TheNational Football League playoffs for the1986 season began on December 28, 1986. The postseason tournament concluded with theNew York Giants defeating theDenver Broncos inSuper Bowl XXI, 39–20, on January 25, 1987, at theRose Bowl inPasadena, California.

Within each conference, the three division winners and the twonon-division winners with the best overall regular season records qualified for the playoffs. The NFL did not use a fixed-bracket playoff system. The three division winners wereseeded 1–3 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and received afirst-round bye while the wild card teams were seeded 4 and 5, and played in the first round, dubbed thewild-card playoffs orwild-card weekend, with the 4 seed hosting. The second round, thedivisional playoffs, had a restriction where two teams from the same division could not meet: the surviving wild card team visited the division champion outside its division that had the higher seed, and the remaining two teams from that conference played each other. The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then met in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Finally theSuper Bowl, the championship round of the playoffs, was played at a neutral site, with the designated home team based on an annual rotation by conference.

Note: The New York Giants (the NFC one seed) did not play the Washington Redskins (the four seed) in the Divisional playoff round because both teams were in the same division.

*IndicatesOT victory

**Indicates2OT victory

In the United States,NBC broadcast theAFC playoff games, whileCBS televised theNFC games andSuper Bowl XXI.

QuarterbackPat Ryan led the Jets to victory with three touchdown passes, while New York's defense held the Chiefs to 241 yards (the lowest total allowed by their defense all season) and forced three turnovers, in Kansas City's first postseason appearance since 1971.

The Chiefs scored first as backup quarterbackTodd Blackledge, filling in for injured starterBill Kenney, led the team on a 67-yard drive capped by running backJeff Smith's 1-yard touchdown run, butNick Lowery was unsuccessful with the following PAT. On their ensuing possession, the Jets faced fourth down and 6 on the Kansas City 33-yard line. Rather than attempt a long field goal, Ryan faked a pitch toFreeman McNeil and rushed for a 24-yard gain. Two plays later, McNeil scored on a 4-yard rushing touchdown to give the Jets a 7–6 lead.

New York now had the momentum and would not give it up for the rest of the game. On Kansas City's ensuing drive, New York defendersHarry Hamilton andRussell Carter shared a tackle on running backLarry Moriarty, forcing a fumble that was recovered by linebackerKyle Clifton. Ryan then converted the turnover with a 1-yard touchdown pass to McNeil. The Chiefs were forced to punt on their next possession due to a sack byMark Gastineau, and the Jets increased their lead to 21–6 with another score. The key player on this drive was receiverAl Toon, who made a 30-yard reception from Ryan, and later finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown catch.

On the first play of the third quarter, Jets linebackerKevin McArthur increased his team's lead to 28–6 by returning an interception 21 yards for a touchdown, which would be the only score of the quarter. Most of it would be taken up by the Chiefs' ensuing drive, which ended with a failed fourth and 1 conversion attempt. In the fourth quarter, they finally managed to score when cornerbackAlbert Lewis recovered a blocked punt in the end zone for a touchdown. However, this was quickly countered on the Jets next possession as Ryan completed a 38-yard pass toWesley Walker before finishing it with a 6-yard touchdown throw to tight endBilly Griggs (his first NFL reception). The only other score of the game would be a safety when Jets punterDave Jennings ran out of the end zone in the game's closing minutes.

McNeil finished the game with 135 rushing yards, three receptions for 16 yards, and two touchdowns.^[1]

This was the second postseason meeting between the Chiefs and Jets. Kansas City won the only prior meeting when both teams were in the AFL.^[2] This was the first home postseason win for the Jets since the1968 American Football League Championship Game. It would also be the last playoff win for the Jets until 1998.

Although they outgained Washington in total yards 324–228, the Rams turned over the ball six times en route to a defeat against the Redskins.

In the first quarter, a fumble lost by Los Angeles running backEric Dickerson led to Washington kickerJess Atkinson's 25-yard field goal. The Redskins then extended their lead, 10–0, driving 60 yards to quarterbackJay Schroeder's 14-yard touchdown to running backKelvin Bryant. A key play on the drive was a controversial pass interference penalty against RamsPro Bowl cornerbackLeRoy Irvin, which gave the Redskins 28 yards; 13 from the initial penalty and another 15 against Irvin for arguing with officials about it. LA had a great chance to respond when quarterbackJim Everett completed a 45-yard pass toKevin House on the Redskins 28, but the drive ended with no points when Dickerson lost another fumble.^[3]

In the second quarter, Rams tight endDavid Hill lost a fumble due to a hit byMonte Coleman. LinebackerNeal Olkewicz recovered the ball and returned 19 yards to Rams 30-yard line, setting up Atkinson's 20-yard field goal. Hill's fumble was confirmed by a replay review that lasted nearly five minutes, prompting Redskins safetyCurtis Jordan to declare "I thought they were trying to get in touch withOliver North."^[4] This was the first time in NFL postseason history a replay was used to confirm a field call of a fumble.^[5]

Atkinson made two more field goals in the second half. The Rams' lone score of the game was Everett's 12-yard touchdown pass to House during the final quarter at the end of a 96-yard drive that was set up by Dickerson's 65-yard run. It seemed that Dickerson was headed for the end zone but he was caught from behind by Redskins defensive backDarrell Green. Later on, the Rams had a chance to score again, but Dickerson lost his third fumble of the day, this one while trying to convert a fourth and 1 on the Redskins 39.

Redskins running backGeorge Rogers finished the game with 119 rushing yards, while Dickerson rushed for 158. Atkinson, who had been signed by Washington a few weeks before this game and had not kicked any field goals in over a year, set a postseason franchise record with four field goals.

This was the fourth postseason meeting between the Rams and Redskins. Los Angeles had won two of the prior three meetings.^[2]

Thirty-eight-year-old Browns kickerMark Moseley, a former Washington Redskin whom Cleveland had talked out of retirement in order to replace the injuredMatt Bahr less than two months earlier, made the game-winning 27-yard field goal after 2:02 elapsed of the second overtime period, making this the third longest game in NFL history and giving Cleveland their first postseason win since 1969.

After Mosely missed a 46-yard field goal attempt on Cleveland's opening possession, the Jets scored first on their third drive of the game with an 82-yard drive. QuarterbackPat Ryan started it off with a 28-yard completion toAl Toon and finished it with a 42-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverWesley Walker on aflea flicker play. Cleveland responded with Kosar completing passes toOzzie Newsome for gains of 21 and 23 yards as he led the team 98 yards to score on his 37-yard completion to running backHerman Fontenot. Midway through the second quarter,Jeff Gossett's 39-yard punt pinned New York back on their own 4-yard line. The Jets were unable to get a first down with their drive, and to make matters worse, a 3rd down sack on Ryan by a gang of Browns defenders knocked him out of the game. New York's punt gave Cleveland on the ball at midfield, and they were able to take advantage of the field position, as Kosar's 25-yard completion to fullbackKevin Mack set up a 38-yard Mosely field goal that gave the Browns a 10–7 lead. The Jets, now led byKen O'Brien, responded with less than two minutes left in the half on a last-second field goal drive to tie the game, featuring his season-long 16-yard run on fourth down and four to keep the drive alive.

Cleveland had to punt on the opening drive of the third quarter, andKurt Sohn gave the Jets great field position with a 9-yard return to the Browns 41-yard line. New York then drove to a 37-yardPat Leahy field goal to break the tie. Cleveland responded with a drive to the Jets 26-yard line, but it ended with no points on another missed field goal attempt by Moseley. Early in the fourth quarter, the Browns drove all the way to the New York 3-yard line, only to come up empty whenRussell Carter intercepted a pass from Kosar in the end zone. Then after a punt, Kosar's next pass attempt was intercepted again, this time byJerry Holmes, which set upFreeman McNeil's 25-yard touchdown run on the next play to give his team a 20–10 lead with 4:14 left in regulation. This led Jets announcerCharley Steiner to prematurely declare, "The Jets are gonna win this football game!"

But the Browns then drove 68-yards to score on Mack's 1-yard touchdown run with 1:57 left on the clock, on a drive that was aided by a roughing the passer penalty onMark Gastineau that nullified an incompletion on second down and 24 from Cleveland's 18-yard line. After a failedonside kick attempt, the Browns stopped New York on two consecutive runs and then sacked O'Brien on a quarterback draw, bringing up 4th down on the Browns 48-yard line. Then they got another lucky break when a punt that would have pinned them inside their own 10-yard line was called back by a Jets holding penalty. On the second punt,Gerald McNeil returned the ball 10 yards to the Browns 32 with 53 seconds on the clock and no timeouts left. Following a 26-yard pass interference penalty onCarl Howard, Kosar completed a 37-yard pass to wide receiverWebster Slaughter on the Jets 5-yard line with 37 seconds to go. However, the Browns hurt themselves with excessive celebration after the catch, costing them several seconds before Kosar could break them up and get his team back to the line of scrimmage. The clock ran down to 15 seconds before the next snap, in which Kosar threw a pass that was broken up and nearly intercepted by Carter. Now with 11 seconds and no timeouts remaining, the Browns decided to play for overtime and had Moseley kick a game-tying 22-yard field goal.

After forcing the Jets to punt on the opening drive of overtime, Cleveland had a great chance to win after Kosar's 35-yard completion toReggie Langhorne landed them at the Jets 5-yard line. They attempted a field goal on first down, but Moseley missed the 23-yard attempt. Still their defense continued to hold down New York, forcing them to punt on two more possessions. After the first punt, disaster nearly struck Cleveland when Mack fumbled the ball near his own 40-yard line, but Browns guardPaul Farren recovered it. With 2:38 left in the first overtime period, Cleveland got the ball on their own 31 followingDave Jennings' playoff record 14th punt of the game. After moving the ball to the Jets 42, receiverBrian Brennan made a key play when he broke up an errant pass that was nearly intercepted byLester Lyles. This turned out to be crucial as the Browns running game would go on to take total control of the drive. First, Fontenot rushed for seven yards and then Mack added 26 yards on his next three carries, moving the ball to the 9-yard line to set up Moseley's second game-winning field goal attempt. This time, his kick was good, winning the game for the Browns after 17:02 of overtime play on an 11-play, 59-yard drive.

Kosar set postseason records for completions (33), attempts (64), and passing yards (483), but threw only one touchdown pass and two interceptions. Newsome caught six passes for 114 yards. Mack rushed 20 times for 63 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 5 passes for 51 yards. Toon was the Jets leading receiver with 5 receptions for 93 yards. The Browns tied a playoff record by recording nine sacks in the game, three by defensive tackleCarl Hairston. Cleveland finished the game with 558 yards of total offense. 45 of the Browns' 75 rushing yards in the game were gained on their final drive.^[6]

The game was featured as one of theNFL's Greatest Games as theMarathon by the Lake.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Jets and Browns.^[2]

The Redskins converted two turnovers into two touchdowns in the second half to overcome the defending champion Bears' 13–7 halftime lead. Chicago finished the game with just 220 yards and 14 first downs, while losing four turnovers.

Chicago had a chance to score early whenDennis Gentry returned the opening kickoff 60 yards to the Redskins' 35-yard line. But after a three-minute drive, the Bears ended up netting just three yards due to penalties andKevin Butler missed a 49-yard field goal attempt on the last play. Later in the quarter, Washington took a 7–0 lead by driving 69 yards to score onJay Schroeder's 28-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverArt Monk. Chicago countered with 10:07 remaining in the second quarter on wide receiverWillie Gault's 50-yard touchdown reception from quarterbackDoug Flutie. On the Redskins' next possession,Mike Richardson intercepted a pass from Schroeder and returned it 43 yards to the Washington 4-yard line. Still, the Bears could not get into the end zone and settled for a 10–7 lead with Butler's 23-yard field goal. Shortly before halftime, Butler made a 41-yard field goal to extend Chicago's lead to 13–7.^[7][8] The Redskins, thanks to a Vernon Dean interception of a tipped Doug Flutie pass, moved into position for a field goal late in the half, but Steve Cox's last second 50-yard field goal attempt came up short.

However, the Redskins took over the game in the second half. In the third quarter, defensive backDarrell Green returned an interception from Flutie 17 yards to the Bears 26-yard line that set up Schroeder's 23-yard touchdown pass to Monk. Chicago seemed primed to respond when Gentry returned their kickoff 48 yards to the Redskins 42, but after advancing to the Washington 17-yard line, running backWalter Payton lost a fumble due to a hit by defensive tackleDarryl Grant, and safetyAlvin Walton recovered the ball. Washington then drove 83 yards, aided by a 17-yard pass interference penalty against Richardson in the end zone, for a touchdown on aGeorge Rogers one-yard run less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Washington place kickerJess Atkinson made two field goals in the final quarter to close out the scoring, the second one set up byLew Barnes' muffed punt return that was recovered byEric Yarber.

In only his second NFL start, Flutie was mauled by the Redskins' defense, completing only 11 of 31 passes, with five completions in the second half. Payton was held to 38 rushing yards on 14 carries. Gentry returned three kickoffs for 127 yards.

This was the sixth postseason meeting between the Redskins and Bears. Chicago previously won three of the five meetings coming in.^[2]

NY Giants quarterbackPhil Simms completed only nine of 19 passes for 134 yards, but threw four touchdowns and no interceptions and sat out the fourth quarter while the New York defense allowed only 29 rushing yards, 184 total yards, and a field goal. They also forced four turnovers.

On the 49ers' first drive of the game, wide receiverJerry Rice caught a very long pass from quarterbackJoe Montana and appeared to be on his way for a 50-yard touchdown; however, the futureHall of Famer inexplicably fumbled the football into the Giants end zone without being touched; (John Madden said during the telecast that the artificial turf atGiants Stadium may have been a factor.) Giants safetyKenny Hill recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchback. New York then drove 80 yards in 10 plays to score on Simms' 24-yard touchdown to tight endMark Bavaro. San Francisco responded with a 26-yard field goal byRay Wersching, but in the second quarter, Giants safetyHerb Welch intercepted a pass from Montana and lateralled the ball toElvis Patterson, who ran for 16 yards before being tackled. New York then converted with the turnover into a touchdown onJoe Morris' 45-yard run.

On the Giants next possession, they scored on a 12-play, 57-yard drive in which they burned the 49ers with a fake field goal, starting out in normal kicking formation before switching into a shotgun formation with holderJeff Rutledge as the quarterback. San Francisco's field goal blocking unit was caught without enough defensive backs on the field and Rutledge ended up throwing the ball to a wide open Bavaro for a 23-yard gain on the 49ers 5-yard line. A penalty pushed them back 10 yards, but New York still scored on third down with Simms' 15-yard pass to receiverBobby Johnson. The situation only got worse for San Francisco from there, as Montana was knocked out of the game due to a hit by nose tackleJim Burt, while linebackerLawrence Taylor intercepted his pass and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown, giving the Giants a 28–3 halftime lead.

Simms threw two third quarter touchdown passes, a 28-yard completion toPhil McConkey and a 29-yarder to tight endZeke Mowatt. Near the end of the quarter, New York linebackerPepper Johnson intercepted backup quarterbackJeff Kemp's pass and returned the ball 27 yards to the 49ers 5-yard line, setting up the final score of the game on Morris' 2-yard run with 16 seconds left in the third quarter.^[9]

After the game when 49er head coachBill Walsh was asked if Rice's fumble made a difference in the outcome of the game, Walsh replied sarcastically, "Yeah, [that play] did. If it weren't for the fumble, the final score would have been 49 to 10."

Morris finished the game with 24 carries for 159 yards and two touchdowns, along with one receptions for two yards.

This was fourth postseason meeting between the 49ers and Giants. San Francisco took two of the previous three meetings.^[2]

Broncos quarterbackJohn Elway ran for a touchdown and passed for another one as he led Denver to a victory, while running backSammy Winder rushed for 102 yards and caught a pass for 16. Although New England won the turnover battle (2–0), they were outgained by Denver in total yards 441 to 271, while their quarterbackTony Eason was sacked six times.

In the first quarter, Elway's completions toSteve Sewell andSteve Watson for gains of 39 and 21 yards propelled the team on a drive to the Patriots 4-yard line. From there, Elway tried to run the ball for a score, but was tackled just short of the end zone. Believing he had crossed the plane, Elway angrily spiked the ball into the ground, drawing a penalty that pushed the team back five yards and they ended up having to settle forRich Karlis' field goal to go up 3–0. In the second quarter, the Patriots took the lead when Eason completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverStanley Morgan to cap an 87-yard drive. However, the Broncos countered with an 82-yard drive to score on Elway's 22-yard touchdown run. Later in the second quarter, New England linebackerJohnny Rembert's interception of an Elway pass on the Broncos 29-yard line led toTony Franklin's 38-yard field goal, tying the game at 10 by the end of the half.^[10]

In the third quarter, Denver drove 80 yards in 15 plays on a drive that consumed more than nine minutes and ended with Karlis' 22-yard field goal to give them a 13–10 lead. The Patriots responded with a trick play, aflea flicker that involved fullbackMosi Tatupu taking a handoff and then pitching the ball back to Eason, who threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Morgan to retake the lead, 17–13. But Elway then threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverVance Johnson for the go-ahead score on the last play of the third quarter, giving the team a 20–17 lead.

New England had four possessions in the fourth quarter, but the first three ended in punts, while Broncos defensive endRulon Jones ended the last one by sacking Eason in the end zone for a safety with 1:32 left in the game.^[11]

Elway had a rough day in the winning effort, completing only 13 of 32 passes for 257 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. Eason completed 13/24 passes for 194 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 23 yards. His top target was Morgan, who caught three passes for 100 yards and two scores. Broncos punterMike Horan averaged 49 yards per kick on his five punts, and placed three of them in the 20, including the final one that set up Jones' game-clinching safety.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Patriots and Broncos.^[2]

This game is best remembered forThe Drive in Cleveland and Denver sports lore when the Broncos drove 98 yards in 15 plays to tie the game with 37 seconds left in regulation and Denver kickerRich Karlis kicked the game-winning 33-yard field goal 5:48 into overtime.

The Browns scored first when quarterbackBernie Kosar threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to running backHerman Fontenot at the end of an 86-yard drive. But then Cleveland turned the ball over on three consecutive drives. FirstRicky Hunley intercepted Kosar's pass on the last play of the first quarter. Then after a punt, linebackerJim Ryan picked off a Kosar pass and returned it 21 yards to the Browns 9-yard line. Denver then drove to the 1-yard line, but were halted there and decided to settle forRich Karlis' 19-yard field goal. After the ensuing kickoff, running backKevin Mack lost a fumble that was recovered byKen Woodard on the Cleveland 37. On the next play, Denver quarterbackJohn Elway's 34-yard scramble moved the ball to the 4-yard line. Once again, they ended up facing fourth down on the 1-yard line, but this time they decided to go for the touchdown andGerald Willhite scored on a sweep right. Cleveland managed to respond with Kosar's 42-yard completion to receiverClarence Weathers, setting upMark Moseley's 29-yard field goal to tie the score at 10 with less than a minute left in the half.

In the second half, Elway threw his first interception of the game, a pass that was picked off near the sidelines by rookieMark Harper. But the Broncos defense rose to the occasion and managed to force a punt. Elway then led Denver inside the Browns 20-yard line where Karlis made a 26-yard field goal to break the tie with 2:50 left in the third quarter.

Cleveland responded with a field goal of their own, a 24-yarder from Moseley to tie the game at 13. Then after a punt, Kosar completed a 48-yard touchdown pass toBrian Brennan, making the score 20–13 with 5:43 left in regulation. On the ensuing kickoff, returner Ken Bell misplayed the kick and it hit the ground in front of him, bouncing to the 2-yard line before he managed to dive on the ball. Elway then led his team 98 yards to tie the game on wide receiverMark Jackson's 5-yard touchdown reception with 37 seconds left in regulation. Jackson also made a big play earlier on the drive, catching a 20-yard pass from Elway on third down and 18 from the Browns 48-yard line with 1:47 to go. Overall, the drive covered 98 yards in 15 plays without ever facing a fourth down, and only facing a third down three times.

After forcing Cleveland to punt on the opening drive of overtime, Elway led the Broncos 60 yards to set up Karlis' game winning 33-yard field goal. The key play of the drive was a 28-yard completion toSteve Watson on third down and 12 at midfield. Two carries bySammy Winder then moved the ball to the 16-yard line where Karlis made his game winning kick, which barely made it inside the left upright.

This game was later featured on NFL's Greatest Games.

Until the 2018 season, this was the only AFC Championship Game to go to overtime.

This was the first postseason meeting between the Broncos and Browns. The Broncos would defeat the Browns twice more in two of the next three AFC Championship Games.^[2]

The Giants shut out the Redskins, allowing only 150 passing yards and 40 rushing yards. New York won thecoin toss. With the winds at Giants Stadium blowing at 32 miles per hour, the Giants chose to defend one end of the field. While this meant that Washington would receive both the opening and second half kickoffs, the Giants were able to avoid kicking into the wind for the first and third quarters.After the Redskins were forced to punt on their opening possession, punterSteve Cox could only manage to kick the ball in the strong wind 23 yards to the Washington 47-yard line. Six plays and 17 yards later, the Giants scored onRaúl Allegre's 47-yard field goal, his longest of the season after joining the team in week 4. After the ensuing kickoff, the Redskins were forced to punt again and Cox managed to only punt the ball 27 yards to the Washington 38-yard line. From there, New York advanced to the Redskins 26. On third down and 10, quarterbackPhil Simms threw an incomplete pass and centerBart Oates was called for holding. Rather than take the incompletion to bring up fourth down, Redskins coachJoe Gibbs accepted the holding penalty, hoping to push and keep the Giants out of field goal range. But on the next play, Simms completed a 25-yard pass toLionel Manuel for a first down. A few plays later, Simms finished the drive with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Manuel on third down and goal.[1]

Washington's best chance to score came in the second quarter, when a 48-yard reception by receiverArt Monk set up a field goal attempt, but it never got off the ground because quarterbackJay Schroeder fumbled the snap. On their next drive, Simms completed a 30-yard pass to tight endMark Bavaro and later rushed eight yards to the Redskins 1-yard line on a quarterback bootleg. On the next play, running backJoe Morris completed the 51-yard drive by taking it into the end zone from there. Just before halftime, Morris gave the Redskins a scoring opportunity by losing a fumble deep in New York territory. But Washington came up empty when "The Big Blue Wrecking Crew" stopped them on a fourth and 1 conversion attempt.

In the second half, Washington completely abandoned their running game, passing the ball on all but one of their plays, but to no avail. By the end of the game, Schroeder was sacked four times, intercepted once by linebackerGary Reasons and finished with just 20 of 50 completions for 195 yards.

Washington's lone bright spot of the day was Monk, who caught eight passes for 126 yards.

This was the second postseason meeting between the Redskins and Giants. Washington won the only previous meeting.^[2]

This was the first Super Bowl meeting between the Broncos and Giants.^[2]

• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)
• The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995 (ISBN 0-89204-523-X)

• 1987 in American football
• 1986 in American football
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• Events at Soldier Field

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