Part Five of the Ten Greatest Super Bowls of All Time (part five)

2. Super Bowl XXV
Date: January 27th, 1991
Location: Tampa Stadium, Tampa, Florida.

"WIDE RIGHT"
The New York Giants defeat the Buffalo Bills, 20-19.

Super Bowl XXV was a contrast in styles between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants. The Bills, led by quarterback Jim Kelly and running back Thurman Thomas, used a no-huddle offense to rack of the most points in the NFL in 1990. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Giants, led by strong-willed head coach Bill Parcells, countered with a ball-control, time-consuming offense. With that offensive philosophy and a very stout defense, New York led the league in fewest points allowed in 1990. The Bills were a 7-point favorite in this game and were expected to give the city of Buffalo their first Super Bowl title. The Giants were a cinderella story of sorts despite their 13-3 regular season record. They lost a late-season game at the Meadowlands to Buffalo and lost starting quarterback Phil Simms in the process. Simms was replaced by career back-up Jeff Hostetler for the remainder of the season. Hostetler managed the Giants to an upset victory over the heavily favored San Fransisco 49ers in the NFC championship game. San Fransisco was going for their 3rd straight Super Bowl victory. Despite the Bills potent offensive machine, the Giants controlled the tempo of the game and were only down 10-3 mid-way thru the 2nd quarter. A turning point in the contest came when Hostetler was sacked in the endzone for a safety by Bills' defensive lineman Bruce Smith. Hostetler kept his head on the play and didn't cough up the football as it looked like he would. Instead of being down, 17-3, the Giants only trailed 12-3. After a free kick and a Buffalo punt, the Giants got the ball back with 3:43 left in the half and drove down field and scored a touchdown to make it 12-10 at intermission. The Giants got the ball to start the second half and went on a record-setting, clock-eating touchdown drive to take a 17-12 lead. The Bills explosive offense finally bounced back and Buffalo scored on Thurman Thomas' 31 yard touchdown run on the first play of the 4th quarter. New York responded with another time-consuming drive which ended with a Matt Bahr field goal and a 20-19 Giants' lead. With 2:16 remaining, Kelly marched the Bills down field and put them in position to kick a game-winning 47 yard field goal with 8 seconds remaining. Unfortunately for the Bills, Scott Norwood's kick sailed infamously wide-right. The Giants captured their 2nd Super Bowl title in five seasons. This game was played during the Gulf War and is fondly remembered for Whitney Houston's incredible rendition of the Star Spangled Banner. Despite New York's victory, the legacy of this game is probably most shaped by Scott Norwood's failed kick. Starting with Super Bowl XXV, Buffalo played in 4-straight Super Bowls and this was their best chance at a title. The Bills suffered lopsided losses to the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys in the following three Super Bowls. Sadly, nobody really talks about what a tremendous accomplishment it was for Buffalo to make it to the Super Bowl 4-straight seasons. Instead, they have forever been labeled "losers."