1989–90 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 1989 season began on December 31, 1989. The postseason tournament concluded with the San Francisco 49ers defeating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV, 55–10, on January 28, 1990, at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
This was the last season in which the NFL used a 10-team playoff format. The league would expand the playoffs to 12 teams next season. This is also the last time in which two teams from the same division could not face each other in the Divisional Round.
This season featured only three teams that failed to make the previous season's postseason. The New York Giants, who were eliminated on the final day of the 1988 season, rebounded to win a division title, while the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers recovered from disappointing seasons.
Participants
Bracket
Schedule
The starting times for the Conference Championship Games were changed from the then-customary 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. EST to 1:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST. This was to accommodate the fact that the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers hosted the AFC and NFC Championship Games in the Mountain Time Zone and Pacific Time Zone, respectively—thus avoiding a locally played game at 9:30 a.m. PST or 10:30 a.m. MST. The NFL would keep this format heading forward to avoid any further scheduling conflicts.In the United States, NBC broadcast the AFC playoff games, while CBS televised the NFC games and Super Bowl XXIV.
Wild Card playoffs
Sunday, December 31, 1989
NFC: Los Angeles Rams 21, Philadelphia Eagles 7
The Rams outgained the Eagles in total yards 409 to 306 and jumped to a 14-0 first half lead of the way to their first playoff win in four years.LA scored on the opening drive, moving the ball 83 yards in five plays. Jim Everett finished the drive with a long pass to receiver Henry Ellard, who outjumped Izel Jenkins for the ball and raced 39 yards to the end zone. The next time the Rams had the ball, Everett's 30-yard completion to Ellard set up his 4-yard touchdown pass to tight end Damone Johnson, giving the team a 14–0 lead less than eight minutes into the game. By the end of the first quarter, Everett had completed 7/11 passes for 173 yards, and at the end of the first half, the Eagles had a mere 77 total yards and three first downs. However, the Rams would blow several scoring chances that enabled the Eagles to stay in the game: Greg Bell lost a fumble on the Philadelphia 4-yard line, Everett threw an interception to Jenkins from the Eagles 25, and kicker Mike Lansford missed a 47-yard field goal.
Philadelphia's offense made a major improvement in the second half, but they would not score until 10:38 remained in the fourth quarter when fullback Anthony Toney capped an 80-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 14–7. Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner then picked off a pass from Everett on the Philadelphia 30-yard line, giving the team a great chance to drive for the tying score. But they ended up punting at the end of an ugly series in which Heath Sherman fumbled after an 11-yard run, Randall Cunningham fumbled a snap, and then threw two incompletions. Los Angeles subsequently put the game away with an 84-yard, 7-play scoring drive. Everett kept it going on third and 5 with a 15-yard completion to running back Buford McGee, and then Bell took off for a 54-yard burst two plays later, moving the ball to the Eagles 10-yard line. Eventually, he finished the drive with a 7-yard touchdown run, making the final score 21–7.
"This year we wanted nothing short of the Super Bowl", said Eagles defensive tackle Mike Golic. "To lose the first game, a lot of people are going to be seriously bummed out for a long time. I'm disgusted."
Everett completed 18 of 33 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns, with two interceptions. Ellard caught four passes for 87 yards and a score. Bell rushed for 124 yards and a touchdown, while also catching a 23-yard pass. Linebacker Kevin Greene had five tackles, two sacks, and a fumble recovery. Cunningham completed 24 of 40 passes for 238 yards with an interception, and rushed for 39 yards. Fullback Keith Byars was the Eagles top receiver with nine receptions for 68 yards.
This was the second postseason meeting between the Rams and Eagles. Philadelphia won the only previous meeting.
| Philadelphia leads 1–0 in all-time playoff games |
AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 26, Houston Oilers 23 ()
Pittsburgh cornerback Rod Woodson recovered a fumble to set up Gary Anderson's winning 50-yard field goal in overtime to give Pittsburgh the win.Houston took the opening kickoff and drove to the Steelers 40-yard line, but were stopped there and Tony Zendejas missed a 55-yard field goal. Later in the quarter, Steelers rookie Jerry Olsavsky blocked a punt from Greg Montgomery and Pittsburgh recovered on the Oilers 23. Eventually facing fourth and 1 on the Houston 9-yard line, Steelers coach Chuck Noll decided to go for the first down. This paid off as running back Tim Worley took a pitch and ran all the way to the end zone, evading linebacker Robert Lyles and plowing right through safety Bubba McDowell on the way to a 7–0 Steelers lead with 2:36 left in the first quarter.
Houston responded on their next drive, moving the ball 96 yards to the Steelers 3-yard line, but could go no further and settled for a 26-yard Zendejas field goal. Then McDowell recovered a fumble from Worley on the Pittsburgh 41. From there the Oilers advanced to the 17-yard line, but when faced with fourth and 1 they decided to settle for another Zendejas field goal, cutting the score to 7–6. Pittsburgh struck back with a drive to the Oilers 9, featured a 49-yard run by Merril Hoge. However, they also ended up facing fourth and 1, and would settle for an Anderson field goal to put them up 10–6 going into halftime.
The field goal battle continued in the third quarter, with Zendejas kicking one more and Anderson adding another two, making the score 16–9 at the start of the fourth quarter. But quarterback Warren Moon finally got his team to the end zone with a 10-play, 80-yard drive to score on his 18-yard touchdown pass to Ernest Givins that tied the game. Following a Pittsburgh three-and-out, Harry Newsome's punt went just 25 yards to the Steelers 38-yard line. From there it took just five plays for Houston to take their first lead of the game, scoring on Moon's 9-yard pass touchdown pass to Givins that put them up 23–16 with 5:16 left in regulation. Starting from their own 18 after the kickoff, Pittsburgh drove 82 yards, featuring a 22-yard run by receiver Dwight Stone on a reverse play, to score on Hoge's 2-yard touchdown run with 46 seconds left, tying the game and sending it into overtime.
Pittsburgh won the coin toss and received the ball first, but were quickly forced to punt, and another short kick from Newsome gave Houston the ball with great field position on the Steelers 45-yard line. On the Oilers first play, Moon handed the ball off to Lorenzo White, who was quickly leveled by Woodson and defensive end Tim Johnson, causing a fumble that Woodson recovered and returned four yards to the Oilers 46. From there, Pittsburgh could gain just 13 yards with a few Hoge carries before facing a fourth down. But it was enough for Anderson to kick a 50-yard field goal, his longest attempt of the season, which he sent perfectly through the uprights to give the Steelers the win.
Hoge finished the game with 100 rushing yards on just 17 carries, along with three receptions for 26 yards. Moon threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns. Givins caught 11 passes for 136 yards. Pittsburgh won despite being outgained in total yards 380–289. Oilers coach Jerry Glanville was fired a few days after this game. This was a particularly satisfying win for the Steelers, who had started the season with a 51–0 loss to Cleveland and a 41–10 loss to Cincinnati. They had been shutout three times, outgained by their opponents in ten consecutive games, and had to recover from a 4–6 record to get into the playoffs by winning five of their last six games.
This was the third postseason meeting between the Steelers and Oilers. Pittsburgh won both previous meetings.
| Pittsburgh leads 2–0 in all-time playoff games |
Divisional playoffs
Saturday, January 6, 1990
AFC: Cleveland Browns 34, Buffalo Bills 30
In a shootout, 33-year-old Browns linebacker Clay Matthews intercepted Bills quarterback Jim Kelly at the Cleveland 1-yard line with three seconds left to preserve a 34–30 victory. Kelly threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns while Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar threw for 251 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Browns receiver Webster Slaughter had the best postseason performance of his career with three receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns.The game was played on a cold icy field that would have a big impact on the game. The Browns took their first drive into Bills territory, but came up empty when Matt Bahr slipped while planting his foot on a 45-yard field goal attempt. On Buffalo's second play after the missed kick, Kelly threw a short pass to Andre Reed. Felix Wright slipped while going into coverage, leaving Reed wide open and he ended up taking the ball 72 yards to the end zone. But Cleveland struck back with an 18-yard completion from Kosar to Slaughter on the first play after the kickoff, which led to a 45-yard field goal by Bahr. Then after a punt, the Browns drove 79 yards and scored on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Kosar to Slaughter in the second quarter. Buffalo receiver Don Beebe returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards to the 34-yard line. On the next play, Kelly completed a 21-yard pass to James Lofton. The Bills were on the move and did not stop until Kelly finished the drive with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Lofton that put the Bills back in the lead, 14–10. With less than 5 minutes left in the second quarter, the Browns took advantage of a short 34-yard punt by John Kidd that gave them the ball on their own 49-yard line. Fullback Kevin Mack carried the ball 4 times for 31 yards as the team drove to retake the lead with Ron Middleton's 3-yard touchdown catch shortly before the end of the first half. Buffalo responded with a drive to the Browns 40-yard line. But on a 4th and 1 conversion attempt, Cleveland defensive end Carl Hairston sacked Kelly to force a turnover on downs.
On the second drive of the second half, the first turnover of the game occurred when Mark Harper intercepted a pass from Kelly on the Cleveland 46. Kosar then hooked up with Slaughter for another touchdown pass, this one 44-yards, to increase their lead to 24–14. The Bills gave the ball up again on their next drive when Larry Kinnebrew lost a fumble that was recovered on the Browns 25-yard line by defensive back Felix Wright. But on the next play, they took it back as Fred Smerlas forced a fumble from Mack that was recovered by Bills safety Mark Kelso on the 26. A few plays later on 3rd and 8, Kelly completed a 15-yard pass to running back Thurman Thomas on the Browns 4-yard line, setting up his 6-yard touchdown pass to Thomas to make the score 24–21. But Browns running back Eric Metcalf returned the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown to give his team a 31–21 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Buffalo responded by driving 67 yards, including a 27-yard completion from Kelly to Thomas, to score on Scott Norwood's 30-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 31–24. Cleveland struck back with a 51-yard drive to score a field goal of their own, a 46-yard kick by Bahr, retaking their two-score lead at 34–24 with 6:57 left in the game. Buffalo then drove 77 yards entirely on receptions by Thomas and fellow running back Ronnie Harmon, who hauled in a 22-yard catch on the Browns 3-yard line. On the next play, Kelly's 3-yard touchdown pass to Thomas cut their deficit to 34–30 with 3:56 left in regulation. But Scott Norwood slipped on an icy patch of the field while attempting the extra point, forcing the Bills to attempt to score a touchdown instead of a field goal on their final drive. After Buffalo's defense forced the Browns to go three-and-out, Kelly led the Bills to Cleveland's 11-yard line, converting two fourth downs on the way there. But Harmon dropped a potential game winning catch in the end zone and Kelly was intercepted by Matthews on the next play.
Metcalf finished with 169 all purpose yards. Thomas set a playoff record with 13 receptions for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns, while also rushing for 27 yards.
This was the first postseason meeting between the Bills and Browns.