Super Bowl XXIII Retrospective: Joe Montana's Fortunate Second Chance

In anticipation of Cardinals-Steelers, FanHouse takes a look back at some forgotten storylines from past Super Bowls.

The Game: Up until the Giants stunned New England last season, Super Bowl XXIII was arguably the most exciting Super Bowl ever played – some would argue that it still is.

Cincinnati led San Francisco 16-13 in the game's final moments. Everyone knows what happened next: Montana, with the 49ers down to their last chance, led his team 92 yards in 11 plays, then found John Taylor in the end zone with 34 seconds left for a dramatic 20-16 Niners victory.

What Might Have Been: Montana's last drive was the stuff of legends – his team's collective back against the wall, on the game's biggest stage, all the future Hall of Famer did was hit eight-of-nine passes (not counting a completion negated by a SF penalty) in a game-winning drive.

Bengals fans everywhere likely have more nightmares about San Francisco's first fourth-quarter scoring drive, though.

Up until that point, Cincinnati had put the clamps on the Niners and held a 13-6 lead because of it. But Montana hit Jerry Rice for 31 yards on the final play of the third quarter, Roger Craig for 40 on the first play of the fourth, and San Francisco had the ball on the Bengals 14. The next play – and not either of Montana's TD passes – may have been the biggest of the game.

That unlucky Cincinnati soul was Lewis Billups, who jumped Montana's pass to Taylor, then had a potential game-changing interception slip right through his fingers. On the very next snap, Montana and Rice connected on a scoring strike to tie the game at 13. A Bengals field goal eventually made it 16-13 Cincinnati with 3:20, setting the stage for Montana's finest moment.

Still, the game may never have reached that incredible climax if Billups had been able to secure Montana's errant throw. Instead of a 13-13 deadlock, Cincinnati could have regained possession with a seven-point lead still in hand, and just 14 minutes between them and a championship.

The interception-that-wasn't may have changed the reputation of the Bengals forever going forward -- instead of essentially paving the way for the bumbling Cincinnati franchise of present day.

Bigger than that, it might have shifted the way we look at Montana. His legacy is built on what he did in the Super Bowls, as well it should be with a 4-0 record, and this particular clutch march down the field is the representation of his entire career. He's "Joe Cool," he's unflappable down the stretch -- Sports Illustrated even named him the most clutch quarterback in the history of the NFL.

How different would that image be different had a Montana interception set the stage for Cincinnati to stun the Niners in Super Bowl XXIII?

Super Bowl Heroes and Goats

Goat: Eugene Robinson, Atlanta Falcons, Super Bowl XXXIII
Sure, Robinson (right) struggled in the Falcons' 34-19 loss to Denver -- including getting smoked on this 80-yard Rod Smith score -- but he made bigger news before the game. The morning prior to the Super Bowl, Robinson was arrested by an undercover cop for trying to solicit sex from a prostitute.

Tony Ranze, AFP / Getty Images

Hero: Joe Namath, New York Jets, Super Bowl III
Namath guaranteed an upset win over the Colts, then delivered. Broadway Joe won the MVP (despite not throwing a TD pass) after guiding the AFL's Jets to a stunning 16-7 victory.

Darryl Norenberg, WireImage

Goat:Scott Norwood, Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXV
Norwood's "Wide Right" moment is etched in NFL lore, alongside things like "The Catch" and "The Drive." Norwood's last-second miss in Super Bowl XXV gave the Giants the championship -- and Buffalo the first of four straight runner-up finishes.

Phil Sandlin, AP

Hero: Terry Bradshaw, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XIV
Bradshaw led the Steelers to four titles and won the Super Bowl MVP award in both Super Bowl XIII and XIV. In 1980, against the Rams, Bradshaw threw for 309 yards and two TDs -- one year after his three-touchdown performance beat the Cowboys.

Andy Hayt, Getty Images

Goat: Neil O'Donnell, Pittsburgh Steelers, Super Bowl XXX
The Cowboys won their third title in four years on Jan. 28, 1996, but not without help from Pittsburgh's quarterback. O'Donnell chucked three interceptions, including a pair to game MVP Larry Brown, as the Steelers lost 27-17.

Doug Mills, AP

Hero: Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers, Super Bowl XVI
Montana won his first of four Super Bowls -- and three game MVP awards -- in 1982 against the Bengals. The QB scored on a one-yard run early, threw a second-quarter touchdown pass and the Niners held on for a 26-21 win in Detroit.

Goat: Jackie Smith, Dallas Cowboys, Super Bowl XIII
In a back-and-forth matchup with Pittsburgh, Smith had a chance to tie the game at 21 in the third quarter. Instead, he dropped a wide-open touchdown pass, Dallas wound up kicking a field goal and the Steelers went on to win by four.

Focus on Sport / Getty Images

Hero: Adam Vinatieri, New England Patriots, Super Bowl XXXVI
On the final play of the game, Vinatieri drilled a 48-yard field goal, giving New England a surprising 20-17 win over heavily-favored St. Louis. Just for good measure, Vinatieri repeated the feat two years later, hitting a 41-yarder in the final seconds to knock off Carolina.

Amy Sancetta, AP

Goat Thurman Thomas, Buffalo Bills, Super Bowl XXVI
Thomas scored a touchdown in Buffalo's 37-24 loss to Washington, but the one-yard plunge was his only highlight. The Bills running back racked up just 13 yards on 10 carries for the game.

Focus on Sport / Getty Images

Hero: Doug Williams, Washington Redskins, Super Bowl XXII
Williams became the first African-American quarterback to start a Super Bowl, and he made the opportunity count. In a 42-10 Washington rout of Denver, Williams captured the game MVP by throwing for 340 yards and four touchdowns.

Ronald C. Modra, Sports Imagery / Getty Images

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-29-2009 @ 12:31PM

Stephen Lang said...

Nice post, I didn't remember that play at all.

I heard a radio interview with Joe the other day, he was very humble about his successful career and extraordinary success in the Super Bowls. I think us fans tend to ascribe supernatural talents to explain his clutch performances, but he didn't at all. That play sorta shows why.

1-29-2009 @ 1:25PM

LADubbz45 said...

The Best there is, The best there was, and the best there ever will be... Joe Montana!!

1-29-2009 @ 3:26PM

Bob said...

That's what I always liked about Montana--no matter how incredible his performances, he would always brush it off or attribute it to one of his teammates. One of the (if not THE) best players ever, yet still humble--how refreshing!