# Super Bowl XXVII
Super Bowl XXVII was the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league)'s championship game for the 1992 season, played on January 31, 1993, in which the [Dallas Cowboys](https://www.edgepedia.org/dallas-cowboys) defeated the [Buffalo Bills](https://www.edgepedia.org/buffalo-bills) 52-17 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.[1](https://theanalyst.com/articles/the-biggest-blowouts-in-super-bowl-history) • [2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/02/01/blame-it-on-dallas-just-another-super-bowl/b288dcdb-6fcb-46d3-9394-b89f1e420f9b/) The game marked the start of Dallas's 1990s dynasty and the end of Buffalo's run of four consecutive Super Bowl appearances without a win.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Final score | Dallas Cowboys 52, Buffalo Bills 17, a 35-point margin[1](https://theanalyst.com/articles/the-biggest-blowouts-in-super-bowl-history) |
| Date and site | January 31, 1993, Rose Bowl, Pasadena; announced crowd of 98,374[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/02/01/blame-it-on-dallas-just-another-super-bowl/b288dcdb-6fcb-46d3-9394-b89f1e420f9b/) |
| Defining statistic | Buffalo committed nine turnovers, a Super Bowl record for one team[3](https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/most-turnovers-by-a-team-in-a-superbowl) |
| Scoring note | Dallas's 52 points were, at the time, second only to San Francisco's 55 in Super Bowl XXIV[4](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/2024-Record-and-Fact-Book.pdf) |
| Aftermath | Dallas beat Buffalo again 30-13 in Super Bowl XXVIII the following year[4](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/2024-Record-and-Fact-Book.pdf) |
## The game
Buffalo struck first. [Thurman Thomas](https://www.edgepedia.org/thurman-thomas) ran two yards for a touchdown early in the first quarter to put the Bills ahead 7-0, but Dallas answered by outscoring Buffalo 28-3 for the rest of the first half, with [Troy Aikman](https://www.edgepedia.org/troy-aikman) throwing two touchdown passes to [Michael Irvin](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-irvin).[1](https://theanalyst.com/articles/the-biggest-blowouts-in-super-bowl-history)
**Turnovers decided the game.** Buffalo lost nine possessions, the most by any team in [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) history, and Dallas converted them into points; the Cowboys scored 35 points off those nine turnovers, including three first-half touchdowns.[3](https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/most-turnovers-by-a-team-in-a-superbowl) • [5](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/biggest-super-bowls-blowouts-closest-110029890.html) The Washington Post's account noted that the Bills' stated game plan had been to hold the ball and take it away from Dallas; instead they set the Super Bowl record for turnovers.[2](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/02/01/blame-it-on-dallas-just-another-super-bowl/b288dcdb-6fcb-46d3-9394-b89f1e420f9b/)
**Injury to Jim Kelly.** Bills quarterback [Jim Kelly](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-kelly) suffered a knee injury in the second quarter and was sidelined for the remainder of the contest, removing the centerpiece of one of the league's most productive passing attacks.[1](https://theanalyst.com/articles/the-biggest-blowouts-in-super-bowl-history)
## The Leon Lett play
The game produced one of the most replayed gaffes in Super Bowl history. Dallas defensive lineman Leon Lett recovered a fumble and ran toward the goal line with a large lead, but with the ball less than a yard from the end zone Bills receiver [Don Beebe](https://www.edgepedia.org/don-beebe) caught him from behind and knocked the ball loose, turning a would-be touchdown into a touchback (ball dead in end zone, ball brought to 20-yard line). Dallas still won comfortably, but the Lett play became the moment the game is remembered for alongside the score.[6](https://as.com/masdeporte/2017/02/02/nfl/1486063918_973458.html)
## Context and significance
**Buffalo's fourth straight loss.** The Bills entered the game having lost their previous two Super Bowls to the [New York Giants](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-giants) and Washington by a combined 14 points, so a close game was the expectation.[1](https://theanalyst.com/articles/the-biggest-blowouts-in-super-bowl-history) Instead the 35-point defeat was the most lopsided of their four consecutive losses; Buffalo fell to Dallas again 30-13 in [Super Bowl XXVIII](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xxviii) the following season.[4](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/2024-Record-and-Fact-Book.pdf) The NFL Record and Fact Book lists Buffalo's four straight Super Bowl defeats, XXV through XXVIII, as the record for most consecutive games lost.[4](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/2024-Record-and-Fact-Book.pdf)
**Dallas's rise.** The win was the third Super Bowl title for the Cowboys franchise, which had previously won Super Bowls VI and XII, and it began a run in which Dallas also won Super Bowls XXVIII and XXX; the Record and Fact Book credits the Cowboys with consecutive wins in XXVII and XXVIII.[4](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/2024-Record-and-Fact-Book.pdf) The 52 points Dallas scored stood second only to San Francisco's 55 in [Super Bowl XXIV](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xxiv) among single-team Super Bowl point totals.[4](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/2024-Record-and-Fact-Book.pdf)
**Place among the blowouts.** Statistically the game sits in a tie for third among the biggest Super Bowl margins, level with Seattle's 43-8 win over Denver in [Super Bowl XLVIII](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xlviii), behind Chicago's 36-point win in [Super Bowl XX](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xx) and San Francisco's 45-point win in Super Bowl XXIV.[1](https://theanalyst.com/articles/the-biggest-blowouts-in-super-bowl-history) It belongs to the 1984-95 stretch in which nine of twelve Super Bowls were decided by 17 points or more.[1](https://theanalyst.com/articles/the-biggest-blowouts-in-super-bowl-history)
## References
1. [The Biggest Blowouts in Super Bowl History, Opta Analyst](https://theanalyst.com/articles/the-biggest-blowouts-in-super-bowl-history)
2. [Blame It on Dallas: Just Another Super Bowl, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1993/02/01/blame-it-on-dallas-just-another-super-bowl/b288dcdb-6fcb-46d3-9394-b89f1e420f9b/)
3. [Most Turnovers By A Team In A Super Bowl, StatMuse](https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/most-turnovers-by-a-team-in-a-superbowl)
4. [NFL Record and Fact Book (2024), Super Bowl Records](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/2024-Record-and-Fact-Book.pdf)
5. [Biggest Super Bowls blowouts, closest games: Which is more likely?, Yahoo Sports](https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/biggest-super-bowls-blowouts-closest-110029890.html)
6. [Los históricos errores que han marcado el Super Bowl, AS.com](https://as.com/masdeporte/2017/02/02/nfl/1486063918_973458.html)
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