HistoryData
sports1991

Super Bowl XXV — 1991 National Football League championship game

January 27, 1991

Super Bowl XXV was the first Super Bowl decided by one point, ending on a missed field goal by the Bills' Scott Norwood.

Quick Facts

Year
1991
Category
sports

Key Facts

Final Score
New York Giants 20, Buffalo Bills 19
Margin of Victory
1 point (only Super Bowl decided by one point)
Giants Time of Possession
40 minutes 33 seconds (Super Bowl record)
Super Bowl MVP
Ottis Anderson, RB (21 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD)
Attendance Venue
Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida
Turnovers
0 (first Super Bowl with no turnovers by either team)

By the Numbers

20
Final Score
1
Margin of Victory
40
Giants Time of Possession
21
Super Bowl MVP

Location

Map of Tampa, United StatesMap of Tampa, United StatesTampa, United States

Cause → Event → Consequence

Cause

The AFC champion Buffalo Bills, owners of a 13–3 record and a potent no-huddle offense that scored a league-high 428 points, met the NFC champion New York Giants, who also went 13–3 but relied on ball control and a defense that yielded a league-low 211 points, setting up a contrast in styles for the NFL's 1990 season title.

Event

Played on January 27, 1991, at Tampa Stadium, the Giants overcame a 12–3 second-quarter deficit through extended ball-control drives, including a 75-yard, 9:29-clock-consuming touchdown march. MVP Ottis Anderson rushed 21 times for 102 yards and a score. With one second remaining and trailing 20–19, Bills kicker Scott Norwood's 47-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right, giving New York the championship.

Consequence

The Giants won their second Super Bowl title, while the Bills began a streak of four consecutive Super Bowl losses, the first team to do so. The game's one-point margin set a record never since matched, Scott Norwood's miss became one of football's most iconic moments, and the first Pete Rozelle Trophy was awarded to Anderson.

Result

New York Giants
20–19
Buffalo Bills

at Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida

First Super Bowl decided by one point; Giants set Super Bowl possession record of 40:33

Timeline Context

Timeline around 199119911988198919901992199319941991 FIFA World Youth Championship — International football competitionEuroBasket 1991 — FIBA EuroBasket1991 European Super Cup — football matchEurovision Song Contest 1991 — 36th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest1991 Formula One World Championship — sports season1991 Copa América — 1991 edition of the Copa América association football competition1991–92 UEFA Cup — 21st season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA1991 CONCACAF Gold Cup — 1991 edition of the association football competition CONCACAF Gold Cupsuper-bowl-xxv-1991-national-football-league-championship-1991