replaced Bill Austin (who had been the interim head coach since Vince Lombardi's untimely death in August 1970) as the head coach. Kilmer seemed destined for a reserve role behind future Hall of Famer Sonny Jurgensen. However, this changed when Jurgensen suffered a severe shoulder injury in a pre-season game against the Miami Dolphins. Kilmer got the starting job and kept it for most of the next four seasons, but Jurgensen stayed on as his backup. The two players were friendly rivals during those years. Fans in Washington tended to be loyal to one quarterback or the other, sporting buttons at games that read "I like Billy" or "I like Sonny", with Kilmer's wobbly passes being a slight favorite over Jurgensen's tight spiral. Kilmer then led the resurgent Redskins to a 5-0 start in 1971, but then the team ran into a midseason slump. Kilmer briefly lost his starting job as a result of the slide but regained it after Jurgensen again injured his shoulder. The next season, Kilmer led the 1972 team to an NFC-best 11–3 record, while also leading the NFL in touchdown passes (19) and passer rating (84.8). In the postseason, Washington advanced to the Super Bowl with their first postseason victories in 27 years. The final opponent would be the unbeaten Miami Dolphins, who were one win away from a Perfect season. Miami managed the strength of their rushing attack and selective passing from Bob Griese to two touchdowns while Washington had nothing to show for most of the game. Only a special-teams blunder saved the first shutout in Super Bowl history, as a blocked field goal-turned-fumble with two minutes remaining in the game by Garo Yepremian was recovered by Mike Bass of Washington for a touchdown. However, Washington could not finish the comeback, as Kilmer was sacked by Vern Den Herder as time expired with the team far from the end zone. For his part, Kilmer went 14-of-28 for 104 yards with three interceptions. The loss didn't dampen Kilmer's individual recognition as he was named to the Pro Bowl and the All-NFC Team. In 1974, the Redskins acquired a third quarterback in Notre Dame star Joe Theismann who had been a star in the Canadian Football League for three seasons. Kilmer beat out both Jurgensen and Theismann for the starting job. Jurgensen retired at the end of the 1974 season. Kilmer remained with the Redskins