Super Bowl XII
The Superdome, New Orleans, LA
Head Coach: Red Miller
274 Points Scored
148 Points Allowed
Starting Quarterback: Craig Morton
Road to the Super Bowl:
Defeated Pittsburgh, 23-6: AFC Divisional Playoffs
Defeated Baltimore, 27-21: AFC Championship
Los Angeles Rams (10-4)
Head Coach: Chuck Knox
302 Points Scored
146 Points Allowed
Starting Quarterback: Pat Haden
Road to the Super Bowl:
Deafeated Minnesota, 27-6: NFC Divisional Playoffs
Defeated Chicago, 31-0: NFC Championship
The Game
For the first time ever, the Denver Broncos had reached the peak of the NFL season. With veteran Craig Morton at the helm, a Super Bowl championship was in reach for the Orange Crush defense. Trying to fight that defense was Pat Haden, Lawrence McCutcheon and the Los Angeles Rams, who had looked dominant in two games against the best the NFC had to offer.
As the game began, it seemed as if the momentum that the Rams carried into the game would continue as well. After punts by both teams, the Rams took the ball downfield after a good punt return. Using a balanced running attack of Lawrence McCutcheon and John Cappelletti, Los Angeles moved downfield, and backup running back Wendell Tyler put the ball in the end zone for the Rams, giving them an early 7-0 lead on the upstart Broncos. The momentum was with the Rams, and it would continue into the second quarter.
Denver's once solid running attack seemed to falter under the Los Angeles assault, so the Broncos turned to veteran Craig Morton to lead them for the rest of the game. While he was a veteran, he was still nervous about playing in the Super Bowl, and the Broncos punted on their next drive. It took just one play for the Rams to strike, when Harold Jackson brought in a Pat Haden pass, and broke 64 yards through the Denver defense for a touchdown and a 14-0 Los Angeles lead. Even staring down a two touchdown lead, the Broncos refused to give in, and as the half expired, Jim Turner booted a 33 yard field goal that made the score 14-3 at the half.
As the second half started, it soon became clear that the Broncos had managed to figure out the Rams in such a short period of time, while the Rams were unable to adjust to Denver. On the first drive of the second half, Denver moved downfield almost at ease, until finally being stopped at the 18 yard line. With Otis Armstrong and Lonnie Perrin now leading the push on offense, Turner booted another field goal, and the Broncos were down 14-6, with just 24 minutes to play.
The Rams missed a chance on their next drive, when after McCutcheon and Haden moved the team downfield, Rafael Septien missed a 50 yard kick that left the score a two possession game by the slimmest of margins. On the next Denver drive, the running attack finally came to life after being stagnant during the first half. Otis Armstrong began to see holes in the Los Angeles line, while Craig Morton now finally had time to find open receivers. When Haven Moses brought in a 24 yard touchdown from Morton, the score was just 14-13, and the Broncos had a shot as the fourth quarter began.
If Denver thought they had just a shot as the final quarter began, it soon became a flood of emotion. After stopping the Rams on third down, Denver fielded the punt at their own 39 yard line. From there, the Broncos went on an eight play drive, resulting in an Otis Armstrong 10 yard run that would put the Broncos ahead 19-14 after a missed Turner extra point. Neither team could move for most of the quarter after that, with the Broncos now playing extra defensive in anticipation of a Los Angeles comeback. Instead, Joe Rizzo picked off Pat Haden, and when Lonnie Perrin put the ball in the end zone with just under two minutes to play, the Rams were in serious trouble.
Down by 12 points, the Rams needed a miracle. Instead, all they got was four plays and out by Haden, leaving the Broncos celebrating on their sidelines. On the next Denver possession, Turner added a field goal to make the score 29-14 in favor of the Broncos. When the Rams got the ball back, veteran quarterback Joe Namath was placed in the game, just to say that he finally got a chance to play in the Super Bowl. Even though he was ineffective, the Rams were still able to say they gave an old man a chance, and when the clock ran out, Los Angeles was again left to wonder what could have been, while the Denver Broncos celebrated becoming kings of the NFL for the first time.
Final Score: Denver-29 Los Angeles-14
MVP: Craig Morton: 14/21, 169 yards, 1 TD