Fourth down is a dangerous place to be in the NFL, especially around mid-field. A punt can be difficult to stop from becoming a touch-back, a field goal is going to really test your kicker's range and coming up short means giving your opponent excellent field position. What to do, then, when you have fourth and one, in the Super Bowl, against Dan Marino (who had just smashed the regular season passing records for both touchdowns and yardage)? For the Washington Redskins, it was to give the ball to John Riggins in the hope that the massive running back could smash into the defensive line just enough to get the yard needed. Riggins did much more than that, as he bounced to the left, shed a tackle from Dolphins cornerback Don McNeal and outraced everyone to the endzone for a forty-three yard touchdown. It was an explosive play at a pivotal point that gave the Redskins the lead and, after quarterback Joe Theismann scored again, the Dolphins had no hope left. They had been the league's best offence, but failed to bring the defensive pressure to Washington and John Riggins' run perfectly shows that.