On the day before Super Bowl XXII, Williams had a six-hour root canal surgery performed to repair a dental bridge abscess. Facing Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, Williams engineered a 42–10 rout, in which he completed 18 of 29 passes for 340 yards with four touchdowns. All four touchdown passes were thrown in the second quarter which set a Super Bowl record for most touchdowns thrown in a single quarter. He was named Super Bowl MVP for his efforts, making him the first African-American quarterback to both win a Super Bowl and be named its MVP.