Super Bowl XXVII took place on January 31, 1993 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. The final result was Dallas Cowboys 52, Buffalo Bills 17.

Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman was named Super Bowl MVP, completing 22 of 30 passes for 274 yards and four touchdowns.

NBC televised the game, which was called by Dick Enberg and Bob Trumpy .

The Game

The Bills' Super Bowl record 9 turnovers -- 4 interceptions and 5 lost fumbles -- led to their third straight consecutive Super Bowl loss.

But things started out well in the beginning for Buffalo. After blocking a Cowboys punt and taking over the ball at Dallas' 16-yard line, Buffalo running back Thurman Thomas' 2-yard run gave the Bills a 7-0 lead five minutes into the game.

Then the turnovers started to happen. With 4:40 left in the first half, Dallas safety James Washington intercepted a pass from Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly and returned it to the Bills' 47-yard line. The Cowboys then tied the game with quarterback Troy Aikman's 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jay Novacek.

On the Bills' next play, Dallas defensive end Charles Haley forced Kelly to fumble. Cowboys defensive tackle Jimmie Jones picked the ball out of the air at the 2-yard line and scored a touchdown to give his team a 14-7 lead.

Within a minute into the second quarter, the Bills were able to move the ball inside the Dallas 5-yard line. But on third down, Dallas linebacker Ken Norton Jr stopped Bills running back Kenneth Davis just inches short on the goal line. Buffalo then decided to "go for it" on fourth down, only to have the pass intercepted.

Kelly was knocked out of the game on Buffalo's next drive after reinjuring his knee that he sprained earlier in the playoffs. Backup quarterback Frank Reich took Kelly's place, but only could drive his team to a field goal that cut the lead 14-17.

Late in the second quarter, the Cowboys scored on a Aikman 19-yard touchdown pass to Michael Irvin. Later, Thomas lost a fumble, and Dallas scored again on a 18-yard touchdown pass from Aikman to Irvin to give them a 28-10 lead at halftime.

Both teams had trouble scoring in the third quarter. Dallas could only get a field goal to make the score 31-10. But on the period's final play, Reich threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Bills reciever Don Beebe to narrow the score 31-17.

Early in the fourth quarter, Aikman threw a 45-yard touchdown to Alvin Harper . Then Reich threw another interception, that led to an Emmitt Smith 10-yard touchdown run. The Cowboys also scored on Norton's 9-yard fumble return to increase the lead 52-17.

The most inspirational moment of the game came well after the Cowboys' lead had become insurmountable. Late in the foruth quarter, Dallas defensive lineman Leon Lett picked up a Bills fumble and appeared to be headed for a 64-yard touchdown. As Lett started to showboat just before crossing the goal line, Beebe raced in and knocked the ball into the end zone. The ball then rolled out of bounds for a touchback. This play showed that even in this era of overcommercialization in sports, some people still play for pride.

Scoring Summary

• BUF- T. Thomas 2 run (Christie kick)
• DAL- Novacek 23 pass from Aikman (Elliott kick)
• DAL- J. Jones 2 def. fumble rec. (Elliott kick)
• BUF- FG Christie 21
• DAL- Irvin 19 pass from Aikman (Elliott kick)
• DAL- Irvin 18 pass from Aikman (Elliott kick)
• DAL- FG Elliott 20
• BUF- Beebe 40 pass from Reich (Christie kick)
• DAL- Harper 45 pass from Aikman (Elliott kick)
• DAL- E. Smith 10 run (Elliott kick)
• DAL- Norton 9 def. fumble rec. (Elliott kick)

See also

• NFL playoffs, 1992-93