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John Elway's Turning Point In Professional Sports

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The game started out very well for Denver. After forcing Washington to go 3 and out, the Broncos scored on their first play from scrimmage, when quarterback John Elway threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Ricky Nattiel, giving Denver a quick 7–0 lead after just 1:57 had elapsed in the game. It was the earliest touchdown any team had ever scored in Super Bowl history (this record would be broken by Jerry Rice in Super Bowl XXIX, and later by Devin Hester in Super Bowl XLI). The Broncos quickly forced Washington to punt, and once again Elway displayed his superb scrambling skills. On the second play of Denver's ensuing possession, Elway completed a 32-yard pass to wide receiver Mark Jackson. Then he caught a 23-yard pass from halfback …show more content…

But this time they failed to score because Washington safety Alvin Walton sacked Elway for an 18-yard loss on third down, pushing the Broncos out of field goal range. This play would turn out to be the turning point in the …show more content…

On the Redskins' first play of the second quarter, receiver Ricky Sanders got behind defensive back Mark Haynes (who tried to jam him at the line of scrimmage), caught a pass from Williams, and took it 80 yards for a touchdown. After forcing the Broncos to punt on their next possession, Washington advanced to the Denver 27-yard line. Facing third down and 1, with Denver's defense expecting a running play, Washington decided to pass, and receiver Gary Clark made a diving catch in the end zone for a touchdown to give Washington a 14–10 lead. After the ensuing kickoff, Denver drove to the Washington 26-yard line, aided by running back Sammy Winder's 27-yard reception and Elway's 21-yard run. After Elway threw an incomplete pass on third down, however, Karlis missed a 43-yard field goal attempt. On the first play of the Redskins' ensuing drive, Williams threw a 16-yard completion to Clark. Then on the next play, running back Timmy Smith, a rookie in his first NFL start, took off for a 58-yard touchdown run, making the score

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