Super Bowl XXVIII

Dallas Cowboys (1) (NFC) (12–4) Buffalo Bills (1) (AFC) (12–4) 30 13 Head coach: Jimmy Johnson Head coach: Marv Levy
1 2 3 4 Total DAL 6 0 14 10 30 BUF 3 10 0 0 13
Date	January 30, 1994 (1994-01-30)
Kickoff time	6:22 p.m.EST (UTC-5)
Stadium	Georgia Dome Atlanta, Georgia
MVP	Emmitt Smith,running back
Favorite	Cowboys by 10.5[1][2]
Referee	Bob McElwee
Attendance	72,817[3]
Ceremonies
National anthem	Natalie Cole
Coin toss	Joe Namath
Halftime show	The Judds (featuringWynonna andNaomi Judd),Clint Black,Travis Tritt, andTanya Tucker
TV in the United States
Network	NBC
Announcers	Dick Enberg,Bob Trumpy,O. J. Simpson, andWill McDonough
Nielsen ratings	45.5 (est. 90 million viewers)[4]
Market share	66
Cost of 30-second commercial	$900,000
Radio in the United States
Network	CBS Radio
Announcers	Jack Buck andHank Stram
← XXVII Super Bowl XXIX →

Super Bowl XXVIII was anAmerican football game between theNational Football Conference (NFC) championDallas Cowboys and theAmerican Football Conference (AFC) championBuffalo Bills to decide theNational Football League (NFL) champion for the1993 season. The Cowboys defeated the Bills, for the second straight year, by a score of 30–13, winning their fourth Super Bowl in team history, tying thePittsburgh Steelers and theSan Francisco 49ers for most Super Bowl wins. TheBuffalo Bills became the only team to both play and lose four consecutive Super Bowls (XXV,XXVI,XXVII, XXVIII) for a 0–4 franchise Super Bowl record, and as of 2025, remains the team's most recent Super Bowl appearance. This is also the most recent consecutive Super Bowl rematch. The game was played on January 30, 1994, at theGeorgia Dome inAtlanta. Since the 1993 regular season was conducted over 18 weeks (two byes per team), the traditional bye week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl was not employed; the last time this had happened was beforeSuper Bowl XXV.

This is the only time that the same two teams have met in consecutive Super Bowls. The defendingSuper Bowl XXVII champion Cowboys finished with a 12–4 regular season record, despite key players missing games due to injuries. The Bills were making their fourth consecutive Super Bowl appearance, but still seeking their first title, after also finishing with a 12–4 regular season record, largely through the strength of theirno-huddle offense.

After trailing 13–6 at halftime, the Cowboys scored 24 unanswered points in the second half. The Bills had built their lead off of running backThurman Thomas' 4-yard touchdown run. But just 45 seconds into the third quarter, Thomas was stripped of the ball, and Dallas safetyJames Washington returned the fumble 46 yards for a touchdown to tie the game. From there, Cowboys running backEmmitt Smith, who was named theSuper Bowl MVP, largely took over the game. On Dallas' next possession, Smith was handed the ball seven times on an eight-play, 64-yard drive that was capped off with his 15-yard touchdown run. He later scored on a 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. Overall, Smith had 30 carries for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also catching 4 passes for 26 yards.

NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXVIII toAtlanta during their May 23, 1990 meetings inIrving, Texas. It would be Atlanta's first of three Super Bowls (as of 2024) and first of two played at theGeorgia Dome. Four cities submitted bids including Atlanta (Georgia Dome),Miami (Joe Robbie Stadium),New Orleans (Superdome), andTampa (Tampa Stadium). On the first ballot, Tampa was eliminated, mostly due to the fact that they were already scheduled to hostXXV.Tampa Bay representative Hugh Culverhouse Jr. immediately threw their support behind the Atlanta bid.^[5] Atlanta won on the fourth ballot, with owners rewardingFalcons ownerRankin Smith for his decision to keep the franchise in Atlanta, and for orchestrating the construction of the new stadium.^[6] However, the NFL attached conditions to Atlanta's hosting duties. TheGeorgia Dome was still under construction; the first concrete footings had just been poured that same week. The league gave Atlanta a deadline of September 1 to finalize the construction schedule and budget, otherwise they may consider reassigning the game.^[7][8] In September of that year, Atlanta was selected as the host for the1996 Summer Olympics, with the Georgia Dome a keyvenue for the games. Almost immediately, the stadium's luxury boxes began to sell out,^[9][10][11] helping ensure the stadium would be completed within budget.^[12] The stadium was completed on-time for the1992 season.

The Cowboys' journey to Super Bowl XXVIII proved more difficult than the previous season.Pro Bowl running backEmmitt Smith held out the first two regular season games over a contract dispute, and Dallas lost both of those contests, including a 13–10 loss at home to the Bills.^[13] Pro Bowl quarterbackTroy Aikman, along with a few other key players, missed games due to injuries.

Following the loss to the Bills, Cowboys defensive endCharles Haley was so upset he slammed his helmet through a locker room wall, screaming "We'll never win with a fucking rookie running back, and we have the greatest one ever sitting at home watching TV!" in reference to Smith's replacement,Derrick Lassic.^[14] Team ownerJerry Jones apparently agreed, quickly signing Smith to a contract that made him the highest paid running back in the NFL. Jerry Jones, who was in the locker room when the helmet was thrown, said that it missed him by about 2 feet.

With Smith back in the starting lineup and Aikman healthy, Dallas went on to win their next seven games, including a dominating 26–17 win over theSan Francisco 49ers and a 23–10 win on the road against thePhiladelphia Eagles in which Smith rushed for 237 yards, the 6th highest total in NFL history. Their winning streak was finally snapped against theAtlanta Falcons, with Aikman on the sidelines with an ankle injury, and Smith knocked out of the game after his first carry. They also lost their next game against Miami due to an infamous error by defensive linemanLeon Lett that enabled the Dolphins to kick a game-winning field goal, but then went on to win their remaining five games. In the season finale against theNew York Giants, with the Cowboys desperately trying to clinch theNFC East title and a first-round bye in the playoffs, Aikman showed he was at full health, completing 24 of 30 passes with no interceptions, while for Smith it was his career signature game. He suffered a first-degree separation in his right shoulder during the first half, but still finished with 229 total yards (168 yards rushing, 10 passes caught for 61 yards, and the team's only touchdown) in a 16–13 overtime win which enabled Dallas to finish with an NFC-best 12–4 record.

Though not as dynamic as the previous year, Dallas' offense remained incredibly efficient, led by Aikman, who finished the regular season completing 271 out of 392 passes for 3,100 yards, 15 touchdowns, and six interceptions. Despite missing the first two games, Smith recorded 1,486 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, while catching 57 passes for 414 yards and another touchdown, earning him his third consecutive NFL rushing title and theNFL Most Valuable Player Award. FullbackDaryl Johnston was also a reliable backfield threat, scoring four touchdowns and contributing a career-high 50 receptions for 371 yards. Pro BowlerMichael Irvin was once again the team's leading wide receiver, catching 88 passes for 1,330 yards and seven touchdowns. Wide receiverAlvin Harper caught 36 passes for 777 yards and five touchdowns, while Pro Bowl tight endJay Novacek had 44 receptions for 445 yards and one touchdown. Pro BowlersMark Stepnoski,Erik Williams, andNate Newton anchored the offensive line. On special teams, rookie receiverKevin Williams ranked seventh in the NFL with 381 yards on 36 punt returns, while also gaining 689 kickoff return yards and catching 20 passes for 151 yards.

The Cowboys' defense was anchored by such Pro Bowlers as linemanRussell Maryland, andKen Norton Jr., and defensive backsThomas Everett andKevin Smith, who intercepted six passes during the season. Defensive endTony Tolbert led the team with 7.5 sacks, while Charles Haley added 4 andChad Hennings had 5.5.

The Bills finished at the top of the AFC by clinching the conference's best regular season record, winning 7 of their first 8 games and finished the season at 12–4. QuarterbackJim Kelly once again led Buffalo'sno-huddle offense by passing for 288 out of 470 regular season completions for 3,382 yards, 18 touchdowns, with 18 interceptions. Kelly was joining an elite class by starting his fourth Super Bowl. The only other quarterbacks to start four wereRoger Staubach,Terry Bradshaw andJoe Montana, withJohn Elway,Tom Brady,Peyton Manning, andPatrick Mahomes later doing so. Kelly is the only one to start four consecutive Super Bowl games.

Running backThurman Thomas led the AFC with 1,315 rushing yards and six touchdowns, while also catching 48 passes for 387 yards. Running backKenneth Davis rushed for 391 yards and six touchdowns, while also recording 21 receptions for 95 yards. Pro Bowl wide receiverAndre Reed caught 52 receptions for a team-leading 854 yards and six touchdowns; wide receiverBill Brooks had 60 receptions for 714 yards and five touchdowns; and wide receiverDon Beebe recorded 31 receptions for 504 yards and three touchdowns. Also, tight endPete Metzelaars led the team with 68 receptions (a higher amount than his last four seasons combined) for 609 yards and four touchdowns. Pro Bowl offensive linemanHoward Ballard anchored the line.

Buffalo's defense was the team's weakness, ranking 27th (second-to-last) in the league, giving up 5,554 total yards. The defense did have a few good contributors, such as Hall of Fame linemanBruce Smith (14 sacks, one fumble recovery), Pro Bowl linebackerCornelius Bennett (five sacks, two fumble recoveries), linebackerDarryl Talley (101 tackles, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions) and cornerbackNate Odomes, who led the NFL with nine interceptions and one fumble recovery. LinebackerMarvcus Patton, who had moved up to the starting lineup to replace departed Pro BowlerShane Conlan, was also an impact player, intercepting two passes and recovering three fumbles.

In the NFC, Dallas' first opponent in the playoffs was theGreen Bay Packers, who were coming off a thrilling 28–24 win over theDetroit Lions in the Wild Card Game, in which quarterbackBrett Favre had thrown the winning touchdown pass toSterling Sharpe with only 55 seconds left in the game. In this game, the Packers scored first with a field goal, but Dallas stormed back with 17 consecutive points in the second quarter. First, Aikman threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Harper. Then with time running out the period, Dallas scored again on anEddie Murray field goal. Green Bay then fumbled the ensuing kickoff, allowing the Cowboys to score again with Aikman's 6-yard pass to Novacek. The Cowboys went on to stave off an attempted Packers comeback in the second half and win the game, 27–17. Aikman finished the game with 28 of 37 completions for 302 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 2 interceptions. Irvin recorded 9 catches for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns.^[15]

One week later, Dallas faced theSan Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game for the second year in a row in what was, at the time, the last NFL game to air onCBS. The 49ers had the NFL's highest scoring offense with 473 points, 97 more than the runner-up Cowboys. The last time the two teams played for the NFC title, Dallas won when Aikman thwarted an attempted 49ers comeback with a touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter. But this time, the game was extremely one-sided. The Cowboys scored touchdowns on four of their five first-half possessions. By the end of the half, Dallas had a commanding 28–7 lead. Aikman completed 14 of 18 passes for 177 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, while also rushing for 25 yards, but was knocked out of the game with a concussion in the third quarter. Then San Francisco scored a touchdown, making the score 28–14 with plenty of time left for a comeback. However, their hopes were soon dashed as backup quarterbackBernie Kosar, who had already played in three conference championship games and was unable to advance to the Super Bowl each time, led the Cowboys 82 yards to go up 35–14 on his 42-yard touchdown pass toAlvin Harper. Murray then put the finishing touches on San Francisco with a 50-yard field goal, while all the 49ers could do was score a useless touchdown in "garbage time" to make the final score 38–21. Smith rushed for 88 yards, caught seven passes for 85 yards, and scored two touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Dallas defense held 49ers running backRicky Watters, who rushed for over 100 yards and scored 5 touchdowns in the divisional round, to just 37 yards on 12 carries.^[16]

Buffalo's first opponent was theLos Angeles Raiders, led by quarterbackJeff Hostetler, who had led theNew York Giants to victory over the Bills inSuper Bowl XXV three years earlier. The Raiders had also edged out the Bills 25–24 in week 14 of the regular season. In this game, the Raiders built up a 17–13 halftime lead, but Buffalo stormed back with 16 second half points. First, they scored on Kelly's 25-yard touchdown pass to Brooks. Then on their next drive, kickerSteve Christie kicked a 29-yard field goal to give the Bills a 23–17 lead. Los Angeles managed to respond with an 86-yard scoring strike from Hostetler to receiverTim Brown, but Buffalo stormed right back with Brooks' 22-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. The Bills ended up winning the game 29–23, having scored 16 points in a span of 6:18 in the second half. Kelly threw for 287 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.^[17]

One week later, the Bills took on theKansas City Chiefs for the AFC title. Led by 4-time Super Bowl winning quarterbackJoe Montana, Kansas City had defeated the Bills 23-7 during the regular season, and were coming off thrilling narrow wins against thePittsburgh Steelers andHouston Oilers in the playoffs. In the days leading up to the game, many sports writers and fans were eager for the possibility of a Super Bowl in which Montana took on the San Francisco 49ers led bySteve Young, who had replaced Montana as their starting quarterback, or the Dallas Cowboys, who had displaced the 49ers to become the most dominant team in the NFC. However, Buffalo quickly crushed this prospect, burying Kansas City with a dominating 30–13 victory in the AFC Championship Game. Thomas rushed for 186 yards and three touchdowns, and caught two passes for 22 yards. On defense, the Bills limited Montana to just 9 of 23 completions for 125 yards and no touchdowns, with one interception. In addition, Kansas City's future Hall of Fame running back,Marcus Allen, was held to just 50 rushing yards on 18 carries.^[18]

Both Dallas and Buffalo were the top seeded teams in their respective conferences, earning home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Until theNew Orleans Saints andIndianapolis Colts qualified forSuper Bowl XLIV, this was the last time that both number one seeds advanced to the Super Bowl.^[19]

Many sportswriters and fans were a bit upset that the Bills advanced to their fourth consecutive Super Bowl. They were distressed with Buffalo having lost the three previous Super Bowl games and did not want to see them lose again. Some Bills fans appeared to be defensive about their team's presence in the game; during Buffalo's victory in the AFC Championship Game a week earlier, one fan displayed a banner defiantly proclaiming, "We're back; deal with it, America!"^[20][21]

Therefore, the Super Bowl hype was more focused onto Cowboys owner/general managerJerry Jones and head coachJimmy Johnson. Although the two rebuilt the team with young talent that eventually won the previous year's Super Bowl, both men had huge egos that conflicted with each other. Both had different ideas on the future personnel plans for the Cowboys, and both wanted equal credit for the team's recent success. The dispute became so ugly that Super Bowl XXVIII became Johnson's final game coaching the Cowboys after his feud with Jones boiled over. Johnson would joinVince Lombardi,Bill Walsh, andBill Parcells on the short list of coaches who won a Super Bowl in what turned out to be their last games with the winning franchise; like Lombardi and Parcells but unlike Walsh, Johnson would later return to coach another team, helming the Miami Dolphins between 1996 and 1999 before retiring from coaching for good.

This was the fourth rematch in Super Bowl history, and the first time that both teams met in consecutive years.^[22] Both the Bills, as thedesignated home team in the AFC/NFC annual rotation, and the Cowboys wore the same uniforms as the previous year, with the Bills donning the home blue jersey/white pants set and the Cowboys wearing the white jersey/silver pants set.

Before the game, the Super Bowl became the target of protests over theGeorgia state flag, which at the time included theConfederate battle flag and was seen as offensive by the African-American community. Several high-profile Georgia politicians got involved, including state senator Ralph D. Abernathy. The NFL tried to duck the issue, with spokesman Greg Aiello stating, "We're not a political-advocacy group. It's not our role to get involved in political issues that have nothing to do with the Super Bowl." However, the NFL had cancelled plans to hold the Super Bowl in Phoenix three years earlier after a referendum to makeMartin Luther King Jr. Day an Arizona state holiday was defeated.^[23] Ultimately, the flag was not flown inside the Georgia Dome, but was mounted on a pole outside the stadium.

Vice PresidentAl Gore attended the game.^[24]

The game was broadcast in theUnited States byNBC, withplay-by-play announcerDick Enberg andcolor commentatorBob Trumpy.Jim Lampley hosted all the events with the help of analystsMike Ditka andJoe Gibbs and sideline reportersO. J. Simpson (on Buffalo's sideline) andWill McDonough (on Dallas' sideline). While Lampley was busy covering the trophy presentation,Bob Costas (who also interviewed Dallas head coachJimmy Johnson and Dallas owner/general managerJerry Jones together prior to the game) covered for Lampley at the host and analysts' desk (and signed off the broadcast for NBC). NBC also introduced a newNFL theme music by composerJohn Colby that would be retained for the1994 season. This would be Simpson's lastNFL on NBC appearance beforebeing charged with murder later in Summer 1994.

This remains the only time a single network had held consecutive Super Bowls outright. The league normally alternated the Super Bowl broadcast among its television networks, except forSuper Bowl I in which both NBC andCBS televised it simultaneously. The five-year NFL contract signed in 1989 had a provision where the last Super Bowl in the contract (XXVIII) would not be rotated, but would go to the highest bidder. NBC, which had held XXVII (according to the original rotation, NBC would have had XXVI and CBS XXVII, but the NFL allowed the networks to switch the two games in order to allow CBS a significant lead-in to its coverage of the1992 Winter Olympics), was the only network to bid on XXVIII.

NBC'sSuper Bowl lead-out programs were the fifth episode ofThe Good Life and the seventeenth episode ofThe John Larroquette Show.^[25]

The pregame show held before the game was titled "Georgia Music Makers" and featured performances by therap music duoKris Kross, therock bandThe Georgia Satellites,country musicianCharlie Daniels, and theMorehouse College Marching Band.

The United States Trampoline Association (USTA) performed on 4 trampolines during "Jump" performed by Kris Kross.

Later, singerNatalie Cole, accompanied by the Atlanta University Center Chorus, sang the national anthem with elements ofAmerica the Beautiful.

To honor the 25th anniversary of theNew York Jets' upset win inSuper Bowl III, that game's MVP, former Jets quarterbackJoe Namath joined thecoin toss ceremony.

The halftime show was titled "Rockin' Country Sunday" and featured country music starsClint Black,Tanya Tucker,Travis Tritt, andWynonna Judd. The show's finale included a special appearance byNaomi Judd, who joined Wynonna in performingThe Judds' single "Love Can Build a Bridge", to which everyone eventually joined in, along with special guests,Stevie Wonder,Lisa Hartman Black,The Georgia Satellites,Ashley Judd,Joe Namath,Elijah Wood andCharlie Daniels.

This was the first Super Bowl halftime show in which the main stadium lights were turned off for the performance. The show included dancers with yard-long light sticks.

Though the Bills had a lead at halftime, Super Bowl XXVIII would have an identical outcome to the three preceding Super Bowls and end with a Buffalo loss.

Dallas wide receiverKevin Williams returned the opening kickoff 50 yards to the Buffalo 48-yard line. The Cowboys began the drive with quarterbackTroy Aikman's 20-yard pass to wide receiverMichael Irvin. But the Cowboys could only pick up 4 yards on their next three plays, forcing them to settle for kickerEddie Murray's 41-yard field goal, giving them an early 3–0 lead.

The Bills then responded with an 8-play, 43-yard scoring drive. QuarterbackJim Kelly's two passes to wide receiverAndre Reed and running backThurman Thomas for 11 and 24 yards, respectively, advanced the ball across the Dallas 40-yard line. After a 3-yard run by running backKenneth Davis, however, Kelly threw two straight incompletions. The Bills then tied the game, 3–3, with kickerSteve Christie's 54-yard field goal, the then-longest field goal in Super Bowl history. Christie's record stood for 30 years, until it was broken inSuper Bowl LVIII bySan Francisco 49ers kickerJake Moody's 55-yard field goal, which was subsequently broken byKansas City Chiefs kickerHarrison Butker's 57-yard field goal in the same Super Bowl.

Buffalo then forced Dallas to punt, but on the first play of the Bills' ensuing possession, Cowboys safetyJames Washington stripped the ball from Thomas, and safetyDarren Woodson recovered the fumble at midfield. Aided by wide receiverAlvin Harper's 24-yard reception, the Cowboys drove to the Buffalo 7-yard line, but had to settle for Murray's 24-yard field goal to regain the lead, 6–3.

After receiving Murray's kickoff, the Bills could only reach their own 41-yard line before being forced to punt. However, they were given a new set of downs when Cowboys cornerbackDave Thomas was flagged for running into punterChris Mohr on the play.

Taking advantage of their second chance, the Bills extended their drive to 80 yards in 17 plays, which featured three short passes from Kelly to wide receiverDon Beebe for 22 yards and six runs by Thomas for 18 yards, the last one being a 4-yard touchdown run, giving the Bills their first lead of the game, 10–6, early in the second quarter.

Dallas started out their ensuing drive with a 15-yard reception by Irvin and a 13-yard run by running backEmmitt Smith to reach midfield. They were eventually forced to punt, but Cowboys linebackerMatt Vanderbeek downedJohn Jett's 43-yard punt at the Bills' 1-yard line. A 19-yard completion from Kelly to Reed moved Buffalo out from the shadow of their own end zone, and they eventually reached the Cowboys 46-yard line, but they too were forced to punt. However, Mohr matched Jett's feat with a 45-yard punt that was downed at the Dallas 1-yard line by Buffalo wide receiverSteve Tasker.

As the Bills had done, the Cowboys managed to get out of their own territory and advance to the Buffalo 37-yard line. However, Bills cornerbackNate Odomes intercepted a pass intended for Irvin, and returned it 41 yards to the Dallas 47-yard line with 1:03 left in the half. Kelly completed a pair of passes to Thomas and Reed for gains of 12 and 22 yards, respectively, to move the ball to the Dallas 12-yard line. But the Cowboys defense tightened up on the next three plays, so Christie kicked a 28-yard field goal to increase Buffalo's lead to 13–6 and end the half.

Buffalo's command over the game proved short-lived, as they began to face a red-hot Dallas defense in the second half. Three plays into the third quarter, defensive tackleLeon Lett forced a fumble on Thomas, and Washington returned the ball 46 yards for a touchdown to tie the game, 13–13.

Bills wide receiverRussell Copeland then returned the ensuing kickoff 22 yards to the Buffalo 37-yard line, but on third down, Cowboys defensive endsJim Jeffcoat andCharles Haley shared a 13-yard sack on Kelly to force the Bills to punt. The Cowboys then scored on an 8-play, 64-yard drive in which Smith carried the ball on seven of the eight plays, gaining all but 3 of the 64 yards himself, and finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run (his longest run of the game) to give Dallas a 20–13 lead. Both teams then exchanged punts twice before the quarter ended.

The Dallas defense continued to stop the Buffalo offense throughout the second half. Washington intercepted a pass from Kelly on the first play of the fourth quarter and returned it 12 yards to the Bills' 34-yard line. A false start penalty on offensive tackleErik Williams on the next play moved the ball back to the 39, but on the next three plays, Smith ran twice for 10 yards and caught a screen pass for 9. Aikman then completed a 16-yard pass to Harper on 3rd-and-8, setting up 1st-and-goal at the Bills' 6-yard line. Buffalo managed to keep Dallas out of the end zone on the next three plays, but on 4th-and-goal, Smith scored his second touchdown of the game on a 1-yard run, increasing the lead to 27–13.

The Bills started their ensuing drive from their own 22-yard line and managed to reach their own 36. Cowboys defensive tackleJimmie Jones made two key plays, however; a second-down tackle on Thomas for a 1-yard loss and a 13-yard sack on Kelly on third down to push the ball back to the 22-yard line and force Buffalo to punt, leading to a poor, 29-yard kick by Mohr, which the Cowboys recovered at their own 49-yard line. Dallas then cemented their second consecutive Super Bowl title with a 9-play, 49-yard scoring drive that took 4:10 off the clock. On the sixth play of the drive, Aikman completed a 35-yard pass to Harper to the Bills 1-yard line. After a false start penalty against centerFrank Cornish pushed them back to the 6-yard line, the Cowboys ran the ball on their next three plays to force the Bills to use up all of their timeouts. Murray then kicked a 20-yard field goal with 2:50 left in the game, capping off the scoring at 30–13. Buffalo then reached the Dallas 22-yard line on their final possession, only to turn the ball over on downs in the game's closing seconds.

"This one is the worst," Reed said after the game, referring to the Bills' streak of four consecutive Super Bowl losses. "We should have won. Then they come up with 24 unanswered points. That last fumble was once in a million. These things always happen to the Bills. It rips the heart out of you." "Dallas didn't wear us down in the second half," added Thomas. "I fumbled. I cost us the game." However, centerKent Hull managed to find some consolation. "In the immediate future, we'll be thought of as losers," he said. "But one day down the road, when I'm no longer playing, they'll say, 'Wow, they won four straight AFC championships. They must have been good.'"

For the Cowboys, Troy Aikman completed 19 out of 27 for 207 yards with 1 interception, while Alvin Harper was the team's top receiver with three catches for 75 yards. Emmitt Smith, still suffering the effects of a shoulder injury during the regular-season finale, became just the second player in Super Bowl history to rush for 100 yards in back-to-back Super Bowls (the other beingLarry Csonka, who did it in Super BowlsVII andVIII). He also became the fourth player to rush for touchdowns in back-to-back Super Bowls (joiningFranco Harris,John Riggins and Thomas). Smith also became the first player to lead the league in rushing yards, win theNFL Most Valuable Player Award, and win Super Bowl MVP all in the same season. He was also the fourth player, afterBart Starr (1966),Terry Bradshaw (1978), andJoe Montana (1989) to win both the NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP during the same season. Defensively, James Washington, who began as the nickel-back to counter Buffalo's "no-huddle" and frequent use of three wide receivers, had a phenomenal game with his 46-yard fumble return touchdown, an interception, forcing a Thurman Thomas fumble that Darren Woodson recovered, and collecting 11 tackles. Washington had only started in one game for the Cowboys during the season, but finished this one just a few votes short of earning the MVP award.

For the Bills, wide receiver Andre Reed finished the game with 6 receptions for 75 yards to lead Buffalo, withDon Beebe catching 6 passes for 60 yards and returning 2 kickoffs for 63 yards. Thomas was limited to just 37 rushing yards, but he also caught 7 passes for 52 yards (Thomas became the first player in Super Bowl history to score touchdowns in four Super Bowls: he scored one touchdown in each of the Bills' four straight appearances, XXV-XXVIII).Kenneth Davis was the Bills' top rusher with 38 yards. Kelly finished the game completing 31 of 50 passes for 260 yards and 1 interception. His 31 completions was a then-Super Bowl record. Kelly became the only player ever to throw 50 passes in two Super Bowls. In addition to his 50 passes in this game, he threw a Super Bowl-record 58 passes inSuper Bowl XXVI.

Sources:NFL.com Super Bowl XXVIII,Super Bowl XXVIII Play Finder Dal,Super Bowl XXVIII Play Finder Buf

¹Completions/attempts²Carries³Long gain⁴Receptions⁵Times targeted

The following records were set in Super Bowl XXVIII, according to the official NFL.com boxscore^[27] and the ProFootball reference.com game summary.^[28]
Some records have to meet NFL minimum number of attempts to be recognized.^[29] The minimums are shown (in parentheses).

Source:^[30][31]

Hall of Fame‡

Source:^[30]

• Referee:Bob McElwee #95 second Super Bowl (XXII)
• Umpire:Art Demmas #78 third Super Bowl (XIII, XVII)
• Head linesman: Sid Semon #109 second Super Bowl (XXV)
• Line judge: Tom Barnes #55 first Super Bowl
• Back judge:Al Jury #106 fourth Super Bowl (XX, XXII, XXIV)
• Side judge: Nate Jones #97 first Super Bowl
• Field judge: Don Orr #77 third Super Bowl (XVII, XXIV)
• Alternate referee:Jerry Markbreit #9 (referee for XVII, XXI, XXVI)
• Alternate umpire: Bob Boylston #101 (umpire for XVI, XXI, XXVI)

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Specific citations

General references

• Super Bowl official website
• 2006 NFL Record and Fact Book. Time Inc. Home Entertainment. July 25, 2006.ISBN 1-933405-32-5.
• Total Football II: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League.HarperCollins. July 25, 2006.ISBN 1-933405-32-5.
• The Sporting News Complete Super Bowl Book 1995. Sporting News. February 1995.ISBN 0-89204-523-X.
• https://www.pro-football-reference.com – Large online database of NFL data and statistics
• Super Bowl play-by-plays fromUSA Today (Last accessed September 28, 2005)
• All-Time Super Bowl Odds^{[permanent dead link]} from The Sports Network (Last accessed October 16, 2005)
• Super Bowl XXVIII Box Score atPro Football Reference

• Super Bowl
• Dallas Cowboys postseason
• Buffalo Bills postseason
• 1993 NFL season
• 1994 in sports in Georgia (U.S. state)
• 1994 in Atlanta
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• January 1994 sports events in the United States
• 1994 in American football
• American football competitions in Atlanta

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