Ranking the Super Bowls, #43: Super Bowl XVIII

(photo credit: espn.com)

Super Bowl XVIII between the then Los Angeles Raiders and Washington Redskins was one of the most lopsided Super Bowls of all. The defending Super Bowl champion Redskins were no match for the Raiders.

The icing on the blowout cake was at the end of the first half when Redskins quarterback Joe Theisman threw a screen pass that was intercepted by Jack Squirek for a five-yard touchdown to give the Raiders a 21-3 halftime lead.

The biggest play of the game was when running back Marcus Allen, who went on to win the MVP of the game, ran for what was a record 74-yard touchdown in the third quarter. 

The Raiders would win their third Super Bowl by a final score of 38-9. After the game, then president Ronald Reagan joked the Russians thought Marcus Allen was a bomb and they have asked to deactivate him. This was the Raiders last championship and their last Super Bowl appearance until they reached Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003.