Giants Pour It On in 2nd Half, 39-20 : Simms Leads Super Rout of Broncos

All the talk about John Elway being the equalizer in Super Bowl XXI turned about to be just that. Talk.

The talented Elway, quarterback for the Denver Broncos, needed all the king’s horses and all the king’s men to go with him in this game against the always rough-and-ready New York Giants. Instead, he had some fairly mortal Bronco teammates to go with him, and the Giants didn’t lose often to mortals this season.

And in Super Bowl XXI, before a packed house of 101,063 in Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, the aptly named team from New York ran off with a 39-20 victory.

The Giants turned a safety late in the first half, and a gamble by their normally conservative coach, Bill Parcells, into a 30-10 romp in the second half. And all 10 of Denver’s points in the second half came after it didn’t matter.

In the last minutes of the game, it was announced that quarterback Phil Simms of the Giants, the team’s quiet leader, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Elway, the leader during Super Bowl week in the category of publicity attained, had to settle for thoughts of next year.

On the first series of the third period, it appeared that Denver had taken the first edge, leaving the Giants with a fourth-and-one near midfield. But instead of punting, the Giants sent in a unit that included backup quarterback Jeff Rutledge, as well as punter Sean Landeta. And after a long count that at first appeared to be designed simply to pull the Broncos offside, Rutledge took the snap as Landeta went in motion--for no apparent reason--and Rutledge gained the needed yard for the first down.

That was pretty risky business at that point in the game by Parcells, but it paid off in a touchdown that put New York ahead, 16-10. Simms connected on two quick passes, the second to Lee Rouson to the Denver 17. One play later, Simms hit tight end Mark Bavaro over the middle for 13 yards and the touchdown.

Then, after the Giants’ Phil McConkey returned a Bronco punt 25 yards, Simms took the Giants to the four-yard line, from where Raul Allegre kicked a 21-yard field goal for a 19-10 lead. There were 3 minutes 54 seconds left in the third period when Allegre connected.

The Giants had time for one more touchdown before the period ended, however. And after the Broncos had played the Giants tough for a half, the expected rout was finally on.

Simms took the snap just inside Denver territory, handed off to Joe Morris, who took two steps toward the line of scrimmage and pitched back to Simms. By that time, the speedy McConkey was wide open, and Simms hit him in stride. The Broncos caught McConkey at the one, but Morris took it over on the next play for 26-10.

At the end of the third period, the Broncos had only 14 yards rushing, and 13 of those were by their quarterback, Elway. Elway had completed 15 of 26 passes for 200 yards, but Simms, the quiet man who had taken a back seat in the publicity derby this week to Elway, had 20 of 23 for 229 yards.

And when Elvis Patterson intercepted an Elway pass in the first minute of the fourth period, giving the Giants the ball at midfield, Denver’s comeback chances looked grim.

The looks became reality when Simms quickly passed 36 yards to Stacy Robinson, putting the Giants in position for the finisher--a six-yard scoring pass that bounced off Bavaro’s hands into the hands of McConkey. McConkey wrapped both arms around the ball and carried it all the way to the sidelines. It was a symbolic action. The Giants had wrapped up Super Bowl XXI.

Even when Denver drove to a 28-yard field goal by Rich Karlis with 6:01 to play--somewhat of a strange choice of scoring plays by Denver’s Dan Reeves--and Elway passed to Vance Johnson for a final touchdown, the outcome was assured.

The anticipated mugging of the Broncos by the Giants certainly didn’t take place in the first half. In fact, the Broncos held a shaky 10-9 lead when the teams left the field for intermission.

It was a strangely interesting half. In the first quarter, Elway and Simms completed all 12 passes they completed--6 apiece.

Denver led at the end of the period, 10-7, and the play was crisp and sharp. Karlis started the scoring with a 48-yard field goal, after Elway took the Broncos from their 24 to the Giants’ 31 on the opening series. In fact, to dispel any thoughts of Elway feeling intimidated by the New York defense, led by the fearsome Lawrence Taylor, the young Bronco quarterback rolled out for 10 yards and a first down on the first play from scrimmage of the game.

Karlis’ 48-yarder that made the score 3-0 tied a Super Bowl record for longest field goal, set first by Jan Stenerud of Kansas City versus Minnesota in Super Bowl IV.

Karlis’ record-tying success turned out to be ironic, since he later missed kicks of 23 and 34 yards. He missed both wide right, and the second one was as time ran out in the half, spoiling a nice chance for the Broncos to head to the lockerroom under some positive steam.

The Giants went in front, 7-3, after Karlis’ long kick with a drive that answered Elway’s opener, and a drive that was even more impressive.

They started at their 22 after the kickoff, then marched steadily downfield, with Simms mixing his passes nicely with the usual running slants of Joe Morris.

The key moment came after a holding penalty by Bavaro had negated a first down and put New York in a third-and-ten at Denver’s 39. But Simms found Robinson for an 18-yard gain for the first down, then found Bavaro for 17 more over the middle two plays later, putting the ball on the six. From there, Simms sent tight end Zeke Mowatt in motion, right to left, then passed to him circling in the end zone in the opposite direction. Mowatt got behind Bronco defender Steve Foley, who seemed to slip just as Simms threw.

Elway was more than equal to the comeback task.

Ken Bell returned a short Giants’ kickoff 28 yards to Denver’s 42, and three pass plays later, not to mention an unusual double penalty, the Broncos had the ball deep in Giants’ territory.

The unusual play was a pass completion to Sammy Winder to the New York 24. On the play, Winder was roughed going out of bounds by Harry Carson. That made a 12-yard penalty that put the ball at the 12. And then, Taylor complained to the officials angrily enough to draw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of six more yards, to the six.

Three plays later, Elway had the ball on New York’s four and had the Giants’ defense spread out all over the field for the expected pass. He took the snap in the shotgun formation and, instead of passing, dashed right up the middle for a touchdown that gave his team a 10-7 lead. After that, the crisp, sharp game deteriorated greatly. Suddenly their were lots of punts and lots of defense, some of the latter resulting in George Martin’s tackle of Elway in the end zone for a safety that made it 10-9.

The half also featured the first use of instant replay in a Super Bowl. The eye in the sky was used twice, both to double check Bronco pass receptions that had been called incomplete. Both calls made on the field were upheld by the camera in the press box.