NFL playoffs , 1992 - 93 The NFL playoffs following the 1992 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXVII . Wild Card playoffs . January 2 , 1993 . NFC : Washington Redskins 24 , Minnesota Vikings 7 . Running back Brian Mitchell led the Redskins to the 24 - 7 victory with 109 rushing yards and 100 total yards on receptions and punt returns . The Vikings scored first on running back Terry Allen ' s 1 - yard touchdown that capped a 74 - yard drive , but Washington controlled the game from that point on . Redskins kicker Chip Lohmiller scored a 44 - yard field goal and running back Earnest Byner recorded a 3 - yard touchdown to give Washington a 10 - 7 lead . Then on fourth down at the Minnesota 44 - yard line late in the second quarter , Mitchell rushed 36 yards on a fake punt . He would then score on an 8 - yard touchdown run . Quarterback Mark Rypien ' s 24 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gary Clark in the third period closed out the scoring . AFC : San Diego Chargers 17 , Kansas City Chiefs 0 . The Chargers shut out the Chiefs as San Diego scored two touchdowns in the second half . The game remained scoreless until midway through the third period when Chargers running back Marion Butts scored on a 54 - yard rushing touchdown . Then , San Diego defensive lineman Leslie O ' Neal intercepted a pass on Kansas City ' s next drive to set up kicker John Carney ' s 34 - yard field goal . In the final period , Chargers linebacker Steve Hendrickson , who lined up as a running back , scored on a 5 - yard touchdown run . January 3 , 1993 . AFC : Buffalo Bills 41 , Houston Oilers 38 ( OT ) . Known as The Comeback , the Bills mounted the greatest comeback in NFL history , overcoming a 35 - 3 deficit against the Oilers . The Bills were without future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly ( who was injured in the last game of the season , a loss to the Oilers ) , All - Pro linebacker Cornelius Bennett and lost starting running back Thurman Thomas to a hip injury , and the Oilers jumped to a 28 - 3 lead by halftime . Houston quarterback Warren Moon recorded 220 passing yards and 4 touchdowns in the first half . Then 1 : 41 into the third quarter , Oilers defensive back Bubba McDowell returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown , increasing their lead to 32 points . But quarterback Frank Reich led Buffalo to 5 unanswered touchdowns , including running back Kenneth Davis ' 1 - yard rushing score , Don Beebe ' s 38 - yard touchdown reception , and wide receiver Andre Reed ' s 3 touchdown catches . However , Oilers kicker Al Del Greco scored the tying 26 - yard field goal with 12 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime . Early in the extra period , Bills defensive back Nate Odomes ' interception set up Steve Christie ' s 32 - yard game field goal to give the Bills a 41 - 38 win . Reich finished the game with 21 of 34 pass completions for 289 yards and 4 touchdowns , with 1 interception . Reed had 8 catches for 136 yards and 3 touchdowns . Davis rushed for 68 yards and a touchdown , while also catching 2 passes for 25 yards . Moon recorded 36 of 50 completions for 371 yards and 4 touchdowns , with 2 interceptions . Receiver Curtis Duncan caught 9 passes for 117 yards . Jeffires recorded 8 catches for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns . NFC : Philadelphia Eagles 36 , New Orleans Saints 20 . The Eagles overcame a 20 - 10 Saints lead late in the third quarter by scoring 26 points in the final period . New Orleans scored first on running back Craig Heyward ' s 1 - yard touchdown run , but it was countered with Philadelphia quarterback Randall Cunningham ' s 57 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Fred Barnett . The Saints then went ahead 17 - 7 before halftime with kicker Morten Andersen ' s 35 - yard field goal and wide receiver Quinn Early ' s 7 - yard touchdown reception from quarterback Bobby Hebert . The two teams exchanged field goals in the third quarter , and the score was 20 - 10 , New Orleans , going into the final period . With less than 11 minutes left in the game , Cunningham connected with wide receiver Fred Barnett for a 35 - yard touchdown completion . Then on the first play of the Saints ' next possession , Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner intercepted a pass to set up running back Heath Sherman ' s 6 - yard touchdown , giving Philadelphia the lead , 24 - 20 . After New Orleans got the ball back , Eagles defensive lineman Reggie White sacked Hebert in the end zone for a safety . Philadelphia kicker Roger Ruzek then added a 39 - yard field goal , and 19 seconds later , defensive back Eric Allen intercepted Hebert and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown . Divisional playoffs . January 9 , 1993 . AFC : Buffalo Bills 24 , Pittsburgh Steelers 3 . The Bills forced 4 turnovers and 7 sacks as they held the Steelers to just a field goal . Buffalo quarterback Frank Reich threw for 160 yards , 2 touchdowns , and no interceptions ; while running back Kenneth Davis rushed for 104 yards Steelers running back Barry Foster rushed for 104 yards and caught a pass for 7 . Pittsburgh scored first with kicker Gary Anderson ' s 38 - yard field goal on their opening drive . However , Steelers quarterback Neil O ' Donnell lost a fumble while being sacked by Bruce Smith , which Bills defensive lineman Phil Hansen recovered on the Bills 41 - yard line . Buffalo then advanced 59 yards to score on Reich ' s 1 - yard touchdown pass to Mitch Frerotte , an eligible lineman . On the opening drive of the second half , the Bills moved the ball 80 yards and scored with Reich ' s 17 - yard touchdown pass to James Lofton . In the final period , a botched Steelers field goal attempt set up a 44 - yard drive that ended with Bills kicker Steve Christie ' s 43 - yard field goal . The next time Buffalo got the ball , they drove 86 yards and scored on a 1 - yard run from fullback Carwell Gardner . NFC : San Francisco 49ers 20 , Washington Redskins 13 . Despite committing 4 turnovers , 49ers quarterback Steve Young passed for 227 yards and two touchdowns , and ran for 73 yards , to beat the Redskins . Young threw a 5 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver John Taylor to open the scoring . Then after the two teams traded field goals , Young connected with tight end Brent Jones on a 16 - yard touchdown completion to give San Francisco a 17 - 3 lead before halftime . In the third quarter , Washington kicker Chip Lohmiller made a 32 - yard field goal to cut the lead , 17 - 6 . Later in the period , Young lost a fumble at the San Francisco 15 - yard line , and Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien scored on a 1 - yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 17 - 13 . Washington then reached the San Francisco 23 - yard line before Brian Mitchell fumbled the ball back to the 49ers . San Francisco then marched on a 14 - play , 59 - yard drive that consumed more than seven minutes off the clock to score on Mike Cofer ' s game - clinching 33 - yard field goal . This was the last game of Joe Gibbs ' first tenure as Redskins head coach . January 10 , 1993 . NFC : Dallas Cowboys 34 , Philadelphia Eagles 10 . The Cowboys defense had 5 sacks , and held the Eagles offense for 178 yards and 10 points . Philadelphia scored first on a 32 - yard field goal by kicker Roger Ruzek , but Dallas then scored 34 consecutive points . Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman threw two touchdown passes : a 1 - yard score to tight end Derek Tennell and a 6 - yarder to tight end Jay Novacek . Running back Emmitt Smith , who finished the game with 114 rushing yards , scored a 23 - yard touchdown run , running back Derrick Gainer rushed for a 1 - yard touchdown , and kicker Lin Elliott made two field goals . Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham ' s 18 - yard touchdown to wide receiver Calvin Williams closed out the scoring . AFC : Miami Dolphins 31 , San Diego Chargers 0 . The Dolphins defense shut out the Chargers , holding San Diego quarterback Stan Humphries to just 18 of 44 completions for 140 yards and intercepting him four times . Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino threw 3 touchdown passes in the second quarter . All of Marino ' s touchdowns were set up by interceptions . Miami defensive back Troy Vincent ' s interception set up running back Tony Paige ' s 1 - yard touchdown reception . Another interception by Vincent led to tight end Keith Jackson ' s 9 - yard touchdown . Then linebacker Bryan Cox ' s interception set up Jackson ' s 30 - yard touchdown . In the fourth period , Dolphins kicker Pete Stoyanovich added a 22 - yard field goal and running back Aaron Craver recorded a 25 - yard rushing touchdown . Conference championships . January 17 , 1993 . AFC Championship : Buffalo Bills 29 , Miami Dolphins 10 . The Bills intercepted Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino twice , recovered 3 fumbles , forced 4 sacks , and held Miami to just 33 rushing yards . Although the Buffalo offense had trouble getting into the end zone because it was both quarterback Jim Kelly and running back Thurman Thomas ' s first game after recovering from injuries , kicker Steve Christie made an NFL playoff record - tying 5 field goals . Thomas rushed for 96 yards and caught 5 passes for 70 . Midway through the first quarter , Bills lineman Bruce Smith forced a fumble from Marino while sacking him , and linebacker Darryl Talley recovered it , setting up a 21 - yard field goal by Steve Christie . Miami struck back on their next drive with a 51 - yard field goal from Pete Stoyanovich . After the ensuing kickoff , Kelly led the Bills 64 yards in 7 plays and finished the drive with a 17 - yard touchdown to Thomas early in the second quarter . Later on , Buffalo defensive end Phil Hansen intercepted a pass from Marino and returned it to the Dolphins 24 - yard line , setting up Christie ' s second field goal and giving the Bills a 13 - 3 lead by the end of the first half . Then on the opening kickoff of the second half , Miami returner Mike Williams fumbled the ball while being tackled by Mark Pike , and Buffalo ' s Carwell Gardner recovered it at the Dolphins 25 - yard line . Five plays later , running back Kenneth Davis scored on a 2 - yard touchdown run , giving the Bills a 20 - 3 lead . Buffalo ' s defense took over the rest of the third quarter , holding the Dolphins offense to 2 offensive yards while Christie added two more field goals to increase their lead to 26 - 3 . Marino completed a 15 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mark Duper in the final period . However , Christie kicked his 5th field goal of the game to clinch the victory . This was the second straight year the Bills defeated a future Hall of Fame quarterback to advance to the Super Bowl as they beat John Elway and his Denver Broncos 10 - 7 a season earlier . NFC Championship : Dallas Cowboys 30 , San Francisco 49ers 20 . Even though the Cowboys had only one more yard of total offense than the 49ers ( 416 to 415 ) , Dallas forced four critical turnovers that helped them earn the win . On San Francisco ' s first drive of the game , a holding penalty on offensive lineman Guy McIntyre nullified a 63 - yard touchdown completion from quarterback Steve Young to wide receiver Jerry Rice , and the 49ers had to punt . Despite a 19 - yard reception from Michael Irvin on the Cowboys first play , they also had to punt , but returner Alan Grant fumbled the football after a hit from Dixon Edwards and Dallas fullback Daryl Johnston recovered it on the 49ers 22 . Once again the Cowboys started their drive with a completion to Irvin , this one a 21 - yard gain to the 1 - yard line . But the San Francisco defense managed to hold them up on three consecutive plays , forcing Dallas to settle for Lin Elliot ' s 20 - yard field goal . San Francisco 49ers running back Marc Logan returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards to the Cowboys 48 - yard line . Aided by a 16 - yard run from Ricky Watters , San Francisco drove 48 yards and scored with Young ' s 1 - yard touchdown run to take a 7 - 3 lead . Dallas was forced to punt on their next drive after Troy Aikman was sacked twice ( one by Bill Romanowski and the other by Martin Harrison ) for 19 total yards , and Grant returned the football to the Cowboys 47 - yard line . San Francisco then drove to the Dallas 29 - yard line , but the drive stalled there and Mike Cofer missed a 47 - yard field goal try . After a punt , Watters lost a fumble that was recovered by defensive back Kevin Smith . Aided by a defensive holding call against Pierce Holt for holding up running back Emmitt Smith at the line on third down ( the 49ers objected , stating that Holt was fooled by a fake handoff into thinking Smith actually had the ball ) , Dallas took a 10 - 7 lead with Smith ' s 4 - yard touchdown run . A 21 - yard reception by Rice sparked a 49ers drive to the Cowboys 10 - yard line where Cofer made a 28 - yard field goal to tie the game with less than two minutes left in the second quarter . Cofer ' s kickoff went out of bounds , giving Dallas a chance to score before the end of the half . Aikman managed to lead them to the 49ers 25 - yard line , but Elliot ' s 43 - yard field goal attempt went wide right and the score remained 10 - 10 going into halftime . After receiving the second half kickoff , the Cowboys marched 78 yards , featuring a 38 - yard leaping catch by Alvin Harper over defensive back Eric Davis , to score on running back Daryl Johnston ' s 3 - yard touchdown run to take a 17 - 10 lead . The 49ers struck back with a 35 - yard completion from Young to Rice that set up a 43 - yard field goal by Cofer , cutting the score to 17 - 13 . However , Dallas put together a 79 - yard drive which consumed nine minutes with a key 31 - yard reception by tight end Jay Novacek . This second long drive was capped by Aikman ' s 16 - yard touchdown pass to Smith , giving the Cowboys a 24 - 13 advantage . Midway through the final period , Cowboys linebacker Ken Norton Jr intercepted a pass from Young and returned it to the 49ers 45 - yard line , and Dallas subsequently marched to the 7 . Rather than attempt a field goal on 4th down and 1 , Smith attempted to run for the first down , but was tackled by linebacker Mike Walter for no gain . The 49ers then drove 93 yards to score on Rice ' s 5 - yard touchdown reception , cutting the lead to 24 - 20 with 4 : 22 left in the game . But on the first play after the ensuing kickoff , Aikman threw a 14 - yard pass to Harper , who ended up running for a 70 - yard gain to the San Francisco 9 - yard line . Three plays later , wide receiver Kelvin Martin scored on a 6 - yard touchdown reception , making it 30 - 20 ( the extra point was blocked ) with 3 : 43 to play . The 49ers attempted one last drive to come back , but Young was intercepted once again , this time by free safety James Washington . Aikman threw for 322 yards and 2 touchdowns with no interceptions . Smith rushed for 24 carries and 114 yards , caught 7 passes for 59 yards , and scored 2 touchdowns . Harper caught 3 passes for 117 yards . Defensive tackle Tony Casillas recorded 3 sacks . Meanwhile , Young recorded 313 passing yards and one touchdown , but threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter . Rice caught 8 passes for 123 yards and a score . Watters rushed for 69 yards and caught 6 passes for 69 . This was later featured on NFL ' s Greatest Games as Changing of the Guard .