Super Bowl XVII was played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on January 30. Super Bowl XVII was the second-highest rated live television program of all time, giving the NFL a sweep of the top 10 live programs in television history. The game was viewed in more than 40 million homes, the largest ever for a live telecast. The National Football League (NFL) regular season fell victim to a 57-day players' strike that shortened the schedule from 16 weeks to nine. At the end of the regular season, the NFL conducted a 16-team playoff with eight teams from each conference seeded based on their records during the regular season. The Miami Dolphins, ten years removed from their undefeated championship, put up a 7-2 record in the regular season, then rolled through the playoffs by beating New England 28-13, San Diego 34-13, and the New York Jets 14-0. The Washington Redskins featured the strong running of John Riggins and the accurate passing of Joe Theismann behind an offensive line affectionately known as the Hogs.

The Washington Redskins ran over teams on their way to an 8-1 regular season record, and the playoffs were no different. They were barely challenged, knocking off Detroit 31-7, Minnesota 21-7, and Dallas 31-17. The Dolphins opened the scoring with a touchdown pass from quarterback David Woodley to wide receiver Jimmy Cefalo 6:49 into the first period. Woodley hit Cefalo on a little sideline pattern on Miami's second offensive series and the wide receiver was able to turn it upfield for 76 yards and the score. Washington got on the board late in the first quarter when Mark Moseley connected on a 31-yard field goal, but the Dolphins got it back on a 20-yarder by Uwe von Schamann with 6:00 left in the half. As halftime approached, the Redskins went on a ten-play drive that included a 12-yard scramble by Theismann and ended with a four yard pass to Alvin Garrett. Washington had tied the score at 10-10 with 1:51 left in the half, but the Redskins didn't enjoy it long. Backup cornerback Fulton Walker returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown with 1:38 remaining, giving the Dolphins a 17-10 lead. Walker's return was the first scoring kickoff return in Super Bowl history. The Redskins got the ball back with 1:34 remaining on the clock and proceeded to march down the field, finding themselves on the Miami 16 with 14 seconds remaining and no timeouts. On the final play of the half, Theismann hit Garrett in the flat, but the Redskins receiver failed to get out of bounds and the clock ran out with the Dolphins still holding the lead.

Midway through the third period, the Redskins used a 44-yard reverse to Garrett to set up a 20 yard Moseley field goal to pull the Redskins within four. Riggins gave Washington its first lead of the game with ten minutes left in the fourth when, on a fourth and one situation, he ran 43 yards off tackle for a touchdown. Moseley's kick put the Redskins up 20-17. The Redskins defense thoroughly shut down the Dolphins in the second half allowing just 34 yards and two first downs in the final two quarters. Woodley, who completed just four passes all day, was 0 for 8 in the second half, and backup Don Strock was 0 for 3. Theismann completed 15 of 23 passes for 143 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions, including a six yard strike to wide receiver Charlie Brown with less then two minutes left to complete the scoring and lock up a 27-17 Super Bowl XVII victory. The Dolphins managed only 176 yards 142 in the first half. For Miami, Woodley was 4 of 14 for 97 yards, with one touchdown, and one interception. The win marked Washington's first NFL title since 1942, and was only the second time in Super Bowl history NFL/NFC teams scored consecutive victories (Green Bay did it in Super Bowls I and II and San Francisco won Super Bowl XVI). The Washington Redskins, under second year head coach Joe Gibbs, used a balanced offense that accounted for 400 total yards a Super Bowl record 276 yards rushing and 124 passing, second in Super Bowl history to 429 yards by Oakland in Super Bowl XI. Fullback John Riggins ran for a Super Bowl-record 166 yards on 38 carries to spark Washington to a 27-17 victory over AFC champion Miami. It was Riggins's fourth straight 100-yard rushing game during the playoffs, also a record. Running Back John Riggins was voted Most Valuable Player (MVP).