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| Setting the Stage | Scoring Summary | The Game | Stats | Fan Comments | Links |
 Setting the Stage:
I think we each experienced those games in different ways, because we had a different history going in. Mine was as a lifelong fan, who had never seen the Redskins even in a playoff game until the '71 season, Allen's first year. Season after season of losses. Season after season when locals would cheer for the Colts because they won all the time.
Then the dissapointment of SB7, thinking, "No, Billy, how could you throw that interception", and then, "Oh, if only Sonny could play".
Then years of good football teams, but not class-A contenders. Years of Dolphins and Cowboys and Steelers.
Then the doubts in the '82 season. Are they really this good? Wasn't it just a fluke? And, even worse, what will they do in the playoffs with Art Monk out and Joe Washington hurt?
And then the amazing playoffs run, when the Hogs crushed every opponent, in a way that I don't think any OL had before, or has since. Simple John Riggins right through the middle for five or more yards, play after play after play.
I remember talking with my friend Dave, from Oxon Hill, the only other person who can name the Senators starting lineup from 1959. He said, "You know, there are young kids today who think the Redskins were always this good. Isn't that something..."
- John Welch
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Scoring Summary:
| Team |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
| Washington Redskins |
0 |
10 |
3 |
14 |
27 |
| Miami Dolphins |
7 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
17 |
MIA - Cefalo 76 pass from Woodley (Von Schamann kick), 6:49 1st
WAS - FG Moseley 31, 0:21 2nd
MIA - FG Von Schamann 20, 9:00 2nd
WAS - Garrett 4 pass from Theismann (Moseley kick), 13:09 2nd
MIA - Walker 98 kick return (Von Schamann kick), 13:22 2nd
WAS - FG Moseley 20, 6:51 3rd
WAS - Riggins 43 run (Moseley kick), 4:59 4th
WAS- Brown 6 pass from Theismann (Moseley kick), 13:05 4th
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The Game:
After only his second season as Redskins head coach, Joe Gibbs found himself on the sidelines at the big dance. The Washington Redskins were facing a 17-13 deficit in the fourth quarter. It was fourth and 1 on the Miami 43 yard line; the call was, “Goal line, goal line. I-left, tight wing, 70 chip on white”.
Quarterback Joe Theismann took the snap, turned and handed the ball to John Riggins. The H-back Otis Wonsley and guards Joe Jacoby and Russ Grimm opened a huge hole on the left side of the line, and the Diesel never looked back.
Riggins hit the hole and took off down the field, shrugging off Dolphins’ cornerback Ron McNeal in an image ingrained in the psyche of Redskin fans everywhere. With 10:10 left in the game, the Redskins took the lead for the first time, and cemented the first NFL championship for the Washington Redskins since 1942.The touchdown run accounted for 43 of Riggins’ Super Bowl record 166 yards, and garnered him the title of Super Bowl XVII MVP.
Things looked bleak for the ‘Skins in the first quarter. The Dolphins struck early, with David Woodley hitting Jimmy Cefalo on a sideline pattern that Cefalo turned into a 76-yard touchdown just 6:49 into the game.
Trailing 7-0 at the end of the first quarter, the Redskins got on the board just 21 seconds into the second quarter when Mark Moseley connected on a 31-yard field goal. Dolphins place kicker Uwe von Schamann matched Moseley 9 minutes in with a 20-yard kick of his own.
The Redskins’ struck next, when Theismann hit wide receiver Alvin Garrett with a 4-yard strike just over 4 minutes later. The touchdown pass culminated a 10-play drive that included a 12-yard scramble by Joe Theismann. Moseley tacked on the extra point, knotting the score up at 10-10, at least for the next 13 seconds.
On the ensuing kickoff, backup cornerback Fulton Walker took the ball on the Miami 2-yard line, and returned it a Super Bowl record 98 yards for a touchdown. Von Schumann converted the point after, to put the Dolphins on top, 17-10.
The Redskins got the ball back, and made an impressive drive downfield, but stalled with 14 seconds left, as Theismann hit Garrett in the flat, but the wide receiver was unable to get out of bounds to stop the clock.
With 8:09 left in the third quarter, Mark Moseley connected on a 20-yard field goal to start the scoring in the second half and pull the Redskins within 4 at 17-13. The Redskins called a reverse to Alvin Garrett, which he turned into a 44-yard scamper to set up the kick.
The Redskins scored next, running the play forever emblazoned in Redskins’ lore as “70-chip”. Riggins’ run put the ‘Skins up for good at 20-17.
The Redskins finished the scoring with a 6-yard pass to Charlie Brown late in the fourth quarter and an extra point by Mark Moseley, bringing us to the final score of Super Bowl XVII, 27-17.
The Redskins defense poured on the heat all afternoon. They decimated the Dolphins running game, and took David Woodley out of his game with complicated schemes and blitzes. Woodley completed only 4 passes on 14 attempts on the day, including a paltry 0 for 8 mark in the second half, before being replaced by backup quarterback Don Strock, who went 0 for 3.
On the other side of the ball, the Hogs battered the Dolphin’s Killer B’s defense all day, allowing Riggins to often go 3 yards on any given play before being touched by a defender.
The Redskins won their first Super Bowl and began their 12-year run known to Redskin fans worldwide as “The Glory Days”.
- Scott Hurrey
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Team Statistics:
|
Redskins |
Dolphins |
| TOTAL FIRST DOWNS |
24 |
9 |
| Rushing |
14 |
7 |
| Passing |
9 |
2 |
| Penalty |
1 |
0 |
| TOTAL NET YARDAGE |
400 |
176 |
| Total Offensive
Plays |
78 |
47 |
| Average Gain per
Offensive Play |
5.1 |
3.7 |
| NET YARDS RUSHING |
276 |
96 |
| Total Rushing
Plays |
52 |
29 |
| Average yards Per Rush |
5.3 |
3.3 |
| NET YARDS PASSING |
124 |
80 |
| Pass Att.–Comp.–Int. |
23–15–2 |
17–4–1 |
| Yards lost Attempting to Pass |
19 |
17 |
| Gross Yards
Passing |
143 |
97 |
| Avg. Gain per
Pass (Incl. Sacks) |
6.2 |
5.7 |
| PUNTS–DISTANCE |
4–168 |
6–227 |
| Average Distance |
42.0 |
37.8 |
| Had Blocked |
0 |
0 |
| TOTAL RETURN
YARDAGE |
109 |
244 |
| Kickoff
Returns–Yards |
3–57 |
6–222 |
| Punt
Returns–Yards |
6–52 |
2–22 |
| Interception
Returns–Yards |
2–0 |
0–0 |
| TOTAL TURNOVERS |
2 |
1 |
| Fumbles–Lost |
0–0 |
2–1 |
| Had Intercepted |
2 |
0 |
| PENALTIES–YARDS |
5–36 |
4–55 |
| TOTAL POINTS
SCORED |
27 |
17 |
| Touchdowns
Rushing |
1 |
0 |
| Touchdowns
Passing |
2 |
1 |
| Touchdowns
Returns |
0 |
1 |
| Extra Points |
3 |
2 |
| Field
Goals–Attempts |
1–1 |
2–2 |
| Safeties |
0 |
0 |
| THIRD–DOWN
EFFICIENCY |
11/18 |
3/11 |
| FOURTH–DOWN
EFFICIENCY |
1/1 |
0/1 |
| TIME OF
POSSESSION |
36:15 |
23:45 |
  Click here for individual statistics |
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Fan Commentary:
Scott Hurrey - "I was 6 years old in 1982, and John Riggins' 43-yard touchdown on fourth and one is my first vivid Redskins memory. To this day, when I think Redskins, I think 70 chip."
Scott Peek - "I watched the game from my Animal House college dwelling and my buddies and I just about raised the roof when Riggins made his infamous run. Luckily my duplex neighbors were about 80 and deaf. This was sweet revenge against the team that so cruelly beat us in SB VII. I still haven't gotten over that one!"
Fan Quote 3
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More Articles:
Redskins.com Game Summary
Washington Post Game Summary
SuperBowl.com's Official Game Summary
Redskins Get Revenge
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| Washington: 8-1 |
| Opponent | Score |
| at Philadelphia | W 37-34 |
| at Tampa Bay | W 21-13 |
| at N.Y. Giants | W 27-17 |
| Philadelphia | W 13-9 |
| Dallas | L 24-10 |
| at St. Louis | W 12-7 |
| N.Y. Giants | W 15-14 |
| at New Orleans | W 27-10 |
| St. Louis | W 28-10 |
| Detroit* | W 31-7 |
| Minnesota* | W 21-7 |
| Dallas* | W 31-17 |
| * NFC Playoffs |
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| Miami: 7-2 |
| Opponent | Score |
| at N.Y. Jets | W 45-26 |
| Baltimore | W 24-20 |
| at Buffalo | W 9-7 |
| at Tampa Bay | L 23-17 |
| Minnesota | W 22-14 |
| at New England | L 3-0 |
| N.Y. Jets | W 20-19 |
| Buffalo | W 27-10 |
| at Baltimore | W 34-7 |
| New England* | W 28-13 |
| San Diego* | W 34-13 |
| N.Y. Jets* | W 14-0 |
| * AFC Playoffs |
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| Washington Redskins |
| Head Coach - Joe Gibbs |
| Offense |
| WR | Charlie Brown |
| TE | Don Warren |
| LT | Joe Jacoby |
| LG | Fred Dean |
| C | Jeff Bostic |
| RG | Russ Grimm |
| RT | George Starke |
| TE | Rick 'Doc' Walker |
| WR | Alvin Garrett |
| QB | Joe Theismann |
| RB | John Riggins |
| Defense |
| LE | Mat Mendenhall |
| LT | Dave Butz |
| RT | Darryl Grant |
| RE | Dexter Manley |
| LB | Mel Kaufman |
| LB | Neal Olkewicz |
| LB | Rich Milot |
| CB | Vernon Dean |
| CB | Jeris White |
| SS | Tony Peters |
| FS | Mark Murphy |
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| Miami Dolphins |
| Head Coach - Don Shula |
| Offense |
| WR | Jimmy Cefalo |
| TE | Bruce Hardy |
| LT | Jon Giesler |
| LG | Jeff Toews |
| C | Dwight Stephenson |
| RG | Bob Kuechenburg |
| RT | Eric Laasko |
| RB | Tony Nathan |
| WR | Duriel Harris |
| QB | David Woodley |
| FB | Andra Franklin |
| Defense |
| LE | Doug Betters |
| NT | Bob Baumhower |
| RE | Kim Bokamper |
| LB | Bob Brudzinski |
| LB | A.J. Duhe |
| LB | Ernie Rhone |
| LB | Larry Gordon |
| CB | Don McNeal |
| CB | Gerald Small |
| SS | Glenn Blackwood |
| FS | Lyle Blackwood |
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John Riggins was named MVP after setting new Super Bowl records with 166 yards and 38 carries. One of those runs has become affectionately known only as 'Riggo's Run,' a 43-yard scamper on fourth and one that essentially buried the Dolphins. Riggo also added 15 yards receiving to give him 181 all purpose yeards -- 5 yards more than the entire Miami offense (176 yards). |
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Miami backup CB Fulton Walker's 98-yard kickoff retrun for a TD was not only the longest, but the first return TD in Super Bowl history.
Joe Gibbs' ball control offense posted some impressive possession statistics in XVII. The Redskins had the ball for 36:15 compared to Miami's 23:45, a difference of 12:30 or nearly an entire quarter! They were an incredible 11 of 18 (61%) on third down opportunities because of the ability of the Hogs to dominate the line of scrimmage.
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