1990–91 Manchester City F.C. season, Season summary
Howard Kendall built a strong Manchester City side that spent the first few months of the season near the top of the table, but left in November, with City in fifth, to return to Everton, justifying his move by claiming that Manchester City was his affair but Everton was his marriage. Midfielder Peter Reid was named as caretaker before being appointed permanent City manager; he led the Mancunians to fifth place. Andy Hill became Peter Reid's first major signing as a manager paying Bury £200,000 for his capture.


1990–91 Manchester City F.C. season, Season summary
Irish striker Niall Quinn was City's top scorer with 21 goals in all competitions. He was named the club's Player of the Year.


1990–91 Manchester City F.C. season, Kit
City's kit was manufactured by English company Umbro and sponsored by Japanese electronics manufacturer Brother.


1990–91 Manchester City F.C. season, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1990–91 Manchester City F.C. season, Squad, Left club during season
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season
The 1990–91 season was Manchester United's 89th season in the Football League, and their 16th consecutive season in the top division of English football.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season
After winning the FA Cup the previous year to end a five-year trophy drought and claim their first major trophy under the management of Alex Ferguson, United went on to achieve more success by lifting the European Cup Winners' Cup – their first European trophy since their European Cup triumph 23 years earlier – by beating Barcelona 2–1 in Rotterdam, with Mark Hughes scoring both goals. It was the first season back in European competitions for English clubs following the lifting of the ban which had been imposed back in 1985 due to the Heysel Stadium disaster.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season
Hughes was voted PFA Player of the Year, while promising young winger Lee Sharpe was voted PFA Young Player of the Year. Fellow winger Ryan Giggs, aged 17 and said to be the club's finest young prospect since George Best, signed a professional contract in late November, and soon broke into the first team, making two league appearances and scoring one goal. A new arrival at the club was full-back Denis Irwin, signed from Oldham Athletic for a fee of £625,000 in the close season. Following his impressive performance in the previous season's FA Cup final replay, Les Sealey's loan move became permanent on a one-year contract, and he was the club's first choice goalkeeper for the season, but left on a free transfer at the season's end and signed for Aston Villa.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season
United also reached the League Cup final for the second time, but suffered a shock defeat to Sheffield Wednesday (managed by former United boss Ron Atkinson). In the league, United improved upon the previous season's 13th-place finish, but erratic form meant that they failed to mount a title challenge and finished sixth and were below neighbours Manchester City for the first time in more than a decade. Their defence of the FA Cup ended in the Fifth Round when they lost 2–1 to Norwich City.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season
Assistant manager Archie Knox resigned late in the campaign to take the same role at Rangers, and was replaced by Brian Kidd.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season
It was the final season at Old Trafford for veteran defender Viv Anderson, who had failed to reclaim his place in the first team and was sold to Sheffield Wednesday in January 1991. Winger Ralph Milne, who had not played a first team game for the club for nearly two years, was given a free transfer at the end of the season. Colin Gibson, who had rarely been selected since the 1988–89 season, was sold to Leicester City just before Christmas.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season
Goalkeeper Gary Walsh, who stood in for the injured Les Sealey in several late season games, made his first appearances for United in three years.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season
Lee Martin, the hero of the previous season's FA Cup final, suffered a back injury and appeared in less than half of the season's games, as Alex Ferguson chose Denis Irwin as his regular right-back and Clayton Blackmore as his regular left-back. Striker Mark Robins, another star of the cup run, had a less successful season, with fewer first team opportunities and just five goals in all competitions, despite some promising performances in the autumn.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
The 1989–90 campaign had brought Alex Ferguson his first major trophy in four seasons as manager of Manchester United, as they defeated Crystal Palace after a replay to win the FA Cup for the seventh time, equalling the record held by Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur. However, their league form had arguably been their worst since relegation 16 years earlier, as they finished 13th in the First Division, and the squad still needed a few changes before United could be seen as serious title challengers.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
Goalkeeper Les Sealey had received a permanent contract after a successful loan spell at Old Trafford that had begun the previous December when he joined from Luton Town, and for the 1990–91 season Ferguson chose Sealey as his first choice goalkeeper. Previous first choice goalkeeper Jim Leighton remained at the club, facing competition for second choice status from the younger Gary Walsh and Mark Bosnich.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
Ferguson's only other major signing of the summer was Denis Irwin, the Republic of Ireland international who joined from Oldham Athletic and was capable of playing on either side of defence, providing competition for Mike Phelan on the right and Lee Martin and Clayton Blackmore on the left. The midfield line-up was similarly impressive – Paul Ince, Neil Webb, Bryan Robson and Danny Wallace – with the added bonus of Phelan also being able to play in central midfield or on the right side.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
19-year-old Lee Sharpe was capable of playing on either wing, showing promise as a star of the future. In attack, Mark Hughes and Brian McClair were an established partnership but 21-year-old Mark Robins was looking like a top striker of the future and a possible threat to McClair's place in the team.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
On 10 July 1990, UEFA confirmed that English clubs would be able to compete in European competitions after five years following the Heysel disaster, meaning that Manchester United would be able to compete in the European Cup Winners' Cup.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
The league season began six weeks later with a 2–0 home win over Coventry City in the First Division, a week after they were joint winners of the FA Charity Shield with a 1–1 draw against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
On 19 September, Manchester United marked their return to European competition with a 2–0 win over Pecsi Munkas of Hungary in the first round first leg of the European Cup Winners' Cup, progressing to the next stage of the European Cup Winners' Cup two weeks later by winning the second leg 1–0. By that date, they had also progressed to the Football League Cup third round with a 5–2 aggregate win over Halifax Town in the second round.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
There were ugly scenes at Old Trafford on 20 October, when all 11 Manchester United players and 10 Arsenal players were involved in a brawl in the First Division clash at Old Trafford. Arsenal won 1–0 but United were docked a league point for this, while Arsenal (who, by this stage, were the biggest threat to leaders Liverpool in the title race) were docked two points and both clubs were fined £50000.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
Three days later, Manchester United defeated Wrexham 3–0 in the European Cup Winners' Cup second round first leg at Old Trafford. At the end of the month, they eliminated Liverpool from the Football League Cup in the third round with a 3–1 win at Old Trafford, condemning the First Division leaders to their first defeat in a competitive game that season.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
A 5–0 aggregate win over Wrexham completed on 7 November took them into the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners' Cup.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
On 27 November, Alex Ferguson offered a five-year contract to Ryan Giggs, a winger said to be the finest prospect in the British game since George Best. Giggs, who was born in Cardiff, would be eligible to sign a professional contract from his 17th birthday two days later. He obliged, and his first team debut was looking inevitable.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
The day before Ryan Giggs signed for Manchester United, fellow youngster Lee Sharpe scored a hat-trick for Manchester United as they defeated Arsenal 6–2 in the Football League Cup fourth round at Highbury, meaning that the Football League Cup wouldn't be heading to North London in 1991. Sharpe had another fine game four days later when he scored the only goal of the game at Goodison Park in a 1–0 win over Everton, who had made a dismal start to the First Division campaign and were in the bottom half of the table just 12 months after being title contenders.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
1991 began with 2–1 win for Alex Ferguson's men at Tottenham Hotspur, though the biggest piece of news arising from the game was that the opposition's Paul Gascoigne became the first player to be sent off in a live televised First Division game.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
Six days later, their defence of the FA Cup began with a 2–1 win over Queen's Park Rangers in the third round at Old Trafford, and the following week they drew 1–1 at Southampton in the Football League Cup quarter-final, winning the replay 3–2 at Old Trafford thanks to a Mark Hughes hat-trick. Before the month was out, United defeated Third Division Bolton Wanderers 1–0 in the FA Cup fourth round at Old Trafford.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
On 10 February 1991, Manchester United beat Leeds United 2–1 in the Football League Cup semi-final first leg at Old Trafford, and two weeks later they reached the final by winning the second leg 1–0. A week earlier, however, their FA Cup defence had ended in the fifth round with a 2–1 defeat at Norwich City, a side who had given the big clubs a surprise run for their money several times in the last five years.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
2 March saw the much awaited debut of Ryan Giggs, who came on as a substitute for the injured Denis Irwin in a 2–0 home defeat by Everton in the First Division.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
Four days later, Manchester United drew 1–1 at home to Montpellier HSC in the European Cup Winners' Cup quarter-final first leg, reaching the semi-final two weeks later by winning the return leg 2–0 in France.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
The contest for a place in the final began on 10 April with a 3–1 away win over Legia Warsaw of Poland in the European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final first leg.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
On 21 April, Manchester United suffered a surprise 1–0 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday (managed by their former manager Ron Atkinson) in the Football League Cup final. The only goal of the game was scored by Irish international midfielder John Sheridan, a self-confessed Manchester United supporter. Three days later, however, they reached the European Cup Winners' Cup final for the first time with a 4–2 aggregate win over Legia Warsaw.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
The final was won on 15 May 1991 in Rotterdam thanks to a 2–1 win over FC Barcelona, with Mark Hughes scored both goals against the team he had spent an unsuccessful campaign with four seasons earlier.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
1990–91 was another highly successful season for Manchester United after a few years of frustration, with the boardroom featuring a major trophy once more. They had also been runners-up in a second cup final. It was the first time in 23 years that United had won a major trophy in successive seasons. Their league form had also improved, but a lack of consistency restricted them to a sixth-place finish – one place below City, who had not finished above them for more than a decade.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
The league title went to Arsenal for the second time in three seasons, while Liverpool finished second in what at the time was unusually a trophyless season for them. United were not the only side threatening to break up the recent Liverpool-Arsenal dominance of English football. A year after taking United to a replay in the FA Cup final, former United player Steve Coppell enjoyed another successful season with Crystal Palace, who finished third in the league.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
Another former United player, Gordon Strachan, was a key player in Leeds United's impressive return to the First Division as the West Yorkshire side finished fourth. There was also a threat emerging from the blue half of Manchester for the first time in a decade, as City finished fifth under new player-manager Peter Reid.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
Les Sealey's one-year contract expired at the end of the season, and he now wanted a two-year deal, but departed on a free transfer to Aston Villa after being offered only a one-year deal. Also on his way out of the club was Ralph Milne, given a free transfer more than a year after his final first-team appearance.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
During the close season, United added the Brøndby and Denmark goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel and QPR's England right-back Paul Parker to their ranks. The existing squad was already impressive, with young wingers Lee Sharpe and Ryan Giggs looking like highly exciting prospects for the future, and players like Neil Webb, Danny Wallace, Clayton Blackmore and Mark Robins being some of the best squad players that any club in the country had at their disposal.


1990–91 Manchester United F.C. season, Events of the season
1991–92 would be United's 25th season since their last league title triumph, and Alex Ferguson was determined to make sure that the title wait would end then.


1990–91 Mansfield Town F.C. season
The 1990–91 season was Mansfield Town's 54th season in the Football League and 20th in the Third Division they finished in 24th position with 38 points and were relegated to the Fourth Division.


1990–91 Marquette Warriors men's basketball team
The 1990–91 Marquette Warriors men's basketball team represented Marquette University during the 1990–91 men's college basketball season.


1990–91 Meistriliiga (ice hockey) season
The 1990-91 Meistriliiga season was the first season of the Meistriliiga, the top level of ice hockey in Estonia. Five teams participated in the league, and Kreenholm Narva B won the championship.


1990–91 Mexican Primera División season
These are statistics of Primera División de México for the 1990–91 season.


1990–91 Mexican Primera División season, Overview
It was contested by 20 teams, and Pumas de la UNAM won the championship.


1990–91 Mexican Primera División season, Overview
Querétaro bought the franchise of Tampico Madero, which allowed the team to return to Primera División.


1990–91 Mexican Segunda División season
The 1990–91 Segunda División was the 42nd season of the Mexican Segunda División. The season started on 3 August 1990 and concluded on 17 July 1991. It was won by Atlante.


1990–91 Miami Heat season
The 1990–91 NBA season was the third season of the Miami Heat in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After a semi-promising 5–9 start, the Heat went on a ten-game losing streak, winning just 6 of 24 games in December and January. They lost 13 of their final 17 games finishing last place in the Atlantic Division with a 24–58 record. In his second year, point guard Sherman Douglas led the Heat in scoring with 18.5 points per game. He also led them with 8.5 assists per game. Second-year star Glen Rice, and last season's Most Improved Player Rony Seikaly also had solid seasons, as the Heat showed slight improvement winning six more games than the previous season. Top draft pick Willie Burton was selected to the All-Rookie Second Team.


1990–91 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
The 1990–91 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team represented Michigan State University in the 1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team played their home games at Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan and were members of the Big Ten Conference. They were coached by Jud Heathcote in his 15th year at Michigan State. The Spartans finished the season with a record of 19–11, 11–7 to finish in third place in Big Ten play. They received an at-large bid as a No. 5 seed to the NCAA Tournament where they beat Green Bay on a buzzer beater by Steve Smith. In the Second Round, they lost to No. 10 Utah in double overtime, 84–85.


1990–91 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team
The game marked the end of First Team All-American senior Steve Smith's career at Michigan State.


1990–91 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team, Previous season
The Spartans finished the 1989–90 season with an overall record of 28–6, 15–3 to win the Big Ten Championship. Michigan State received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament as a #1 seed. They beat Murray State and UC-Santa Barbara to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. There they lost to Georgia Tech.


1990–91 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
The 1990–91 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan in intercollegiate college basketball during the 1990–91 season. The team played its home games in the Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was a member of the Big Ten Conference. Under the direction of head coach Steve Fisher, the team finished eighth in the Big Ten Conference. The team earned an invitation to the 1991 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) where it was eliminated in the first round. The team was unranked for the entire seventeen weeks of Associated Press Top Twenty-Five Poll, and it also ended the season unranked in the final UPI Coaches' Poll. The team had a 0–7 record against ranked opponents.


1990–91 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
Demetrius Calip served as team captain and earned team MVP. The team's leading scorers were Calip (594 points), Michael Talley (318 points), and Kirk Taylor (301 points). The leading rebounders were Eric Riley (242), Kirk Taylor (119), and Calip (112). The leaders in assists were Calip (102), Talley (93) and Taylor (72).


1990–91 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
Calip led the Big Ten Conference in three point shots made in conference games (48). The team led the conference in team three point shots made with 118 during their conference games.


1990–91 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team
In the 32-team National Invitation Tournament, Michigan was eliminated by Colorado 71–64 in the first round.


1990–91 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team, Team players drafted into the NBA
One player from this team was selected in the NBA Draft.


1990–91 Middlesbrough F.C. season
During the 1990–91 English football season, Middlesbrough F.C. competed in the Football League Second Division.


1990–91 Middlesbrough F.C. season, Season summary
In the 1990–91 season, Boro finished 7th in the Second Division on goal difference, qualifying for the end of season play-offs. However, they lost in the semi finals of the playoffs against Notts County.


1990–91 Middlesbrough F.C. season, Squad, Appearances and goals
Appearance and goalscoring records for all the players who were in the Middlesbrough F.C. first team squad during the 1990–91 season.


1990–91 Midland Football Combination
The 1990–91 Midland Football Combination season was the 54th in the history of Midland Football Combination, a football competition in England.


1990–91 Midland Football Combination, Premier Division
The Premier Division featured 19 clubs which competed in the division last season, along with two new clubs:


1990–91 Milwaukee Bucks season
The 1990–91 NBA season was the Bucks' 23rd season in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Bucks acquired Frank Brickowski from the San Antonio Spurs. The Bucks started the season on a strong note winning their first 18 home games on their way to a 25–8 start. However, they would lose ten of their next twelve games. Ricky Pierce and Alvin Robertson were both selected for the 1991 NBA All-Star Game. At midseason, Pierce was traded to the Seattle SuperSonics for Dale Ellis.


1990–91 Milwaukee Bucks season
The Bucks would make their 12th consecutive playoff appearance finishing third in the Central Division with a 48–34 record, while posting a 33–8 home record at the Bradley Center. In the first round of the playoffs, the Bucks were swept by the 5th-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in three straight games. This would be their final playoff appearance until 1999.


1990–91 Minnesota North Stars season
The 1990–91 Minnesota North Stars season was the North Stars' 24th season. The most striking aspect of the season was that despite qualifying for the playoffs with an under–.500 (or "losing") regular-season record, the team reached the Stanley Cup Final as the Clarence Campbell Conference Champions, eliminating Chicago and St. Louis teams that had finished nearly 40 points ahead of them in the regular season, as well as the defending Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers in five games — a classic "Cinderella" post-season. The North Stars saw their playoff run end in game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals when they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins 8–0 in front of their home fans in the Met Center.


1990–91 Minnesota North Stars season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against


1990–91 Minnesota North Stars season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1990–91 Minnesota North Stars season, Regular season, Final standings
bold – Qualified for playoffs; p – Won Presidents' Trophy


1990–91 Minnesota North Stars season, Player statistics, Skaters
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalties in minutes


1990–91 Minnesota North Stars season, Player statistics, Goaltending
Note: GP = Games played; MIN = Minutes; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts; GAA = Goals against average


1990–91 Minnesota Timberwolves season
The 1990–91 NBA season was the Timberwolves' 2nd season in the National Basketball Association. After playing one year at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, the Timberwolves moved into their new arena known as the Target Center, which opened on October 13, 1990. They played their first game there on November 2 defeating the Dallas Mavericks 98–85 before a sold out crowd of 19,006. However, the Timberwolves continued to struggle in their second season finishing fifth in the Midwest Division with a 29–53 record, despite posting a solid 7–5 record in April. Tony Campbell continued to lead the T-Wolves in scoring averaging 21.8 points per game. Tyrone Corbin finished second on the team in scoring with 18.0 points per game, while second-year star Pooh Richardson led them with 9.0 assists per game.


1990–91 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team
The 1990–91 Mississippi State Bulldogs men's basketball team represented Mississippi State University in the 1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by head coach Richard Williams, the Bulldogs finished with a 20–9 record (13–5 SEC) and received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament as No. 5 seed in the East region.


1990–91 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team
The 1990–91 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Missouri as a member of the Big Eight Conference during the 1990–91 NCAA men's basketball season. Led by head coach Norm Stewart, the Tigers won the Big Eight Tournament title. Ineligible to participate in the NCAA Tournament, the Tigers finished with an overall record of 20–10 (8–6 Big Eight).


1990–91 Montana Grizzlies basketball team
The 1990–91 Montana Grizzlies basketball team represented the University of Montana during the 1990–91 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Grizzlies were led by fifth-year head coach Stew Morrill and played their home games on campus at Adams Fieldhouse in Missoula, Montana.


1990–91 Montana Grizzlies basketball team
They finished the regular season at 21–7, with a 13–3 record in conference to win the regular season title. The Grizzlies earned an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament by winning the Big Sky Conference Tournament.


1990–91 Montana Grizzlies basketball team
In the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at McKale Center in Tucson, Arizona, Montana faced the top-ranked, defending national champion UNLV Runnin' Rebels. Jerry Tarkanian's UNLV squad entered the game with a 30–0 mark on the season and, dating back to the previous season, a 41–game winning streak overall and wins in 51 of their previous 52 games. The Grizzlies were beaten soundly, 99–65.


1990–91 Montreal Canadiens season
The 1990–91 Montreal Canadiens season was the Canadiens' 82nd season. The season saw the Montreal Canadiens being eliminated in the Adams Division finals by the Boston Bruins.


1990–91 Montreal Canadiens season, Offseason
Co-Captain Chris Chelios was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for Denis Savard, in August 1990. With Chelios' departure, Guy Carbonneau continued as Canadiens captain.


1990–91 Montreal Canadiens season, Offseason
Mats Naslund resumes his playing career in Europe. Veteran forwards Brian Skrudland and Mike McPhee are named alternate captains.


1990–91 Montreal Canadiens season, Offseason, NHL Draft
Montreal's draft picks at the 1990 NHL Entry Draft held at the BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.


1990–91 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season
In terms of injuries, Patrick Roy missed the most games due to injury during the 90-91 season. Backup goalies Andre Racicot and Jean-Claude Bergeron appeared in 25 games.


1990–91 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season
The Canadiens finished the regular season as the league's most disciplined team, being short-handed only 282 times.


1990–91 Montreal Canadiens season, Regular season, Final standings
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals againstNote: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.


1990–91 Montreal Canadiens season, Playoffs
The Montreal Canadiens were eliminated in the Adams Division final by the Boston Bruins, four games to three.


1990–91 Moroccan Throne Cup
The 1990–91 season of the Moroccan Throne Cup was the 35th edition of the competition.


1990–91 Moroccan Throne Cup
Kawkab Marrakech won the cup, beating KAC Kénitra 2–1 in the final, played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. Kawkab Marrakech won the competition for the fifth time in their history.


1990–91 Moroccan Throne Cup, Competition, Final
The final took place between the two winning semi-finalists, Kawkab Marrakech and KAC Kénitra, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.


1990–91 Murray State Racers men's basketball team
The 1990–91 Murray State Racers men's basketball team represented Murray State University during the 1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Racers, led by head coach Steve Newton, played their home games at Racer Arena in Murray, Kentucky as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 24–9, 10–2 in OVC play to win the OVC regular season championship. They defeated Middle Tennessee to win the OVC Tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. As No. 14 seed in the Southeast region, the Racers battled No. 3 seed Alabama before losing 89–79.


1990–91 NBA season
The 1990–91 NBA season was the 45th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA Championship, eliminating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.


1990–91 NBA season, Playoffs
Teams in bold advanced to the next round. The numbers to the left of each team indicate the team's seeding in its conference, and the numbers to the right indicate the number of games the team won in that round. The division champions are marked by an asterisk. Home court advantage does not necessarily belong to the higher-seeded team, but instead the team with the better regular season record; teams enjoying the home advantage are shown in italics.


1990–91 NBA season, NBA awards
Note: All information on this page were obtained on the History section on


1990–91 NBA season, NBA awards, Player of the week
The following players were named NBA Player of the Week.


1990–91 NBA season, NBA awards, Player of the month
The following players were named NBA Player of the Month.


1990–91 NBA season, NBA awards, Rookie of the month
The following players were named NBA Rookie of the Month.


1990–91 NBA season, NBA awards, Coach of the month
The following coaches were named NBA Coach of the Month.


1990–91 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team
The 1990–91 NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team represented North Carolina State University as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference during the 1990–91 men's college basketball season. It was Les Robinson's first season as head coach. The Wolfpack earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament and finished with a record of 20–11 (8–6 ACC).


1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
The 1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings was made up of two human polls, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various other preseason polls.


1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings, Coaches Poll
The Coaches poll expanded to 25 teams beginning with the 1990–91 season.


1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball season
The 1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began in November 1990 and ended with the Final Four at the Hoosier Dome in Indianapolis, Indiana on April 1, 1991. The Duke Blue Devils won their first NCAA national championship with a 72–65 victory over the Kansas Jayhawks.


1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Season outlook, Pre-season polls
The top 25 from the AP Poll and Coaches Poll during the pre-season.


1990–91 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, Coaching changes
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.


1990–91 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season
The 1990–91 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began in October 1990 and concluded with the 1991 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament's championship game on March 30, 1991, at the Saint Paul Civic Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This was the 44th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held and is the 96th year overall where an NCAA school fielded a team.


1990–91 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in points at the conclusion of the season.


1990–91 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Scoring leaders
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes


1990–91 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders led the league in goals against average at the end of the regular season while playing at least 33% of their team's total minutes.


1990–91 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, Player stats, Leading goaltenders
GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime/shootout losses; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average


1990–91 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings
Two human polls comprise the 1990–91 NCAA Division I women's basketball rankings, the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll, in addition to various publications' preseason polls. The AP poll is currently a poll of sportswriters, while the USA Today Coaches' Poll is a poll of college coaches. The AP conducts polls weekly through the end of the regular season and conference play, while the Coaches poll conducts a final, post-NCAA tournament poll as well.


1990–91 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season
The 1990–91 NCAA Division III men's ice hockey season began in October 1990 and concluded on March 16 of the following year. This was the 18th season of Division III college ice hockey.


1990–91 NCAA football bowl games
The 1990–91 NCAA football bowl games featured 19 games,  starting early in December 1990 and ending on New Year's Day 1991. They followed the 1990 regular season and ended in controversy. Going into the postseason, Colorado had a 10–1–1 record and was ranked #1 in both Coaches' and AP polls. After a relatively unimpressive (and controversial) 10–9 victory over #5 Notre Dame in the Orange Bowl and an impressive victory by the undefeated (10–0–1) #2 Georgia Tech in the Citrus Bowl, the Buffaloes lost their #1 ranking to the Yellow Jackets in the Coaches' Poll, creating a split championship. This controversial ending, along with the dual undefeated champions of the following year, led to the creation of the Bowl Coalition.


1990–91 NCAA football bowl games, Final rankings, AP Poll
1. Colorado2. Georgia Tech3. Miami (FL)4. Florida State5. Washington6. Notre Dame7. Michigan8. Tennessee9. Clemson10. Houston11. Penn State12. Texas13. Florida14. Louisville15. Texas A&M16. Michigan State17. Oklahoma18. Iowa19. Auburn20. USC21 . Ole Miss22. BYU23. Virginia24. Nebraska25. Illinois


1990–91 NCAA football bowl games, Final rankings, Coaches' Poll
1. Georgia Tech2. Colorado3. Miami (FL)4. Florida State5. Washington6. Notre Dame7. Tennessee8. Michigan9. Clemson10. Penn State11. Texas12. Louisville13. Texas A&M14. Michigan State15. Virginia16. Iowa17. BYU (tie)17. Nebraska (tie)19. Auburn20. San Jose State21. Syracuse22. USC23 . Ole Miss24. Illinois25. Virginia Tech


1990–91 NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs for the 1990 season began on January 5, 1991. The postseason tournament concluded with the New York Giants defeating the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXV, 20–19, on January 27, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida.


1990–91 NFL playoffs
The league expanded its playoff system from a 10-team to a 12-team tournament, which remained in use through the 2019–20 NFL playoffs. With these changes, three wild-card teams (those non-division champions with the conference's best won-lost-tied percentages) qualified from each conference, up from two the year before.


1990–91 NFL playoffs
The 3 and 6 seeds played each other in one game and the 4 and 5 seeds in a second game, both making up what was dubbed the "Wild Card Round". The 1 and the 2 seeds from each conference did not participate in this round, earning an automatic berth in the following week's "Divisional Playoff" games, where they faced the Wild Card survivors. The 1-seeded team played against the lowest remaining seed while the 2 seed played the other remaining team. In a given game, whoever had the higher seed got the home field advantage. In addition, a rule stating that teams from the same division could not play against each other in the divisional round was abolished.


1990–91 NFL playoffs
In each conference, the matchup between the 3 and 6 seeds in the Wild Card Round dictated where the Wild Card Round winners traveled to for the Divisional Round:


1990–91 NFL playoffs
These changes forced the division winner with the worst record in each conference to play during the first round. However, it guaranteed that division winner a home game, unlike in the previous format where the highest seeded wild-card team earned a home playoff game while the lowest-seeded division winner, despite earning a bye, was forced to play the second-seeded or top-seeded division winner (based on the no-divisional matchup rule) and thus could not host any playoff game before their respective conference championship (provided that they were the highest remaining seed).


1990–91 NFL playoffs
This system was later modified before the 2002–03 NFL playoffs after the league realigned the teams into eight divisions (four per conference). The number of teams in the playoffs remained the same, but now there were four division champions and two wild-card teams from each conference. This system was kept until 2020.


1990–91 NFL playoffs
As of the 2020–21 playoffs, this is the last postseason in which all division winners won a playoff game.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Participants
Within each conference, the three division winners and the three wild card teams (the top three non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The three division winners were seeded 1 through 3 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams were seeded 4 through 6. The NFL did not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there were no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Participants
In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the third-seeded division winner hosted the sixth seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosted the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference then received a bye in the first round. In the second round, the divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosted the worst surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5 or 6), while the number 2 seed played the other team (seed 3, 4 or 5).


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Participants
The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, was played at a neutral site, the designated home team was based on an annual rotation by conference.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Schedule
With the expansion from a 10-team to a 12-team playoff system, "Wild Card Sunday" became "Wild Card Weekend", with two games played on Saturday and two on Sunday, similar to the Divisional playoffs. From Super Bowl XXV onward, all Super Bowls have since been scheduled for 6:00 p.m. EST or later, regardless of the local time zone, so the game runs into the primetime hours.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Schedule
ABC was awarded the rights to broadcast the two Saturday Wild Card playoff games. CBS then televised the rest of the NFC games and NBC broadcast the rest of the AFC playoff games. ABC also televised Super Bowl XXV.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, NFC: Washington Redskins 20, Philadelphia Eagles 6
The Redskins overcame losing two turnovers and a 6–0 deficit to score 20 unanswered points. This game was sweet revenge for the Redskins, who had lost to the Eagles 28–14 in a Monday night game during the season in which the Eagles defense had scored two touchdowns and knocked nine Washington players out of the game, including all of their quarterbacks. The game has become known as the "Body Bag Game" because the Eagles defense had taunted the Redskins by asking if they had enough body bags for their team.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, NFC: Washington Redskins 20, Philadelphia Eagles 6
Philadelphia started the game strong as quarterback Randall Cunningham completed a 66-yard pass to tight end Keith Jackson on their third play from scrimmage, giving the team a first down at the Redskins 11-yard line. However, the next three plays resulted in a 1-yard run, an incomplete pass, and a 10-yard sack by Washington linebacker Monte Coleman, forcing the Eagles to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Roger Ruzek. After a pair of punts by each team, the Redskins got the ball on their 21 yard line with 14:23 remaining in the second quarter.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, NFC: Washington Redskins 20, Philadelphia Eagles 6
Running back Gerald Riggs lost the ball due to a tackle by Seth Joyner, and safety Wes Hopkins recovered it on the Redskins 25. A few plays later, a defensive holding penalty against the Redskins gave Philadelphia a first down on the 2-yard line, but they still could not get into the end zone. First, Washington defender Markus Koch tackled Heath Sherman for a 1-yard loss. Cunningham tried to pass the ball on the next two plays, but his first attempt was incomplete, and on his second try, he was sacked for an 8-yard loss by defensive tackle Charles Mann. Ruzek then kicked a 28-yard field goal to give Philadelphia a 6–0 lead just under five minutes into the second quarter.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, NFC: Washington Redskins 20, Philadelphia Eagles 6
Eagles defensive back Eric Allen ended Washington's possession by intercepting a pass from Mark Rypien on their 46. But in what turned out to be a critical defensive stand, the Eagles could not move the ball and had to punt. From this point on, Washington took over the game. Faced with third and 9 on his own 33-yard line, Rypien completed a 28-yard pass to receiver Art Monk, and followed it up with a 23-yard completion to running back Earnest Byner.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, NFC: Washington Redskins 20, Philadelphia Eagles 6
On the next play, his 16-yard touchdown pass to Monk gave the Redskins a 7–6 lead with 5:54 left in the half. Alvin Walton recovered a fumble from Sherman to end the Eagles next drive. Philadelphia's defense forced a punt, but their next drive fared no better as Cunningham was intercepted by Darrell Green at midfield. A few plays later, Byner lost a fumble that turned into a 94-yard touchdown return by cornerback Ben Smith.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, NFC: Washington Redskins 20, Philadelphia Eagles 6
It seemed to be a repeat of Byner's infamous play known as "The Fumble" in the 1987 AFC Championship Game, but this time it was overturned by instant replay (George Sladky), as replays showed Byner was down by contact before the ball came out. Washington kept possession and ended up increasing their lead to 10–6 on a 20-yard Chip Lohmiller field goal.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, NFC: Washington Redskins 20, Philadelphia Eagles 6
Washington increased their lead to 13–6 late in the third quarter with a 19-yard field goal by Lohmiller. At this point, Cunningham was benched and replaced by Jim McMahon, who promptly threw three straight incompletions before Brian Mitchell returned their punt to the Redskins 45-yard line. Rypien subsequently completed a 47-yard pass to Gary Clark on third and 5, and then hit him with a 3-yard touchdown pass two plays later, increasing Washington's lead to 20–6. Cunningham would return to the starting lineup on the next series, but could not lead the Eagles to any more points.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, NFC: Washington Redskins 20, Philadelphia Eagles 6
Rypien finished his first playoff game completing 15 of 31 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. Cunningham completed 15 of 29 passes for 205 yards with one interception. He was also the game's leading rusher with 80 yards, but was sacked five times. Jackson was the top receiver of the game with five receptions for 116 yards.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, NFC: Washington Redskins 20, Philadelphia Eagles 6
This was the last game for Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan as he was fired shortly after this game. He failed to reach the playoffs in his next head-coaching job with the Arizona Cardinals and was fired after two seasons, thus failing to win a playoff game as a head coach.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, NFC: Washington Redskins 20, Philadelphia Eagles 6
This was the first postseason meeting between the Redskins and Eagles.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, AFC: Miami Dolphins 17, Kansas City Chiefs 16
With 3:28 left in the game, the Dolphins capped an 85-yard drive with quarterback Dan Marino's winning 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Mark Clayton.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, AFC: Miami Dolphins 17, Kansas City Chiefs 16
On the Dolphins opening drive they reached midfield, but Marino was sacked on third down and Reggie Roby's punt was blocked by Charles Washington, giving the Chiefs the ball at the Miami 37-yard line. After nine plays and a 28-yard gain, the Chiefs scored on a 27-yard field goal from Nick Lowery. Miami responded with a 40-yard drive, with Marino completing a 12-yard pass to Mark Duper on third down and four yards needed to keep it moving. The drive ended on the Chiefs 40-yard line, where Pete Stoyanovich made an NFL playoff record 58-yard field goal to tie the game.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, AFC: Miami Dolphins 17, Kansas City Chiefs 16
The Chiefs responded with a drive to the Dolphins 30-yard line, featuring a 33-yard reception by receiver Stephone Paige, but it ended with no points when safety Jarvis Williams intercepted a pass from Steve DeBerg. After an exchange of punts, Miami drove to the Chiefs 39-yard line. Stoyanovich attempted another long field goal, this one 57 yards, but this time he missed and the Chiefs got rolling with a 16-yard run from Christian Okoye.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, AFC: Miami Dolphins 17, Kansas City Chiefs 16
Then DeBerg got his team into the end zone with two completions to Paige, the first for 16 yards and the second a 26-yard touchdown to make the score 10–3. Miami later threatened to score with a drive in the Chiefs territory, but Neil Smith forced a fumble from Marino and J. C. Pearson recovered it, keeping the score 10–3 at halftime.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, AFC: Miami Dolphins 17, Kansas City Chiefs 16
The Chiefs had to punt on their first drive, and Bryan Barker's 44-yard kick pinned the Dolphins back at their own 6-yard line. Miami was forced to a three and out, but Roby's 64-yard punt sent the Chiefs all the way back to their own 30. DeBerg started off the possession with a 26-yard completion to Emile Harry. Following a sack and an incompletion, the Chiefs faced third and 15.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, AFC: Miami Dolphins 17, Kansas City Chiefs 16
On the next play, running back Todd McNair picked up 13 yards on a screen pass, and on fourth down and 2 from the Dolphins 36, Okoye rushed five yards for a first down. Two more DeBerg completions advanced the ball to the 1-yard line, but an intentional grounding penalty moved the ball back 10 yards and the Chiefs ended up settling for a 25-yard field goal from Lowery.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, AFC: Miami Dolphins 17, Kansas City Chiefs 16
Then on the first play of the Dolphins next drive, Duper lost a fumble while being tackled by Deron Cherry, and Dino Hackett recovered for the Chiefs on the Miami 29-yard line. Three runs by Okoye gained eight yards, and then Lowery kicked his third field goal to give his team a 16–3 lead.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, AFC: Miami Dolphins 17, Kansas City Chiefs 16
Miami fought back with a 66-yard, 10-play touchdown drive. On the last play of the third quarter, Sammie Smith converted a fourth down with a 2-yard run. Then Marino connected with Mark Clayton for a 23-yard gain, setting up his 1-yard touchdown pass to Tony Paige that cut the deficit to six points with 12 minutes left.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, AFC: Miami Dolphins 17, Kansas City Chiefs 16
DeBerg responded with a 33-yard completion to Harry on the first play of the Chiefs ensuing drive, but it stalled on the Dolphins 41-yard line and Barker had to punt it away, giving the Dolphins the ball at their own 15 where Marino led his team 85 yards for the game winning score, starting with a 37-yard completion to tight end Ferrell Edmunds. After 10 plays and three third down conversions, Marino finished the drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Clayton, giving Miami a 17–16 lead with 3:28 left in the game.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, AFC: Miami Dolphins 17, Kansas City Chiefs 16
The Chiefs took the ball back and fought hard for a winning field goal, driving into Dolphins territory where Okoye's 26-yard burst moved the ball to the 26-yard line. But on the next play, a holding call wiped out his 12-yard run and pushed the team back 10 yards. As the final seconds of the game approached, the Chiefs could only make it back to the 34. Lowery, who had made his last 22 field goals, attempted a game winner from 52 yards out, but it fell just short.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, AFC: Miami Dolphins 17, Kansas City Chiefs 16
Marino finished the game with 19 of 30 completions for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Stephone Paige caught eight passes for 142 yards and a score.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Saturday, January 5, 1991, AFC: Miami Dolphins 17, Kansas City Chiefs 16
This was the second postseason meeting between the Chiefs and Dolphins. Miami won the only previous meeting.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, AFC: Cincinnati Bengals 41, Houston Oilers 14
Riverfront Stadium continued to be a house of horrors for the Oilers, who had lost in 9 of their last 10 trips to the Queen City and had given up 44, 61 (a Bengals team record) and 40 points in their last 3 visits. Not only had they lost their previous meeting with the Bengals, a 40–20 defeat in week 16, but they also lost starting quarterback Warren Moon, who suffered a dislocated thumb in the game.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, AFC: Cincinnati Bengals 41, Houston Oilers 14
Despite losing starting running back James Brooks to injury in the first quarter (ironically the same injury that sidelined Moon, a dislocated thumb), the Bengals crushed the Oilers by jumping to a 34–0 lead in the third quarter and holding the ball for 39:45. On the opening drive, they advanced 70 yards in 11 plays, including a 46-yard completion from Boomer Esiason to tight end Rodney Holman, to score on a 1-yard run by fullback Ickey Woods.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, AFC: Cincinnati Bengals 41, Houston Oilers 14
Then after forcing a punt, Esiason completed passes to Tim McGee and Harold Green for gains of 19 and 13 yards, while Brooks rushed for a 14-yard gain as the team drove to a 10–0 lead on Jim Breech's 27-yard field goal with just over 1 minute left in the first quarter.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, AFC: Cincinnati Bengals 41, Houston Oilers 14
Early in the second quarter, Bengals safety David Fulcher intercepted a pass from Cody Carlson and returned it 43 yards to the Oilers' 16-yard line, setting up Esiason's 2-yard touchdown toss to Green. The next time Cincinnati got the ball, they drove 75 yards to another Breech field goal to give the team a 20–0 lead going into halftime. Houston finished the first half with one first down and 36 yards, while Cincinnati gained 15 first downs, 222 yards, and 20 points.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, AFC: Cincinnati Bengals 41, Houston Oilers 14
Houston had to punt on the first drive of the second half, and Mitchell Price returned Greg Montgomery's 47-yard kick 34 yards to the Oilers' 34-yard line. The Bengals then drove to another score, with Esiason rushing for 27 yards on a scramble before running back Eric Ball finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. Less than a minute later, Carlson fumbled a snap, which linebacker James Francis recovered for Cincinnati on the Oilers 10-yard line.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, AFC: Cincinnati Bengals 41, Houston Oilers 14
Esiason ran the ball into the end zone on the next play, giving the Bengals a 34–0 lead after just 3:51 had elapsed in the third quarter. This time, Houston was able to respond, driving 80 yards to score on Carlson's 16-yard touchdown pass to Ernest Givins, making the score 34–7. With 14 minutes left in the final quarter, Cincinnati scored another touchdown on Esiason's 9-yard pass to tight end Eric Kattus, while Givins caught another touchdown pass from Carlson to make the final score 41–14.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, AFC: Cincinnati Bengals 41, Houston Oilers 14
Esiason finished the game with 14 of 20 completions for 150 yards and two touchdowns, while also running for 57 yards and a score. Cincinnati's most lopsided playoff win in franchise history was the result of a team effort. The Bengals racked up 187 yards on the ground even though no player rushed for more than 57 yards, and added another 162 yards through the air, though no one caught more than two passes. Overall, the Bengals gained 349 yards while holding Houston to 227, with just 69 rushing yards. Ironically, Houston had helped get Cincinnati into the playoffs by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in their final game of the season, causing the Bengals to win the AFC Central based on tiebreaker rules.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, AFC: Cincinnati Bengals 41, Houston Oilers 14
As of the end of the 2020 season, this win stands as the last Bengals playoff victory and the last one in Sam Wyche's career. The next season, the Bengals fell to 3–13 and began a streak of fourteen consecutive non-winning seasons. The team has since made seven subsequent playoff appearances but lost in the Wild Card round each time, the longest such active drought in the NFL.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, AFC: Cincinnati Bengals 41, Houston Oilers 14
This was the first postseason meeting between the Oilers and Bengals.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, NFC: Chicago Bears 16, New Orleans Saints 6
The Bears defense held the Saints to 193 total yards, 65 rushing yards, six first downs, and two field goals. Chicago also recorded 365 yards of total offense. Bears running back Neal Anderson compiled 102 rushing yards, 42 receiving yards, and threw a 22-yard halfback option pass.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, NFC: Chicago Bears 16, New Orleans Saints 6
The score was 10–3 at the end of the first half, due to a Kevin Butler field goal and Mike Tomczak's 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end James Thornton. The Saints' only score of the half was a 47-yard field goal by Morten Andersen, who would later miss from 41 yards and have another attempt blocked. Also, with three minutes left before halftime, New Orleans starting quarterback Steve Walsh, who had completed just six of 16 passes, was knocked out of the game and replaced by John Fourcade. Fourcade fared no better, completing just five of 18 passes for 79 yards, including two interceptions.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, NFC: Chicago Bears 16, New Orleans Saints 6
Still the Saints were just trailing 10–3 near the end of the third quarter, and had a great chance to tie the game when defensive tackle Renaldo Turnbull blocked Butler's 45-yard field goal attempt. New Orleans defensive end Vince Buck recovered the ball and returned it 62 yards for a potential touchdown, only to see the play wiped out by an offsides penalty on teammate Robert Massey, who had lined up with his hand over the neutral zone. The penalty not only eliminated the score, but it also gave Chicago a first down, and seven plays later, Butler kicked a 25-yard field goal to put them up 13–3.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, NFC: Chicago Bears 16, New Orleans Saints 6
With 5:52 left in the fourth quarter, Andersen's 38-yard field goal brought the scoring difference back to just a touchdown at 13–6. However, when faced with third and 11 on the Bears ensuing drive, Tomczak completed a 38-yard pass to Dennis Gentry, enabling Chicago to maintain possession and drive to Butler's game-clinching 21-yard field goal with 3:47 remaining on the clock.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, NFC: Chicago Bears 16, New Orleans Saints 6
"You just try to line up as close as you can; I didn't realize I was offside", said Massey about his critical penalty after the game. "But when I saw the flag, I said, 'Oh, God!' I knew it was me."


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, NFC: Chicago Bears 16, New Orleans Saints 6
It was Mike Ditka's last playoff win as Bears head coach.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Wild Card playoffs, Sunday, January 6, 1991, NFC: Chicago Bears 16, New Orleans Saints 6
This was the first postseason meeting between the Saints and Bears.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
In a shootout, the Bills jumped to a 20–3 lead in the first half, and kept pace with the Dolphins as the two teams matched each other score for score for the rest of the game. By the end, both teams finished even in first downs (24) and nearly even in total yards (493 for Buffalo, 430 for Miami). Ultimately, Miami's three turnovers over the Bills' two would make the key difference.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
The Bills took the opening kickoff and scored with a typical fast-paced drive, moving the ball 76 yards in five plays. Running back Thurman Thomas rushed for 14 yards and caught a pass for 20, while Jim Kelly finished it off with a 40-yard touchdown pass to receiver Andre Reed. Aided by three Bills penalties, the Dolphins responded with a 40-yard drive that ended on Pete Stoyanovich's 49-yard field goal, cutting their deficit to 7–3. The Bills struck back with Kelly's 44-yard completion to James Lofton setting up a 24-yard Scott Norwood field goal, retaking their 7-point lead at 10–3.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
On the next series, Miami quarterback Dan Marino threw a pass that was tipped by Darryl Talley and intercepted by defensive back Nate Odomes, who returned the ball nine yards to the Dolphins 38. Faced with third and 8 on their ensuing possession, Kelly took off for a 16-yard gain. He fumbled at the end, but center Kent Hull recovered the ball for a first down on the 18-yard line. Norwood completed the drive with his second field goal, this one from 22 yards, upping the lead to 13–3.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
The Dolphins had to punt early in the second quarter at the end of their next drive, once again forcing their defense to deal with the terror of Kelly, Thomas, and Reed. This time the three players would combine for 67 yards as Thomas rushed twice for eight and caught an 11-yard pass before Kelly's 43-yard completion to Reed brought up first and goal on the Miami 5-yard line. Thomas ran it across the goal line from there, giving the Bills a 20–3 lead.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
But on this occasion the Dolphins were ready to respond as Marino completed an 11-yard pass to Mark Duper on third and 5, and then hooked up with him again for a 64-yard touchdown completion that cut the score to 20–10. Not to be outdone, Kelly led the Bills back on a 68-yard scoring drive, starting with a 19-yard pass to Lofton on the first play and a 9-yard run on the next.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
Later in the drive, he kept it going with a 13-yard pass to Reed on fourth and 3 from the Dolphins 32, and eventually finished it off with a 7-yard touchdown toss to Lofton. With Norwood's extra point, the Bills were up by 17 at 27–10 with five minutes left in the half.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
The game seemed to be slipping away from Miami, particularly as they were forced to punt on their next possession and receiver Al Edwards returned the ball 17 yards. However, Edwards lost a fumble on the runback, which punter Reggie Roby recovered on the Bills 47. The Dolphins then made another big play when Marino completed a 38-yard pass to Duper on fourth down and 5 from the 42, and with just 27 seconds left on the clock, Marino scored on a 2-yard touchdown run, cutting the deficit to 27–17 at halftime.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
Miami continued to whittle away the Bills lead in the third quarter with an 8-play, 62-yard scoring drive, featuring a 17-yard run by Sammie Smith on third and 2. Stoyanovich finished the drive with a 22-yard field goal that cut their deficit down to one score, 27–20. Buffalo responded with a drive to the Dolphins 27, but this time their defense was up to the task and Kelly was intercepted by safety Jarvis Williams on the 2. However, Miami could not pick up a first down pinned deep in their own territory. Marino tried to go deep on third down, but Bills safety Mark Kelso picked him off at the Dolphins 48, leading to a 28-yard Norwood field goal that gave the Bills a 30–20 lead.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
Dolphins running back Marc Logan returned the ensuing kickoff 30 yards to the Dolphins 43, and Marino completed a 23-yard pass to Mark Clayton on the next play. Then Smith ran twice for 18, bringing up first down on the Bills 13-yard line. Miami was on a roll and didn't stop until Marino completed the drive with a 2-yard touchdown pass to guard Roy Foster, who had checked in as an eligible receiver. His touchdown brought Miami back within three points less than two minutes into the fourth quarter.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
However, their comeback hopes were swiftly snuffed out by the Bills offense, who stormed back 63 yards in 10 plays, including Kelly's 5-yard completion to tight end Keith McKeller on fourth and 2, and retook a 10-point lead with Thomas' 5-yard touchdown run. Then linebacker Hal Garner forced a fumble from Logan on the ensuing kickoff, which Norwood recovered for Buffalo on the Dolphins 29. Two plays later, Kelly essentially put the game away with a 26-yard touchdown pass to Reed, giving the Bills a 44–27 lead with 9:42 left in regulation.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
Miami still tried to fight back, driving to the Bills 35, but lost the ball as Marino threw four straight incompletions. Following a Bills punt, Miami drove 91 yards in 15 plays to score on Marino's 8-yard pass to receiver Tony Martin, but by then only 1:15 was left on the clock. The Bills recovered Miami's onside kick attempt and went on to win, 44–34.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
Kelly, who returned to start for the Bills after missing the last two games of the season with a knee injury, passed for 339 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 37 yards. Reed was also a big factor, recording 123 receiving yards and a pair of touchdown catches. Lofton caught seven passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. Thomas led the Bills ground attack with 32 carries for 117 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while also catching three passes for 38 yards. Marino threw for 323 yards and three touchdowns, but was intercepted twice. Duper caught three passes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Running back Sammie Smith rushed for 99 yards and caught a 9-yard reception.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
"It was lick-your-chops time", exclaimed Reed after the game. "I'll tell you, a lot of times he (defensive back Louis Oliver, who had five interceptions during the season) played off the line. And if the field would have been dry, I would have had 300 yards in catches."


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 44, Miami Dolphins 34
This was the first postseason meeting between the Dolphins and Bills.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 28, Washington Redskins 10
Although Washington outgained the 49ers in total yards 441 to 338, they were unable to overcome quarterback Mark Rypien's three interceptions, several controversial ref calls that went against them, as well as the performance of Joe Montana, who passed for 200 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 28, Washington Redskins 10
The Redskins opened up the scoring with an 8-play, 78-yard drive that culminated in Rypien's 31-yard touchdown completion to receiver Art Monk. San Francisco struck back by driving 74 yards in eight plays to tie the game on a 1-yard touchdown run by fullback Tom Rathman. A key play of the drive was an unnecessary roughness call against Redskins defensive back Darrell Green for throwing Jerry Rice to the ground during a tackle, turning Rice's reception into a 25-yard gain. Green was stunned by the penalty, stating he didn't realize the call was against him until he made his way to the sidelines. Near the end of the quarter, Redskins kicker Chip Lohmiller made a 44-yard field goal that put Washington back in front at 10–7.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 28, Washington Redskins 10
Montana quickly rallied the 49ers back in the second quarter, leading them on an 80-yard scoring drive that saw San Francisco fool Washington with a halfback option play in which running back Harry Sydney completed a 28-yard pass to tight end Brent Jones. On the last play of the drive, Montana fired a 10-yard pass to Rice in the end zone, who caught the ball between two defenders to retake the lead for San Francisco at 14–10.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 28, Washington Redskins 10
Then after a punt, Montana again went to work, completing a 32-yard pass to halfback Roger Craig and a 47-yarder to Jones before finishing off the 89-yard possession with an 8-yard scoring toss to Mike Sherrard. The team was aided by another controversial call on the drive; Jones caught his 47-yard reception in the air and landed with a foot out of bounds, but officials ruled he had been forced out in the air by safety Alvin Walton. At the time, a reception made by a player forced out of bounds still counted as a catch. This rule was changed in 2008.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 28, Washington Redskins 10
Sherrard's touchdown made the score 21–10 going into halftime, and it turned out to be the final score of the day for the offenses of both teams. Washington advanced inside the 49ers' 15-yard line three times in the second half, but failed to score on all of them. On their second possession of the half, they advanced 66 yards to the 49ers' 7-yard line before defensive back Johnnie Jackson picked off a third down pass intended for Monk in the end zone.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 28, Washington Redskins 10
Early in the fourth quarter, Monk caught three passes for 63 yards on a drive to the San Francisco 15, only to see Rypien get hit as he threw a pass, which floated right into the hands of cornerback Darryl Pollard. Linebacker Monte Coleman quickly gave the Redskins another chance to get back in the game, intercepting a pass from Montana and returning it 18 yards to the 49ers 19-yard line with 10:28 left in regulation. Faced with fourth down and 5 from the 14, Rypien threw the ball to receiver Gary Clark in the end zone.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 28, Washington Redskins 10
Defensive back Eric Davis seemed to make contact with Clark before the ball arrived, but no flag was thrown and the pass fell incomplete, causing a turnover on downs. In the closing minutes of the game, 49ers linebacker Charles Haley deflected a pass from Rypien into the arms of 295-pound defensive tackle Michael Carter, who rumbled 61 yards to the end zone to make the final score 28–10.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 28, Washington Redskins 10
"I just couldn't believe there was no flag", Clark said after the game, in reference to Davis' contact with him. "I mean, I just assumed it would be thrown. When I heard the crowd cheering, I gave the ref an earful. I'm not saying that cost us the game. I don't think any of the calls would have changed anything because the 49ers have a better team. But there were some calls out there we should have had." "I'm not going to walk out of here crying," Redskins coach Joe Gibbs added. "We got beat fair and square.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 28, Washington Redskins 10
I did think there were some things called wrong. Rice outweighs Darrell Green by 20 pounds and gets 15 yards (for Green's flinging tackle). That's hard to understand." Rypien added "I don't think the score was any indication of how the game was played. We have nothing to be ashamed about other than the score. You look at 28–10 and it looks like they pretty much handled us, but all of you that watched the game know that it's a different story. We had our chances. We had our shots. We just didn't make the plays we had to."


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 28, Washington Redskins 10
Rypien finished the game 27/48 for 361 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted three times. Monk had 10 receptions for 163 yards and a score. Montana finished the day 22/31 for 274 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. His top receiver was Jones, who caught four passes for 103 yards.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Saturday, January 12, 1991, NFC: San Francisco 49ers 28, Washington Redskins 10
This was the third postseason meeting between the Redskins and 49ers. Both teams split the previous two meetings.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 31, Chicago Bears 3
The Giants defense dominated the game by allowing only 27 rushing yards and three points. This was the lowest amount of rushing yards Chicago had gained in a game since 1967. Their previous low for the season was 100. Bears running back Neal Anderson, who had rushed for over 1,000 yards in the season and 102 yards in the previous playoff game, was held to 19 yards on 12 carries. Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler, playing because starter Phil Simms suffered a season-ending injury, completed 10 out of 17 passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns, while also rushing for 43 yards and another score.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 31, Chicago Bears 3
On Chicago's second possession of the game, Giants defensive back Mark Collins intercepted Mike Tomczak's pass after it bounced out of the hands of Dennis Gentry and returned it 11 yards to set up a 46-yard field goal by Matt Bahr. The Bears took the ensuing kickoff and drove to the Giants 27, but on fourth and 12, coach Mike Ditka decided against attempting a field goal in the 13 mph winds. On Chicago's conversion attempt, Anderson caught a pass from Tomczak, but was stuffed after a short gain. The Giants then drove 75 yards, including a 6-yard fourth down conversion catch by reserve tight end Bob Mrosko, to go up 10–0 on Hostetler's 21-yard completion to Stephen Baker.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 31, Chicago Bears 3
In the second quarter, Hostetler lost a fumble while being sacked by Steve McMichael, and Bears lineman Dan Hampton recovered the ball. Chicago then drove to the Giants 1-yard line. But on a fourth down conversion attempt, Giants defensive end John Washington plowed through Jim Covert's block attempt and tackled fullback Brad Muster for a loss. Still, the Bears managed to force a three-and-out, and convert good starting field position into a 33-yard field goal by Kevin Butler. But before the end of the half, the Giants went up 17–3 with an 80-yard, 11-play scoring drive. On the first play, Hostetler scrambled away from a Bears blitz and rushed for 11 yards. Later on, he converted a fourth and 1 at the Bears 32 with a 10-yard burst, and eventually he finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Howard Cross.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 31, Chicago Bears 3
In the third quarter, Hostetler converted his third fourth down of the day with a 9-yard scramble on fourth and 6, and eventually finished the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, putting his team up 24–3. Chicago responded with a drive to the Giants 5-yard line. On fourth and goal, Muster caught a pass at the 1, but was dropped by linebackers Pepper Johnson and Gary Reasons before he could get across the goal line. In the fourth quarter, Giants defensive back Everson Walls returned an interception 37 yards to the Giants 49. The Giants then went on a grueling 51-yard drive consisting of 16 running plays, the last a 1-yard touchdown plunge by fullback Maurice Carthon, that ate up a staggering 10:30 of play time.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 31, Chicago Bears 3
This game offered a preview of what lay in store for Super Bowl XXV, as the Giants scored on drives of 75, 80, 49 and 51 yards, which lasted nine, 11, 11 and 16 plays. Overall, the Giants held the ball for 38:22, compared to Chicago's 21:38. The only negative thing for New York was the loss of running back Rodney Hampton, who suffered a broken leg in the first half.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 31, Chicago Bears 3
This was the eighth postseason meeting between the Bears and Giants. Chicago had won five of the previous seven meetings.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 20, Cincinnati Bengals 10
The Raiders, who had defeated Cincinnati 24–7 during the regular season, recorded 235 rushing yards (with 140 of them coming from running back Marcus Allen), while holding the Bengals to just 182 total yards and sacking Boomer Esiason four times (three by lineman Greg Townsend), but still had to score 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 20, Cincinnati Bengals 10
The Bengals came into this game crippled by injuries. Starting running back James Brooks, still recovering from a dislocated thumb he received in the previous week, was held to just 26 rushing yards on 11 carries, while starting offensive linemen Anthony Muñoz and Bruce Reimers both had to miss the game. The injury to Munoz, a future Hall of Famer, was particularly devastating, as the team was forced to assign Kirk Scrafford, a rookie in his first NFL start, to block Townsend, who had led the Raiders with 12.5 sacks during the season.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 20, Cincinnati Bengals 10
After forcing the Bengals to punt on the opening drive, Tim Brown gave his team good field position with a 17-yard return to the Raiders 45. Los Angeles then drove to the Bengals 24-yard line, only to turn the ball over when Solomon Wilcots batted down Jay Schroeder's pass on fourth down and 1. Los Angeles later advanced to midfield where Jeff Gossett's punt pinned the Bengals back at their own 5-yard line. But Cincinnati still managed to drive 87 yards in nine plays.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 20, Cincinnati Bengals 10
Quarterback Boomer Esiason completed a 22-yard pass to Brooks and a 40-yard throw to tight end Rodney Holman, while Ickey Woods' 11-yard run gave the Bengals a first down on the Raiders 19-yard line. However, the Raiders defense managed to keep Cincinnati out of the end zone, forcing them to settle for Jim Breech's 27-yard field goal to take a 3–0 lead with 12:07 left in the second quarter. Los Angeles quickly countered with Bo Jackson rushing three times for 36 yards and Marcus Allen rushing once for 19 on the way to a 13-yard touchdown pass from Schroeder to Mervyn Fernandez.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 20, Cincinnati Bengals 10
On the third play of the second half, Jackson broke off a 34-yard run, but was knocked out of the game on the play, and the team failed to score when Bengals safety David Fulcher intercepted a pass that bounced out of Allen's hands and returned it 11 yards to the Cincinnati 19-yard line. After forcing a punt, the Raiders drove 45 yards in eight plays and scored on a 49-yard Jeff Jaeger field goal to increase their lead to 10–3.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 20, Cincinnati Bengals 10
Cincinnati responded with a 13-play (11 runs), 71-yard drive to score on Esiason's 8-yard touchdown pass to running back Stanford Jennings, tying the game with just under 12 minutes left in the game. But the Raiders took over the game from that point with consecutive scoring drives. The Bengals defense seemed ready to force a punt when linebacker Carl Zander sacked Schroeder for a 10-yard loss, bringing up third down and 20 from the Raiders 22-yard line. But on the next play, Schroeder completed a 26-yard pass to Brown for a first down.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 20, Cincinnati Bengals 10
Following two running plays, Schroeder threw a 41-yard touchdown bomb to tight end Ethan Horton that put the Raiders up 17–10 at the end of a 7-play, 80-yard drive. On the third play of the Bengals ensuing drive, Townsend sacked Esiason for a 15-yard loss that forced the Bengals to punt. Taking over on their own 30-yard line, Los Angeles put the game away with a 62-yard drive, featuring runs by Allen for gains of 20 and 18 yards, that ate up 5:13 and ended on Jaeger's 25-yard field goal with 19 seconds left in the game.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 20, Cincinnati Bengals 10
This was Bo Jackson's final NFL game, having injured his left hip during the third quarter while being tackled from behind by Bengals linebacker Kevin Walker. The injury was later revealed to have caused a degenerative bone condition in Jackson's hip called avascular necrosis. Before being knocked out of the game, he rushed six times for 77 yards.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 20, Cincinnati Bengals 10
Some Bengals fans theorize that this injury to one of the greatest athletes ever placed a curse on the Bengals franchise (sometimes called "the curse of Bo Jackson"), and that this curse is partially responsible for the Bengals' notorious failure to field a competitive football team for most of the next decade and a half.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 20, Cincinnati Bengals 10
This game is also notable for being Allen's last 100-plus yard rushing performance with the Raiders, as well as the last postseason game the Bengals would play in until 2005. To this day the Bengals have not won another playoff game. Their winless playoff streak is the longest among all 32 NFL teams. Both quarterbacks combined for just 19 completions (8 by Esiason, 11 by Schroeder).


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Divisional playoffs, Sunday, January 13, 1991, AFC: Los Angeles Raiders 20, Cincinnati Bengals 10
This was the second postseason meeting between the Bengals and Raiders. The Raiders won the only previous meeting while in Oakland.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
Raiders head coach Art Shell became the first African-American coach to take his team to a conference championship game, but the results were not in his favor. Two years after a devastating loss in Cincinnati, the Bills returned to the AFC title game and, this time, shredded the Raiders, 51–3.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
On Buffalo's opening drive, Kelly completed six consecutive passes for 65 yards, the last a 13-yard touchdown toss to Lofton after he recovered a fumbled snap in shotgun formation. The Raiders responded with Schroeder's two 26-yard completions to Willie Gault and Mervyn Fernandez, setting up a 41-yard field goal from Jeff Jaeger, but Buffalo stormed back to score just four plays after the ensuing kickoff on a 66-yard drive. Following a 41-yard completion from Kelly to Lofton, and an 11-yard scramble by Kelly, Thomas's 12-yard touchdown run gave the Bills a 14–3 lead.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
After a punt, Los Angeles defensive back Garry Lewis intercepted a pass from Kelly that went through Thomas's hands. But three plays later, Talley intercepted a pass from Schroeder and returned it for a touchdown. The Raiders were forced to punt on their next possession, and Buffalo defensive back Nate Odomes returned it 18 yards to the Bills 42-yard line. Buffalo then drove 58 yards in 12 plays, scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run by Davis on fourth and goal, which gave the team a 27–3 lead after LA's Scott Davis blocked the extra point.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
The Bills had a chance to score again when Jamie Mueller recovered a fumble from Jamie Holland on the ensuing kickoff. But this time LA's defense stopped Buffalo on three straight plays and Scott Norwood missed a 45-yard field goal attempt. Still, Buffalo's dominance would resume after this. Following a Raiders punt, Kelly's completions to Thomas and Steve Tasker for gains of 15 and 44 yards set up Davis's second touchdown run. Then Odomes intercepted a pass from Schroeder and returned it 9 yards to the Bills 38-yard line. Buffalo drove for 62 yards and took a 41–3 lead just before the end of the half. The key player of the drive was Lofton, who caught a 36-yard pass from Kelly, and then caught an 8-yard scoring pass from him on the next play.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
The misery would continue for Los Angeles in the second half, as their first three drives ended with interceptions. Meanwhile, Buffalo increased their lead to 48–3 with Davis's third touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. Later on, Talley intercepted a pass from Schroeder and returned it 31 yards to the Raiders 27-yard line, setting up Norwood's 39-yard field goal to make the final score 51–3.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
On offense, the Bills amassed 502 total yards, including 202 yards on the ground. Running back Thurman Thomas rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown while also catching five passes for 61 yards. Running back Kenneth Davis tied an AFC playoff record with three rushing touchdowns, despite gaining only 21 yards on 10 carries. Buffalo also set an NFL playoff record by scoring 41 points in the first half. Bills quarterback Jim Kelly threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns to wide receiver James Lofton, who finished the game with five receptions for 113 yards. Thomas recorded a 12-yard touchdown run, while Davis scored from one yard, three yards, and one yard out. Linebacker Darryl Talley returned one of his two interceptions 27 yards for a touchdown.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
Buffalo recorded a total of six interceptions, the third highest total ever in a single NFL game. Defensive back Mark Kelso recorded his fourth career postseason interception in the game, a Bills' record.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
For Los Angeles, quarterback Jay Schroeder completed only 13 of his 31 passes for 150 yards. Of those 150 yards, 52 came on two 26-yard completions to Mervyn Fernandez and Willie Gault on Los Angeles's first offensive series. His five interceptions tied him with Dan Pastorini of the Oilers and Richard Todd of the Jets with what was at the time the most interceptions thrown in a playoff game since the AFL–NFL merger (eleven years later, Brett Favre would throw six in a game).


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
That record still stands for either conference championship games or Super Bowls; twelve years after Schroeder threw five interceptions in Buffalo, Rich Gannon did so for the Raiders against Tampa Bay in Super Bowl XXXVII. Vince Evans replaced Schroeder in the fourth quarter and completed two of his eight passes for 26 yards but threw L.A.'s sixth interception of the day.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
Running back Marcus Allen, seeking to return to Tampa seven years after winning Super Bowl MVP honors in Tampa Stadium, gained just 26 yards on 10 carries. Former Ram Greg Bell, himself a year removed from a blowout loss in the NFC title game in San Francisco, led the Raiders in rushing with 36 yards, despite only carrying the ball 5 times. Coincidentally, as was the case for the Rams a year earlier, the Raiders only scored three points the entire game during the first half of play.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
Arguably, what hurt the Raiders the most (besides inclement weather conditions) was the loss of Bo Jackson. On television, both the day before and the day of the game, O. J. Simpson opined that Jackson's injury would cause him to miss both the AFC title game (and, additionally, the Super Bowl) and the start of baseball that spring. Simpson, though roundly criticized for the remark, was proven correct. So onerous was Jackson's absence that January day that, according to Mike Downey of the Los Angeles Times, "Buffalo fans batted [...] a Bo Jackson inflatable doll [...] around in the stands.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
That January day in Buffalo would be the last AFC title game appearance for the Raiders for ten years. Coincidentally, the Raiders only managed three points in that game; coincidentally, their Super Bowl opponent would have been the New York Giants; and, coincidentally, that Super Bowl was also played in Tampa, albeit this time at Raymond James Stadium.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
Referee Jim Tunney retired following this game, concluding a stellar 31-year career in which he was the referee for three Super Bowls (VI, XI and XII).


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, AFC: Buffalo Bills 51, Los Angeles Raiders 3
This was the first postseason meeting between the Raiders and Bills.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
The Giants were seeking their first trip to the Super Bowl since they won Super Bowl XXI, while the 49ers were looking to join the Miami Dolphins as the only other team to advance to three consecutive Super Bowls. Exactly six years after winning his second ring in four years, 49ers quarterback Joe Montana was aiming to play for (and, the 49ers hoped, to win) his fifth ring in ten years.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
Following their win over Chicago, Giants coach Bill Parcells mentioned travel arrangements in a team meeting during the week. Since the customary week off before the Super Bowl for this season was not on the schedule, Parcells told the team prior to leaving for Newark Airport that they had two packing options: either pack just for the trip to San Francisco, or pack for that trip and a second trip to Tampa. He then showed the team he was packing for both trips as a motivational tactic.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
In a mostly defensive battle, 49ers running back Roger Craig's fumble with 2:36 left in the game led to Giants kicker Matt Bahr's 42-yard game-winning field goal as time ran out. Bahr was New York's only scorer, as he made five out of six field goals. Although the Giants outrushed the 49ers, 152 yards to 49, the game was tied 6–6 at halftime.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
San Francisco opened the game with a 10-play, 44-yard drive, the longest play a 14-yard reception by John Taylor. Replays showed the ball coming out of his hands as he went to the ground, but the play was ruled a catch and NFL rules at the time did not allow a replay challenge. A few plays later, Mike Cofer kicked a 47-yard field goal to make the score 3–0.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
New York struck back by driving 69 yards in 15 plays, including a 21-yard completion from Jeff Hostetler to Mark Ingram Sr. on 3rd and 14 (Hostetler's longest completion of the game). Near the end of the drive, Dave Meggett took the ball on a halfback option, rolled out and delivered a strike to fullback Maurice Carthon. Carthon dropped the ball in the back of the end zone. It was the closest the Giants would get to scoring a touchdown. Bahr finished the drive with a 35-yard field goal that tied the game with 2:41 left in the first quarter.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
The second quarter was mostly uneventful, but following a few punts, New York drove 56 yards in 14 plays to take a 6–3 lead on Bahr's 42-yard field goal with one minute left in the half. However, the 49ers offense which had been dominated the entire quarter suddenly sprung to life. First, Dexter Carter returned the kickoff 27 yards to the 49ers 34-yard line. Then Joe Montana went to work, completing a 19-yard pass to Jerry Rice and rushing for a 7-yard gain, and then completing a 5-yard pass to Craig over the next three plays.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
A personal foul penalty on Giants lineman Eric Dorsey added 15 yards to Craig's catch and gave the 49ers a first down on the New York 21. On the next play, Montana was sacked for an 8-yard loss by Leonard Marshall, but he followed this up with two completions to Craig that advanced the ball to the 17, where Cofer kicked a 35-yard field goal that tied the score at 6 going into halftime.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
New York had to punt on the first possession of the second half, and Taylor returned the ball 31 yards to the 49ers 39-yard line. On the next play, Taylor took in a pass from Montana while in single coverage by defensive back Everson Walls. Walls stepped in front of Taylor, but completely missed the ball, enabling Taylor to catch the pass with no one between him and the end zone, where he proceeded to take off for a 61-yard touchdown catch that gave San Francisco a 13–6 lead.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
New York responded by driving 50 yards and scoring with a 46-yard field goal by Bahr that made the score 13–9 with 6:06 left in the third quarter. The Giants soon had a chance to score again when Dave Meggett returned a 49ers punt 18 yards to the New York 45-yard line. Two carries by Ottis Anderson gained 36 yards and moved the ball into the red zone, but they could go no further and Bahr missed a 37-yard field goal attempt.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
In the fourth quarter, Giants quarterback Jeff Hostetler was hit at the knees by 49ers defensive tackle Jim Burt. Hostetler was injured on the play, but walked off the field without assistance. Giants linebacker Carl Banks later recalled that the defense was infuriated by the play and looked to strike back. "It was unspoken...that if you hurt one of our guys, we knew who to go after," Banks said.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
On the 49ers' next drive, Montana called a pass play on third down. With the New York defense covering all of his receivers, Montana was forced to move outside the pocket towards his right to make a play. Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor was the first Giant to try to bring Montana down, with defensive end Leonard Marshall trailing the play, getting up from a crawl after going to the ground from a Tom Rathman block earlier in the sequence. Montana stepped back out of the path of Taylor's rush, only to move into Marshall's oncoming charge from the blind side.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
Marshall drilled Montana hard in the back, driving him into the turf and forcing a fumble. The 49ers managed to recover the fumble as the ball skipped past Giants cornerback Mark Collins and lineman Steve Wallace corralled the football, enabling the 49ers to punt. Marshall hit Montana so hard that he suffered a bruised sternum, bruised stomach, cracked ribs, and a broken hand. Montana would not play in another regular-season game until December 1992.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
Hostetler returned for the next drive but the Giants went three-and-out. On the next play, the Giants executed the most important special-teams play of the contest. New York called a fake punt with the ball snapped directly to linebacker Gary Reasons, the upback in the punt formation, and he ran 30 yards for a first down through an undermanned 49ers defense that had only sent 10 men on to the field. Only a tackle by Taylor, the 49ers punt returner, prevented him from taking it all the way. Hostetler then drove the Giants to the opposing 21-yard line, but could get no further and nearly threw an interception on a third-down pass toward the end zone. Bahr kicked his fourth field goal of the game with 5:47 left to bring the score to 13–12.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
Steve Young came in to replace Montana on the next drive, and the 49ers tried to run as much time as they could off the clock. On the second play of the drive Brent Jones got behind the Giants defense; on his only pass attempt of the afternoon, Young hit Jones for a 25-yard gain. Two plays later, Craig recorded a six-yard gain for the 49ers' first rushing first down of the day. On the very next play, a run up the middle by Roger Craig, Giants nose tackle Erik Howard made the most significant defensive play of the game.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
Facing a double-team block from 49ers' center Jesse Sapolu and left guard Guy McIntyre, Howard turned his shoulders perpendicular to the line of scrimmage and dropped to one knee at the snap of the ball in an effort to make himself smaller and more difficult to block by McIntyre. McIntyre briefly blocked down on Howard only to release on the block in order to check the oncoming rush of Giants linebacker Pepper Johnson, who was attempting to fill the hole Craig was intending to run through.


1990–91 NFL playoffs, Conference Championships, Sunday, January 20, 1991, NFC: New York Giants 15, San Francisco 49ers 13
As McIntyre turned his attention to Johnson, Howard rose to his feet and was knocked to the ground by Jesse Sapolu falling to his right, while Sapolu pinned Howard's right arm to his side. While falling, Howard was able to get his helmet on the ball as he collided with Craig, causing the 49ers' running back to fumble.