The One For John - Super Bowl XXXII, “Elway’s Game!”
Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego, California - the site of Super Bowl XXXII
The thirty-second Super Bowl happened to be one of the finest Super Bowls ever contested. It also had one of the biggest subplots in Super Bowl history with fans of the game everywhere asking, ‘Would John Elway finally get his Super Bowl ring?’ Even neutrals were intrigued (both long-term fans and newcomers to the game), especially as the contest came down to the very final play.
“I remember looking along the seats in the press-box,” recalls First Down’s editor, Keith Webster. “There were no journalists sitting down. They were all on their feet!”
Indeed, everyone in Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, would be on their feet. As would the millions of television viewers in bars and homes around the world. The contest, after years of one-sided blow-outs that were most often over at halftime, had finally delivered.
Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Each team was led by a future Hall of Fame quarterback – one at the twilight of his career, one fast approaching his peak.
Bright California sunshine drenched the field as the teams ran out of the tunnels and prepared for kick-off. By the time local award winning artist, Jewel, had performed the national anthem, complete with US Air Force flyover and a small barrel’s worth of fireworks, the long shadows were beginning the creep across the field, which shone a brilliant green interspersed with the team colours of the Packers and Broncos.
It was time.
Before we look at the game itself, check out the two videos below. They are "behind-the-scenes" videos as filmed by Denver Broncos linebacker Hilary Butler and are a great way of setting the tone in order to look back on the one of the greatest contests ever played.
“I remember looking along the seats in the press-box,” recalls First Down’s editor, Keith Webster. “There were no journalists sitting down. They were all on their feet!”
Indeed, everyone in Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, would be on their feet. As would the millions of television viewers in bars and homes around the world. The contest, after years of one-sided blow-outs that were most often over at halftime, had finally delivered.
Perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Each team was led by a future Hall of Fame quarterback – one at the twilight of his career, one fast approaching his peak.
Bright California sunshine drenched the field as the teams ran out of the tunnels and prepared for kick-off. By the time local award winning artist, Jewel, had performed the national anthem, complete with US Air Force flyover and a small barrel’s worth of fireworks, the long shadows were beginning the creep across the field, which shone a brilliant green interspersed with the team colours of the Packers and Broncos.
It was time.
Before we look at the game itself, check out the two videos below. They are "behind-the-scenes" videos as filmed by Denver Broncos linebacker Hilary Butler and are a great way of setting the tone in order to look back on the one of the greatest contests ever played.
Green Bay would get the ball first and would begin on offense. Brett Favre would lead his team out to begin at their own 24-yard line. After a modest 1-yard run by Dorsey Levens, the Denver defense appeared fired up and quickly closed in on Favre. Favre, who could not escape the pressure let the ball fly for an incomplete pass prompting the Broncos’ side-line to call for an intentional grounding penalty.
None came.
Facing a third-and-9 at their own 25, Favre once again stepped into the pocket, and with the Broncos defense again closing in on him, he found wide receiver Antonio Freeman for an 11-yard gain, who survived a vicious hit from Denver safety, Steve Atwater, for a Green Bay first down. Although far from concerned, the conversion was a little deflating for the Broncos, who were perhaps a step or hard hit away from ending the drive in three plays.
From here, the Packers began to roll.
Running back Dorsey Levens embarked upon runs of 13, 12 and 1-yard gains, before Favre found Freeman again to give the Packers yet another first down, this time at Denver’s 22. Favre and Freeman connected yet again on the very next play, this time for a 22-yard scoring strike. Green Bay had gone 76 yards in eight plays to take a quick 7-0 lead over the Broncos.
To even the most die-hard Broncos fan, that first Packers drive turned some stomachs. Quarterback John Elway though, the one person who had seen all three of Denver’s Super Bowl defeats closer than anyone, appeared calm and relaxed as he stood on the side-line as he received last minute instructions from his coach, before leading out the Broncos’ offense for the first time that afternoon.
None came.
Facing a third-and-9 at their own 25, Favre once again stepped into the pocket, and with the Broncos defense again closing in on him, he found wide receiver Antonio Freeman for an 11-yard gain, who survived a vicious hit from Denver safety, Steve Atwater, for a Green Bay first down. Although far from concerned, the conversion was a little deflating for the Broncos, who were perhaps a step or hard hit away from ending the drive in three plays.
From here, the Packers began to roll.
Running back Dorsey Levens embarked upon runs of 13, 12 and 1-yard gains, before Favre found Freeman again to give the Packers yet another first down, this time at Denver’s 22. Favre and Freeman connected yet again on the very next play, this time for a 22-yard scoring strike. Green Bay had gone 76 yards in eight plays to take a quick 7-0 lead over the Broncos.
To even the most die-hard Broncos fan, that first Packers drive turned some stomachs. Quarterback John Elway though, the one person who had seen all three of Denver’s Super Bowl defeats closer than anyone, appeared calm and relaxed as he stood on the side-line as he received last minute instructions from his coach, before leading out the Broncos’ offense for the first time that afternoon.
John Elway scored the first of the four Denver touchdowns - despite his fullback, Howard Griffith being wide open in the endzone, he later stated he simply "didn't trust himself" to throw the ball such was the adrenaline of the contest.
Eventual MVP Terrell David missed the entire second quarter with a migraine headache!
Vaughn Hebron had given the Broncos great field position at their own 42. Behind steady running from Terrell Davis, and short passes by Elway, Denver methodically made their way down the field. As they approached the Green Bay goal line however, Elway’s calm exterior was overtaken, if only for a moment, by the intense desire that was so obviously burning inside him to win “the big game”, as he scrambled into the fierce lines of the Packer defense himself to set the Broncos up with a first-and-goal. Terrell Davis finally went over from a yard out, and Denver had answered to level the score 7-7.
Early in the Packers next drive, Denver safety Tyrone Braxton intercepted Favre giving the Broncos possession at the Packers’ 45. It appeared that the breaks that had so often and so cruelly gone against the Broncos in the three previous Super Bowl losses under Elway, were finally landing in their favour. As was momentum, which was now firmly on their side.
Running back Terrell Davis went to work where he had left off on the previous drive with a 16-yard run to the Green Bay 29. On the following play Elway hit tight-end Shannon Sharpe for a quick gain of 9-yards, before Davis again got the call picking up a first down with a 3-yard plunge. From there Denver began to pound it out, controlling the line of scrimmage, and in turn the game. As CBS commentator, Phil Simms stated “The Packers said all week they could stop the (Broncos’) running game, but when you see it in person, it’s a lot different!”
To the unease of the Bronco players and fans alike however, their star runner Terrell Davis left the game, appearing to be shaken up as he took Denver closer to the Packers goal-line.
It emerged after the game that Davis was suffering from a Migraine headache, a problem that had plagued him his whole career. In his book “TD, Dreams In Motion” he wrties, “The gun ending the first quarter of Super Bowl XXXII had just gone off. It felt like it got me right between the eyes. Right then, my vision went. Just like that!”
He would sit out the majority of the second period, but did enter the line-up for the first play of the second quarter. Denver head coach Mike Shanahan wanted to use Davis as a decoy. NFL Films would record Davis informing his coach “I can’t see!”, to which he replied “Don’t worry about seeing on this play, we are going to fake it to you. But if you’re not in there, they wont believe we’re going to throw the ball!” He had scored the previous Denver touchdown from short range, and had bruised Green Bay for over fifty yards rushing in the first quarter alone. Shanahan was right in his assessment of the Packers defense.
Elway took the snap from the 1-yard line and faked a hand-off to Davis which the entire Green Bay defense bought. With the Packers keying on Davis, Elway kept the ball, and despite having the option of practically tossing the ball to full back Howard Griffith, ran it in himself for the score. After Jason Elam added the point after the score stood 14-7 in the Broncos favour.
Disaster struck again for Green Bay on their following drive. Safety Steve Atwater came untouched through the middle of the line and placed a hit so hard on Brett Favre that the pigskin flew loose and was eventually fallen upon Denver’s Neil Smith. Green Bay’s second turnover in two possessions resulted in Elam kicking a 51-yard field goal for the Broncos who took a ten point lead 17-7.
The two teams exchanged punts on their following possessions, with Denver’s pinning the Packers deep inside their own territory at their own 4. However, just as Green Bay had started the game in good fashion, they would end the first half in similar style.
Favre directed a 96-yard scoring drive that included key receptions to tight-end Mark Chmura and wide receiver Antonio Freeman, while running back Dorsey Levens burst through for gains of 14 and 7 yard gains. Taking all but twelve seconds off the clock for the first half, Favre capped the drive with a 6-yard scoring pass to Chmura to pull within three points making the half-time score, 17-14 in the Broncos favour.
Early in the Packers next drive, Denver safety Tyrone Braxton intercepted Favre giving the Broncos possession at the Packers’ 45. It appeared that the breaks that had so often and so cruelly gone against the Broncos in the three previous Super Bowl losses under Elway, were finally landing in their favour. As was momentum, which was now firmly on their side.
Running back Terrell Davis went to work where he had left off on the previous drive with a 16-yard run to the Green Bay 29. On the following play Elway hit tight-end Shannon Sharpe for a quick gain of 9-yards, before Davis again got the call picking up a first down with a 3-yard plunge. From there Denver began to pound it out, controlling the line of scrimmage, and in turn the game. As CBS commentator, Phil Simms stated “The Packers said all week they could stop the (Broncos’) running game, but when you see it in person, it’s a lot different!”
To the unease of the Bronco players and fans alike however, their star runner Terrell Davis left the game, appearing to be shaken up as he took Denver closer to the Packers goal-line.
It emerged after the game that Davis was suffering from a Migraine headache, a problem that had plagued him his whole career. In his book “TD, Dreams In Motion” he wrties, “The gun ending the first quarter of Super Bowl XXXII had just gone off. It felt like it got me right between the eyes. Right then, my vision went. Just like that!”
He would sit out the majority of the second period, but did enter the line-up for the first play of the second quarter. Denver head coach Mike Shanahan wanted to use Davis as a decoy. NFL Films would record Davis informing his coach “I can’t see!”, to which he replied “Don’t worry about seeing on this play, we are going to fake it to you. But if you’re not in there, they wont believe we’re going to throw the ball!” He had scored the previous Denver touchdown from short range, and had bruised Green Bay for over fifty yards rushing in the first quarter alone. Shanahan was right in his assessment of the Packers defense.
Elway took the snap from the 1-yard line and faked a hand-off to Davis which the entire Green Bay defense bought. With the Packers keying on Davis, Elway kept the ball, and despite having the option of practically tossing the ball to full back Howard Griffith, ran it in himself for the score. After Jason Elam added the point after the score stood 14-7 in the Broncos favour.
Disaster struck again for Green Bay on their following drive. Safety Steve Atwater came untouched through the middle of the line and placed a hit so hard on Brett Favre that the pigskin flew loose and was eventually fallen upon Denver’s Neil Smith. Green Bay’s second turnover in two possessions resulted in Elam kicking a 51-yard field goal for the Broncos who took a ten point lead 17-7.
The two teams exchanged punts on their following possessions, with Denver’s pinning the Packers deep inside their own territory at their own 4. However, just as Green Bay had started the game in good fashion, they would end the first half in similar style.
Favre directed a 96-yard scoring drive that included key receptions to tight-end Mark Chmura and wide receiver Antonio Freeman, while running back Dorsey Levens burst through for gains of 14 and 7 yard gains. Taking all but twelve seconds off the clock for the first half, Favre capped the drive with a 6-yard scoring pass to Chmura to pull within three points making the half-time score, 17-14 in the Broncos favour.
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The fantastic "over-the-top" razzmatazz of the Super Bowl halftime show was exactly that at Super Bowl XXXII
With the second half, came the cover of night!
Denver got the ball first to start the second half, and with running back Terrell Davis back in the offensive line-up. Shortly after the Broncos’ second touchdown at the start of the second quarter, Davis had been rushed into the Denver locker room.
“I was treated like an emergency room patient,” he would write in his aforementioned book. “Bronco trainer, Steve “Greek” Antonopulos, ripped open his medicine bag and grabbed the dihydroergotamine nasal spray – these days better known as Migranal – that he keeps around just for me. It’s what we use to abort my migraines. “Greek” stuck the spray right up my nose. I took two sniffs in my left nostril. And threw up!”
Davis had took a hard hit from Packers safety Eugene Robinson late in the opening period, which is what set off the migraine on Super Sunday. He confessed later that he “forgotten to take his preventive medicine” that morning, Indocin, which he would take around a hour before games each NFL Sunday, and had done since October 1996, following the last time he had suffered a migraine on the field.
Now he sat in the (relative) silence of the locker room with his eyes closed, occasionally hearing the muffled roar of the crowd or the PA announcer. Regardless of the error on his part however, his team were up by ten, and he was ready to go, his migraine beginning to clear as his teammates entered the locker room for the extended halftime. Davis, secretly guilt-ridden for forgetting to take the Indocin tablet, now felt a sense of needing to make up for it – something he would more than do over the next thirty minutes of game time.
“I was treated like an emergency room patient,” he would write in his aforementioned book. “Bronco trainer, Steve “Greek” Antonopulos, ripped open his medicine bag and grabbed the dihydroergotamine nasal spray – these days better known as Migranal – that he keeps around just for me. It’s what we use to abort my migraines. “Greek” stuck the spray right up my nose. I took two sniffs in my left nostril. And threw up!”
Davis had took a hard hit from Packers safety Eugene Robinson late in the opening period, which is what set off the migraine on Super Sunday. He confessed later that he “forgotten to take his preventive medicine” that morning, Indocin, which he would take around a hour before games each NFL Sunday, and had done since October 1996, following the last time he had suffered a migraine on the field.
Now he sat in the (relative) silence of the locker room with his eyes closed, occasionally hearing the muffled roar of the crowd or the PA announcer. Regardless of the error on his part however, his team were up by ten, and he was ready to go, his migraine beginning to clear as his teammates entered the locker room for the extended halftime. Davis, secretly guilt-ridden for forgetting to take the Indocin tablet, now felt a sense of needing to make up for it – something he would more than do over the next thirty minutes of game time.
Terrell Davis controlled the ball for Denver in the second half of Super Bowl XXXII
Elway's "helicopter spin" set the tone for the final period
As the teams made their way back on to the field, the early twilight of the San Diego skies have given way to early evening, and the field in front of them was now bathed in the glow of Qualcomm Stadium’s floodlights.
The Broncos looked to carry on pounding the ball in similar fashion to the way they had played in the first half. Yet on the first play from scrimmage of the third quarter, Davis fumbled, allowing the Packers to gain possession of the ball at the Denver 26, as well taking hold of the momentum of the contest.
Despite safety Steve Atwater dropping what looked to have been a sure interception, the Broncos defense halted any real progress by the Packers’ offense and Ryan Longwell came on to kick a 37-yard field goal. However an offsides penalty was called against Denver and Green Bay opted to take the points off the board and try again for the touchdown. This would just delay the inevitable, and a scrappy possession for the Packers ended for good when Longwell booted through a 27-yard field goal that tied the score 17-17.
The two teams exchanged punts before Denver took over possession at their own 8-yard line with 7:46 left in the third period. After an incomplete pass on first down, Elway found tight-end Shannon Sharpe on second down for an 8-yard gain. Davis picked up a Denver first down with a 4-yard scamper to the 20-yard line, before the third-year running back took off gains of 4, and 7 yards to the Broncos’ 31. With a first-and-10 Elway stepped into the pocket and lofted a pass towards wide receiver Ed McCaffery who hauled in the ball at the Packers 33. It was the first pass that Elway had been able to complete to a receiver all game. After an 8-yard run by Davis, Elway found McCaffery again for a gain of 9 yards to the 16. Davis picked up 4 yards on his next two carries with the ball leaving the Broncos facing a third-and-6. The play became one of the key plays in Super Bowl history.
Elway took the snap, and with the Packers pass-rush closing in he left the pocket and headed down the field. As he approached the first down, three Packers sent him spinning in a cartwheel motion to the 4-yard line. In what was one of the key plays of the game, Elway had picked up the first down keeping his team’s drive going.
“Is he only thirty-seven?” quipped NBC commentator Dick Enberg to the millions watching at home.
In the John Elway biography, “Armed and Dangerous” by Clay Latimer, tight-end, Shannon Sharpe said of the moment, “That let you know what the game meant. Here’s a guy, not hook sliding, but diving headfirst into three defenders. That lets you know the magnitude of this ball-game, what this game meant to him. When I saw that, I said ‘If he throws anything in my vicinity, I’m catching it. He inspired us!”
In the same book, Broncos’ linebacker, John Mobley added, “From that point on, that’s what inspired our defense!”
Davis got the call on first-and-goal. He took the pigskin and pounded down to the 1-yard line. On second-and-goal he went through for the touchdown. After Elam’s extra point had gone through the Broncos had retaken the lead 24-17.
Antonio Freeman took the ensuing kick-off for Green Bay. But as he proceeded to bring the ball up the field, he was hit hard by the Broncos’ special teams unit and he fumbled the ball. Tim McKyer fell on the ball and the Broncos had possession once again at the Packers’ 21-yard line. Elway, who looked as if he could hardly believe his team’s luck when he saw the fumble from the sideline led his offense back on to the field. He immediately went for the kill and launched a pass towards receiver Rod Smith in the end-zone. The ball however was intercepted by safety Eugene Robinson, who brought the ball out to the 15-yard line.
On the last play of the third quarter, Packers’ quarterback Brett Favre completed a 25-yard strike to Antonio Freeman to the 40. Green Bay steadily drove down towards the Broncos end-zone, and with 13:32 remaining in the game, Favre found Freeman from 13 yards out for the tying touchdown. After Longwell’s extra point the scores were tied once again 24-24.
The Broncos looked to carry on pounding the ball in similar fashion to the way they had played in the first half. Yet on the first play from scrimmage of the third quarter, Davis fumbled, allowing the Packers to gain possession of the ball at the Denver 26, as well taking hold of the momentum of the contest.
Despite safety Steve Atwater dropping what looked to have been a sure interception, the Broncos defense halted any real progress by the Packers’ offense and Ryan Longwell came on to kick a 37-yard field goal. However an offsides penalty was called against Denver and Green Bay opted to take the points off the board and try again for the touchdown. This would just delay the inevitable, and a scrappy possession for the Packers ended for good when Longwell booted through a 27-yard field goal that tied the score 17-17.
The two teams exchanged punts before Denver took over possession at their own 8-yard line with 7:46 left in the third period. After an incomplete pass on first down, Elway found tight-end Shannon Sharpe on second down for an 8-yard gain. Davis picked up a Denver first down with a 4-yard scamper to the 20-yard line, before the third-year running back took off gains of 4, and 7 yards to the Broncos’ 31. With a first-and-10 Elway stepped into the pocket and lofted a pass towards wide receiver Ed McCaffery who hauled in the ball at the Packers 33. It was the first pass that Elway had been able to complete to a receiver all game. After an 8-yard run by Davis, Elway found McCaffery again for a gain of 9 yards to the 16. Davis picked up 4 yards on his next two carries with the ball leaving the Broncos facing a third-and-6. The play became one of the key plays in Super Bowl history.
Elway took the snap, and with the Packers pass-rush closing in he left the pocket and headed down the field. As he approached the first down, three Packers sent him spinning in a cartwheel motion to the 4-yard line. In what was one of the key plays of the game, Elway had picked up the first down keeping his team’s drive going.
“Is he only thirty-seven?” quipped NBC commentator Dick Enberg to the millions watching at home.
In the John Elway biography, “Armed and Dangerous” by Clay Latimer, tight-end, Shannon Sharpe said of the moment, “That let you know what the game meant. Here’s a guy, not hook sliding, but diving headfirst into three defenders. That lets you know the magnitude of this ball-game, what this game meant to him. When I saw that, I said ‘If he throws anything in my vicinity, I’m catching it. He inspired us!”
In the same book, Broncos’ linebacker, John Mobley added, “From that point on, that’s what inspired our defense!”
Davis got the call on first-and-goal. He took the pigskin and pounded down to the 1-yard line. On second-and-goal he went through for the touchdown. After Elam’s extra point had gone through the Broncos had retaken the lead 24-17.
Antonio Freeman took the ensuing kick-off for Green Bay. But as he proceeded to bring the ball up the field, he was hit hard by the Broncos’ special teams unit and he fumbled the ball. Tim McKyer fell on the ball and the Broncos had possession once again at the Packers’ 21-yard line. Elway, who looked as if he could hardly believe his team’s luck when he saw the fumble from the sideline led his offense back on to the field. He immediately went for the kill and launched a pass towards receiver Rod Smith in the end-zone. The ball however was intercepted by safety Eugene Robinson, who brought the ball out to the 15-yard line.
On the last play of the third quarter, Packers’ quarterback Brett Favre completed a 25-yard strike to Antonio Freeman to the 40. Green Bay steadily drove down towards the Broncos end-zone, and with 13:32 remaining in the game, Favre found Freeman from 13 yards out for the tying touchdown. After Longwell’s extra point the scores were tied once again 24-24.
Channel 4's Gary Imlach, with Marv Levy and Kevin Greene, present Super Bowl XXXII from the booth to viewers in the UK.
The score stayed tied until deep into the final quarter as each team traded punts with Denver slowly winning the battle for field position. With 3:27 remaining in the game, Denver took over possession of the ball following a Green Bay pun at their own 49-yard line and began to move in for the kill.
On the first play of the drive Terrell Davis took the ball around the outside of the line for a short gain. However an intentional face-mask penalty against Green Bay moved the ball deeper into Green Bay territory to the 33-yard line. Howard Griffith then took a pass from Elway and proceeded to negotiate his way through the Packers’ defense before he was finally halted at the 8. Wide receiver Ed McCaffery had thrown a crushing block on the play as they Green Bay defense began to look almost drained and devoid of life.
Davis again exposed the Packers’ defense as he took the ball to the goal-line on the next play, but a holding penalty was called against Denver’s tight end, Shannon Sharpe, and so moving the team backwards 10 yards to the 18-yard line. On the next play Davis got the call again, and again he found holes in the Green Bay run defense as he ploughed down to the 1-yard line. To those watching on television it looked as though the running back had scored due to the throb of photographers and journalists who owned the sidelines. He was however forced out of bounds just prior to breaking the plain of the goal-line. Elway brought the team to the line of scrimmage before taking a time out with 1:47 remaining in the game. On the next play Davis got the ball again and he almost strolled through a gaping hole in the line untouched for the touchdown. Following the extra point Denver were ahead 31-24.
However Brett Favre, like Elway himself, needed little time with which to march a team down the field. As he led his Packers’ onto the field with 1:39 left following Antonio Freeman’s kickoff return to the 30-yard line, the whole stadium watched anxiously to see what the defending champions would do.
A quick screen pass to running back Dorsey Levens took the Packers to the Broncos’ 48-yard line. The following play the Packers tried the same play again, although this time it went for very little yardage and Green Bay were forced to exorcise a time out with 1:11 remaining in the contest. The next play saw Favre almost flip the ball to Levens again, this time in the flat. The running back then scampered down the sideline and out of bounds out the 35-yard line. Levens was again the target on the next play, although this time the gain was only four yards to the 31 and the running back failed to get out of bounds and so leaving the clock to run. An incomplete pass stopped the clock with thirty-six seconds left in the game and the Packers facing third down.
The next play saw Favre take the snap and fire the ball down the field as he looked to connect with receiver Robert Brooks. Brooks failed to pull in the pass, but still took an exceptionally hard hit from Broncos’ safety, Steve Atwater. Atwater not only left himself dazed on the play, but he also made contact with his team-mate Randy Hilliard who was covering Brooks. All three remained on the turf briefly following the play, but all eventually made their way to the sideline without assistance.
Green Bay now faced fourth-and-6 from the Broncos’ 31 and needed a touchdown to tie the game. Favre stepped up to his center as players and coaches on both sidelines looked on. He took the snap and stepped into the pocket. He threw the ball to his sure-handed tight end Mark Chmura. Chmura however could not hold on to the ball, thanks in part to linebacker John Molbey’s good coverage. The Broncos sideline, led by John Elway, erupted.
Denver snapped the ball once more before leaving it to tick down.
On the first play of the drive Terrell Davis took the ball around the outside of the line for a short gain. However an intentional face-mask penalty against Green Bay moved the ball deeper into Green Bay territory to the 33-yard line. Howard Griffith then took a pass from Elway and proceeded to negotiate his way through the Packers’ defense before he was finally halted at the 8. Wide receiver Ed McCaffery had thrown a crushing block on the play as they Green Bay defense began to look almost drained and devoid of life.
Davis again exposed the Packers’ defense as he took the ball to the goal-line on the next play, but a holding penalty was called against Denver’s tight end, Shannon Sharpe, and so moving the team backwards 10 yards to the 18-yard line. On the next play Davis got the call again, and again he found holes in the Green Bay run defense as he ploughed down to the 1-yard line. To those watching on television it looked as though the running back had scored due to the throb of photographers and journalists who owned the sidelines. He was however forced out of bounds just prior to breaking the plain of the goal-line. Elway brought the team to the line of scrimmage before taking a time out with 1:47 remaining in the game. On the next play Davis got the ball again and he almost strolled through a gaping hole in the line untouched for the touchdown. Following the extra point Denver were ahead 31-24.
However Brett Favre, like Elway himself, needed little time with which to march a team down the field. As he led his Packers’ onto the field with 1:39 left following Antonio Freeman’s kickoff return to the 30-yard line, the whole stadium watched anxiously to see what the defending champions would do.
A quick screen pass to running back Dorsey Levens took the Packers to the Broncos’ 48-yard line. The following play the Packers tried the same play again, although this time it went for very little yardage and Green Bay were forced to exorcise a time out with 1:11 remaining in the contest. The next play saw Favre almost flip the ball to Levens again, this time in the flat. The running back then scampered down the sideline and out of bounds out the 35-yard line. Levens was again the target on the next play, although this time the gain was only four yards to the 31 and the running back failed to get out of bounds and so leaving the clock to run. An incomplete pass stopped the clock with thirty-six seconds left in the game and the Packers facing third down.
The next play saw Favre take the snap and fire the ball down the field as he looked to connect with receiver Robert Brooks. Brooks failed to pull in the pass, but still took an exceptionally hard hit from Broncos’ safety, Steve Atwater. Atwater not only left himself dazed on the play, but he also made contact with his team-mate Randy Hilliard who was covering Brooks. All three remained on the turf briefly following the play, but all eventually made their way to the sideline without assistance.
Green Bay now faced fourth-and-6 from the Broncos’ 31 and needed a touchdown to tie the game. Favre stepped up to his center as players and coaches on both sidelines looked on. He took the snap and stepped into the pocket. He threw the ball to his sure-handed tight end Mark Chmura. Chmura however could not hold on to the ball, thanks in part to linebacker John Molbey’s good coverage. The Broncos sideline, led by John Elway, erupted.
Denver snapped the ball once more before leaving it to tick down.
The chaos of the Vince Lombardi presentation.
John Elway with NBC's Greg Gumbel
“You’ve just witnessed, arguably one of the greatest Super Bowls ever played,” Gary Imlach informed the British viewers who watched on Channel Four. Indeed they had.
Terrell Davis was rightfully crowned the game’s MVP, rushing for 157 yards and three touchdowns – a feat even greater when you consider the Hall of Fame running back would sit out the entire second period with a migraine. However, Super Bowl XXXII, as Denver owner, Pat Bolan stated as he handed over the Vince Lombardi Trophy, “was for John!”
As we will look at in a future upcoming article, John Elway and the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos were far from finished making their mark on NFL history.
Check out the videos below. The first is local post game reaction to the game, while the second features Terrell Davis reflecting on the contest. The third video features raw footage of the Super Bowl XXXII reunion in honour of late owner Pat Bowlen in 2015.
[Marcus Lowth September 2017]
Terrell Davis was rightfully crowned the game’s MVP, rushing for 157 yards and three touchdowns – a feat even greater when you consider the Hall of Fame running back would sit out the entire second period with a migraine. However, Super Bowl XXXII, as Denver owner, Pat Bolan stated as he handed over the Vince Lombardi Trophy, “was for John!”
As we will look at in a future upcoming article, John Elway and the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos were far from finished making their mark on NFL history.
Check out the videos below. The first is local post game reaction to the game, while the second features Terrell Davis reflecting on the contest. The third video features raw footage of the Super Bowl XXXII reunion in honour of late owner Pat Bowlen in 2015.
[Marcus Lowth September 2017]
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In this On The Sideline featured article we take a look at Super Bowl XXIII. Not only the most exciting Super Bowl of the 1980s but the first true classic game that UK viewers saw unfold live on their screens. It was also Bill Walsh's last game as 49ers head coach as well as the rebirth of the legendary Joe Montana. CLICK HERE |
THE MAD GENIUS OF JIMMY MAC
In The Mad Genius Of Jimmy Mac And The Many Reasons Ditka's Bears Only Won One Super Bowl we look at just how good was Jim Mc Mahon, and why didn't the Chicago Bears manage tow in another Super Bowl following their pounding of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX? CLICK HERE |