dallas Cowboys postseason]]
[[Category:Super Bowl]]
[[Category:Sports competitions in Pasadena, California]]
[[Category:American football competitions in Los Angeles County, California]]
[[Category:1992 NFL season]]
[[Category:1993 in American football]]
[[Category:1993 in sports in California]]
[[Category:20th century in Pasadena, California]]
[[Category:January 1993 sports events in the United States]]
[[Category:1993 in American sports]]
[[Category:1993 in American television]]