NFL playoffs , 1991 - 92 The NFL playoffs following the 1991 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXVI . Wild Card playoffs . December 28 , 1991 . AFC : Kansas City Chiefs 10 , Los Angeles Raiders 6 . Chiefs Quarterback Steve DeBerg completed a play - action 11 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Fred Jones in the second quarter , which was the difference in K . C . ' s narrow 10 - 6 win over long - time rival Los Angeles . K . C . Running back Barry Word was arguably the Chiefs ' most effective offensive weapon , rushing for 133 yards . The Raiders started rookie quarterback Todd Marinovich over veteran Jay Schroeder . Marinovich , who performed well in a loss to Kansas City the week before , instead threw 4 interceptions in the wild card rematch , including the one to Kansas City defensive back Deron Cherry that set up DeBerg ' s touchdown . The Raiders defense gave up huge rushing yardage to Word , but kept the game close by limiting the Chiefs to field goal tries after DeBerg ' s touchdown throw . Usually reliable Kansas City kicker Nick Lowery missed two field goals that could have given the Chiefs breathing room . The Raiders drove deep into Kansas City territroy on several occasions , but came away with only 6 points from Jeff Jaeger field goals . Marinovich , who was rattled in the first half , found a rhythm in the second half , completing key passes to Raiders wideout Tim Brown that moved Los Angeles into scoring position . But a fumble by Raiders running back Marcus Allen gave the Chiefs the ball again . Four plays later , Lowery redeemed himself with an 18 - yard score in the fourth period that put the Chiefs up 10 - 6 . Los Angeles advanced to the Kansas City 24 - yard line in the closing minutes . But the offense self - destructed with almost a dozen successive penalties in the drive that moved the ball back behind mid - field . Chiefs linebacker Lonnie Marts sealed the victory for the Chiefs with an interception of Marinovich . The game was also significant in that it featured what was at the time the oldest starting player in the NFL ( DeBerg ) and the second - youngest player to start at QB in a play - off game in Todd Marniovich ( Cleveland ' s Bernie Kosar being the youngest ) . NFC : Atlanta Falcons 27 , New Orleans Saints 20 . Falcons quarterback Chris Miller completed the game - winning 61 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Haynes with 2 : 41 left in the contest . Miller completed 18 out of 30 passes for 291 yards and 3 touchdowns . The Saints jumped to a 10 - 0 with quarterback Bobby Hebert ' s 26 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Floyd Turner and kicker Morten Andersen ' s 45 - yard field goal . But the Atlanta tied the game with wide receiver Andre Rison ' s 24 - yard touchdown reception from Miller and a 44 - yard field goal by Norm Johnson . The score was later tied 20 - 20 late in the final period as the teams traded scores : Andersen and Johnson each added another field goal , Miller threw a 20 - yard touchdown to Haynes , and New Orleans running back Dalton Hilliard rushed for a 1 - yard touchdown . After Haynes scored the winning touchdown for the Falcons , the Saints reached the Atlanta 35 - yard line before Hebert threw an interception to Falcons defensive back Tim McKyer to clinch the victory . December 29 , 1991 . NFC : Dallas Cowboys 17 , Chicago Bears 13 . The Cowboys jumped to a 10 - 0 first quarter lead and held on to win their first playoff game in nine years . Dallas ' first score was a 27 - yard field goal by Ken Willis . Then Cowboys linebacker Darrick Brownlow blocked a punt that was recovered by linebacker Ken Norton Jr . , setting up a 1 - yard touchdown by running back Emmitt Smith , who finished the game with 105 rushing yards . Bears kicker Kevin Butler kicked two field goals to cut the score 10 - 6 by the third period . However , Dallas responded by marching 75 yards to score on quarterback Steve Beuerlein ' s 3 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Jay Novacek . With 2 : 42 left in the game , Chicago wide receiver Tom Waddle scored on a 6 - yard touchdown reception from quarterback Jim Harbaugh , but the Bears could not score again . AFC : Houston Oilers 17 , New York Jets 10 . After leading 14 - 10 at halftime , the Oilers stopped the Jets twice inside the 5 - yard line in the second half to preserve the victory . Houston quarterback Warren Moon threw two touchdowns in the first half , both to Ernest Givins for 5 and 20 yards . For New York , wide receiver Al Toon recorded a 10 - yard touchdown reception from Ken O ' Brien and kicker Raul Allegre made a 33 - yard field goal . The Jets then took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched to the Houston 8 - yard line , but O ' Brien threw an interception to Oilers defensive back Bubba McDowell . Then after Oilers kicker Al Del Greco made a 53 - yard field goal , New York faced fourth down and inches at the Houston 3 - yard line . Rather than attempt a field goal , running back Freeman McNeil tried to advance the ball but was tackled for no gain . Late in the game , the Jets has another chance to score after recovering a fumble by Moon at the Houston 26 - yard line , but turned it over on downs again . Divisional playoffs . January 4 , 1992 . NFC : Washington Redskins 24 , Atlanta Falcons 7 . During their regular season meeting , Washington defeated Atlanta 56 - 17 , with quarterback Mark Rypien throwing for 446 yards and 6 touchdowns . Atlanta starting QB Chris Miller and CB / KR Deion Sanders missed that initial meeting however . In this game the score was closer , but the result was still the same . Under rainy and muddy conditions , the Falcons ' pass - happy run - and - shoot offense turned the ball over 6 times , with Chris Miller , who had problems all game with his footing , throwing 4 INTs . The Redskins held the ball for over 36 minutes , scoring two touchdowns in a span of 3 : 11 in the second quarter . Washington scored first by driving 81 - yards to score on running back Ricky Ervins ' 17 - yard rushing touchdown . Then , Redskins defensive lineman James " Jumpy " Geathers recovered a fumble to set up running back Gerald Riggs ' 2 - yard touchdown . The Falcons mounted a long drive to draw within 7 at halftime on a 1 - yard Tracy Johnson TD run . Washington ' s Chip Lohmiller missed 3 field goals in the first half which could have widened the lead . In the second half , Lohmiller scored a 24 - yard field goal to make the game 17 - 7 , while Atlanta ' s Norm Johnson missed a critical field goal on the ensuing possession . Following another Atlanta fumble at midfield in the 4th quarter , Riggs added a clinching 1 - yard touchdown run , prompting the fans in attendance to shower the field with the yellow seat cushions that were given out before the game . AFC : Denver Broncos 26 , Houston Oilers 24 . Trailing 24 - 23 with 2 : 07 left in the game , quarterback John Elway led the Broncos from their own 2 - yard line to the winning 28 - yard field goal by David Treadwell with 16 seconds remaining . On the drive , he converted on two fourth downs . On fourth down and 6 from the Denver 28 , he rushed for 7 yards . Then on fourth down and 10 , he completed a 44 - yard pass to wide receiver Vance Johnson . The Oilers jumped to a 14 - 0 lead with quarterback Warren Moon ' s two touchdown passes to wide receivers Haywood Jeffires and Drew Hill for 15 and 9 yards , respectively . Elway then completed a 10 - yard touchdown to Johnson , but kicker Treadwell missed the extra point . Moon responded by throwing a 6 - yard touchdown to wide receiver Curtis Duncan to give Houston a 21 - 6 lead , but Denver running back Greg Lewis scored a 1 - yard touchdown before halftime . In the second half , the Oilers were limited to only a 25 - yard field goal by kicker Al Del Greco , which gave Houston a 24 - 16 lead in the fourth quarter . The Broncos then marched 80 yards to score on Lewis ' 1 - yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 24 - 23 . Moon finished the game with 27 of 36 completions for 325 yards and three touchdowns , with one interception . January 5 , 1992 . AFC : Buffalo Bills 37 , Kansas City Chiefs 14 . Buffalo avenged their 33 - 6 loss to Kansas City during the regular season by eliminating them from the playoffs with a dominating 37 - 14 win . The Bills crushed the Chiefs by jumping to a 24 - 0 lead in the third quarter . Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly threw 3 touchdown passes : a 25 - yarder to wide receiver Andre Reed , a 53 - yard one to Reed , and a 10 - yarder to wide receiver James Lofton . Bills kicker Scott Norwood added 3 field goals , running back Kenneth Davis scored a touchdown on a 5 - yard run , Reed finished with 4 receptions for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns , and running back Thurman Thomas recorded 100 rushing yards . Meanwhile , Chiefs starting quarterback Steve DeBerg was knocked out of the game in the second period with a sprained thumb , and backup quarterback Mark Vlasic threw 4 interceptions . Although Kansas City running back Barry Word scored on a 3 - yard touchdown , he was held to 50 rushing yards . The Chiefs only other score was Vlasic ' s 10 - yard touchdown completion to wide receiver Fred Jones . This was Thomas ' fourth consecutive postseason game with at least 100 rushing yards , the second longest streak in NFL history ( behind John Riggins ' 6 ) NFC : Detroit Lions 38 , Dallas Cowboys 6 . Quarterback Erik Kramer led the Lions to their first and only postseason victory since 1957 by completing 29 out of 38 passes for 341 yards and 3 touchdowns . Kramer completed a 31 - yard score to wide receiver Willie Green , a 6 - yarder to Green , and a 7 - yarder to wide receiver Herman Moore . Detroit defensive back Melvin Jenkins returned an interception 41 - yard for a touchdown , kicker Eddie Murray added a 36 - yard field goal , and running back Barry Sanders rushed for a 47 - yard touchdown . The Cowboys ' only scores were two 28 - yard field goals by kicker Ken Willis . Dallas quarterback Steve Beuerlein was held to just 7 of 13 completions for 91 yards , with 1 interception . Conference championships . January 12 , 1992 . AFC Championship : Buffalo Bills 10 , Denver Broncos 7 . Buffalo relied on missed field goals by Denver and some key plays from their defense to edge the Broncos 10 - 7 , in what was a knock - down , drag - out defensive drama that featured devastating pass rushes that limited both offenses to meager , hard - fought - for yardage throughout the game . Although the score was 0 - 0 at the half , Denver advanced into Buffalo territory on all five of their first half possessions . However , Broncos kicker David Treadwell missed 3 field goals ( hitting the uprights twice and driving the other attempt wide right ) . Early in the third quarter , Denver QB John Elway ( who was sacked 3 times ) suffered a deep thigh bruise that limited his mobility . Meanwhile , Buffalo QB Jim Kelly ( who was sacked once and intercepted twice ) and the Buffalo offense were kept at bay by the Broncos ' hard - hitting defense . Late in the third quarter , the Broncos faced second down and 10 at their own 19 - yard line . Elway attempted a middle screen pass to running back Steve Sewell ( which had been Denver ' s most effective play ) , but it was tipped by Bills defensive lineman Jeff Wright into the arms of linebacker Carlton Bailey . Bailey broke an Elway tackle and returned the ball 11 yards for what would be Buffalo ' s only touchdown of the game . Elway ' s injury worsened to the point of his being replaced by backup Gary Kubiak in the 4th quarter . After Denver turned the ball over on downs , the Buffalo offense got on track with a pivotal third down completion by Jim Kelly to tight end Keith McKellar . Hobbled Buffalo running back Thurman Thomas carried the Bills to within field goal range . And with 4 : 18 left in the game , Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood made a 44 - yard field goal to increase the lead to 10 - 0 . Kubiak , who was playing in his last NFL game before retiring , led the Broncos 85 yards in eight frantic plays and scored a 3 - yard touchdown run on a quarterback draw play with 1 : 43 left . Denver then recovered the ensuing onside kick , but the Bills clinched the victory after defensive back Kirby Jackson forced and recovered a fumble from running back Steve Sewell . Denver finished the game leading in almost every statistical category , except for rushing . Broncos receiver Vance Johnson finished the game with 8 receptions for 104 yards . Kubiak completed 11 of 12 passes for 136 yards and rushed for 22 , outscoring and out - passing Jim Kelly and John Elway . The Broncos defense held the high - powered Bills offense to 13 catches ( most completed to tight ends and running backs ) and 3 offensive points . NFC Championship : Washington Redskins 41 , Detroit Lions 10 . In their season opening game , Washington beat the Lions 45 - 0 . The Lions now had hall of fame running back Barry Sanders , who had missed their first meeting with an injury , but it didn ' t help . The Redskins crushed the Lions , 41 - 10 , as quarterback Mark Rypien completed 12 out of 17 passes for 228 yards and 2 touchdowns . Detroit quarterback Erik Kramer was sacked 5 times , three of them by Washington linebacker Wilber Marshall . Sanders , who rushed for 1 , 548 yards during the season , was held to just 44 yards on 11 carries . The Redskins forced 2 turnovers on the Lions ' first two possessions , and jumped to a 10 - 0 lead with just 4 : 02 into the game . On Detroit ' s first play of the game , Washington defensive lineman Charles Mann forced Kramer to fumble , setting up running back Gerald Riggs ' 2 - yard touchdown . Then Redskins kicker Chip Lohmiller made a 20 - yard field goal after linebacker Kurt Gouveia intercepted a pass and returned it 38 yards to the Detroit 10 - yard line . In the second period , Kramer completed an 18 - yard touchdown to wide receiver Willie Green , but it was countered by Riggs ' 3 - yard touchdown . Lions kicker Eddie Murray then made a 30 - yard field goal and the Redskins only led 17 - 10 at halftime . However , Washington scored 24 unanswered points in the second half . Lohmiller scored his second field goal of the game , a 28 - yarder . Rypien threw a pair of touchdown passes to wide receivers Gary Clark and Art Monk for 45 and 21 yards , respectively . Cornerback Darrell Green also returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown . After the game , the Redskins dedicated their win to WUSA sports anchor Glenn Brenner , who died from a brain tumor later that week .