1987 Washington Redskins season

The 1987 season was the Washington Redskins' strike-shortened 56th season in the National Football League (NFL), their 52nd in Washington, D.C. and their seventh under head coach Joe Gibbs. The season was a shortened due to the 1987 NFL strike.

1987 Washington Redskins season
Head coach	Joe Gibbs
Home field	RFK Stadium
Local radio	WMAL
Results
Record	11–4
Division place	1st NFC East
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (Bears) 21–17 Won NFC Championship (Vikings) 17–10 Won Super Bowl XXII (Broncos) 42–10

Redskins guard Raleigh McKenzie covering an opponent on the Broncos during Super Bowl XXII.

The team had finished second in the NFC East the previous season with a 12–4 record. Games to be played during the third week of the season were canceled, and replacement players were used to play games from weeks 4 through 6.

The Redskins won the NFC East with an 11–4 record. The Redskins defeated the Denver Broncos 42–10 to win Super Bowl XXII. It was the Redskins' second Super Bowl win in six seasons, and coincidentally, their second Super Bowl win in a strike-season.[1]

Redskins quarterback Doug Williams became the first black quarterback to start in a Super Bowl and was the only individual to have emerged victorious until Russell Wilson won Super Bowl XLVIII with the Seattle Seahawks.[2]

By virtue of the Redskins' 17-10 victory over Minnesota in the NFC title game, head coach Joe Gibbs earned his 10th playoff victory. He surpassed the legendary Vince Lombardi, who had retired after his 9th playoff victory and (coincidentally) later coached the Redskins for one season. Also ironic was the rumor that, following a disastrous 5-9-1 season, Green Bay would hire Gibbs to replace the dismissed Forrest Gregg. However, after the game, Gibbs would deny that he was interested.[3]

On March 8, 2018 the Redskins announced that they would honor the replacement players from the 1987 team with Super Bowl XXII rings.[4]

Offseason

NFL Draft

Personnel

Staff

NFL replacement players

After the league decided to use replacement players during the NFLPA strike, the following team was assembled:

Roster of the 1987 Replacement Redskins
Quarterbacks 15 Tony Robinson 16 Ed Rubbert 11 Jack Stanley Running Backs 31 Allen Harvin 20 Lionel Vital Wide Receivers 84 Keiron Bigby 80 Ted Wilson Tight Ends 87 K. D. Dunn		Offensive Linemen 56 Eric Coyle C 76 Frank Frazier G 62 Phil Pettey G Defensive Linemen 95 Dan Benish 96 Alec Gibson 99 Ted Karras 94 Tony Sagnella		Linebackers 57 Anthony Copeland 54 John Cowne 90 Bobby Curtis Defensive Backs 22 Danny Burmeister 25 Dave Etherly 46 Mike Mitchell Special Teams  8 Brendan Toibin K  2 Jack Weil P

Roster

1987 Washington Redskins roster

	Quarterbacks 11 Mark Rypien 10 Jay Schroeder 17 Doug Williams Running backs 24 Kelvin Bryant 35 Keith Griffin PR 38 George Rogers 36 Timmy Smith Wide receivers 84 Gary Clark 81 Art Monk 83 Ricky Sanders 89 Clarence Verdin 80 Eric Yarber PR Tight ends 88 Joe Caravello 86 Clint Didier 87 Terry Orr 85 Don Warren		Offensive linemen 53 Jeff Bostic C 68 Russ Grimm C 66 Joe Jacoby T 61 Rick Kehr G 73 Mark May T 63 Raleigh McKenzie G 76 Ed Simmons T 69 R.C. Thielemann G Defensive linemen 65 Dave Butz DT 77 Darryl Grant DT 78 Dean Hamel DT 74 Markus Koch DE 72 Dexter Manley DE 71 Charles Mann DE		Linebackers 50 Ravin Caldwell 51 Monte Coleman OLB 55 Mel Kaufman LLB 57 Rich Milot 52 Neal Olkewicz MLB Defensive backs 23 Todd Bowles FS 34 Brian Davis 32 Vernon Dean CB 28 Darrell Green CB 31 Clarence Vaughn 40 Alvin Walton SS 45 Barry Wilburn CB Special teams 12 Steve Cox P  6 Ali Haji-Sheikh K		Reserve lists Practice squad Rookies in italics

Pre season

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	August 14	Pittsburgh Steelers	W 23–17	1–0	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium	Recap
2	August 22	vs Green Bay Packers	W 33–0	2–0	Camp Randall Stadium	Recap
3	August 29	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	L 10–17	2–1	Tampa Stadium	Recap
4	September 5	at Los Angeles Rams	W 26–14	3–1	Anaheim Stadium	Recap

Regular season

In 1987, Redskins starting QB Jay Schroeder got injured early in the opening game against the Eagles and was replaced by Williams, who led the team to victory.[5] In his NFL debut, replacement player Ed Rubbert passed for 334 yards.[5] Rubbert also threw three touchdown passes to Anthony Allen. Allen would have 255 receiving yards.[5]

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
1	September 13	Philadelphia Eagles	W 34–24	1–0	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium	Recap
2	September 20	at Atlanta Falcons	L 20–21	1–1	Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium	Recap
3	N/A	New England Patriots	Cancelled due to the 1987 NFL strike †
4	October 4	St. Louis Cardinals	W 28–21	2–1	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium	Recap
5	October 11	at New York Giants	W 38–12	3–1	Giants Stadium	Recap
6	October 19	at Dallas Cowboys	W 13–7	4–1	Texas Stadium	Recap
7	October 25	New York Jets	W 17–16	5–1	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium	Recap
8	November 1	at Buffalo Bills	W 27–7	6–1	Rich Stadium	Recap
9	November 8	at Philadelphia Eagles	L 27–31	6–2	Veterans Stadium	Recap
10	November 15	Detroit Lions	W 20–13	7–2	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium	Recap
11	November 23	Los Angeles Rams	L 26–30	7–3	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium	Recap
12	November 29	New York Giants	W 23–19	8–3	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium	Recap
13	December 6	at St. Louis Cardinals	W 34–17	9–3	Busch Memorial Stadium	Recap
14	December 13	Dallas Cowboys	W 24–20	10–3	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium	Recap
15	December 20	at Miami Dolphins	L 21–23	10–4	Joe Robbie Stadium	Recap
16	December 26	at Minnesota Vikings	W 27–24 (OT)	11–4	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	Recap

Game summaries

Week 1

See also: 1987 Philadelphia Eagles season

Week 1: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins

	1	2	3	4	Total
Eagles	0	10	14	0	24
Redskins	10	7	7	10	34

at RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.

• Date: September 13, 1987
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 52,128
• Referee: Dick Jorgensen
• TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and John Madden
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Eagles Randall Cunningham 21/36, 269 Yds, TD, 2 INT Michael Haddix 14 Rush, 60 Yds John Spagnola 6 Rec, 61 Yds Redskins Doug Williams 17/27, 272 Yds, 2 TD Kelvin Bryant 7 Rush, 32 Yds Gary Clark 8 Rec, 102 Yds

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP PHI WSH 1 11:30 Redskins 27-yard field goal by Atkinson 0 3 1 4:18 Redskins Monk 6-yard touchdown reception from Williams, Atkinson kick good 0 10 2 10:58 Eagles Quick 30-yard touchdown reception from Cunningham, McFadden kick good 7 10 2 5:32 Eagles 43-yard field goal by McFadden 10 10 2 0:38 Redskins Rogers 1-yard touchdown run, Cox kick good 10 17 3 11:12 Redskins Branch 1-yard touchdown run, Cox kick good 10 24 3 4:19 Eagles Cunningham 2-yard touchdown run, McFadden kick good 17 24 3 0:08 — — — Eagles Fumble recovery returned 70 yards for touchdown by White, McFadden kick good 24 24 4 14:53 Redskins Monk 39-yard touchdown reception from Williams, Cox kick good 24 31 4 5:20 Redskins 40-yard field goal by Cox 24 34 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 24 34

Week 2

See also: 1987 Atlanta Falcons season

Week 2: Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons

	1	2	3	4	Total
Redskins	7	0	6	7	20
Falcons	7	0	7	7	21

at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium • Atlanta, Georgia

• Date: September 20, 1987
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game attendance: 50,982
• Referee: Ben Dreith
• TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Dick Vermeil
• Pro-Football-Reference.com

Game information
Redskins Doug Williams 18/30, 198 Yds, 3 TD, 2 INT Keith Griffin 14 Rush, 73 Yds Kelvin Bryant 6 Rec, 76 Yds, TD Falcons Scott Campbell 17/34, 271 Yds, 2 TD, INT Gerald Riggs 23 Rush, 120 Yds, TD Ken Whisenhunt 6 Rec, 68 Yds

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP WSH ATL 1 7:11 11 72 Redskins Bryant 17-yard touchdown reception from Williams, Haji-Sheikh kick good 7 0 1 1:29 2 22 Falcons Dixon 22-yard touchdown reception from Campbell, Luckhurst kick good 7 7 3 8:56 6 42 Redskins Clark 18-yard touchdown reception from Williams, Haji-Sheikh kick no good 13 7 3 5:13 8 80 Falcons Bailey 23-yard touchdown reception from Campbell, Luckhurst kick good 13 14 4 11:48 13 91 Redskins Monk 6-yard touchdown reception from Williams, Haji-Sheikh kick good 20 14 4 6:47 11 80 Falcons Riggs 4-yard touchdown run, Luckhurst kick good 20 21 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 20 21

Regular Season summaries

Week 1: vs Philadelphia Eagles Week 1: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins 1 2 3 4 Total Eagles 0 10 14 0 24 Redskins 10 7 7 10 34 at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C Date: September 13 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 52,128 Referee: Dick Jorgensen TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator) Week 2: at Atlanta Falcons Week 2: Washington Redskins at Atlanta Falcons 1 2 3 4 Total Redskins 7 0 6 7 20 Falcons 7 0 7 7 21 at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium, Atlanta Date: September 20 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 50,882 Referee: Ben Dreith TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist (play-by-play) and Dick Vermeil (color commentator) Week 4: vs St. Louis Cardinals Week 4: St. Louis Cardinals at Washington Redskins 1 2 3 4 Total Cardinals 0 7 7 7 21 Redskins 7 7 14 0 28 at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C Date: October 4 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 27,728 Referee: Jerry Seeman TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan (play-by-play) and Joe Theismann (color commentator) Week 5: at New York Giants Week 5: Washington Redskins at New York Giants 1 2 3 4 Total Redskins 3 21 7 7 38 Giants 3 0 9 0 12 at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey Date: October 11 Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 9,123 Referee: Tom Dooley TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator) Week 6: at Dallas Cowboys Week 6: Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys 1 2 3 4 Total Redskins 3 0 7 3 13 Cowboys 0 0 7 0 7 at Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas Date: October 19 Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT Game attendance: 60,415 Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford (play-by-play) and Dan Dierdorf (color commentator) Week 9: at Philadelphia Eagles Week 9: Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles 1 2 3 4 Total Redskins 7 14 0 6 27 Eagles 7 10 0 14 31 at Veterans Stadium, Philadelphia Date: November 8 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 63,609 Referee: Fred Wyant TV announcers (CBS): Dick Stockton (play-by-play) and Terry Bradshaw (color commentator) Week 12: vs New York Giants Week 12: New York Giants at Washington Redskins 1 2 3 4 Total Giants 10 6 3 0 19 Redskins 0 0 9 14 23 at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C Date: November 29 Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 45,815 Referee: Pat Haggerty TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator) Week 13: at St. Louis Cardinals Week 13: Washington Redskins at St. Louis Cardinals 1 2 3 4 Total Redskins 10 0 21 3 34 Cardinals 0 14 3 0 17 at Busch Memorial Stadium, St. Louis, Missouri Date: December 6 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 31,324 Referee: Tom Dooley TV announcers (CBS): Tim Ryan (play-by-play) and Joe Theismann (color commentator) Week 14: vs Dallas Cowboys Week 14: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins 1 2 3 4 Total Cowboys 3 0 10 7 20 Redskins 7 10 7 0 24 at RFK Stadium, Washington, D.C Date: December 13 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST Game attendance: 54,882 Referee: Gordon McCarter TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play-by-play) and John Madden (color commentator)

Standings

NFC East
	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Washington Redskins^(3)	11	4	0	.733	7–1	9–3	379	285	W1
Dallas Cowboys	7	8	0	.467	4–4	5–7	340	348	W2
St. Louis Cardinals	7	8	0	.467	3–5	7–7	362	368	L1
Philadelphia Eagles	7	8	0	.467	3–5	4–7	337	380	W2
New York Giants	6	9	0	.400	3–5	4–8	280	312	W2

Playoffs

Main article: 1987–88 NFL playoffs

Playoff Round	Date	Opponent (Seed)	Result	Record	Game site	NFL.com recap
NFC Wild Card Playoffs	Bye
NFC Divisional Playoffs	January 10, 1988	at Chicago Bears (2)	W 21–17	1–0	Soldier Field	Recap
NFC Championship	January 17, 1988	Minnesota Vikings (5)	W 17–10	2–0	Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium	Recap
Super Bowl XXII	January 31, 1988	Denver Broncos (A1)	W 42–10	3–0	Jack Murphy Stadium	Recap

Notes:

^a All times are EASTERN time.

Awards and honors

• Charles Mann, Pro Bowl selection

References

1. The 1982 season also had a players' strike
2. As of the 2014 season, he is one of only two African-American quarterbacks to win a Super Bowl, the other being Russell Wilson; Steve McNair, Donovan McNabb and Cam Newton have all started at quarterback in the Super Bowl, but each of the three lost their Super Bowl appearance.
3. http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1988/02/01/page/27/article/gibbs-squashes-packer-rumors/
4. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2763188-redskins-to-award-1987-replacement-players-with-super-bowl-rings
5. Sports Illustrated, Oct. 27, 2008, p.24, Vol. 109, No. 16