In Super Bowl XIX, football fans were taught two precious lessons: One, even the most promising of Super Bowl matchups seldom live up to expectations, and two, defenses still hold the key to these championship games. Super Bowl XIX featured a pair of future hall of fame quarterbacks, namely Dan Marino and Joe Montana, and two of the more explosive offenses in the league, so it's not surprising that most were expecting the game to hinge on the play of the offenses, but it was defense that ultimately decided the outcome of this game. This was the same Marino who had shown absolutely no respect for the NFL's regular season record book. A second year quarterback, Marino still should have been learning the game, but instead he was collecting unprecedented passing totals that pinpointed him as the best quarterback in the league. Marino became the first player ever to throw for 5,000 yards (5,084) in a season.

He shattered the NFL record for touchdown passes in a season with 48, and his 362 completions and four 400-yard games also were league records. He led the league in pass attempts, average yards per completion and efficiency rating. Entering the Super Bowl, he had passed for at least one touchdown in each of his last 22 games, including four in an overwhelming performance against Pittsburgh in the American Conference championship game. Marino was the conductor of one of the most proficient offenses in NFL history, one that was averaging more than four touchdowns per game. So, it was no surprise that wherever the blond wonder boy went during Super Bowl week, he generated the kind of excitement that usually is associated with rock stars. Even the news that he was engaged failed to cool down his adoring female fans. Dan Marino was nearly unstoppable in just his second year in the National Football League (NFL), torching the league for a season-record 48 touchdowns and 5,084 yards passing. And he had the Dolphins out to a 10-7 lead at the end of the first period, completing nine of his first 10 passes for 103 yards. But it was a shift in the 49ers defense that frustrated the Dolphins passing attack and shifted the momentum of the game. In the second quarter, the 49ers switched to a nickel defense while the line used stunts designed to put pressure on center Dwight Stephenson, Miami's best lineman.

The change in defense confused the Dolphins and allowed the defensive line to pressure Marino consistently. Throughout the regular season, Marino was sacked just 13 times, but the 49ers took him to the turf four times. After San Francisco's opening drive stalled, Marino needed just six plays, starting with a 25-yard pass to running back Tony Nathan, to set up the game's first score; a 37-yard field goal by Uwe Von Schamann seven and a half minutes into the first quarter. The 49ers, led by mild-mannered quarterback Joe Montana, quickly answered back by taking the lead on a 33-yard touchdown pass to Carl Monroe with 3:12 left in the period, but the lead would not last long. Using a quick huddle to cross up the 49ers, Marino led the Dolphins quickly down the field before tossing a two-yard TD strike to tight end Dan Johnson, which allowed Miami to recapture the lead before the end of the quarter. And with the score at 10-7 at the end of the first, a Super Bowl record for most points scored in the opening period, it appeared as if the game was shaping up to be the shootout most fans expected. The 49ers took control of the game in the second quarter, holding the Dolphins to no first downs and only one net yard of offense in nearly a 12-minute span. In that same period of time, San Francisco scored three touchdowns, opening up a 28-10 lead. With little time left in the first quarter, Marino suddenly regained his confidence and quickly led the Dolphins into scoring position, setting up a 31-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining. On the ensuing kickoff, a squib kick, San Francisco guard Guy McIntyre picked up the bouncing ball and began to run with it before Joe Carter knocked the ball loose. The Dolphins' Jim Jensen recovered the ball at the 49ers' 12-yard line with four seconds left in the half and Von Schamann connected on the 30-yard field goal attempt to make the score 28-16 at halftime. The second half was all 49ers, as the defense held the Dolphins scoreless while the offense controlled the clock with its short passes and running game.

The 49ers added a 27-yard field goal by Ray Wersching, and an eight yard touchdown pass from Montana to running back Roger Craig in the third quarter to close out the scoring, making the final 38-16 and giving San Francisco its second Super Bowl championship. Montana, who completed 24-of-35 passes for a Super Bowl-record 331 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed five times for 59 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown, was named the game‘s Most Valuable Player (MVP). He joined Green Bay's Bart Starr and Pittsburgh's Terry Bradshaw as the only two time Super Bowl most valuable players. Craig set a Super Bowl record by scoring three touchdowns, two on pass receptions of eight and 16 yards and one on a run of two yards. San Francisco's 537 total net yards bettered the previous Super Bowl record of 429 yards by Oakland in Super Bowl XI. The San Francisco 49ers also held a time of possession advantage over the Dolphins of 37:11 to 22:49. . San Francisco defeated Miami 38-16 in Super Bowl XIX at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California, January 20. The game was viewed on television by more people than any other live event in history. President Ronald Reagan, who took his second oath of office before tossing the coin for the game, was one of 115,936,000 viewers. The game drew a 46.4 rating and a 63.0 share. In addition, 6 million people watched the Super Bowl in the United Kingdom and a similar number in Italy. Super Bowl XIX had a direct economic impact of $113.5 million on the San Francisco Bay area.