Super Bowl XXIII without a doubt in my mind has to rank as one of the best Super Bowls I ever saw. The game from start to finish was never dull, hard hitting and back and fourth action with high drama! The Cincinnati Bengals the upstart AFC Champion and everyones pick to win was the team riding high with the high powered O and the Icky Shuffle! The surprise NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers were more low key, but a veteran cast that had upset the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship, would prove never question the heart of a champion! The game had a first half competitive with tough hits and tight play with only field goals going into halftime. However in the 3rd quarter the game opened up with scoring from the Bengals on a kickoff return by Stanford Jennings, never fear Montana and the 49ers offense would finally start to find the end zone with the accurate and precision passing of the west coast offense. Wide receiver Jerry Rice turned out to be a gem with 11 catches and 221 yards receiving. It said it all though as Montana led the final drive 92 yards to throw the post catch TD pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds left! 49ers win 20-16! Clearly one of the best Super Bowls played, because of it's close score and excitement. Final word it was nice to see Bill Walsh win his last coached NFL game, a tribute to a legend who started the phenomenal west coast passing offense.
2 Reviews
One of the last great Super Bowls
metalrox_200026 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
It was a rematch of two teams who competed in the highest rated Super Bowl of all time. It pitted on of the games greatest quarterbacks, in 49ers Joe Montana, versus the young up and coming Boomer Esiason. It was a glitzy Super Bowl that feature the Ickey Shuffle, and the debut of Budwiser's Bud Bowl Commcercials. The game had a storybook ending that secured Montana's place in Canton, and once again broke the hearts of Bengals fans.
No team ever had, no since, had put the 49ers and Bill Walsh against the ropes like the Bengals had done before, and did in this game. It took a late Fourth Quarter drive to give the 49ers their third Lombardi trophy.
The Bengals defense had perplexed the 49ers most of the game, and despite being without starting fullback STanley Wilson, suspended after urinating on a police officer the night before, the Bengals offense was itself up to the task. Sam Wyche was the brightest young coach in the game at the time, and though this would be his only Super Bowl, had made it a good one, nearly out coaching former mentor, and coaching legend, Bill Walsh. The Bengals nearly stopped the 49ers, but a sure interception went through the hands of Lewis Billups. On the next play, Montana hit John Taylor for the game winning score, and the 49ers defense was able to hold the Bengals to secure the win. With the expection of the Bills/Giants Super Bowl a few years later, this was one of the last great dramatic Super Bowl games, with most games in the 90's being one sided blow outs, and the game were most memorable for their commercials, versus game action.
The one tragic figure from this Super Bowl was Lewis Billupps. He could have won the game, but dropped the ball. On March 4th 1994, only six years after the biggest game of his career, Billups was killed in a single car crash. Billupps, not wearing a seat belt, had been ejected from the car. Billupps had played the previous year with the Green Bay Packers, struggling to regain control over his once promising career.
No team ever had, no since, had put the 49ers and Bill Walsh against the ropes like the Bengals had done before, and did in this game. It took a late Fourth Quarter drive to give the 49ers their third Lombardi trophy.
The Bengals defense had perplexed the 49ers most of the game, and despite being without starting fullback STanley Wilson, suspended after urinating on a police officer the night before, the Bengals offense was itself up to the task. Sam Wyche was the brightest young coach in the game at the time, and though this would be his only Super Bowl, had made it a good one, nearly out coaching former mentor, and coaching legend, Bill Walsh. The Bengals nearly stopped the 49ers, but a sure interception went through the hands of Lewis Billups. On the next play, Montana hit John Taylor for the game winning score, and the 49ers defense was able to hold the Bengals to secure the win. With the expection of the Bills/Giants Super Bowl a few years later, this was one of the last great dramatic Super Bowl games, with most games in the 90's being one sided blow outs, and the game were most memorable for their commercials, versus game action.
The one tragic figure from this Super Bowl was Lewis Billupps. He could have won the game, but dropped the ball. On March 4th 1994, only six years after the biggest game of his career, Billups was killed in a single car crash. Billupps, not wearing a seat belt, had been ejected from the car. Billupps had played the previous year with the Green Bay Packers, struggling to regain control over his once promising career.
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