Super Bowl XXVIII - Dallas Cowboys 30 Buffalo Bills 13 - MVP Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith
Super Bowl XXVIII:- Cowboys 30 Bills 13 - MVP Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith

With Dallas trailing at halftime, it was Emmitt Smith's two second- half scoring runs that propelled the Cowboys to Super Bowl victory (30-13) for the second consecutive year over the rival Bills. Smith's first score gave Dallas the lead for good, as he carried the ball seven times on an eight-play scoring drive punctuated by a 15-yard touchdown scamper. Rushing 30 times for 132 yards, Smith's workmanlike effort helped stifle the Bills.

This was the first time that the same two teams met in consecutive Super Bowls. The defending Super Bowl XXVII champion Cowboys finished with a 12--4 regular season record, despite key players missing games due to injuries. The Bills were making their fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance, but still seeking their first Super Bowl title, after also finishing with a 12--4 regular season record, largely through the strength of their no-huddle offense.

Even though the Buffalo Bills had a 13-6 lead at halftime, Super Bowl XXVIII would have an identical outcome as the three previous Super Bowls -- it would end with a Buffalo loss.

Emmitt Smith rushed for 132 yards and two second-half touchdowns to power the Cowboys to their second consecutive NFL title.

By winning, Dallas joined San Francisco and Pittsburgh as the only franchises with four Super Bowl victories.

The Bills, meanwhile, extended a dubious string by losing in the Super Bowl for the fourth consecutive year.

To win, the Cowboys had to rally from a 13-6 halftime deficit. Buffalo had forged its lead on Thurman Thomas's 4-yard touchdown run and a pair of field goals by Steve Christie, including a 54-yard kick, the longest in Super Bowl history.

But just 55 seconds into the second half, Thomas was stripped of the ball by Dallas defensive tackle Leon Lett. Safety James Washington recovered and weaved his way 46 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 13-13. After forcing the Bills to punt, the Cowboys began their next possession on their 36-yard line and Smith, the game's most valuable player, took over.

He carried seven times for 61 yards on the ensuing 8-play, 64-yard drive, capping the march with a 15-yard touchdown run to give Dallas the lead for good with 8:42 remaining in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, Washington intercepted Jim Kelly's pass and returned it 12 yards to Buffalo's 34. A penalty moved the ball back to the 39, but Smith carried twice for 10 yards and caught a screen pass for nine, and quarterback Troy Aikman completed a 16-yard pass to Alvin Harper to give the Cowboys a first-and-goal at the 6.

Smith took it from there, cracking the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 1 to put Dallas ahead 27-13 with 9:50 remaining. Eddie Murray's third field goal, from 20 yards with 2:50 left, ended any doubt about the game's outcome.

Smith had 30 carries in all, with 19 of his attempts and 92 yards coming after intermission. Washington, normally a reserve who played most of the game because the Cowboys used five defensive backs to combat the Bills' No-Huddle offense, had 11 tackles and forced another fumble by Thomas in the first quarter.

Aikman completed 19 of 27 passes for 207 yards. Buffalo's Kelly completed a Super Bowl-record 31 passes in 50 attempts for 260 yards

Dallas, the first team in NFL history to begin the regular season 0-2 and go on to win the Super Bowl, also became the fifth to win back-to-back titles, following Green Bay, Miami, Pittsburgh (the Steelers did it twice), and San Francisco.

Buffalo became the third team, along with Minnesota and Denver, to lose four Super Bowls.

The victory was the 10th in a row for the NFC over the AFC.

Super Bowl XXVIII - Dallas Cowboys 30 Buffalo Bills 13 - MVP Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith
Super Bowl XXVIII Logo

Super Bowl XXVIII MVP: Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith

Super Bowl XXVIII MVP: Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith
Super Bowl XXVIII MVP: Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith

The Dallas Cowboys became the fifth team to win back-to-back Super Bowls, joining San Francisco and Pittsburgh as the only four-time champions.

Leading the way in its 30-13 victory over Buffalo was running back Emmitt Smith, who had 30 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Smith's workmanlike effort helped stifle the Bills

Trailing 13-6 at halftime, Dallas tied the score on a James Washington fumble return. Then they turned the ball over to Smith, and he took it from there. Nineteen of his 30 carries came in the second half, as did both his touchdowns.

His first score, which gave Dallas the lead for good, came after an 8-play, 64-yard drive in which Smith carried the ball seven times. His 15-yard touchdown run capped off the drive. In the fourth quarter, he put the game on ice with a 1-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal.

Emmitt Smith, still suffering the effects of a shoulder injury during the regular-season finale, became just the second player in Super Bowl history to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back Super Bowls (the other being Larry Csonka in Super Bowls VII and VIII). Emmitt also became the fourth player to rush for touchdowns in back-to-back Super Bowls (joining Franco Harris, John Riggins and Thurman Thomas). Smith also became the first player to lead the NFL in rushing yards, win the NFL Most Valuable Player Award, and win Super Bowl MVP all in the same season. He was also the fourth player, after Bart Starr (1966), Terry Bradshaw (1978), and Joe Montana (1989) to win both the NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP during the same season.

Super Bowl XXVIII Scoring

Teams Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Source: NFL
Dallas Cowboys60141030
Buffalo Bills3100013

 

Qtr Time Plays Yards Duration Team Scoring Summary DAL BUF
Source: NFL
112:415242:19DAL41-yard field goal by Eddie Murray30
110:198432:22BUF54-yard field goal by Steve Christie33
13:557434:02DAL24-yard field goal by Murray63
212:2617806:29BUFThurman Thomas 4-yard TD run, Christie PAT610
20:007381:03BUF28-yard field goal by Christie613
314:05 -- -- -- DALFumble recovery returned 46 yards for TD by James Washington, Murray PAT1313
38:428644:32DALEmmitt Smith 15-yard TD run, Murray PAT2013
49:509345:03DALSmith 1-yard TD run, Murray PAT2713
42:5010494:10DAL20-yard field goal by Murray3013

 

Super Bowl XXVIII Team Statistics

Statistic Cowboys Bills
Source: NFL
First downs2022
First downs rushing66
First downs passing1415
First downs penalty01
Third down efficiency5/135/17
Fourth down efficiency1/12/3
Net yards rushing13787
Rushing attempts3527
Yards per rush3.93.2
Passing - Completions/attempts19/2731/50
Times sacked-total yards2--32-20
Interceptions thrown11
Net yards passing204227
Total net yards341314
Punt returns-total yards1--51--5
Kickoff returns-total yards2--726--144
Interceptions-total return yards1--121--41
Punts-average yardage4--43.85--37.6
Fumbles-lost0--03--2
Penalties-total yards6--501--10
Time of possession34:2925:31
Turnovers13

 

Super Bowl XXVIII: Dallas Cowboys Player Statistics

Source: NFL
PassingComp / AttYardsTDINTRating
Troy Aikman19/272070177.2
RushingCarriesYardsTDLongYards/Carry
Emmitt Smith301322154.40
Kevin Williams16066.00
Troy Aikman13033.00
Daryl Johnston10000.00
Bernie Kosar1--10--1--1.00
Lincoln Coleman1--30--3--3.00
ReceivingCatchesYardsTDLongTarget
Michael Irvin5660208
Jay Novacek526097
Emmitt Smith4260105
Alvin Harper3750354
Daryl Johnston2140112
Kevin Williams00001

 

Super Bowl XXVIII: Buffalo Bills Player Statistics

Source: NFL
PassingComp / AttYardsTDINTRating
Jim Kelly31/502600167.1
RushingCarriesYardsTDLongYards/Carry
Kenneth Davis9380114.22
Thurman Thomas1637162.31
Jim Kelly212086.00
ReceivingCatchesYardsTDLongTarget
Bill Brooks7630159
Thurman Thomas7520247
Andre Reed67502210
Don Beebe66001811
Kenneth Davis3--5075
Pete Metzelaars18081
Keith McKeller17073
Russell Copeland00001

January 30, 1994

Georgia Dome (Atlanta, Georgia)

Attendance: 72,817

National Anthem: Natalie Cole

Coin Toss: Joe Namath

Halftime Show: The Judds (featuring Wynonna Judd & Naomi Judd), Clint Black, Travis Tritt, Tanya Tucker

Network: NBC

Announcers: Dick Enberg and Bob Trumpy

Nielsen ratings: 45.4 (est. 90 million viewers)

Cost of 30-second commercial: $900,000

Super Bowl XXVIII: Cowboys vs. Bills Highlights

 

Super Bowl XXVIII: Ticket & Championship Ring

Super Bowl XXVIII Championship Ring and Game Ticket

Super Bowl XXVIII - Dallas Cowboys 30 Buffalo Bills 13 - MVP Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith
Super Bowl XXVIII

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