Super Bowl XXXII (Broncos vs. Packers): An Ultimate Recount of the Game

by

Today we have Super Bowl XXXII, which was held on January 25, 1998, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, between the five-time AFC champion Denver Broncos and my favorite team, the twelve-time world champion Green Bay Packers. If you’re looking for the full story of this 1997 season, pick up my Nifty Nineties book and you’ll learn more than you ever wanted to know about that year and the rest of the nineties.

As always, we have a pop quiz, and then homework at the end of the episode. The pop quiz question for today is: the NFC won the coin toss at Super Bowl XXXII. How many times in a row did the NFC win the coin toss starting with this one? Here’s a hint: one of the teams in this game was also in the last game that the NFC won the coin toss. The answer will come at the end of the podcast.

SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW FOR FREE ON YOUR PREFERRED PODCAST PLAYER

Prelude to Super Bowl XXXII

Denver was coming off one of the biggest upsets in playoff history, as they lost to the second-season Jacksonville Jaguars in their only playoff game of 1996. How did they rebound from that? The Broncos won their first six games of this season to go into the bye week at 6-0.

They were at 11-2 going into a big game in Pittsburgh. That’s when things seemingly fell apart for the Broncs. They lost decisively to both Pittsburgh and San Francisco, and they dropped out of first place and ended up as a wild card at 12-4, behind first-place Kansas City at 13-3. Only the 1980 Oakland Raiders had won the Super Bowl as a true wild card.

The Broncos got revenge on Jacksonville in round one, beating them 42-17. They then beat Kansas City 14-10 when the Chiefs couldn’t complete a fourth-down pass to the end zone late in the game. They shocked Pittsburgh 24-21 in the AFC Championship Game, as the AFC title game losses began to pile up for Bill Cowher.

Oh, and they did it all with the ugliest uniform redesign in NFL history. The threads that they wear now came from this season, and they are awful. I keep a mini Riddell helmet of the Broncos’ old logo because it is so much easier on the eyes.

Quarterback John Elway threw for 3,635 yards and 27 touchdowns as opposed to just 11 interceptions. He definitely deserved to be in the NFL MVP conversation. Same with running back Terrell Davis. He ran for exactly 1,750 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Oh, and tight end Shannon Sharpe and receiver Rod Smith both caught at least 70 passes and went over 1,100 receiving yards. This team wasn’t just your garden variety wild card. They just happened to be in a division with a 13-3 team. The 1997 Broncos have a good argument for being the greatest wild card team of all time.

And then there were my Packers. They suffered a horrible loss in Week 2 in Philadelphia when rookie kicker Ryan Longwell missed a chip-shot field goal. The Packers were just 3-2 after five games. They then came to life, surviving a two-point conversion by Chicago in Week 7 for a one-point victory, sweeping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings, getting sweet revenge on Dallas in a 45-17 rout, and finishing the season 13-3 with the #2 seed in the NFC.

The Buccaneers got a “three-match” against the Packers in the divisional round. And again, the Packers downed the pirate ship. The Pack won 21-7 to advance to the NFC Championship Game in San Francisco. The Packers completely dominated the game from stop to finish, winning 23-10 to advance to their second straight Super Bowl.

Quarterback Brett Favre won his third straight NFL MVP award this season, albeit sharing it with Lions running back Barry Sanders. He threw for 3,867 yards and 35 touchdowns, which marked the third-most touchdown passes by an NFC quarterback since the merger. His top receivers were Antonio Freeman and Robert Brooks, both of whom were above 1,000 yards.

Running back Dorsey Levens came into his own, rushing for 1,435 yards and seven touchdowns. Defensive back LeRoy Butler picked off five passes to lead the team, and defensive end Reggie White led in sacks with 11. This Packers team was absolutely loaded, and it was no surprise when they were installed as 11-point favorites.

Super Bowl XXXII: First Quarter

The Packers won the toss, and Freeman returned it to the 24. Favre barely avoided a sack and an intentional grounding call on second down, and he converted a third-and-long with a 13-yard pass to Freeman. Levens followed with a 13-yard run of his own, and Favre hit Freeman for yet another 13 yards. Favre then went to the back of the end zone, where Freeman made the catch and barely got both feet in bounds for a 22-yard touchdown. The Packers were up 7-0, and it looked like we were on our way to another big NFC victory.

But Denver didn’t flinch. Running back Vaughn Hebron returned the kickoff to the 42. Davis ran twice to get eight yards, then he caught a pass out in the flat for a first down at the Packers 46. Elway threw three straight incompletions, but on the last one of those, Packers defensive back Doug Evans got called for holding. With the first down, Davis took advantage, running off the left side for 27 yards. Elway scrambled for ten more, then two plays later Davis punched it in from the 1 to give the Broncos a 7-7 tie.

Favre threw an interception to defensive back Tyrone Braxton, and the Broncos got the ball at the Green Bay 43. Davis took a pitch for 16 yards, breaking tackles as he went. Elway then hit Shannon Sharpe for nine yards. Davis got two more first downs on runs, before coming out of the game for some reason. Was it a concussion? Was it a migraine headache? The NBC crew couldn’t say for sure, but when the Broncs came out for the first play of the second quarter at the Green Bay 1, Davis was back in the lineup. He was only a decoy, though. Elway faked it to him, then ran a bootleg in on the right side for a one-yard touchdown to put his Broncos up 14-7.

Super Bowl XXXII: Second Quarter

Broncos defensive back Steve Atwater sacked Favre and forced a fumble, which defensive end Neil Smith recovered for Denver. The Broncos really didn’t go anywhere in three plays, and an apparent penalty for hands to the face of Packers defensive tackle Gilbert Brown’s helmet was not called. That allowed the Broncos to remain in field goal range, and kicker Jason Elam made the 51-yard kick to extend the Broncos’ lead to ten.

The Packers went three-and-out after three Levens runs. The Packers managed to force a three-and-out of their own, and Broncos punter Tom Rouen kicked it down to the 5. The Packers then put together an epic drive. Tight end Mark Chmura made a circus catch for a first down at the 26. Levens burst for 15 yards, then Favre found Brooks on a quick pass for another first down.

Next, Favre went to Freeman for another first down, and to Chmura in the flat for 11 more. After the two-minute warning, the Packers soon faced third down. Levens took the carry and broke tackles to the 10 to pick up the first down. Favre threw to Brooks to get down to the 6, then he rolled to his right and fired to the corner of the end zone. Touchdown, Packers, Mark Chmura! The Packers had gone 95 yards in 17 plays, holding the ball for nearly seven-and-a-half minutes. At the half, the score was: Broncos 17, Packers 14.

Join the newsletter

Learn more about the Sports History Network

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.
    Built with ConvertKit

    Super Bowl XXXII: Third Quarter

    To start the second half, Davis fumbled, and the Packers recovered. Favre then threw a pass right to Atwater, but he dropped the easy interception. The Packers settled for a 39-yard field goal by Ryan Longwell, only to have Denver jump offside and give them a first down. Two penalties later, the Packers were kicking again, and this time Longwell made a 27-yard field goal to tie the game at 17.

    Both teams went three-and-out on their next possession, but on the Packers punt, the Broncos jumped offside again. That was okay for Denver, though, because they just went out and stopped Favre again. Starting at their own 8, Elway put together another one of his patented epic drives. First, he threw to Shannon Sharpe for a first down. Davis ran for two more first downs, then Elway went deep to receiver Ed McCaffrey for a 36-yard gain. McCaffrey made another catch, this one for nine yards and another first down.

    After a pair of Davis runs, the Broncos faced third down and medium. Elway was forced to scramble, and he dived for the first down. As he did, he clashed into two Packers who spun him in the air like a helicopter. The first down opened things up for Davis to pound in from one yard out to cap a 92-yard drive and give Denver a 24-17 lead.

    On the kickoff return, Freeman fumbled after getting hit by defensive back Tony Veland. Defensive back Tim McKyer recovered for Denver at the 22. Elway immediately went for the kill, but he got too greedy and had his pass to the end zone picked off by defensive back Eugene Robinson. The Packers got the ball back to start the fourth quarter.

    Super Bowl XXXII: Fourth Quarter

    Favre struck back quickly. First, he hit Freeman for 25 yards to the Green Bay 40. He then pump-faked before going to Brooks for a long pass that fell incomplete, but Broncos defensive back Darrien Gordon was called for a 25-yard pass interference flag. Favre hit a wide-open Freeman for another first down, then he went to the end zone for Freeman one more time for a touchdown. 24-24 was the new score.

    What people forget about this Super Bowl is how uneventful much of the fourth quarter was. The Broncos went three-and-out, then the Packers got just one first down before punting it back. The Broncos put together a better drive, with Davis running for two first downs and Sharpe catching another. But that drive too ended in a punt. The Packers’ chances faded when they were called for holding and a false start on the ensuing drive, and they were forced to punt from deep in their own territory. Denver took over at the Green Bay 49.

    Packers defensive tackle Darius Holland got called for a personal foul facemask penalty, one that really hurt the Pack. Elway found fullback Howard Griffith for a first down at the 9, as the game went to the two-minute warning. In a bizarre sequence, Davis ran the ball down the left sideline to the 1-yard line on two consecutive plays. On the first one, the Broncos were called for holding. On the second one, there was no penalty, and Davis was out of bounds at the 1. The Broncos had second down from the Green Bay 1.

    Packers head coach Mike Holmgren deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and I will keep beating that drum until he’s in. However, in this situation, he decided to let the Broncos score, and I think it was the wrong one. The Packers still had two timeouts left.

    They could have used both of them if they were able to make a stop. As it turned out, on the Packers’ final drive, one of their timeouts got burned anyway thanks to an injury. Holmgren should have stacked the defense and tried to get a stop; a 27-24 game would have been totally different. Instead, Davis walked in for a one-yard touchdown, setting the Super Bowl record for most touchdown runs in a game with three. The Broncos led, 31-24.

    The Packers got the ball back at their own 30 after a Freeman return. Favre threw a screen to Levens, who broke a tackle and got 22 yards into Denver territory. He went right back to Levens, gaining minimal yardage and being forced to call timeout with 1:11. Out of the timeout, Favre went to Levens once again, this time picking up 13 yards to the Denver 35. The Broncos were taking away all of the Packers’ receivers, so Favre threw to Levens for the fourth consecutive play to get to the Denver 32.

    That was the number that forever haunts the Green Bay Packers. Super Bowl XXXII, 32 yards from the game-tying touchdown. Of course, Favre’s next three throws fell incomplete, with the final one broken up by linebacker John Mobley. It’s too hard for me to talk about how it ended. Let’s just get it over with: Denver 31, Green Bay 24.

    Super Bowl XXXII Aftermath and Awards

    Davis was an easy choice for Super Bowl MVP with his record-breaking three rushing touchdowns and 157 rushing yards. If I were to give it to a second player, I would not give it to John Elway, as you may expect. No, I’d go with Steve Atwater. He had the sack and forced fumble of Favre, and he had countless big hits throughout this game, including one on the penultimate play.

    The way he played football, he’d be ejected in a heartbeat in today’s game. His hits were violent collisions. He set the tone in that Denver defensive backfield, and that’s why Favre was forced to continuously throw the ball to Levens. Atwater gets my “2nd-best” MVP award.

    As for the MVP of the losing team, I’m not giving that to Favre, even though he’s my favorite player ever. Nope, I’m going with Antonio Freeman, who caught nine balls for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Yes, he did lose a fumble, but his performance was ridiculous in this game. All other Packers wide receivers caught a combined four passes for 22 yards. Freeman was the exception, lighting it up.

    Who was the LVP? The Least Valuable Player? I’m going with Robert Brooks. He caught just three passes for 16 yards on 11 targets. That is absolutely dreadful. No wonder Freeman was forced to play out of his mind. Favre had no help from Brooks, which is a credit to the Denver defense. But Brooks couldn’t step up in the biggest game of his career (he was injured the year before).

    The biggest play of this game was NOT Elway’s helicopter run. That play is the most famous play, but it didn’t change the game as much as this one did: Braxton’s interception in the first quarter. That completely changed the momentum and made it clear to Favre that he wasn’t going to tear apart the Denver defense like he did to New England a year before. Braxton’s INT set up an Elway touchdown run, and Denver went up by seven.

    The biggest play you don’t remember could have been that one, but I’m going with Atwater’s strip of Favre. Again, the only play anyone thinks about is that Elway helicopter play, but these turnovers proved more important. Atwater’s strip set up a long field goal by Elam to put Denver up by ten. It also completely destroyed any notion the Packers had that they were 11-point favorites. It broke their will. Credit head coach Mike Shanahan on an expert gameplan.

    Who was the best player you don’t remember? I’ll go with Tim McKyer of Denver. The long-time 49ers defensive back recovered a fumble in this game, the final one of his illustrious NFL career. Success followed McKyer wherever he went. He won two Super Bowls with San Francisco. He was part of the exciting underdog 1991 Atlanta Falcons team. He was there in Pittsburgh in 1994 when the Steelers got home-field advantage. And he concluded his career with the Broncos, earning a third ring.

    After the game, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen presented the Lombardi Trophy to his long-suffering quarterback. “This one’s for John,” he said. 18 years later, with Pat suffering from memory issues, the Broncos won the Super Bowl again. Elway, now an executive with the Broncos, said, “This one’s for Pat.” Both were touching tributes to the men who brought Denver these titles. Only, I never heard “This one’s for John.” I immediately ran to bed to cry myself to sleep.

    Homework

    The Packers won the coin toss in this Super Bowl, as well as in their next Super Bowl, XLV. In between, the NFC won every single coin toss. That made it 14 years in a row with the NFC winning the coin toss, which is the answer to today’s pop quiz question. The Broncos broke a much more important streak, though, the one in which the NFC had won 13 consecutive Super Bowls. Now, the AFC was back in the game.

    Finally, it’s homework time. I have a good one saved up for next week, so for this week, I recommend the coffee table book 60 Seasons: A Retrospective of Denver Broncos Football. I love coffee table books. I have way too many of them. The Broncos are technically the oldest team in the NFL that has played in one and only one city throughout their entire existence. I could make an entire podcast about that fact.

     My website is tommyaphillips.com, you can find all of my books there. Until next time, so long!

    SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE ON YOUR FAVORITE PODCAST PLAYER

    Lombardi Memories is a show that takes you back in time, into January or February, to the greatest one-day spectacle in all of sports. This is the every-other-Tuesday podcast that looks back at each and every one of the 50-plus Super Bowls and tells the story of who won and why.  Tommy A. Phillips is your host on this Super Journey.  He’s an author of multiple NFL books.  You can purchase below.

    Books From The Host Of Lombardi Memories

    Please Note – As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases

    More From Lombardi Memories

    Leave a Comment