Giants Hand Denver a Super Defeat, 39-20

The New York Giants won their first National Football League championship in 30 years Sunday, overwhelming the Denver Broncos, 39-20, in Super Bowl XXI before a crowd of 101,063 at the Rose Bowl.

Quarterback Phil Simms of the Giants completed 22 of 25 passes, an NFL playoff record 88%, for 268 yards and three touchdowns.

Simms, voted the game’s Most Valuable Player, also set a Super Bowl record with 10 consecutive completions during the third and fourth quarters as the Giants turned a 10-9 halftime deficit into a 33-10 lead.

Bronco quarterback John Elway finished with 22 completions in 37 attempts for 304 yards and a touchdown, along with one interception. A lot of that yardage was against a Giant defense that played the first half in 70-degree temperatures, a stark contrast to the wind-chill factor of 10 in New York’s last game.

The Giants last won the NFL championship in 1956, when they beat the Chicago Bears, 47-7. Denver previously played for the title in Super Bowl XII, losing to the Dallas Cowboys, 27-10.