It did not take lengthy for Mike Haynes to appreciate that Tremendous Bowl XVIII might be a runaway. Throughout the sector throughout pregame warmups, the Raiders cornerback sensed an absence of respect from Washington, the defending Tremendous Bowl champions who had crushed the Raiders through the common season.
“Once I was watching these guys heat up, I simply did not have a way that they revered us in any respect,” Haynes recalled throughout an interview with CBS Sports activities. “All people else we performed, they appeared to have a way of who we have been and how much recreation we performed. They did not. I figured it should be as a result of they beat the Raiders earlier.
“Once we went again into the locker room earlier than we got here out the second time, we have been positively a unique staff. We have been going to be targeted till that final whistle. There was little doubt that this recreation was going to be a battle. We have been all 100% ready for that.”
Hoping to be topped as back-to-back champions, Washington was as an alternative dominated by the underdog Raiders 38-9. Then-second-year working again Marcus Allen received MVP honors by speeding for 191 yards and two touchdowns, whereas Haynes and the Raiders’ protection compelled three turnovers whereas holding Washington’s record-setting offense to underneath 300 complete yards.
With the 2 groups set to fulfill this Sunday, listed below are 5 details from the Raiders’ third and ultimate Tremendous Bowl triumph.
Washington’s undesirable place in historical past
Washington joined the 1978 Cowboys as the one defending champions to return up quick within the Tremendous Bowl. The 1997 Packers, 2014 Seahawks, 2017 Patriots and final yr’s Chiefs have since joined them on that record.
Contemporary off of the franchise’s first Tremendous Bowl win, Joe Gibbs’ staff went 14-2 through the 1983 season. Led by league MVP Joe Theismann and reigning Tremendous Bowl MVP John Riggins, Washington scored a then-NFL-record 541 factors through the common season. In Week 5, Washington’s offense managed to win a 37-35 shootout towards the Raiders behind Theismann’s 417 yards and three landing passes.
Washington’s offense put up 51 factors within the staff’s divisional spherical playoff victory over the Rams. Going through Joe Montana and the 49ers within the NFC Championship Recreation, Washington took a 21-0 lead earlier than needing a number of controversial calls late within the recreation to flee with a 24-21 victory.
Washington acquired no such luck in Tremendous Bowl XVIII, nonetheless, because the Raiders dominated the sport from the outset en path to the franchise’s third Tremendous Bowl win.
An unparalleled CB duo
One of many fundamental causes for the Raiders’ dominance over Washington was the presence of cornerbacks Haynes and Lester Hayes. The duo helped restrict Theismann to only 16 of 35 passing that included two interceptions. The win was the second Tremendous Bowl victory for Hayes, whose Defensive Participant of the 12 months efficiency through the 1980 season helped the Raiders win their second Tremendous Bowl title.
The 1983 Raiders turned a nook after buying Haynes from the Patriots through the common season. After contract talks with the Patriots initially fell by way of, Haynes briefly contemplated retirement. Haynes’ despair did not final lengthy, nonetheless, as then-Raiders proprietor Al Davis referred to as to tell the longer term Corridor of Famer that he was certainly a Raider. Haynes proved to be the ultimate piece of the Raiders’ championship puzzle.
Alongside along with his play in Tremendous Bowl XVIII, Haynes’ presence was particularly felt within the AFC Championship Recreation towards Seattle. Earlier than buying Haynes, the Raiders misplaced each of their video games towards the Seahawks, who scored 38 and 34 video games in these contests. However with Haynes on the sector for the AFC title recreation, the Raiders held Seattle to only two scores in a 30-14 victory. Steve Largent, the Seahawks’ future Corridor of Fame receiver, was held to only 25 yards on two receptions.
“Luckily for me, I had loads of expertise overlaying Steve Largent as a result of we got here into the league on the identical time and performed in Professional Bowls collectively,” Haynes mentioned. “So I felt comfy and appeared ahead to the problem.”
“We had Lester on one facet and me on the opposite facet. We had the good go rush with all these nice guys. With Howie (Lengthy) and Ted Hendricks and Rod Martin. They usually used to blitz our sturdy security, Mike Davis, on a regular basis. That man was unbelievable. I had by no means seen a security like that.”
A heads-up defensive play
The Raiders took a 7-0 lead on Derrick Jenson’s restoration of his personal blocked punt in Washington’s finish zone. The lead swelled to 14-0 when quarterback Jim Plunkett discovered receiver Cliff Department on their own ultimately zone for a 12-yard rating. Washington momentarily stopped the bleeding on Mark Moseley’s 24-yard area purpose, because it appeared that the defending champions would head to the locker room with an 11-point halftime deficit.
However simply earlier than the half, Washington tried a go that might primarily finish the competition. In an identical place through the groups’ regular-season showdown, Washington had gained 67 yards on a display screen go from Theismann to working again Joe Washington. With that in thoughts, Raiders defensive coordinator Charlie Sumner changed linebacker Matt Millen with Jack Squirek, a go protection specialist. Positive sufficient, Theismann threw once more to Washington, however this time, his go was snared in by Squirek, who waltzed untouched into the top zone to offer the Raiders a 21-3 halftime lead. Squirek’s celebration of his pick-six can be immortalized on the upcoming Sports activities Illustrated cowl.
Allen’s all-time efficiency
The second Heisman Trophy winner to win Tremendous Bowl MVP, Allen’s efficiency towards Washington is the stuff of legend. Allen gashed Washington’s protection to the tune of 191 yards, a then-Tremendous Bowl report. His 5-yard landing run gave the Raiders a 28-9 third quarter lead. Allen’s 74-yard run — the second-longest run in Tremendous Bowl historical past — put the sport on ice. Allen almost tripled the speeding output of Riggins, who gained 64 yards and a landing on 26 carries.
Allen would parlay his Tremendous Bowl efficiency right into a Corridor of Fame profession that spanned 11 years with the Raiders and 5 seasons with the Chiefs. Allen is one in every of two gamers in NFL historical past (the opposite being Marshall Faulk) to amass over 12,000 profession speeding yards, 5,000 receiving yards and 100 speeding touchdowns.
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AFC’s lengthy Tremendous Bowl drought
The Raiders’ victory can be the AFC’s final Tremendous Bowl win for 14 years. The AFC would lose the following 13 Tremendous Bowls that included 11 double-digit losses. The NFC’s 49ers, Giants, Cowboys, and Washington would win 11 Tremendous Bowls over that span. The Broncos and Payments have been on the dropping finish of seven Tremendous Bowls over that span, with Buffalo dropping 4 straight Tremendous Bowls from 1990-93.
Paradoxically, the AFC’s drought ended with the defending champion Packers falling to the Broncos in one of many largest upsets in NFL historical past. Terrell Davis, who attended the identical San Diego space highschool as Allen, received MVP honors after speeding for 157 yards and three touchdowns regardless of lacking a lot of the second quarter with a migraine headache.
