Super Bowl VIII
Rice Stadium, Houston TX
Head Coach: Paul Brown
286 Points Scored
231 Points Allowed
Starting Quarterback: Ken Anderson
Road to the Super Bowl:
Defeated Miami, 30-13-AFC Divisional Playoffs
Defeated Oakland, 23-21-AFC Championship
Los Angeles Rams (12-2)
Head Coach: Chuck Knox
388 Points Scored
178 Points Allowed
Starting Quarterback: John Hadl
Road to the Super Bowl:
Defeated Dallas, 16-7-NFC Divisional Playoffs
Defeated Minnesota, 34-17-NFC Championship
The Game
Cinderella had arrived at the Super Bowl, and this season, she had taken the shape of the Cincinnati Bengals. Picked by most people to not even compete for the division crown, the Bengals not only won the AFC Central, but then shocked defending Super Bowl champion Miami in the first round, then knocked off the always strong Oakland Raiders in the AFC Championship. Cincinnati relied upon the strong running of Essex Johnson and Boobie Clark, while using Ken Anderson to pass their way out of more difficult situations.
The Rams, on the other hand, were a powerhouse this season. They finished the season tied for the best record in the league and had the highest scoring offense in all of football while allowing the fourth fewest points. New quarterback John Hadl led the way, and he was helped by the dual running of Lawrence McCutcheon and Jim Bertelsen. The defense was also still one of the best in football, with the New Fearsome Foursome bringing pain to opposing defenses.
Early on, it became clear what Los Angeles' game plan was. After a Ram punt, the Bengals attempted to run the ball, only to have both Clark and Johnson be stopped cold at the line. With no other options, Ken Anderson was forced to pass more than he normally would have. On their first drive, the Rams were not ready for this quick adjustment, and Anderson guided the Bengals into field goal range. Horst Muhlmann kicked a 27 yarder, and the Bengals had the first points of Super Bowl VIII.
On the next Los Angeles drive, John Hadl began to rely less on his arm and more on the legs of McCutcheon and Bertelsen. On five of the first seven plays of the drive, one of the two backs received the handoff, and then, as Cincinnati was assuming the Rams would run again, Hadl faked the handoff to McCutcheon and threw a lob pass over the heads of every Bengal defender to Harold Jackson for a nine yard touchdown pass that gave the Rams the lead. Cincinnati's next drive did not last long, as Anderson's first pass was intercepted by Bob Stein, giving the Rams great field position as the first quarter came to a close.
The Rams would strike again, and with more force than before. Cincinnati's defense was powerless to stop both McCutcheon and Bertelsen, and the Rams knew it. Eight of the nine plays on Los Angeles' drive involved one of the two of them touching the ball, and when McCutcheon pounded into the end zone from two yards out, the Rams were up 14-3. However, it wasn't quite midnight for the Bengals yet. Their running attack, which had been stagnant up to this point, finally came to life, finally came to life. Both Johnson and Clark were able to find holes in the Los Angeles front, and Anderson finally had enough time to locate open receivers, putting the Bengals in position to score. Essex Johnson had the honors, scoring on a 17 yard burst up the middle that cut the Los Angeles lead to four points.
Both teams exchanged punts, giving the Rams the ball with very little time left in the half. Rather than just attempt to run out the clock, Los Angeles started moving down the field, with Hadl using his arm to eat up chunks of yards against a tiring Cincinnati secondary. After getting into field goal range, the Rams were content, but McCutcheon was not. With just 40 seconds left in the half, he took the handoff from Hadl and turned the left corner, seemingly getting faster and faster as he ran down the field. Twenty-six yards later, he had found the end zone for the second time and the Rams had struck a crushing blow against the Bengals. Instead of the score being just 14-10, it was now a seemingly insurmountable 21-10 at the half.
In the third quarter, the Bengals watched as any chance they had to win the Super Bowl slipped through their hands. On their opening drive of the half, they were able to get to the Los Angeles 24 yard line, but Anderson's pass there was intercepted by Jack Reynolds, killing the drive. Cincinnati received new life when John Hadl had a pass intercepted by Bernard Jackson on the Rams' drive, but then Horst Muhlmann missed the field goal attempt, taking more points of the board for the Bengals.
While Cincinnati's offense could not figure out how to score, the Cincinnati defense was at least keeping the Rams from striking again. They were still having trouble stopping the running game of McCutcheon and Bertelsen, but they were keeping the Rams off the board in the second half, although most people knew it was just a matter of time before they scored again. That time would not come until late in the fourth quarter. With Cincinnati's running game dead in the water (46 total yards on 29 carries), the Rams received good field position and made use of it. David Ray kicked a 31 yard field goal, putting the Rams up by two touchdowns and effectively ending any chance the Bengals had of winning. Ray would add another field goal after Anderson's third interception of the day, but that was just the icing on the cake for the Rams. For the third time in the history of the Super Bowl, Los Angeles was the champion.
Final Score: Los Angeles-27 Cincinnati-10
MVP: Lawrence McCutcheon: 19 carries, 126 yards, 3 catches, 12 yards, 2 TD
