1991 NFL season

Infobox NFL
year = 1991
NFLchampion = Washington Redskins
regular_season = September 1 1991-December 23 1991
playoffs_start = December 28 1991
AFCchampion = Buffalo Bills
NFCchampion = Washington Redskins
sb_name = XXVI
sb_date = January 26 1992
sb_site = The Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota
pb_date = February 2 1992

The 1991 NFL season was the 72nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XXVI when the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills.

Major rule changes

*A drop kick, field goal, and punt can only be attempted from behind the line of scrimmage.
*If a foul by a player causes an injury to an opponent, a team time out will not be charged to the penalized team anytime during the game instead of only during the last two minutes of a half.
*The game clock will not start until the next snap following any change of possession, even if the player went out of bounds.
*Officials will immediately blow the play dead when a defensive player is offsides before the snap and clearly rushes beyond the offensive line in such a way that he becomes an unabated threat to the quarterback.
*A touchback will be ruled when a player fumbles the ball in the field of play and it goes out of bounds in the opponent's end zone.
*A touchback, not a safety, will also be ruled when a player fumbles the ball in his own end zone and the opponent is the one that knocks the fumble out of bounds in the end zone.
*An offensive player cannot deliberately bat a backward pass forward.

Week by Week Scores

*Week OneMiami 31 @ Buffalo 35
Minnesota 6 @ Chicago 10
Dallas 26 @ Cleveland 14
Cincinnati 14 @ Denver 45
L.A. Raiders 17 @ Houston 47
Atlanta 3 @ Kansas City 14
New England 16 @ Indianapolis 7
Seattle 24 @ New Orleans 27
San Francisco 14 @ N.Y. Giants 16
Tampa Bay 13 @ N.Y. Jets 16
Philadelphia 20 @ Green Bay 3
Phoenix 24 @ L.A. Rams 14
San Diego 20 @ Pittsburgh 26
Detroit 0 @ Washington 45

*Week TwoPittsburgh 34 @ Buffalo 52
Chicago 21 @ Tampa Bay 20
Cleveland 20 @ New England 0
Green Bay 14 @ Detroit 23
Houston 30 @ Kansas City 7
Denver 13 @ L.A. Raiders 16
L.A. Rams 19 @ N.Y. Giants 13
Indianapolis 6 @ Miami 17
Minnesota 20 @ Atlanta 19
New Orleans 17 @ Kansas City 10
Phoenix 26 @ Philadelphia 10
San Diego 14 @ San Francisco 34
N.Y. Jets 13 @ Seattle 20
Washington 33 @ Dallas 31

*Week ThreeAtlanta 13 @ San Diego 10
Buffalo 23 @ N.Y. Jets 20
N.Y. Giants 17 @ Chicago 20
Cincinnati 13 @ Cleveland 14
Seattle 10 @ Denver 16
Miami 13 @ Detroit 17
Tampa Bay 13 @ Green Bay 15
Kansas City 7 @ Houston 17
Indianapolis 0 @ L.A. Raiders 16
San Francisco 14 @ Minnesota 17
L.A. Rams 7 @ New Orleans 24
Philadelphia 24 @ Dallas 0
New England 6 @ Pittsburgh 20
Phoenix 0 @ Washington 34

*Week FourL.A. Raiders 17 @ Atlanta 21
Buffalo 17 @ Tampa Bay 10
N.Y. Jets 13 @ Chicago 19 (OT)
Dallas 17 @ Phoenix 9
San Diego 19 @ Denver 27
Detroit 33 @ Indianapolis 24
Seattle 13 @ Kansas City 20
Green Bay 13 @ Miami 16
Houston 20 @ New England 24
Minnesota 0 @ New Orleans 26
Cleveland 10 @ N.Y. Giants 13
Pittsburgh 14 @ Philadelphia 23
L.A. Rams 10 @ San Francisco 27
Washington 34 @ Cincinnati 27

*Week FiveChicago 20 @ Buffalo 35
N.Y. Giants 16 @ Dallas 21
Denver 13 @ Minnesota 6
Tampa Bay 3 @ Detroit 31
Kansas City 14 @ San Diego 13
San Francisco 6 @ L.A. Raiders 12
Green Bay 21 @ L.A. Rams 23
New Orleans 27 @ Atlanta 6
Miami 23 @ N.Y. Jets 41
New England 10 @ Phoenix 24
Indianapolis 3 @ Seattle 31
Philadelphia 0 @ Washington 23
"Bye Week: Cincinnati, Cleveland, Houston, Pittsburgh"

*Week SixDallas 20 @ Green Bay 17 (Milwaukee, Wi.)
Minnesota 20 @ Detroit 24
Denver 14 @ Houston 42
Buffalo 6 @ Kansas City 33
Miami 20 @ New England 10
Phoenix 9 @ N.Y. Giants 20
N.Y. Jets 17 @ Cleveland 14
Pittsburgh 21 @ Indianapolis 3
San Diego 21 @ L.A. Raiders 13
Seattle 13 @ Cincinnati 7
Philadelphia 13 @ Tampa Bay 14
Washington 20 @ Chicago 7
"Bye Week: Atlanta, L.A. Rams, New Orleans, San Francisco"

*Week SevenAtlanta 39 @ San Francisco 34
Indianapolis 6 @ Buffalo 42
Cincinnati 23 @ Dallas 35
Houston 23 @ N.Y. Jets 20
Miami 7 @ Kansas City 42
L.A. Raiders 23 @ Seattle 20 (OT)
San Diego 24 @ L.A. Rams 30
Phoenix 7 @ Minnesota 34
New Orleans 13 @ Philadelphia 6
N.Y. Giants 23 @ Pittsburgh 20
Cleveland 17 @ Washington 42
"Bye Week: Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Green Bay, New England, Tampa Bay"

*Week EightCincinnati 16 @ Buffalo 35
Chicago 10 @ Green Bay 0
Cleveland 30 @ San Diego 24 (OT)
Kansas City 16 @ Denver 19
Houston 17 @ Miami 13
L.A. Rams 17 @ L.A. Raiders 20
Minnesota 23 @ New England 26 (OT)
Tampa Bay 7 @ New Orleans 23
N.Y. Jets 17 @ Indianapolis 6
Atlanta 10 @ Phoenix 16
Detroit 3 @ San Francisco 35
Seattle 27 @ Pittsburgh 7
"Bye Week: Dallas, N.Y. Giants, Philadelphia, Washington"

*Week NineL.A. Rams 14 @ Atlanta 31
Chicago 20 @ New Orleans 17
Pittsburgh 14 @ Cleveland 17
Denver 9 @ New England 6
Dallas 10 @ Detroit 34
Green Bay 27 @ Tampa Bay 0
Cincinnati 3 @ Houston 35
L.A. Raiders 21 @ Kansas City 24
Minnesota 28 @ Phoenix 0
San Francisco 23 @ Philadelphia 7
San Diego 9 @ Seattle 20
Washington 17 @ N.Y. Giants 13
"Bye Week: Buffalo, Indianapolis, Miami, N.Y. Jets"

*Week TenSan Francisco 14 @ Atlanta 17
New England 17 @ Buffalo 22
Detroit 10 @ Chicago 20
Cleveland 21 @ Cincinnati 23
Phoenix 7 @ Dallas 27
Pittsburgh 13 @ Denver 20
Miami 10 @ Indianapolis 6
Tampa Bay 13 @ Minnesota 28
New Orleans 24 @ L.A. Rams 17
Green Bay 16 @ N.Y. Jets 19 (OT)
N.Y. Giants 7 @ Philadelphia 30
Houston 13 @ Washington 16 (OT)
"Bye Week: Kansas City, L.A. Raiders, San Diego, Seattle"

*Week ElevenBuffalo 34 @ Green Bay 24 (Milwaukee, Wi.)
Chicago 34 @ Minnesota 17
Dallas 23 @ Houston 26 (OT)
Indianapolis 28 @ N.Y. Jets 27
Kansas City 27 @ L.A. Rams 20
L.A. Raiders 17 @ Denver 16
New England 20 @ Miami 30
San Francisco 3 @ New Orleans 10
N.Y. Giants 21 @ Phoenix 14
Philadelphia 32 @ Cleveland 30
Pittsburgh 33 @ Cincinnati 27 (OT)
Seattle 14 @ San Diego 17
Detroit 21 @ Tampa Bay 30
Atlanta 17 @ Washington 56

*Week TwelveTampa Bay 7 @ Atlanta 43
Buffalo 41 @ Miami 27
Chicago 31 @ Indianapolis 17
Denver 24 @ Kansas City 20
L.A. Rams 10 @ Detroit 21
Cleveland 24 @ Houston 28
Seattle 7 @ L.A. Raiders 31
Minnesota 35 @ Green Bay 21
Dallas 9 @ N.Y. Giants 22
N.Y. Jets 28 @ New England 21
Cincinnati 10 @ Philadelphia 17
New Orleans 21 @ San Diego 24
Phoenix 10 @ San Francisco 14
Washington 41 @ Pittsburgh 14

*Week ThirteenAtlanta 23 @ New Orleans 20 (OT)
Kansas City 15 @ Cleveland 20
Dallas 24 @ Washington 21
Detroit 34 @ Minnesota 14
Indianapolis 10 @ Green Bay 14 (Milwaukee, Wi.)
L.A. Raiders 38 @ Cincinnati 14
Miami 16 @ Chicago 13 (OT)
Buffalo 13 @ New England 16
N.Y. Giants 21 @ Tampa Bay 14
San Diego 3 @ N.Y. Jets 24
Philadelphia 34 @ Phoenix 14
Houston 14 @ Pittsburgh 26
San Francisco 33 @ L.A. Rams 10
Denver 10 @ Seattle 13

*Week FourteenGreen Bay 31 @ Atlanta 35
N.Y. Jets 13 @ Buffalo 24
N.Y. Giants 24 @ Cincinnati 27
Cleveland 31 @ Indianapolis 0
Pittsburgh 10 @ Dallas 20
New England 3 @ Denver 20
Chicago 6 @ Detroit 16
Kansas City 19 @ Seattle 6
L.A. Raiders 9 @ San Diego 7
Tampa Bay 14 @ Miami 33
Philadelphia 13 @ Houston 6
New Orleans 24 @ San Francisco 38
Washington 27 @ L.A. Rams 6

*Week FifteenAtlanta 31 @ L.A. Rams 14
Buffalo 30 @ L.A. Raiders 27 (OT)
Green Bay 13 @ Chicago 27
New Orleans 14 @ Dallas 23
Denver 17 @ Cleveland 7
N.Y. Jets 20 @ Detroit 34
Pittsburgh 6 @ Houston 31
San Diego 17 @ Kansas City 20 (OT)
Cincinnati 13 @ Miami 37
Minnesota 26 @ Tampa Bay 24
Indianapolis 17 @ New England 23
Philadelphia 19 @ N.Y. Giants 14
San Francisco 24 @ Seattle 22
Washington 20 @ Phoenix 14

*Week SixteenTampa Bay 0 @ Chicago 27
Kansas City 14 @ San Francisco 28
Cincinnati 10 @Pittsburgh 17
Dallas 25 @ Philladelphia 13
Detroit 21 @ Green Bay 17
Houston 17 @ Cleveland 14
L.A. Rams 14 @ Minnesota 20
Miami 30 @ San Diego 38
New England 6 @ N.Y. Jets 3
N.Y. Giants 17 @ Washington 34
Phoenix 19 @ Denver 24
Seattle 13 @ Atlanta 26
Buffalo 35 @ Indianapolis 7
L.A. Raiders 0 @ New Orleans 27

*Week SeventeenGreen Bay 27 @ Minnesota 7
Houston 20 @ N.Y. Giants 24
Atlanta 27 @ Dallas 31
Cleveland 10 @ Pittsburgh 17
Denver 17 @ San Diego 14
Detroit 17 @ Buffalo 14 (OT)
Indianapolis 3 @ Tampa Bay 17
Kansas City 27 @ L.A. Raiders 21
New England 7 @ Cincinnati 29
New Orleans 27 @ Phoenix 3
N.Y. Jets 23 @ Miami 20 (OT)
Washington 22 @ Philladelphia 24
L.A. Rams 9 @ Seattle 23
Chicago 14 @ San Francisco 52

Final regular season standings

"W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against"

"Clinched playoff seeds are marked in parentheses and shaded in green"

Tiebreakers

*N.Y. Jets finished ahead of Miami in the AFC East based on head-to-head sweep (2-0).
*Chicago was the first NFC Wild Card based on better conference record than Dallas (9-3 to Cowboys' 8-4).
*Atlanta finished ahead of San Francisco in the NFC West based on head-to-head sweep (2-0), and was the third NFC Wild Card ahead of Philadelphia based on better conference record (7-5 to Eagles' 6-6).

Playoffs

:"Home team in capitals"

AFC

*Wild-Card playoffs: KANSAS CITY 10, L.A. Raiders 6; HOUSTON 17, N.Y. Jets 10
*Divisional playoffs: DENVER 26, Houston 24; BUFFALO 37, Kansas City 14
*AFC Championship: BUFFALO 10, Denver 7 at Rich Stadium, Buffalo, New York, January 12, 1992

NFC

*Wild-Card playoffs: Atlanta 27, NEW ORLEANS 20; Dallas 17, CHICAGO 13
*Divisional playoffs: WASHINGTON 24, Atlanta 7; DETROIT 38, Dallas 6
*NFC Championship: WASHINGTON 41, Detroit 10 at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C., January 12, 1992

uper Bowl

*Super Bowl XXVI: Washington (NFC) 37, Buffalo (AFC) 24, at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 26, 1992

References

* "NFL Record and Fact Book" (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
* [http://www.nfl.com/history/chronology/1991-2000 NFL History 1991-2000] (Last accessed December 4, 2005)
* [http://nflhistory.net/linescores/pdf/1991.pdf 1991 season in details]
* "Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League" (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)