NFL playoffs, 1987–88

The NFL playoffs following the 1987 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXII.NFL seeds 1978-1989
AFC 1 = Denver Broncos
AFC 1 div = West
AFC 2 = Cleveland Browns
AFC 2 div = Central
AFC 3 = Indianapolis Colts
AFC 3 div = East
AFC 4 = Houston Oilers
AFC 5 = Seattle Seahawks
NFC 1 = San Francisco 49ers
NFC 1 div = West
NFC 2 = Chicago Bears
NFC 2 div = Central
NFC 3 = Washington Redskins
NFC 3 div = East
NFC 4 = New Orleans Saints
NFC 5 = Minnesota Vikings

Wild Card playoffs

January 3, 1988

NFC: Minnesota Vikings 44, New Orleans Saints 10

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Vikings
R1=10
R2=21
R3=3
R4=10
RT=44
Home=Saints
H1=7
H2=3
H3=0
H4=0
HT=10

"at Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana"

*Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
*TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
*Game attendance: 68,546

In the Saints' first playoff game in history, the Vikings dominated the game by recording 2 sacks, forcing 4 turnovers, and allowing only 149 yards. New Orleans scored first after Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer's fumble on a bad snap led to Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert's 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Eric Martin. Kramer then had to leave the game midway through the first quarter after reaggravating a pinched nerve in his neck that bothered him throughout the entire season. However, Minnesota took control of the contest from that point on. Backup quarterback Wade Wilson threw two touchdown passes, running back D. J. Dozier rushed for an 18-yard touchdown, and kicker Chuck Nelson made 3 field goals. Wide receiver Anthony Carter recorded an NFL playoff record 84-yard punt return for a touchdown, and finished the game with a postseason record 143 total punt return yards. Carter also scored a touchdown on a 10-yard halfback option pass from Allen Rice. New Orleans' only other score in the game was a 40-yard field goal by Morten Andersen. Wilson finished the game with 11 of 20 completions for 189 yards and 2 touchdown.

*Scoring
**NO - Martin 10 pass from Hebert (Andersen kick) NO 7-0
**MIN - field goal Nelson 42 NO 7-3
**MIN - Carter 84 punt return (Nelson kick) MIN 10-7
**MIN - Jordan 5 pass from Wilson (Nelson kick) MIN 17-7
**MIN - Carter 10 pass from Rice (Nelson kick) MIN 24-7
**NO - field goal Andersen 40 MIN 24-10
**MIN - Jones 44 pass from Wilson (Nelson kick) MIN 31-10
**MIN - field goal Nelson 42 MIN 34-10
**MIN - field goal Nelson 19 MIN 37-10
**MIN - Dozier 18 run (Nelson kick) MIN 44-10

AFC: Houston Oilers 23, Seattle Seahawks 20 (OT)

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Seahawks
R1=7
R2=3
R3=3
R4=7
R5=0
RT=20
Home=Oilers
H1=3
H2=10
H3=7
H4=0
H5=3
HT=23

"at Astrodome, Houston, Texas"

*Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/3:00 p.m. CST
*TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert and Joe Namath
*Game attendance: 50,519

Oilers kicker Tony Zendejas won the game with a 42-yard field goal 8:05 into overtime. Although Houston outgained Seattle with 427 total offensive yards to 250, the game remained close until the very end. The Seahawks scored first on wide receiver Steve Largent's 20-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Dave Krieg. The Oilers then scored 13 unanswered points with two field goals by Zendejas and running back Mike Rozier's 1-yard rushing touchdown. However, Seattle tied the game in the third quarter after kicker Norm Johnson made his second field goal of the game. Later in the third period, Houston quarterback Warren Moon threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Willie Drewrey to give his team a 20-13 lead. With only 1:47 left in regulation, Krieg threw his second touchdown pass to Largent, a 12-yarder, to tie the game. Largent finished the game with 7 receptions for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns.

*Scoring
**SEA - Largent 20 pass from Krieg (Johnson kick) SEA 7-0
**HOU - field goal Zendejas 47 SEA 7-3
**HOU - Rozier 1 run (Zendejas kick) HOU 10-7
**HOU - field goal Zendejas 49 HOU 13-7
**SEA - field goal Johnson 33 HOU 13-10
**SEA - field goal Johnson 41 13-13
**HOU - Drewrey 29 pass from Moon (Zendejas kick) HOU 20-13
**SEA - Largent 12 pass from Krieg (Johnson kick) 20-20
**HOU - field goal Zendejas 42 HOU 23-20

Divisional playoffs

January 9, 1988

AFC: Cleveland Browns 38, Indianapolis Colts 21

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Colts
R1=7
R2=7
R3=0
R4=7
RT=21
Home=Browns
H1=7
H2=7
H3=7
H4=17
HT=38

"at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio"

*Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
*TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy
*Game attendance: 79,372

Browns defensive back Felix Wright's interception deep inside his own territory sparked his team to score 17 unanswered points.

Cleveland started off the game with an impressive 15-play, 86-yard drive, converting five third downs on the way to Bernie Kosar's 15-yard touchdown pass to Earnest Byner. The Colts stormed right back, as quarterback Jack Trudeau threw completions for gains of 18 and 21 yards before finishing the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end Pat Beach. Cleveland responded by driving from their own 35 to the Indianapolis 2-yard line, but on third down and goal, Colts safety Freddie Robinson intercepted Kosar's pass in the end zone. After an exchange of punts, the Browns took a 14-7 lead on Kosar's 39-yard scoring strike to Reggie Langhorne with 1:51 left in the second quarter. Once again, the Colts responded with a touchdown drive of their own, moving the ball 59 yards in seven plays and tying the score on Trudeau's 19-yard touchdown pass to Eric Dickerson with 40 second left in the half

Indianapolis took the second half kickoff and stormed down the field, overcoming some blown plays along the way. During the drive, Trudeau was sacked for an 11-yard loss on second down and 11, but a defensive holding penalty negated the play and gave the Colts a first down. Later on, Dickerson fumbled the ball, but Trudeau picked it up and threw a 15-yard first down completion to Bill Brooks. Eventually, Indianapolis reached the Browns 20-yard line, but blitzing linebacker Eddie Johnson hit Trudeau as he threw a pass, causing the ball to go straight up in the air where it was intercepted by Wright at the 14.

After the interception, Kosar completed 5 of 7 passes for 65 yards while Byner rushed six times for 20 and capped off the drive with a 2-yard touchdown run, putting the Browns back in the lead, 21-14. Then after forcing a punt, Matt Bahr's 22-yard field goal gave the Browns a 10-point lead with just over 11 minutes left in the game. Following another punt, Byner fumbled the ball on a 25-yard run, but running back Herman Fontenot recovered the ball at the Colts 6-yard line, turning the play into a 41-yard gain. Three plays later, Kosar's 2-yard touchdown pass to receiver Brian Brennen made the score 31-14 with 3:44 left.

However, the Colts were not quite out of the game. With 1:07 remaining in regulation, Albert Bentley's 1-yard touchdown run cut the score to 31-21. Then Indianapolis recovered an onside kick on their own 41-yard line. But on the first play after that, Browns defensive end Al Baker sacked Trudeau for a 9-yard loss, knocking him out of the game. One play later, backup quarterback Sean Salisbury's pass was intercepted by Frank Minnifield, who returned the ball 48 yards for a touchdown to put the game away.

Byner finished the game with 122 rushing yards, 4 receptions for 36 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Kosar completed 20 of 31 passes for 229 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 1 interception.

*Scoring
**CLE - Byner 10 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) CLE 7-0
**IND - Beach 2 pass from Trudeau (Biasucci kick) 7-7
**CLE - Langhorne 39 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) CLE 14-7
**IND - Dickerson 19 pass from Trudeau (Biasucci kick)14-14
**CLE - Byner 2 run (Bahr kick) CLE 21-14
**CLE - field goal Bahr 22 CLE 24-14
**CLE - Brennan 2 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) CLE 31-14
**IND - Bentley 1 run (Biasucci kick) CLE 31-21
**CLE - Minnifield 48 interception return (Bahr kick) CLE 38-21

NFC: Minnesota Vikings 36, San Francisco 49ers 24

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Vikings
R1=3
R2=17
R3=10
R4=6
RT=36
Home=49ers
H1=3
H2=0
H3=14
H4=7
HT=24

"at Candlestick Park, San Francisco"

*Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/1:00 p.m. PST
*TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan and Joe Theismann
*Game attendance: 63,008

Aided by wide receiver Anthony Carter's 10 receptions for an NFL playoff record 227 receiving yards, the Vikings upset the top seeded 49ers, who had earned the league's best record during the regular season at 13-2. After the teams traded field goals in the first quarter, quarterback Wade Wilson completed a 7-yard touchdown pass to tight end Carl Hilton. Minnesota then jumped to a 20-3 lead before halftime with Chuck Nelson's 23-yard field goal and defensive back Najee Mustafaa's 45-yard interception return for a touchdown. In the third period, San Francisco defensive back Jeff Fuller returned an interception 48 yard for a touchdown, but it was countered with Wilson's 5-yard touchdown pass to Hassan Jones. 49ers backup quarterback Steve Young, who replaced starter Joe Montana midway through the game, scored a rushing touchdown and threw another. But it was not enough as Nelson made 3 more field goals in the second half to put the game out of reach.

*Scoring
**MIN - field goal Nelson 21 MIN 3-0
**SF - field goal Wersching 43 3-3
**MIN - Hilton 7 pass from Wilson (Nelson kick) MIN 10-3
**MIN - field goal Nelson 23 MIN 13-3
**MIN - Mustafaa 45 interception return (Nelson kick) MIN 20-3
**SF - Fuller 48 interception return (Wersching kick) MIN 20-10
**MIN - Jones 5 pass from Wilson (Nelson kick) MIN 27-10
**SF - Young 5 run (Wersching kick) MIN 27-17
**MIN - field goal Nelson 40 MIN 30-17
**MIN - field goal Nelson 40 MIN 33-17
**SF - Franklin 16 pass from Young (Wersching kick) MIN 33-24
**MIN - field goal Nelson 23 MIN 36-24

January 10, 1988

NFC: Washington Redskins 21, Chicago Bears 17

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Redskins
R1=0
R2=14
R3=7
R4=0
RT=21
Home=Bears
H1=7
H2=7
H3=3
H4=0
HT=17

"at Soldier Field, Chicago"

*Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST/11:30 a.m. CST
*TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
*Game attendance: 65,268

The Redskins overcame a 14-0 Bears lead by scoring three unanswered touchdowns. Chicago's first score was running back Calvin Thomas' 2-yard rushing touchdown. Bears quarterback Jim McMahon then threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Ron Morris. However, Washington tied the game before halftime with George Rogers's 3-yard touchdown run and quarterback Doug Williams' 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Clint Didier. In the third quarter, Redskins cornerback Darrell Green's scored on a 52-yard punt return for a touchdown. Chicago responded with kicker Kevin Butler's 25-yard field goal, but were shut down for the rest of the game. This was the final game in the Hall-of-Fame career of Bears running back Walter Payton, who rushed for 85 yards and caught 3 passes for 20 yards.

*Scoring
**CHI - Thomas 2 run (Butler kick) CHI 7-0
**CHI - Morris 14 pass from McMahon (Butler kick) CHI 14-0
**WAS - Rogers 3 run (Haji-Sheikh kick) CHI 14-7
**WAS - Didier 18 pass from Williams (Haji-Sheikh kick) 14-14
**WAS - Green 52 punt return (Haji-Sheikh kick) WAS 21-14
**CHI - field goal Butler 25 WAS 21-17

AFC: Denver Broncos 34, Houston Oilers 10

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Oilers
R1=0
R2=3
R3=0
R4=7
RT=10
Home=Broncos
H1=14
H2=10
H3=3
H4=7
HT=34

"at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado"

*Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. MST
*TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
*Referee: Jerry Markbreit
*Game attendance: 75,440

The Broncos jumped to a 14-0 early lead by converting two turnovers into two touchdowns. Denver defensive back Steve Wilson recovered a lateral pass by Oilers quarterback Warren Moon at the Houston 1-yard line, setting up Gene Lang's 1-yard rushing touchdown. Then on the Oilers next drive, linebacker Karl Mecklenburg intercepted a pass, and Broncos quarterback John Elway completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to tight end Clarence Kay. Both teams exchanged field goals in the second period before Elway threw a 1-yard touchdown to Kay. In the fourth quarter, Moon completed a 19-yard touchdown to wide receiver Ernest Givins, but it was countered with Elway's 3-yard touchdown run.

*Scoring
**DEN - Lang 1 run (Karlis kick) DEN 7-0
**DEN - Kay 27 pass from Elway (Karlis kick) DEN 14-0
**DEN - field goal Karlis 43 DEN 17-0
**HOU - field goal Zendejas 46 DEN 17-3
**DEN - Kay 1 pass from Elway (Karlis kick) DEN 24-3
**DEN - field goal Karlis 23 DEN 27-3
**HOU - Givins 19 pass from Moon (Zendejas kick) DEN 27-10
**DEN - Elway 3 run (Karlis kick) DEN 34-10

Conference Championships

January 17, 1988

NFC: Washington Redskins 17, Minnesota Vikings 10

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Vikings
R1=0
R2=7
R3=0
R4=3
RT=10
Home=Redskins
H1=7
H2=0
H3=3
H4=7
HT=17

"at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C."

*Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
*TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall and John Madden
*Referee: Ben Dreith
*Game attendance: 55,212

In a defensive battle, the Redskins played a little better by limiting the Vikings to only 76 rushing yards and forcing 8 sacks. Washington scored first on a 98-yard drive that was capped by running back Kelvin Bryant's 42-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Doug Williams. However, Minnesota tied the game before halftime with quarterback Wade Wilson's 23-yard touchdown pass to Leo Lewis. In the third quarter, Redskins linebacker Mel Kaufman returned an interception 10 yards to the Minnesota 17-yard line to set up kicker Ali Haji-Sheikh's 28-yard field goal. In the final period, Vikings kicker Chuck Nelson made an 18-yard field goal to tie the game, 10-10. The Redskins then marched 70 yards to score on Williams' 7-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gary Clark to take the lead, 17-10, with 5:06 remaining in the game. Minnesota then advanced to the Washington 6-yard line, but Wilson's fourth down pass, intened for running back Darrin Nelson in the end zone, was batted away from him by cornerback Darrell Green with 52 seconds remaining and the Redskins ran out the clock. [ [http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=25643 Great Redskins Drafts: A Look At 1983] ]

*Scoring
**WAS - Bryant 42 pass from Williams (Haji-Sheikh kick) WAS 7-0
**MIN - Lewis 23 pass from Wilson (Nelson kick) 7-7
**WAS - field goal Haji-Sheikh 28 WAS 10-7
**MIN - field goal Nelson 18 10-10
**WAS - Clark 7 pass from Williams (Haji-Sheikh kick) WAS 17-10

AFC: Denver Broncos 38, Cleveland Browns 33

Linescore Amfootball
Road=Browns
R1=0
R2=3
R3=21
R4=9
RT=33
Home=Broncos
H1=14
H2=7
H3=10
H4=7
HT=38

"at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado"

*Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. MST
*TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen
*Referee: Jim Tunney
*Game attendance: 76,197

This game is best remembered for The Fumble when Browns running back Earnest Byner fumbled at the Broncos' 3-yard line with 65 seconds remaining.

Two early Cleveland miscues helped the Broncos jump to an early 14-0 lead. First, Denver defensive lineman Freddie Gilbert's interception of a Bernie Kosar pass set up John Elway's 8-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Nattiel. Then after a punt, Elway threw an incomplete pass on third down and goal from the Browns 3-yard line, but a defensive holding penalty gave Denver a first down at the 1, and running back Steve Sewell scored a touchdown on the next play. Early in the second quarter, Matt Bahr's 24-yard field goal put the Browns on the scoreboard. But five minutes later, Gene Lang's 1-yard touchdown run gave the Broncos a 21-3 first half lead.

Four plays into the second half, Browns defensive back Felix Wright intercepted a pass from Elway, setting up Kosar's 18-yard touchdown pass to Reggie Langhorne. But less then a minute and a half later, Elway threw a pass to receiver Mark Jackson, who broke several tackles on the way to an 80-yard touchdown reception, giving the Broncos a 28-10 lead. The Browns responded with touchdowns on each of their next drives, both from Byner, before a field goal from Denver's Rich Karlis made the score 31-24 going into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Kosar's 4-yard touchdown pass to Webster Slaughter tied the score, but it was countered by Elway's 20-yard touchdown pass to running back Sammy Winder with 4 minutes left in the game.

After the ensuing kickoff, the Browns got the ball on their own 25-yard line. Byner started out the drive with a 16-yard burst, and then Kosar completed two passes to Brian Brennan for 33 total yards. Following a 6-yard run by Byner, an offsides penalty on Denver linebacker Karl Mecklenburg gave the Browns a first down on the Broncos 8-yard line with 1:12 remaining in regulation. The Browns had moved 67 yards in just six plays covering 2:41. On the next play, Byner took a handoff and appeared to be on his way to score the game-tying touchdown. But he was stripped of the ball by Broncos defensive back Jeremiah Castille, and fumbled at the 3-yard line. The Broncos recovered the fumble (Castille made the recovery), gave the Browns an intentional safety, and went on to win 38-33.

Byner's fumble ruined an otherwise superb performance, as he finished the game with 67 rushing yards, 7 receptions for 120 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Elway finished the game with 14 of 26 completions for 281 yards and 3 touchdowns with 1 interception, and also rushed for 36 yards. His top target was receiver Mark Jackson, who caught 4 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown.

*Scoring
**DEN - Nattiel 8 pass from Elway (Karlis kick) DEN 7-0
**DEN - Sewell 1 run (Karlis kick) DEN 14-0
**CLE - field goal Bahr 24 DEN 14-3
**DEN - Lang 1 run (Karlis kick) DEN 21-3
**CLE - Langhorne 18 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) DEN 21-10
**DEN - Jackson 80 pass from Elway (Karlis kick) DEN 28-10
**CLE - Byner 32 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) DEN 28-17
**CLE - Byner 4 run (Bahr kick) DEN 28-24
**DEN - field goal Karlis 38 DEN 31-24
**CLE - Slaughter 4 pass from Kosar (Bahr kick) T 31-31
**DEN - Winder 20 pass from Elway (Karlis kick) DEN 38-31
**CLE - Safety, Horan ran out of end zone DEN 38-33

Bracket

NFLBracket 1978-1989
RD4=Super Bowl XXII
G1=NFC
G2=AFC
hideNote=1
January 3 - Louisiana Superdome|5|Minnesota|44|4|New Orleans|10
January 3 - Astrodome|5|Seattle|20|4|Houston (OT)|23
January 9 - Candlestick Park|5|Minnesota|36|1|San Francisco|24
January 10 - Soldier Field|3|Washington|21|2|Chicago|17
January 9 - Cleveland Stadium|3|Indianapolis|21|2|Cleveland|38
January 10 - Mile High Stadium|4|Houston|10|1|Denver|34
January 17 - RFK Stadium|5|Minnesota|10|3|Washington|17
January 17 - Mile High Stadium|2|Cleveland|33|1|Denver|38
January 31 - Jack Murphy Stadium|N3|Washington|42|A1|Denver|10

uper Bowl

Washington Redskins (NFC) 42, Denver Broncos (AFC) 10, at Jack Murphy Stadium, San Diego, California

References