1996–97 NFL playoffs

The NFL playoffs following the 1996 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXI. This post-season was remarkable in that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers each made it all the way to their respective conference championships, only two years after their inception into the league as expansion teams.

Playoff seeds
Seed	AFC	NFC
1	Denver Broncos (West winner)	Green Bay Packers (Central winner)
2	New England Patriots (East winner)	Carolina Panthers (West winner)
3	Pittsburgh Steelers (Central winner)	Dallas Cowboys (East winner)
4	Buffalo Bills	San Francisco 49ers
5	Jacksonville Jaguars	Philadelphia Eagles
6	Indianapolis Colts	Minnesota Vikings

Bracket

	Wild Card Playoffs					Divisional Playoffs					Conference Championships					Super Bowl XXXI
	5	Jacksonville	30
	4	Buffalo	27
						5	Jacksonville	30
						1	Denver	27
											5	Jacksonville	6
	AFC
										2	New England	20
	6	Indianapolis	14
	3	Pittsburgh	42
						3	Pittsburgh	3
						2	New England	28
																A2	New England	21
																N1	Green Bay	35
	6	Minnesota	15
	3	Dallas	40
						3	Dallas	17
						2	Carolina	26
											2	Carolina	13
	NFC
										1	Green Bay	30
	5	Philadelphia	0
	4	San Francisco	14
						4	San Francisco	14
						1	Green Bay	35

Wild Card playoffs

December 28, 1996

AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 30, Buffalo Bills 27

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Jaguars 10 7 3 10 30 Bills 14 3 3 7 27 at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), cloudy Game attendance: 70,213 Referee: Gary Lane TV announcers (ABC): Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann Game information Scoring BUF - Thomas 7 pass from Kelly (Christie kick) BUF 7-0 JAC - Simmons 20 interception return (Hollis kick) Tie 7-7 BUF - Thomas 2 run (Christie kick) BUF 14-7 JAC - field goal Hollis 27 BUF 14-10 JAC - Means 30 run (Hollis kick) JAC 17-14 BUF - field goal Christie 33 Tie 17-17 BUF - field goal Christie 47 BUF 20-17 JAC - field goal Hollis 24 Tie 20-20 BUF - Burris 38 interception return (Christie kick) BUF 27-20 JAC - Smith 2 pass from Brunell (Hollis kick) Tie 27-27 JAC - field goal Hollis 45 JAC 30-27

The second year Jaguars won their first playoff game in team history as kicker Mike Hollis scored the winning 45-yard field goal with 3:07 left to play. The Bills scored first with quarterback Jim Kelly's 7-yard touchdown pass to running back Thurman Thomas. However, Jacksonville tied the game after defensive end Clyde Simmons intercepted Kelly's shovel pass and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown. For the rest of the game, the score see-sawed back and forth: Hollis and Bills kicker Steve Christie each scored 2 field goals, Thomas ran for a 2-yard touchdown, Jaguars running back Natrone Means ran for a 30-yard score, Buffalo cornerback Jeff Burris scored on a 38-yard interception return, and Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell threw a 2-yard touchdown to Jimmy Smith.

NFC: Dallas Cowboys 40, Minnesota Vikings 15

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Vikings 0 0 7 8 15 Cowboys 7 23 7 3 40 at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), clear Game attendance: 64,682 Referee: Gerald Austin TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf Game information Scoring DAL - Aikman 2 run (Boniol kick) DAL 7-0 DAL - field goal Boniol 28 DAL 10-0 DAL - E. Smith 37 run (Boniol kick) DAL 17-0 DAL - Teague 29 interception return (Boniol kick) DAL 24-0 DAL - field goal Boniol 31 DAL 27-0 DAL - field goal Boniol 22 DAL 30-0 MIN - Carter 30 pass from B. Johnson (Sisson kick) DAL 30-7 DAL - E. Smith 1 run (Boniol kick) DAL 37-7 DAL - field goal Boniol 25 DAL 40-7 MIN - B. Johnson 5 run (Carter pass from B. Johnson) DAL 40-15

The Cowboys scored 23 points off of 5 Vikings turnovers. Perhaps the turning point of the game occurred in the first quarter after Dallas took the early 7-0 lead with quarterback Troy Aikman's 2-yard touchdown run. Minnesota running back Amp Lee caught a short pass from quarterback Brad Johnson and appeared to be on his way for a 43-yard touchdown. But Cowboys safety George Teague caught up with Lee at the 1-yard line and poked the ball out of his hands, and the ball bounced out of the end zone for a touchback. Teague later scored on a 27-yard interception return, running back Emmitt Smith ran for two touchdowns from 37 and 1 yards out, and kicker Chris Boniol made 4 field goals. Johnson threw a 30-yard touchdown to wide receiver Cris Carter and ran for another, but it was not enough.

This was the last time the Cowboys won a playoff game until January 9, 2010, when they beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2009–10 Wild Card playoff 34-14.

December 29, 1996

AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 42, Indianapolis Colts 14

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Colts 0 14 0 0 14 Steelers 10 3 8 21 42 at Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), partly cloudy Game attendance: 58,078 Referee: Ed Hochuli TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Phil Simms, and Paul Maguire Game information Scoring PIT - field goal Johnson 29 PIT 3-0 PIT - Stewart 1 run (Johnson kick) PIT 10-0 PIT - field goal Johnson 50 PIT 13-0 IND - Daniel 59 interception return (Blanchard kick) PIT 13-7 IND - Bailey 9 pass from Harbaugh (Blanchard kick) IND 14-13 PIT - Bettis 1 run (Farquhar pass from Stewart) PIT 21-14 PIT - Bettis 1 run (Johnson kick) PIT 28-14 PIT - Witman 31 run (Johnson kick) PIT 35-14 PIT - Stewart 3 run (Johnson kick) PIT 42-14

The Steelers blew a 13-point lead in the first half but scored 29 unanswered points in the second half. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh defense held the Colts to 146 total yards of offense. Two field goals by Norm Johnson and a 1-yard touchdown run by Kordell Stewart gave the Steelers the 13-point advantage by the second quarter. However, Indianapolis cornerback Eugene Daniel intercepted Mike Tomczak's pass and returned it 59 yards for a touchdown. Another interception led to a 9-yard touchdown from Colts quarterback Jim Harbaugh to wide receiver Aaron Bailey. But the Steelers controlled the rest of the game. Running back Jerome Bettis, who finished with 102 rushing yards, scored two 1-yard touchdowns, running back Jon Witman recorded a 31-yard touchdown, and Stewart added a 3-yard touchdown. It was the second year in a row the Steelers had eliminated the Colts from the playoffs

NFC: San Francisco 49ers 14, Philadelphia Eagles 0

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Eagles 0 0 0 0 0 49ers 0 7 7 0 14 at 3Com Park, San Francisco Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), rain Game attendance: 56,460 Referee: Walt Coleman TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and John Madden Game information Scoring SF - Young 9 run (Wilkins kick) SF 7-0 SF - Rice 3 pass from Young (Wilkins kick) SF 14-0

Although they gained more yards than the 49ers, the Eagles were shut out in a rainy game with 51 miles per hour winds. Kicker Gary Anderson missed a 40-yard field goal attempt on Philadelphia's first possession. In the second quarter, San Francisco quarterback Steve Young ran for a 9-yard touchdown that capped off a 75-yard drive. The Eagles then reached the San Francisco 8-yard line, but quarterback Ty Detmer threw an interception to defensive back Marquez Pope. The 49ers were forced to punt on their next drive, and Philadelphia advanced to the San Francisco 5-yard line. However, 49ers defensive end Roy Barker intercepted Detmer, and the Eagles would never seriously threaten again. Young would later throw a 3-yard touchdown to wide receiver Jerry Rice.

Byes

• AFC: Denver Broncos, New England Patriots
• NFC: Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers

Divisional playoffs

January 4, 1997

NFC: Green Bay Packers 35, San Francisco 49ers 14

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total 49ers 0 7 7 0 14 Packers 14 7 7 7 35 at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST Game weather: 35 °F (2 °C), mix of rain and snow Game attendance: 60,787 Referee: Dick Hantak TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton and Matt Millen Game information Scoring GB - Howard 71 punt return (Jacke kick) GB 7-0 GB - Rison 4 pass from Favre (Jacke kick) GB 14-0 GB - Bennett 2 run (Jacke kick) GB 21-0 SF - Kirby 8 pass from Grbac (Wilkins kick) GB 21-7 SF - Grbac 2 run (Wilkins kick) GB 21-14 GB - Freeman recovered fumble in end zone (Jacke kick) GB 28-14 GB - Bennett 11 run (Jacke kick) GB 35-14

The Packers defense forced five turnovers en route to victory, while Desmond Howard's key punt returns enabled the Packers to jump to a 14-0 lead after only 3 offensive plays. On his first punt return, Howard ran 71 yards for a touchdown. He then returned a punt 46 yards to set up quarterback Brett Favre's 4-yard touchdown to wide receiver Andre Rison.

Early in the second quarter, defensive back Craig Newsome's interception set up the Packers third touchdown of the day. Newsome fumbled the ball while being hit during the interception return, but his teammate Sean Jones recovered the ball on the 49ers 15-yard line. Three plays later, Edgar Bennett's touchdown run increased the Packers lead to 21-0.

Two Green Bay turnovers enabled San Francisco to mount a comeback attempt. First, a 49ers punt bounced into Packers safety Chris Hayes and was recovered San Francisco's Curtis Bailey at the Green Bay 26-yard line. Six plays later, backup quarterback Elvis Grbac (who had replaced injured starter Steve Young) threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Terry Kirby with 24 seconds left in the half. Then the Packers fumbled the second half kickoff, and San Francisco defensive back Steve Israel ran the fumble recovery to the Green Bay 4-yard line. On the next play, Grbac's 4-yard touchdown run cut the score to 21-14.

However, the Packers marched 72 yards for another touchdown, in which a fumble by Bennett was recovered in the end zone by wide receiver Antonio Freeman. Later on, with 5:31 left in the game, Kirby lost a fumble while being tackled by Green Bay defensive back Mike Prior, and Hayes recovered the ball on the 49ers 32-yard line. 6 plays later, Bennett scored his second touchdown of the game to close out the scoring.

Because the weather dipped in and out of freezing causing both rain and snow, the field got extremely muddy as the game went on causing the Green Bay Press Gazette to call it the "Mud Bowl." Neither team had much success moving the ball on offense due to the field conditions. The Packers, who averaged over 345 yards per game during the season, gained just 210 yards, while the 49ers managed only 196. Bennett was one of the top players of the day with 80 rushing yards and two touchdowns, along with two receptions for 14 yards.

AFC: Jacksonville Jaguars 30, Denver Broncos 27

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Jaguars 0 13 7 10 30 Broncos 12 0 0 15 27 at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. MST Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C), clear Game attendance: 75,678 Referee: Red Cashion TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Phil Simms, and Paul Maguire Game information Scoring DEN - Hebron 1 run (kick blocked) DEN 6-0 DEN - Sharpe 18 pass from Elway (pass failed) DEN 12-0 JAC - field goal Hollis 46 DEN 12-3 JAC - Means 8 run (Hollis kick) DEN 12-10 JAC - field goal Hollis 42 JAC 13-12 JAC - McCardell 31 pass from Brunell (Hollis kick) JAC 20-12 JAC - field goal Hollis 22 JAC 23-12 DEN - Davis 2 run (Davis run) JAC 23-20 JAC - Smith 16 pass from Brunell (Hollis kick) JAC 30-20 DEN - McCaffrey 15 pass from Elway (Elam kick) JAC 30-27

The Wild Card Jaguars, who had barely made the playoffs with a 9-7 record by winning their last 5 games of the season (including their final one when Atlanta Falcons kicker Morten Andersen missed a last second field goal), overcame a 12-point deficit and scored on six consecutive possessions to upset the Broncos, who had finished the season with an NFL best 13-3 record and were favored to win by over 14 points. Their loss meant that for the second consecutive year the AFC's top seed was eliminated in the divisional round.

Denver dominated the first quarter, scoring two touchdowns while preventing the Jaguars from gaining a single first down. On the Broncos second drive of the game, a 47-yard run by Terrell Davis gave them a first down on the Jacksonville 2-yard line. The Jaguars kept Denver out of the end zone for the next three plays, but Vaughn Hebron scored a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth down, giving Denver a 6-0 lead after defensive lineman Clyde Simmons blocked the extra point. Then after forcing a punt, Denver scored another touchdown when Elway connected with tight end Shannon Sharpe for a 18-yard touchdown pass. But Elway's 2-point conversion pass to Sharpe was incomplete, keeping the score at 12-0.

In the second quarter, Jacksonville stormed back. After a controversial pass interference penalty wiped out a Tory James interception for Denver, Jacksonville scored 13 points in the second quarter to take the lead at the half, 13-12, with two field goals by kicker Mike Hollis and an 8-yard touchdown by running back Natrone Means.

In the third quarter, Denver was limited to 14 plays for 37 yards. Meanwhile, Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell connected on a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Keenan McCardell. Hollis later kicked a 22-yard field goal to give Jacksonville a 23-12 lead with less than 11 minutes left in the game. But on Denver's next drive, Davis scored on a 2-yard touchdown run, a successful two-point conversion shrunk the lead to 23-20. But Jacksonville responded with another touchdown drive, featuring a 29-yard run by Brunell, who later finished the drive with a 16-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jimmy Smith with 3:39 remaining, making the score 30-20. The Broncos then scored on Elway's 15-yard touchdown to wide receiver Ed McCaffrey with 1:50 left, but they had no timeouts left and were unable to recover the onside kick.

Brunell had the best postseason performance of his career, throwing for 245 yards and 2 touchdowns without an interception, and also rushing for 44 yards. Davis rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 7 passes for 24 yards. It turned out to be the only playoff game of his career in which he didn't rush for 100 yards.

The game was featured as one of the NFL's Greatest Games as Ambush at Mile High.

January 5, 1997

AFC: New England Patriots 28, Pittsburgh Steelers 3

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Steelers 0 0 3 0 3 Patriots 14 7 0 7 28 at Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), foggy Game attendance: 60,188 Referee: Bernie Kukar TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert, Randy Cross, and Sam Wyche Game information Scoring NE - Martin 2 run (Vinatieri kick) NE 7-0 NE - Byars 24 pass from Bledsoe (Vinatieri kick) NE 14-0 NE - Martin 78 run (Vinatieri kick) NE 21-0 PIT - field goal Johnson 29 NE 21-3 NE - Martin 23 run (Vinatieri kick) NE 28-3

The Patriots blew out the Steelers, 28-3, with 346 yards of total offense. Running back Curtis Martin gained 166 rushing yards and scored three touchdowns. Martin scored on runs of 2, 78, and 23 yards. Patriots quarterback Drew Bledsoe threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to running back Keith Byars. The Steelers' lone score was Norm Johnson's 29-yard field goal in the third quarter. Pittsburgh quarterback Mike Tomczak was held to 110 passing yards and intercepted twice in the final postseason game of his career.

NFC: Carolina Panthers 26, Dallas Cowboys 17

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 3 8 3 3 17 Panthers 7 10 3 6 26 at Ericsson Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), clear Game attendance: 72,808 Referee: Johnny Grier TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and John Madden Game information Scoring DAL - field goal Boniol 22 DAL 3-0 CAR - Walls 1 pass from Collins (Kasay kick) CAR 7-3 CAR - Green 10 pass from Collins (Kasay kick) CAR 14-3 DAL - Johnston 2 pass from Aikman (pass failed) CAR 14-9 DAL - Safety, Carolina bad snap went out of end zone CAR 14-11 CAR - field goal Kasay 24 CAR 17-11 DAL - field goal Boniol 21 CAR 17-14 CAR - field goal Kasay 40 CAR 20-14 CAR - field goal Kasay 40 CAR 23-14 DAL - field goal Boniol 21 CAR 23-17 CAR - field goal Kasay 32 CAR 26-17

The second-year Panthers held Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman to 165 passing yards and forced three interceptions en route to their first playoff win in team history. On offense, running back Anthony Johnson was their top performer with 104 rushing yards and a 9-yard reception. Dallas scored first on kicker Chris Boniol's 22-yard field goal, but wide receiver Michael Irvin was knocked out of the game with a separated shoulder. Carolina quarterback Kerry Collins then threw two touchdown passes, a 1-yarder to tight end Wesley Walls and a 10-yarder to wide receiver Willie Green. The Cowboys countered with a 73-yard drive to score on Aikman's 2-yard touchdown pass to running back Daryl Johnston, but they failed on the extra point attempt and the Panthers lead was only cut to 14-9. A bad snap on a Carolina punt attempt went out of the end zone to give the Cowboys a safety. But Panthers safety Chad Cota intercepted a pass and returned it 49 yards to set up kicker John Kasay's 24-yard field goal with three seconds in the half, giving Carolina a 17-11 halftime lead. The second half was a battle of field goals with Kasey kicking 3 over Boniol's 2.

Conference championships

January 12, 1997

NFC Championship: Green Bay Packers 30, Carolina Panthers 13

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Panthers 7 3 3 0 13 Packers 0 17 10 3 30 at Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST Game weather: 8 °F (−13 °C), clear Game attendance: 60,216 Referee: Bob McElwee TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and John Madden Game information Scoring CAR - Griffith 3 pass from Collins (Kasay kick) CAR 7-0 GB - Levens 29 pass from Favre (Jacke kick) Tie 7-7 CAR - field goal Kasay 22 CAR 10-7 GB - Freeman 6 pass from Favre (Jacke kick) GB 14-10 GB - field goal Jacke 31 GB 17-10 GB - field goal Jacke 32 GB 20-10 CAR - field goal Kasay 23 GB 20-13 GB - Bennett 4 run (Jacke kick) GB 27-13 GB - field goal Jacke 28 GB 30-13

The Packers recorded 201 rushing yards and 476 total yards of offense. Green Bay running back Dorsey Levens recorded 117 yards receiving and 88 yards rushing, including a 29-yard touchdown catch. Quarterback Brett Favre managed to overcome two early turnovers that set up 10 Carolina points, completing 19 out of 29 passes for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns. Packers running back Edgar Bennett, who recorded 99 rushing yards, scored a touchdown from 4 yards out, and kicker Chris Jacke added 3 field goals.

Early in the first quarter, Panthers linebacker Sam Mills intercepted a pass from Favre and returned it to the Packers 3-yard line, setting up Kerry Collins' 3-yard touchdown pass to fullback Howard Griffith. Green Bay struck back with Favre's 29-yard touchdown pass to Levens, but after forcing a punt, Carolina lineman Lamar Lathon recovered a fumble from Favre on the Packers 45-yard line. A few plays later, John Kasay's 22-yard field goal put the Panthers back in the lead, 10-7.

But after that the Packers dominated the rest of the game. Favre responded by leading Green Bay 71 yards in 15 plays and scoring with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Freeman. Then on the first play after the ensuing kickoff, safety Tyrone Williams intercepted a pass from Collins on the Packers 38-yard line. Favre's completions to Andre Rison and Freeman for gains of 23 and 25 yards moved the ball into field goal range, and Jacke's 31-yard field goal finished the drive, giving Green Bay a 17-10 halftime lead.

On the first drive of the second half, Green Bay moved the ball 73 yards in 11 plays and scored with another Jacke field goal. The Panthers managed to respond with an 11-play, 73-yard drive of their own and score with Kasay's second field goal, which cut their deficit to 7 points. But Green Bay stormed right back with a 74-yard touchdown drive, featuring a 66-yard reception by Levens. On the next play, Bennett's 4-yard touchdown run gave the Packers a 27-13 lead with two minutes left in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Jacke's third field goal put the game out of reach.

This game is also the first time since 1991 that the Dallas Cowboys or the San Francisco 49ers did not appear in the NFC Championship Game.

AFC Championship: New England Patriots 20, Jacksonville Jaguars 6

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Jaguars 0 3 3 0 6 Patriots 7 6 0 7 20 at Foxboro Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST Game weather: 26 °F (−3 °C), partly cloudy Game attendance: 60,190 Referee: Jerry Markbreit TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Phil Simms, and Paul Maguire Game information Scoring NE - Martin 1 run (Vinatieri kick) NE 7-0 JAC - field goal Hollis 32 NE 7-3 NE - field goal Vinatieri 29 NE 10-3 NE - field goal Vinatieri 20 NE 13-3 JAC - field goal Hollis 28 NE 13-6 NE - Smith 47 fumble return (Vinatieri kick) NE 20-6

Patriots cornerback Otis Smith picked up Jaguars running back James Stewart's fumble and returned it 47 yards for the game-clinching touchdown with 2:24 left in the game. The Jaguars were forced to punt on their first possession, but a high snap enabled defensive back Larry Whigham to tackle punter Bryan Barker at the Jacksonville 4-yard line. Moments later, New England running back Curtis Martin scored a touchdown on a 1-yard run. After Jaguars kicker Mike Hollis made a 32-yard field goal, Jacksonville punt returner Chris Hudson's fumble set up Patriots kicker Adam Vinatieri's 29-yard field goal. Vinatieri then added a 20-yard field goal to give New England a 13-3 lead before halftime. Hollis later kicked a 28-yard field goal in the third quarter to cut the lead, 13-6. With under 4 minutes left in the game, the Jaguars reached the New England 5-yard line and attempted to score the game-tying touchdown, but Patriots defensive back Willie Clay intercepted a Mark Brunell pass in the end zone.

The game was also notable for a power outage (due to the unprecedented power use at and around the stadium due to very cold temperatures) just minutes before halftime, which knocked out much of the lighting of the stadium, as well as most of the power in the surrounding community. (The television broadcast, however, was not affected, and stayed on throughout the outage by using generators.)

Super Bowl

Further information: Super Bowl XXXI

Game summary 1 2 3 4 Total Patriots (AFC) 14 0 7 0 21 Packers (NFC) 10 17 8 0 35 at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana Date: January 26, 1997 Game attendance: 72,301 Referee: Gerald Austin TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and John Madden

References

• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)