NFL playoffs , 1990 - 91 The NFL playoffs following the 1990 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXV . The league expanded its playoff system from a 10 - team to a 12 - team tournament . With these changes , three wild card teams ( those non - division champions with the conference ' s best won - lost - tied percentages ) qualified , up from two the year before . The format consisted of the following : The 3 and 6 seeds played each other in one game and the 4 and 5 in a second game , both making up what was dubbed the " Wild Card Round " . The 1 and the 2 seeds from each conference do not participate in this round , earning an automatic berth in the following week ' s " Divisional Playoff " games , where they face the Wild Card survivors . The 1 seeded team plays against the lowest remaining seed while the 2 seed plays the other remaining team . In a given game , whoever has the higher seed gets the home field advantage . In addition , a rule stating that teams from the same division could not play against each other in the divisional round was abolished . These changes forced the division winner with the worst record in each conference to play during the first round , eliminating an advantage for the top - seeded wild card where the top wild card received a home game . However , it guaranteed that division winner a home game , unlike in the previous format where the highest seeded wild - card team earned a playoff game while the lowest - seeded division winner was forced to play at the # 2 seed in the Divisional Playoffs ( or at the # 1 seed if the wild - card game winner was in that team ' s division ) despite earning a bye . This system was later modified before the 2002 - 2003 playoffs after the league realigned the teams into eight divisions ( four per conference ) . Wild Card playoffs . January 5 , 1991 . NFC : Washington Redskins 20 , Philadelphia Eagles 6 . The Redskins overcame losing two turnovers and a 6 - 0 deficit to score 20 unanswered points . The Eagles had a chance to capitalize early with Washington ' s mistakes , but could only score two field goals from kicker Roger Ruzek . And they also had a defense fumble return touchdown overturned by instant replay . However , the Redskins dominated from that point on . Washington quarterback Mark Rypien threw two touchdown passes : a 16 - yarder to wide receiver Art Monk and a 3 - yard completion to Gary Clark . Redskins kicker Chip Lohmiller also made two field goals . AFC : Miami Dolphins 17 , Kansas City Chiefs 16 . With 2 : 28 left in the game , the Dolphins capped an 85 - yard drive with quarterback Dan Marino ' s winning 12 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mark Clayton . However , the Chiefs dominated most of the game , and took an early first quarter lead with kicker Nick Lowery ' s 27 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , kicker Pete Stoyanovich made an NFL playoff record 58 - yard field goal to tie the game . But Kansas City quarterback Steve DeBerg completed a 26 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Stephone Paige ( who finished the game with 8 catches for 142 yards ) , and Lowery added two more field goals to give the Chiefs a 16 - 3 lead going into the fourth quarter . In the final period , Marino led the Dolphins to the comeback by throwing two touchdown passes : a 1 - yarder to running back Tony Paige and Clayton ' s winning score . The Chiefs had a chance to win the game on Lowery ' s 52 - yard field goal attempt with 49 seconds left , but his kick was just short . Marino finished the game with 19 of 30 completions for 221 yards and two touchdowns . January 6 , 1991 . AFC : Cincinnati Bengals 41 , Houston Oilers 14 . The Bengals crushed the Oilers by jumping 34 - 0 lead in the third quarter and holding the ball for 39 : 45 . Running back Ickey Woods recorded a 1 - yard rushing touchdown , while running back Eric Ball scored on 3 - yard one . Kicker Jim Breech made two field goals : a 27 - yarder and a 30 - yarder . Quarterback Boomer Esiason completed 14 of 20 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns : a 2 - yarder to running back Harold Green and a 9 - yarder to tight end Eric Kattus . Esiason also rushed for 57 yards and another touchdown on a 10 - yard run . Houston wide receiver Ernest Givins caught two touchdown passes from backup quarterback Cody Carlson to prevent a shutout . Cincinnati ' s most lopsided playoff win in franchise history was the result of a team effort . The Bengals racked up 187 yards on the ground even though no player rushed for more than 57 yards , and added another 162 yards through the air , though no one caught more than 2 passes . Overall , the Bengals gained 349 yards while holding Houston to 227 , with just 69 rushing yards . Ironically , Houston had helped get Cincinnati into the playoffs by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in their final game of the season , causing the Bengals to win the AFC Central based on tiebreaker rules . As of 2012 , this has been Cincinnati ' s last playoff win to date . NFC : Chicago Bears 16 , New Orleans Saints 6 . The Bears defense held the Saints to 65 rushing yards , 6 first downs , and two field goals . Chicago also recorded 365 yards of total offense . Bears running back Neal Anderson compiled 166 rushing yards , 42 receiving yards , and threw a 22 - yard halfback option pass . Chicago kicker Kevin Butler made 3 field goals , and quarterback Mike Tomczak completed an 18 - yard touchdown pass to tight end James Thornton . New Orleans ' only scores were two field goals by kicker Morten Andersen . Divisional playoffs . January 12 , 1991 . AFC : Buffalo Bills 44 , Miami Dolphins 34 . In a shootout , the Bills jumped to a 13 - 3 lead in the first quarter , and kept pace with the Dolphins as the two teams matched each other score for score for the rest of the game . The Bills scored first with wide receiver Andre Reed ' s 40 - yard touchdown reception . Then after Buffalo jumped to a 20 - 3 lead in the second quarter with running back Thurman Thomas ' 5 - yard touchdown , Miami quarterback Dan Marino cut the Bills ' lead to 20 - 10 with a 64 - yard touchdown completion to wide receiver Mark Duper . Before halftime , Bills quarterback Jim Kelly threw a 13 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver James Lofton , and Marino scored on a 2 - yard touchdown run . The teams exchanged field goals again the in third period . During the final quarter , Roy Foster , an offensive lineman who played in an eligible receiver position , caught a 2 - yard touchdown pass to cut the Dolphins deficit to 30 - 27 . But the Bills countered with Thomas ' 5 - yard touchdown run . Miami then fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Kelly capitalized with a 26 - yard touchdown pass to Reed to clinch the game . Marino ' s 8 - yard touchdown to wide receiver Tony Martin closed out the scoring . Kelly , who returned to start for the Bills after missing the last 2 games of the season with a knee injury , passed for 339 yards and 3 touchdowns , while also rushing for 37 yards . Reed was also a big factor , recording 123 receiving yards and a pair of touchdown catches . Lofton caught 7 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown . Thomas led the Bills ground attack with 32 carries for 117 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns , while also catching 3 passes for 38 yards . Marino threw for 323 yards and 3 touchdowns , but was intercepted twice . Duper caught 3 passes for 113 yards and a touchdown . Running back Sammie Smith rushed for 99 yards and caught a 9 yard reception . NFC : San Francisco 49ers 28 , Washington Redskins 10 . Quarterback Joe Montana passed for 200 yards and 2 touchdowns in the first half to lead the 49ers to a 21 - 10 score by halftime . Redskins receiver Art Monk had a superb performance , recording 10 receptions for 163 yards , including a 31 - yard touchdown catch from Mark Rypien to give his team a 7 - 0 lead in the first quarter . San Francisco tied the game with running back Tom Rathman ' s 1 - yard rushing touchdown , but Washington took the lead again with kicker Chip Lohmiller ' s 44 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Montana then took control of the game by throwing two touchdowns : a 10 - yarder to wide receiver Jerry Rice and an 8 - yarder to wide receiver Mike Sherrard . San Francisco dominated Washington ' s offense for the rest of the game , intercepting Rypien 3 times with linebacker Michael Carter returning one of them 61 - yards for a touchdown January 13 , 1991 . NFC : New York Giants 31 , Chicago Bears 3 . The Giants defense dominated the game by allowing only 27 rushing yards and 3 points . New York quarterback Jeff Hostetler , playing because starter Phil Simms suffered a season - ending injury , completed 10 out of 17 passes for 122 yards . He also threw 2 touchdown passes : a 21 - yard completion to wide receiver Stephen Baker and a 3 - yarder to tight end Howard Cross . Hostetler also ran for 43 yards , including a 3 - yard rushing touchdown . Giants kicker Matt Bahr made a 46 - yard field goal and running back Maurice Carthon scored a 1 - yard touchdown . AFC : Los Angeles Raiders 20 , Cincinnati Bengals 10 . The Raiders recorded 235 rushing yards ( with 140 of them coming from running back Marcus Allen ) , while holding the Bengals to just 182 total yards and sacking Boomer Esiason four times ( Three by lineman Greg Townsend ) , but still had to score 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory . The Bengals scored first during the second period with kicker Jim Breech ' s 27 - yard field goal . But Los Angeles quarterback Jay Schroeder threw a 13 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mervyn Fernandez to give the Raiders a 7 - 3 lead before halftime . Los Angeles kicker Jeff Jaeger made a 49 - field goal in the third quarter , but Cincinnati tied the game early in the fourth period with running back Stanford Jennings ' 8 - yard touchdown reception from Esiason . However , a 41 - yard touchdown pass from Schroeder to tight end Ethan Horton and Jaeger ' s 25 - yard field goal clinched the victory . This was Raiders running back Bo Jackson ' s final NFL game , having injured his left hip during the third quarter while being tackled from behind by Bengals linebacker Kevin Walker . The injury was later revealed to have caused a degenerative bone condition in Jackson ' s hip called , avascular necrosis . Before being knocked out of the game , he rushed 6 times for 77 yards . Some Bengals fans theorize that this injury to one of the greatest athletes ever placed a curse on the Bengals franchise ( sometimes called " the curse of Bo Jackson " ) , and that this curse is partially responsible for the Bengals ' notorious failure to field a competitive football team for most of the next decade and half . This game is also notable for being Marcus Allen ' s last 100 - plus yard rushing performance with the Raiders , as well as the last postseason game the Bengals would play in until the 2005 season . To this day the Bengals have not won another playoff game . Their winless playoff streak is the longest among all 32 NFL teams . Conference championships . January 20 , 1991 . AFC Championship : Buffalo Bills 51 , Los Angeles Raiders 3 . Raiders head coach Art Shell became the first African - American coach to take his team to a conference championship game , but the results were not in his favor . The Bills shredded the Raiders , limiting quarterback Jay Schroeder to 13 of 31 completions for 150 yards and intercepting him 5 times , while also holding running back Marcus Allen to just 26 yards on 10 carries . On offense , the Bills amassed 502 total yards , including 202 yards on the ground . Running back Thurman Thomas rushed for 138 and a touchdown while also catching 5 passes for 61 yards , while running back Kenneth Davis tied an AFC playoff record with 3 rushing touchdowns . Buffalo also set an NFL playoff record by scoring 41 points in the first half . Bills quarterback Jim Kelly threw for 300 yards and two touchdown passes to wide receiver James Lofton , who finished the game with 5 receptions for 113 yards . Thomas recorded a 12 - yard touchdown run , while Davis scored from 1 yard , 3 yards , and 1 yard out . Linebacker Darryl Talley returned one of his two interceptions 27 yards for a touchdown . On Buffalo ' s opening drive , Kelly completed six consecutive passes , the last one a 13 - yard touchdown throw to Lofton after he recovered a fumbled snap in shotgun formation . The Raiders responded with a 41 - yard field goal from Jeff Jaeger , but Buffalo stormed back with another touchdown just four plays after the ensuing kickoff , set up by Kelly ' s 41 - yard completion to Lofton . After a punt , Los Angeles defensive back Gary Lewis intercepted a pass from Kelly . But two plays later , Talley intercepted a pass from Schroeder and returned it for a touchdown . The Raiders were forced to punt on their next possession , and Buffalo stormed down the field again , scoring with a 1 - yard touchdown run by Davis on fourth down and goal . An interception by Nate Odomes set up Davis ' second touchdown less than a minute later , and before the half ended , Lofton caught his second touchdown pass to give the Bills a 41 - 3 first half lead . Buffalo increased their lead to 48 - 3 with Davis ' third touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter . Later on , Scott Norwood closed out the scoring with a 39 - yard field goal . Buffalo recorded a total of six interceptions , the third highest total ever in a single NFL game . Defensive back Mark Kelso recorded his fourth career postseason interception in the game , a Bills ' record . NFC Championship : New York Giants 15 , San Francisco 49ers 13 . In a mostly defensive battle , 49ers running back Roger Craig ' s fumble with 2 : 36 left in the game led to Giants kicker Matt Bahr ' s 42 - yard game - winning field goal as time ran out . Bahr was New York ' s only scorer , as he made 5 out of 6 field goals . Although the Giants outrushed the 49ers , 152 yards to 49 , the game was tied 6 – 6 at halftime . During the first half , Dave Meggett on a halfback option rolled out and delivered a strike to fullback Maurice Carthon . Carthon dropped the ball in the back of the end zone . It was the closest the Giants would get to scoring a touchdown . In the third quarter , a 61 - yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Montana to wide receiver John Taylor gave San Francisco the lead , 13 - 6 . Bahr then made a 46 - yard field goal that cut the lead , 13 - 9 . In the fourth quarter , Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler was hit at the knees by 49ers defensive tackle Jim Burt . Hostetler was injured on the play , but managed to walk off the field under his own power . Giants linebacker Carl Banks later recalled that the defense was infuriated by the play and looked to strike back . " It was unspoken . . . that if you hurt one of our guys , we knew who to go after , " Banks said . On the 49ers ' next drive , Montana called a pass play on third down . With the New York defense covering all of his receivers , Montana was forced to move outside the pocket to make a play . Although Lawrence Taylor took a swipe at Montana and missed , Leonard Marshall came from behind Montana and hit him hard in the back , causing a fumble . Montana , whose back was already injured , was slow to get up and was taken out of the game with a severe concussion and a broken finger . San Francisco managed to retain possession , however , as lineman Steve Wallace fell on the ball after New York cornerback Mark Collins could not hold onto it . Hostetler returned for the next drive but could not manage a first down . A fake punt , however , caught the 49ers off guard and linebacker Gary Reasons ran for thirty yards . Hostetler then drove New York to the opposing 21 - yard line , but could get no further and nearly threw an interception on a third down pass toward the end zone . Bahr kicked his fourth field goal of the game with 5 : 47 left to bring the score to 13 - 12 . Steve Young came in to replace Montana on the next drive , and the 49ers tried to run as much time as they could off the clock . On the second play off the drive Brent Jones got behind the Giants defense and Young hit him for a twenty - five yard gain , and two plays later Craig picked up a first down with a six yard gain . On the very next play , Young handed the ball off to Craig again , but Erik Howard stopped him behind the line of scrimmage and forced a fumble that fell right into Taylor ' s arms . This was the only turnover of the game . With 2 : 36 left and with all three timeouts , Hostetler and the Giants began driving again . He hit Mark Bavaro for nineteen yards on the first play and later hit Stephen Baker for thirteen more on a second down to set up a short run by Ottis Anderson for two yards and a first down . New York called two running plays to get the ball to the middle of the field , and with four seconds left Bahr was called on to try to win the game . His kick went through the uprights as time ran out and the Giants won the game . The game was featured in the " NFL ' s Greatest Games " TV series , titled End of a Dynasty .