SUPER BOWL XXVI / WASHINGTON REDSKINS 37, BUFFALO BILLS 24 : NOTES

MINNEAPOLIS — Here’s what Thomas said after the game: “You got to give credit to the Washington defense. Our no-huddle offense is a fast-paced offense, but they stayed with it. At one point, I thought we had them on the ropes, but their offense ran off a drive and gave them a rest.”

The Redskins on the ropes? What game was Thomas watching?

Thomas, who rushed for 13 yards in 10 carries, also said: “We made a lot of mental mistakes. We were very prepared (and) I felt our overall performance was good, but not to where we could win the football game. . . . I felt I should have been used more in the first half.”

Redskin linebacker Wilber Marshall, the NFL’s only big-money free agent to change teams, proved he was worth the two first-round draft choices Washington had to give Chicago in 1988. In the first half, as the Redskins built a 17-0 lead, Marshall had four solo tackles, two assists, a sack and two forced fumbles.