Washington Commanders

Super Bowl moment No. 45: Doug Williams and the unexpected rout

Published Dec. 7, 2015 10:46 a.m. ET

Alex Marvez

As we count down to Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, it's time to look back on the magical and memorable moments in the 49 previous Super Bowls. FOX Sports senior NFL writer Alex Marvez has ranked the 50 greatest moments in the big game's big history, and every weekday from now until Feb. 7 we'll unveil the latest addition to our countdown. Today, we look back at moment No. 45 when Doug Williams made some history in Super Bowl XXII.

Upon taking a 10-0 lead over Washington, it appeared Denver was well on the way to winning its first Super Bowl championship.

Instead, it was Washington's Doug Williams who made history. Williams became the first African-American quarterback to win a Lombardi Trophy and did so in spectacular fashion, throwing for four second-quarter touchdown passes as the Redskins rattled off 42 unanswered points.

Williams' first scoring throw set off the deluge. Wide receiver Ricky Sanders beat Broncos cornerback Mark Haynes off the line of scrimmage and caught a beautiful Williams pass in stride for an 80-yard touchdown.

Williams was named the game's Most Valuable Player, finishing with a Super Bowl-record 340 passing yards.

Here are highlights from Super Bowl XXII.

Final score: Washington 42, Denver 10