Super Bowl XVIII — 1983 Season
January 22, 1984 · Tampa, FL (Tampa Stadium)
Super Bowl XVIII result: LARLos Angeles Raiders def. WRWashington Redskins, 38-9, January 22, 1984, at Tampa, FL (Tampa Stadium).
Result
| Team | Result | |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | LARLos Angeles Raiders | 38-9 |
| Runner-up | WRWashington Redskins |
Super Bowl MVP
Marcus Allen, RB, Los Angeles Raiders
Starting lineups
Starting offense
| Los Angeles Raiders | Washington Redskins |
|---|---|
| Jim Plunkett (QB) | Joe Theismann (QB) |
| Marcus Allen (RB) | John Riggins (RB) |
| Kenny King (RB) | Charlie Brown (WR) |
| Malcolm Barnwell (WR) | Art Monk (WR) |
| Cliff Branch (WR) | Rick Walker (TE) |
| Todd Christensen (TE) | Don Warren (TE) |
| Bruce Davis (LT) | Joe Jacoby (LT) |
| Charley Hannah (LG) | Russ Grimm (LG) |
| Dave Dalby (C) | Jeff Bostic (C) |
| Mickey Marvin (RG) | Mark May (RG) |
| Henry Lawrence (RT) | George Starke (RT) |
Starting defense
| Los Angeles Raiders | Washington Redskins |
|---|---|
| Howie Long (DE) | Todd Liebenstein (DE) |
| Reggie Kinlaw (NT) | Dave Butz (DT) |
| Lyle Alzado (DE) | Darryl Grant (DT) |
| Ted Hendricks (LB) | Dexter Manley (DE) |
| Matt Millen (LB) | Mel Kaufman (LB) |
| Bob Nelson (LB) | Neal Olkewicz (LB) |
| Rod Martin (LB) | Rich Milot (LB) |
| Lester Hayes (CB) | Darrell Green (CB) |
| Mike Haynes (CB) | Anthony Washington (CB) |
| Mike Davis (S) | Ken Coffey (S) |
| Vann McElroy (S) | Mark Murphy (S) |
Note: Marcus Allen's 191 rushing yards included a 74-yard touchdown run that was a Super Bowl record at the time. Washington again ran a true one-back offense with Riggins alone in the backfield, matching Super Bowl XVII's personnel the season before.
Box score
Passing
| Team | Player | Comp/Att | Yds | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Raiders | Jim Plunkett | 16/25 | 172 | 1 | 0 |
| Washington Redskins | Joe Theismann | 16/35 | 243 | 0 | 2 |
Rushing
| Team | Player | Car | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Raiders | Marcus Allen | 20 | 191 | 2 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | Greg Pruitt | 5 | 17 | 0 |
| Washington Redskins | John Riggins | 26 | 64 | 1 |
| Washington Redskins | Joe Washington | 3 | 8 | 0 |
Receiving
| Team | Player | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Raiders | Cliff Branch | 6 | 94 | 1 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | Todd Christensen | 4 | 32 | 0 |
| Los Angeles Raiders | Marcus Allen | 2 | 18 | 0 |
| Washington Redskins | Clint Didier | 5 | 65 | 0 |
| Washington Redskins | Charlie Brown | 3 | 93 | 0 |
| Washington Redskins | Joe Washington | 3 | 20 | 0 |
Game context
Super Bowl XVIII saw the Los Angeles Raiders dismantle the defending-champion Washington Redskins 38-9 in the first Super Bowl hosted by Tampa, delivering one of the most lopsided results of the game's first two decades and setting a then-Super Bowl record for points by a single team (38) and margin of victory. The Raiders, in their second season since relocating from Oakland, exploited Washington on all three phases of the game from the opening minutes. Los Angeles struck first when Derrick Jensen blocked a Washington punt and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown just minutes into the game. After Washington answered with a field goal, quarterback Jim Plunkett connected with Cliff Branch on a 12-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-3, and the Raiders delivered a decisive blow just before halftime when linebacker Jack Squirek intercepted a Joe Theismann screen pass intended for John Riggins and returned it five yards for a touchdown with seven seconds left in the half, pushing the lead to 21-3. Washington's John Riggins scored on a short run in the third quarter to cut the margin to 21-9, but the Raiders' defense, anchored by cornerbacks Mike Haynes and Lester Hayes -- limiting Washington's receivers to just five combined catches, none in the first half -- smothered any hope of a comeback, and Marcus Allen delivered the decisive blow with a spectacular 74-yard touchdown run in the third quarter (a then-Super Bowl record, breaking the previous 58-yard mark) for a 35-9 lead. A late field goal completed the 38-9 final. Second-year running back Marcus Allen was named Super Bowl MVP after rushing for a then-record 191 yards on 20 carries with two touchdowns, breaking the single-game Super Bowl rushing record of 166 yards set by John Riggins -- ironically, on the Redskins side -- just one year earlier. Allen's signature run came when he initially found the play blown up by Washington defenders, cut back against the grain through open field, and outran the entire Redskins defense to the end zone, a play NFL Films narrator John Facenda -- in his final voiceover before his death -- immortalized as Allen "running with the night." Jim Plunkett threw for 172 yards and a touchdown, Cliff Branch caught six passes for 94 yards and a score, and Raiders punter Ray Guy pinned Washington inside its own 20-yard line five times, while Washington's Joe Theismann was held to 243 passing yards with two interceptions and six sacks. The blowout margin, still among the largest in Super Bowl history, underscored just how thoroughly the Raiders' talent -- particularly their standout secondary -- had exposed a Washington offense that had led the NFL in scoring during the regular season. The game is also remembered for Apple's landmark "1984" television commercial, which aired during a third-quarter timeout and reshaped how corporations approached Super Bowl advertising for decades to come.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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