Super Bowl XXVII

Super Bowl XXVII

Buffalo Bills (4) (AFC) (11–5) Dallas Cowboys (2) (NFC) (13–3) 17 52 Head coach: Marv Levy Head coach: Jimmy Johnson
1 2 3 4 Total BUF 7 3 7 0 17 DAL 14 14 3 21 52
Date	January 31, 1993 (1993-01-31)
Stadium	Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
MVP	Troy Aikman, quarterback
Favorite	Cowboys by 6.5[1][2]
Referee	Dick Hantak
Attendance	98,374[3]
Hall of Famers
Bills: Ralph Wilson (owner), Bill Polian (general manager), Marv Levy (head coach), Jim Kelly, James Lofton, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas Cowboys: Jerry Jones (owner), Jimmy Johnson (head coach), Troy Aikman, Charles Haley, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith
Ceremonies
National anthem	Garth Brooks
Coin toss	O. J. Simpson
Halftime show	Michael Jackson
TV in the United States
Network	NBC
Announcers	Dick Enberg, Bob Trumpy, O. J. Simpson and Todd Christensen
Nielsen ratings	45.1 (est. 90.99 million viewers)[4]
Market share	66
Cost of 30-second commercial	$850,000
Radio in the United States
Network	CBS Radio
Announcers	Jack Buck and Hank Stram
← XXVI Super Bowl XXVIII →

Super Bowl XXVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Buffalo Bills and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1992 season. The Cowboys defeated the Bills by the score of 52–17, winning their third Super Bowl in team history, and their first one in 15 years. This game is tied with Super Bowl XXXVII as the fourth-highest scoring Super Bowl with 69 combined points, as of 2023.^[5] The Bills became the first team to lose three consecutive Super Bowls, and just the second of three teams to play in three straight (the Miami Dolphins played in Super Bowls VI–VIII, winning VII and VIII, and the New England Patriots played in Super Bowls LI–LIII, winning LI and LIII). The following 1993 season, the Bills became the only team to both play and lose four consecutive Super Bowls (on January 30, 1994, losing Super Bowl XXVIII to the Dallas Cowboys 30–13). The game was played on January 31, 1993, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and is the last NFL championship game to date to be held in a non-NFL stadium. It was also the seventh Super Bowl held in the Greater Los Angeles Area, which did not host another until Super Bowl LVI in 2022.

The Bills advanced to their third consecutive Super Bowl after posting an 11–5 regular season record, but entered the playoffs as a wild card after losing tiebreakers. The Cowboys were making their sixth Super Bowl appearance after posting a 13–3 regular season record. It was the first time that the two franchises had played each other since 1984.

The Cowboys scored 35 points off of a Super Bowl-record nine Buffalo turnovers, including three first half touchdowns. Bills backup quarterback Frank Reich, who replaced injured starter Jim Kelly in the second quarter, threw a 40-yard touchdown on the final play of the third quarter to cut the lead to 31–17. Dallas then scored three more touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman was named Super Bowl MVP, completing 22 of 30 passes for 273 yards and four touchdowns for a passer rating of 140.6, while also rushing for 28 yards.

In response to Fox's Super Bowl counterprogramming of a special episode of In Living Color during the previous year, the NFL booked Michael Jackson to perform during the entire Super Bowl XXVII halftime show. Jackson's performance started the league's trend of signing top acts to appear during the Super Bowl to attract more viewers and interest.