1994–95 NFL playoffs

The NFL playoffs following the 1994 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXIX.

Playoff seeds
Seed	AFC	NFC
1	Pittsburgh Steelers (Central winner)	San Francisco 49ers (West winner)
2	San Diego Chargers (West winner)	Dallas Cowboys (East winner)
3	Miami Dolphins (East winner)	Minnesota Vikings (Central winner)
4	Cleveland Browns	Green Bay Packers
5	New England Patriots	Detroit Lions
6	Kansas City Chiefs	Chicago Bears

Bracket

	Wild Card Playoffs					Divisional Playoffs					Conference Championships					Super Bowl XXIX
	6	Kansas City	17
	3	Miami	27
						3	Miami	21
						2	San Diego	22
											2	San Diego	17
	AFC
										1	Pittsburgh	13
	5	New England	13
	4	Cleveland	20
						4	Cleveland	9
						1	Pittsburgh	29
																A2	San Diego	26
																N1	San Francisco	49
	5	Detroit	12
	4	Green Bay	16
						4	Green Bay	9
						2	Dallas	35
											2	Dallas	28
	NFC
										1	San Francisco	38
	6	Chicago	35
	3	Minnesota	18
						6	Chicago	15
						1	San Francisco	44

Wild Card playoffs

December 31, 1994

NFC: Green Bay Packers 16, Detroit Lions 12

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Lions 0 0 3 9 12 Packers 7 3 3 3 16 at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST Game weather: 31 °F (−1 °C), partly cloudy Game attendance: 58,125 Referee: Gary Lane TV announcers (ABC): Brent Musburger and Dick Vermeil Game information Scoring GB - Levens 3 run (Jacke kick) GB 7-0 GB - field goal Jacke 51 GB 10-0 DET - field goal Hanson 38 GB 10-3 GB - field goal Jacke 32 GB 13-3 DET - Perriman 3 pass from Krieg (Hanson kick) GB 13-10 GB - field goal Jacke 28 GB 16-10 DET - Safety, Hentrich ran out of end zone GB 16-12

The Packers defense held Lions running back Barry Sanders to -1 rushing yards, while holding Detroit to 12 points and -4 yards on the ground. Green Bay scored first when running back Dorsey Levens capped the Packers opening 76-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown. The Packers later led 13-3 going into the fourth quarter after Packers kicker Chris Jacke made two field goals and Lions kicker Jason Hanson made one. In the final quarter, Detroit quarterback Dave Krieg threw a 3-yard pass to wide receiver Brett Perriman, cutting the deficit to 13–10. However, Jacke made a 28-yard field goal with 5:35 left to make it 16-10. The Lions reached the Green Bay 11-yard line with 2:00 to play, but Packers linebacker Bryce Paup sacked Krieg for a 6-yard loss. Then on fourth down and 14 from the 17-yard line, Detroit wide receiver Herman Moore caught Krieg's pass at the back of the end zone, but came out of bounds past the end line. Afterwards, Green Bay ran out the rest of the clock, giving up an intentional safety on the last play of the contest.

AFC: Miami Dolphins 27, Kansas City Chiefs 17

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Chiefs 14 3 0 0 17 Dolphins 7 10 10 0 27 at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), clear Game attendance: 67,487 Referee: Jerry Markbreit TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf Game information Scoring KC - D. Walker 1 pass from Montana (Elliott kick) KC 7-0 MIA - Parmalee 1 run (Stoyanovich kick) Tie 7-7 KC - Anders 57 pass from Montana (Elliott kick) KC 14-7 MIA - field goal Stoyanovich 40 KC 14-10 KC - field goal Elliott 21 KC 17-10 MIA - R. Williams 1 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick) Tie 17-17 MIA - Fryar 7 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick) MIA 24-17 MIA - field goal Stoyanovich 40 MIA 27-17

This game marked the second time in December 1994 that the Monday Night Football crew came to Miami to cover a game between these two teams - on December 12, the Dolphins beat the Chiefs 45-28

After a 17–17 tie at halftime, the Dolphins forced two turnovers in the second half to stop any Chiefs scoring threat. Both teams scored on each of their first three possessions of the game. Kansas City quarterback Joe Montana, playing in his last NFL game before retiring, threw two touchdowns in the first half: a 1-yard completion to tight end Derrick Walker and a 57-yarder to running back Kimble Anders. Meanwhile, Kansas City kicker Lin Elliot made a 21-yard field goal. For Miami in the first half, running back Bernie Parmalee scored a 1-yard touchdown, quarterback Dan Marino threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ronnie Williams, and kicker Pete Stoyanovich made a 40-yard field goal.

The Dolphins then took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched 64 yards to score on wide receiver Irving Fryar's 7-yard touchdown reception. Stoyanovich then kicked a 40-yard field goal to give Miami a 27-17 lead. Early in the fourth quarter, Dolphins defensive back J.B. Brown intercepted a pass from Montana at the goal line. Then with 7:31 left in the game, Dolphins defensive back Michael Stewart wrestled the ball away from Chiefs running back Marcus Allen at the Miami 34-yard line with 7:31 left to stop a second Kansas City scoring threat.

Montana finished his final postseason game with 314 passing yards and two touchdowns.

January 1, 1995

AFC: Cleveland Browns 20, New England Patriots 13

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Patriots 0 10 0 3 13 Browns 3 7 7 3 20 at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C), cloudy Game attendance: 77,452 Referee: Bernie Kukar TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bob Trumpy Game information Scoring CLE - field goal Stover 30 CLE 3-0 NE - Thompson 13 pass from Bledsoe (Bahr kick) NE 7-3 CLE - Carrier 5 pass from Testaverde (Stover kick) CLE 10-7 NE - field goal Bahr 23 Tie 10-10 CLE - Hoard 10 run (Stover kick) CLE 17-10 CLE - field goal Stover 21 CLE 20-10 NE - field goal Bahr 33 CLE 20-13

The Browns intercepted three passes from New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe and halted attempted comeback in the final minutes of the game to clinch the victory. Cleveland scored first on kicker Matt Stover's 30-yard field goal, but New England responded with Bledsoe's 5-yard touchdown pass to running back Leroy Thompson. The Browns then scored on Mark Carrier's 5-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Vinny Testaverde, but Patriots kicker Matt Bahr made a 23-yard field goal before halftime to tie the game, 10-10. In the third quarter, Cleveland running back Leroy Hoard scored on a 10-yard rushing touchdown. Then, Stover made a 21-yard field goal, giving the Browns a 20-10 lead with 3:36 left in the game. However, New England put together a 63-yard drive to score on Bahr's 33-yard field goal with 1:33 remaining. New England then recovered the ensuing onside kick, but after gaining a first down, Bledsoe threw 4 straight incompletions and the ball was turned back to Cleveland on downs.

NFC: Chicago Bears 35, Minnesota Vikings 18

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Bears 0 14 7 14 35 Vikings 3 6 3 6 18 at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST Game weather: Played indoors, domed stadium Game attendance: 60,347 Referee: Red Cashion TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and John Madden Game information Scoring MIN - field goal Reveiz 29 MIN 3-0 CHI - Tillman 1 run (Butler kick) CHI 7-3 CHI - K. Jennings 9 pass from Walsh (Butler kick) CHI 14-3 MIN - C. Carter 4 pass from Moon (pass failed) CHI 14-9 CHI - R. Harris 29 run (Butler kick) CHI 21-9 MIN - field goal Reveiz 48 CHI 21-12 CHI - Graham 21 pass from Walsh (Butler kick) CHI 28-12 MIN - A. Lee 11 pass from Moon (pass failed) CHI 28-18 CHI - Minniefield 48 fumble return (Butler kick) CHI 35-18

Bears quarterback Steve Walsh passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns as he led Chicago to a win. However, the Bears committed two turnovers on their first two possession, leading to Vikings kicker Fuad Reveiz's 29-yard field goal to open the scoring. But Chicago scored two unanswered touchdowns in the second quarter: running back Lewis Tillman's 1-yard run and Walsh's 9-yard completion to tight end Keith Jennings. Minnesota wide receiver Cris Carter caught a 4-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Warren Moon with 19 seconds left in the first half, cutting the score to 14-9 (the two-point conversion failed). In the third quarter, Bears running back Raymont Harris scored a 29-yard touchdown before Reveiz made a 48-yard field goal. Then in the fourth quarter, Walsh threw a 21-yard touchdown completion to wide receiver Jeff Graham. Moon later threw an 11-yard touchdown to running back Amp Lee, but Chicago defensive back Kevin Minniefield returned a fumble 48 yards for a touchdown to close out the scoring.

Byes

• AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers
• NFC: San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys

Divisional playoffs

January 7, 1995

AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 29, Cleveland Browns 9

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Browns 0 3 0 6 9 Steelers 3 21 3 2 29 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST Game weather: 29 °F (−2 °C), light snow Game attendance: 58,185 Referee: Bob McElwee TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Paul Maguire Game information Scoring PIT - field goal Anderson 39 PIT 3-0 PIT - E. Green 2 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick) PIT 10-0 PIT - J.L. Williams 26 run (Anderson kick) PIT 17-0 CLE - field goal Stover 22 PIT 17-3 PIT - Thigpen 9 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick) PIT 24-3 PIT - field goal Anderson 40 PIT 27-3 CLE - McCardell 20 pass from Testaverde (pass failed) PIT 27-9 PIT - Lake sacked Testaverde in end zone PIT 29-9

Aided by running back Barry Foster's 133 rushing yards, the Steelers controlled the game by scoring on their first three possessions and holding the ball for 42:27. Pittsburgh jumped to a 17-0 lead by the second quarter with a 39-field goal by kicker Gary Anderson, quarterback Neil O'Donnell's 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Eric Green, and running back John L. Williams' 26-yard touchdown run. Browns kicker Matt Stover made a 22-yard field goal to cut the lead, 17-3, but in the closing seconds of the quarter, Steelers defensive back Tim McKyer intercepted a pass from Cleveland quarterback Vinny Testaverde and returned it to the Browns 6-yard line. O'Donnell then completed a 9-yard touchdown to wide receiver Yancey Thigpen with 16 seconds left in the first half. In the final quarter, Testaverde completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Keenan McCardell, but the Cleveland quarterback was then sacked in the end zone by Pittsburgh defensive back Carnell Lake for a safety.

NFC: San Francisco 49ers 44, Chicago Bears 15

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Bears 3 0 0 12 15 49ers 7 23 7 7 44 at Candlestick Park, San Francisco Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C), rain Game attendance: 64,644 Referee: Howard Roe TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton and Matt Millen Game information Scoring CHI - field goal Butler 39 CHI 3-0 SF - Floyd 2 run (Brian kick) SF 7-3 SF - Jones 8 pass from Young (kick failed) SF 13-3 SF - Floyd 4 run (Brian kick) SF 20-3 SF - field goal Brian 36 SF 23-3 SF - Young 6 run (Brien kick) SF 30-3 SF - Floyd 1 run (Brien kick) SF 37-3 CHI - Flanigan 2 pass from Walsh (pass failed) SF 37-9 SF - Walker 1 run (Brien kick) SF 44-9 CHI - Tillman 1 run (pass failed) SF 44-15

The 49ers scored on six consecutive possessions to crush the Bears, 44–15. Chicago scored first after a fumble by San Francisco tight end Brent Jones set up kicker Kevin Butler's 39-yard field goal. However, the 49ers then scored 37 unanswered points, including 23 in the second quarter. They led 30–3 at halftime. San Francisco rookie running back William Floyd scored three touchdowns from 2, 4, and 1 yard out. 49ers quarterback Steve Young threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Jones, and ran for a 6-yard score. San Francisco kicker Doug Brien also added a 36-yard field goal. The Bears eventually scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, but the game was already out of reach and the 49ers had already replaced their starters with their backups.

January 8, 1995

NFC: Dallas Cowboys 35, Green Bay Packers 9

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Packers 3 6 0 0 9 Cowboys 14 14 0 7 35 at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), clear Game attendance: 64,745 Referee: Ed Hochuli TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and John Madden Game information Scoring DAL - Smith 5 run (Boniol kick) DAL 7-0 GB - field goal Jacke 50 DAL 7-3 DAL - Harper 94 pass from Aikman (Boniol kick) DAL 14-3 DAL - Thomas 1 run (Boniol kick) DAL 21-3 GB - Bennett 1 run (pass failed) DAL 21-9 DAL - Galbraith 1 pass from Aikman (Boniol kick) DAL 28-9 DAL - Thomas 2 run (Boniol kick) DAL 35-9

Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman led his team to victory by completing 23 out of 30 passes for 337 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wide receiver Alvin Harper caught 2 passes for 108 yards, including a 94-yard touchdown reception that broke the NFL playoff record for the longest play from scrimmage. Wide receiver Michael Irvin recorded 6 receptions for 111 yards. Tight end Scott Galbraith scored on a 1-yard catch and tight end Jay Novacek added 11 catches for 104 yards. Dallas running back Emmitt Smith recorded a 5-yard touchdown before leaving the game with a hamstring injury, while backup running back Blair Thomas rushed for 70 yards and scored from 1 yard and 2 yards out. For the Packers, kicker Chris Jacke made a 50-yard field goal while running back Edgar Bennett scored on a 1-yard touchdown. Receiver Robert Brooks caught 8 passes for 138 yards.

AFC: San Diego Chargers 22, Miami Dolphins 21

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Dolphins 7 14 0 0 21 Chargers 0 6 9 7 22 at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), clear Game attendance: 63,381 Referee: Johnny Grier TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bob Trumpy Game information Scoring MIA - K. Jackson 8 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick) MIA 7-0 SD - field goal Carney 20 MIA 7-3 MIA - K. Jackson 9 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick) MIA 14-3 SD - field goal Carney 21 MIA 14-6 MIA - M. Williams 16 pass from Marino (Stoyanovich kick) MIA 21-6 SD - Safety, R. Davis tackled Parmalee in end zone MIA 21-8 SD - Means 24 run (Carney kick) MIA 21-15 SD - Seay 8 pass from Humphries (Carney kick) SD 22-21

The Chargers overcame a 21-6 halftime deficit by limiting the Dolphins offense to only 16 plays in the second half. Miami quarterback Dan Marino threw three touchdowns in the first half: two to tight end Keith Jackson for 8 and 9 yards, and a 16-yarder to wide receiver Mike Williams. San Diego could only counter with two field goals by kicker John Carney. But in the third quarter, Chargers defensive lineman Reuben Davis tackled Dolphins running back Bernie Parmalee in the end zone for a safety. San Diego then took the ensuing free kick and marched 54 yards to score on running back Natrone Means' 24-yard touchdown. The Chargers later took the lead, 22–21, with 35 seconds left with quarterback Stan Humphries's 8-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mark Seay. Miami kicker Pete Stoyanovich then attempted a game-winning 48-yard field goal on the final play of the game, but his kick was wide right.

Conference championships

January 15, 1995

AFC Championship: San Diego Chargers 17, Pittsburgh Steelers 13

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Chargers 0 3 7 7 17 Steelers 7 3 3 0 13 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C), fog with heavy rain) Game attendance: 61,545 Referee: Gerald Austin TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bob Trumpy Game information Scoring PIT - J.L. Williams 16 pass from O'Donnell (Anderson kick) PIT 7-0 SD - field goal Carney 20 PIT 7-3 PIT - field goal Anderson 39 PIT 10-3 PIT - field goal Anderson 23 PIT 13-3 SD - Pupunu 43 pass from Humphries (Carney kick) PIT 13-10 SD - T. Martin 43 pass from Humphries (Carney kick) SD 17-13

The Chargers scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to upset the heavily favored Steelers. Although Pittsburgh held advantages in total plays (80–47), total offensive yards (415–226), and time of possession (37:13–22:47), it was San Diego who made the big plays. The Steelers scored first on quarterback Neil O'Donnell's 16-yard touchdown pass to fullback John L. Williams. Then after the two teams exchanged field goals in the second quarter, Pittsburgh kicker Gary Anderson made a 23-yard field goal to give his team a 13-3 advantage.

Midway through the third quarter, Chargers quarterback Stan Humphries faked a handoff, fooling the Steelers defensive backs long enough to find tight end Alfred Pupunu wide open to complete a 43-yard touchdown. With 5:13 left in the game, Humphries threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tony Martin, who out-jumped defensive back Tim McKyer to make the catch and give the Chargers a 17–13 lead. Pittsburgh then marched from their own 17-yard line to the San Diego 3 to put themselves in position for a potential winning touchdown. However on fourth down, Chargers linebacker Dennis Gibson sealed the victory by tipping away O'Donnell's pass intended for running back Barry Foster. The Steelers lost for the first time during the season in which they held a lead at halftime. (In 1994, the Steelers were 9–0 when leading at halftime prior to this game.)

NFC Championship: San Francisco 49ers 38, Dallas Cowboys 28

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 7 7 7 7 28 49ers 21 10 7 0 38 at Candlestick Park, San Francisco Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), partly cloudy Game attendance: 69,125 Referee: Dick Hantak TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and John Madden Game information Scoring SF - Davis 44 interception return (Brien kick) SF 7-0 SF - Watters 29 pass from Young (Brien kick) SF 14-0 SF - Floyd 1 run (Brien kick) SF 21-0 DAL - Irvin 44 pass from Aikman (Boniol kick) SF 21-7 SF - field goal Brien 34 SF 24-7 DAL - Smith 4 run (Boniol kick) SF 24-14 SF - Rice 28 pass from Young (Brien kick) SF 31-14 DAL - Smith 1 run (Boniol kick) SF 31-21 SF - Young 3 run (Brien kick) SF 38-21 DAL - Irvin 10 pass from Aikman (Boniol kick) SF 38-28

This was the third consecutive season that the Cowboys and the 49ers met in the NFC Championship Game, with Dallas winning the first two conference title games. San Francisco quarterback Steve Young still faced the pressure of "never being able to win the big ones", while Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman entered the game with a 7–0 win-loss record as a starter in the playoffs.

Although the Cowboys eventually held a 451–294 advantage in total offensive yards, the 49ers converted three turnovers into three touchdowns in the first quarter en route to the 38–28 victory. On the third play of the game, San Francisco cornerback Eric Davis intercepted Aikman's pass and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown. Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin lost a fumble on the next Dallas possession, setting up a 29-yard touchdown pass from Young to running back Ricky Watters, who eluded several Cowboys defenders high-stepping his way down the sideline en route to the goal line in spectacular showboating fashion. Dallas returner Kevin Williams then fumbled the ensuing kickoff, San Francisco kicker Doug Brien recovered the ball at the Cowboys 35-yard line, and running back William Floyd scored on a 1-yard touchdown to give his team a 21–0 lead with 7:33 left in the first quarter.

A 44-yard touchdown pass from Aikman to Irvin cut the lead 21-7 going into the second quarter. Brien then kicked a 34-yard field goal, but Dallas countered with a 4-yard rushing touchdown by running back Emmitt Smith. In the closing minutes of the first half, Aikman threw three straight incompletions, and a short punt by the Cowboys set up Young's 28-yard touchdown completion to All-Pro wide receiver Jerry Rice (which during the halftime show, Terry Bradshaw said was one of the best passes he had ever seen), who made a diving catch in the back-left corner of the end zone with 8 seconds remaining in the first half.

In the third quarter, Smith scored on a 1-yard touchdown, but was countered with Young's 3-yard rushing touchdown. In the final quarter, Smith, who compiled 74 yards and two touchdowns, departed with an injured hamstring, which he had already injured before this game, it got enough wear and tear to the point he couldn't play anymore. Aikman then completed a 10-yard touchdown to Irvin in the final quarter, but Dallas could not score again. The Cowboys came very close to scoring with 6:14 left in the game when Troy Aikman lofted a pass to Michael Irvin. Deion Sanders who was covering Michael Irvin clearly violated the pass interference rule with his physical contact of Michael Irvin. Both John Madden and Pat Summerall both supported this up after they viewed the replay. The penalty would have given the Cowboys possession very deep into 49er territory. The refs threw a flag but it was on Cowboys coach Barry Switzer for being on the field. Although Aikman broke an NFC Championship Game record with 380 yards passing, and Irvin also broke an NFC Championship Game record with 192 receiving yards, ultimately the first-quarter turnovers were too much to overcome.

Super Bowl

Further information: Super Bowl XXIX

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Chargers (AFC) 7 3 8 8 26 49ers (NFC) 14 14 14 7 49 at Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida Date: January 29, 1995 Game attendance: 74,107 Referee: Jerry Markbreit TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, and Frank Gifford

References

• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
• The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995 (ISBN 0-89204-523-X)

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