The Redskins went into Super Bowl 18 brimming with confidence and favored by most. They boasted the highest scoring offense in NFL history and had appeared to handle the best the Raiders could muster in their regular season win. Expectations were high that Washington could come away with the first back-to-back Super Bowl wins since the Steelers in the 70s.

It was apparent early that this was not to be the Redskins' day. The Raiders unveiled an aggressive game plan on both sides of the ball. In particular, the Raiders gambled with very physical bump and run coverage against Monk and Brown coupled with a dominant effort by their defensive line. Washington's running game never got on track, and Theismann was harrassed before the Skins' WRs could shake their coverage.

LA got their first score on a rare Washington special teams breakdown, blocking a punt into the end zone for a TD in the first quarter. The Raiders mounted only one sustained drive in the first half, and despite the domination, the score was still a respectable 14-3 just before halftime. At that point, Gibbs took a gamble he would come to regret. He called a screen to Joe Washington, a play that had gone for big yardage in the regular season game. Raiders LB Jack Squirek saw the play develop, jumped in front of Washington, and ran the ball back for a short TD. The halftime score became 21-3.

The Redskins did respond just after the half, driving 70 yards for a Riggins TD. But Moseley missed the extra point, and the margin only closed to 21-9. The Raiders answered on their next drive, adding another seven to their lead. Washington had one last chance to change the momentum when they recovered a Raider fumble in LA territory. But they could not gain a first down in four tries. Los Angeles got the ball back, and on the first play, Marcus Allen tore through our defense for a 74 yard TD, effectively ending the game. To add insult to injury, the long run erased Riggins' yardage and long run records from the previous Super Bowl.