Super Bowl XXV 25
Background
NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXV to Tampa during a May 20, 1987 meeting. This was the second time that Tampa hosted the game; the city previously hosted Super Bowl XVIII on January 22, 1984.
The Bills and the Giants entered the game using contrasting styles: While the Bills led the league in total points scored (428), the Giants led the league in fewest points allowed (211).
New York Giants
Main article: 1990 New York Giants season
The 1990 New York Giants were built to head coach Bill Parcells’ specifications of “power football”: a powerful defense and an offense that sustained extremely long drives. The Giants’ defense ranked second in the league in fewest total yards allowed (4,392) and first in fewest points allowed, and boasted three Pro Bowl selections: defensive tackle Erik Howard, and linebackers Pepper Johnson and Lawrence Taylor. The secondary was led by defensive back Everson Walls, an offseason acquisition from the Dallas Cowboys, who recorded 6 interceptions. The Giants’ offense was unspectacular, ranking just 17th in the league in yards gained and 13th in points scored. But they wore down opposing teams’ defenses with extremely long drives, thus keeping their opponents’ offense on the sidelines and preventing them from scoring. More importantly, the Giants set an NFL record by losing only 14 turnovers in a 16-game regular season. A big reason for the team’s offensive success was the blocking of linemen Bart Oates and William Roberts, the only Pro Bowlers on the offense. Kick returner Dave Meggett led the NFL in punt return yards (467), while also gaining 492 yards on kickoff returns, rushing for 164 yards, and catching 39 passes for 410 yards.
New York began the regular season by winning their first 10 games, and then went into a tailspin and lost three of their next four. One week after losing to the division rival Philadelphia Eagles, 3113, the 101 Giants were defeated on Monday Night