Super Bowl XXXIII

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Lore & Background

The defending Super Bowl champion Broncos entered the game with an AFC-best 14–2 regular season record. The Falcons, under former Broncos head coach Dan Reeves, were making their first Super Bowl appearance after also posting a 14–2 regular season record. Aided by quarterback John Elway's 80-yard touchdown pass to receiver Rod Smith, the Broncos scored 17 consecutive points to build a 17–3 lead in the second quarter from which the Falcons could not recover. In the final game of his career before his announced retirement on May 2, 1999, Elway completed 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and also scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown. At 38 years old, Elway became the oldest player to be named Super Bowl MVP, a record that stood until Tom Brady surpassed it in 2017 at the age of 39, coincidentally also against the Falcons.

In Their Own Story

Following the Broncos' victory during Super Bowl XXXII the previous season, many wondered if 15-year veteran quarterback John Elway would retire after finally winning a Super Bowl. But Elway decided to stay with the Broncos and see if he could lead them to a second consecutive championship. Under the leadership of head coach Mike Shanahan, the Broncos stormed to the top of the AFC with a 14–2 regular record in 1998, winning their first 13 games before suffering their first loss to the New York Giants and would lose again the very next week against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night, only to win a meaningless season finale against the Seattle Seahawks. The Broncos' offense, under the leadership of Elway and running back Terrell Davis, had another outstanding regular season, ranking second in the NFL with 501 points and third in total offense with 6,276 yards. Davis had one of the greatest seasons of any running back in NFL history, rushing for 2,008 yards, catching 25 passes for 217 yards, and scoring 23 touchdowns to earn him both the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award. Nevertheless, Davis' rushing numbers did not reduce Elway's passing production. The 38-year-old quarterback made the Pro Bowl for the 3rd year in a row and the 9th time in his career, throwing for 2,806 yards and 22 touchdowns, with only 10 interceptions.

Reader's Guide

A big reason for Elway's passing success was that he had two Pro Bowl wide receivers and a Pro Bowl tight end to throw to. Wide receivers Ed McCaffrey (64 receptions, 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns) and Rod Smith (86 receptions, 1,222 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 66 rushing yards) provided the team with outstanding deep threats, while tight end Shannon Sharpe (64 receptions, 786 yards and 10 touchdowns) provided a sure-handed target over the middle. In week 3 against the Oakland Raiders, Elway pulled his hamstring, forcing the Broncos to go with veteran journeyman Bubby Brister. Despite losing Elway to injury the Broncos didn't lose a beat, as Brister won all four games that he started and posted a higher quarterback rating than Elway for the season. The Broncos also had three Pro Bowlers anchoring their offensive line: center Tom Nalen, guard Mark Schlereth, and tackle Tony Jones. On special teams, running back Vaughn Hebron returned 46 kickoffs for 1,216 yards and a touchdown, giving him a 26.4 yards per return average. The Broncos' defense typically did not get as much attention as their offense, but it was still effective, giving up 308 points (8th fewest in the NFL). Up front, the line was anchored by defensive tackles Maa Tanuvasa and Trevor Pryce, who each recorded 8.5 sacks. Behind them, Pro Bowl linebacker Bill Romanowski recorded 55 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 3 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions. The secondary was led by Pro Bowler Steve Atwater and Darrien Gordon, who led the team with 4 interceptions, which he returned for 125 yards and a touchdown. Gordon was also a great punt returner, returning 34 punts for 379 yards.

Did You Know?

• John Elway's 80-yard touchdown pass to Rod Smith was a key play that helped the Broncos build a 17-3 lead in the second quarter.
• At 38 years old, John Elway became the oldest player to be named Super Bowl MVP, a record that stood until Tom Brady surpassed it in 2017 at age 39.
• The Broncos won their first 13 games of the 1998 regular season before losing to the New York Giants.
• Running back Terrell Davis rushed for 2,008 yards and scored 23 touchdowns during the 1998 regular season, earning both the NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards.
• This was the final game of John Elway's career; he announced his retirement on May 2, 1999.