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| Date | January 25, 1998 (1998-01-25) | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Kickoff time | 3:24 p.m.PST (UTC-8) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Stadium | Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, California | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Terrell Davis,running back | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Packers by 11[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Ed Hochuli | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 68,912[3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Jewel[4] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | Joe Gibbs,Doug Williams andEddie Robinson | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | Boyz II Men,Smokey Robinson,The Temptations,Martha Reeves, andQueen Latifah | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | NBC | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Dick Enberg,Phil Simms,Paul Maguire,Jim Gray,John Dockery, andRandy Cross | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 44.5 (est. 90 million viewers)[5] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Market share | 67 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of 30-second commercial | $1.3 million | ||||||||||||||||||
| Radio in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | Westwood One | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Howard David andMatt Millen | ||||||||||||||||||
Super Bowl XXXII was anAmerican football game played between theNational Football Conference (NFC) champion and defendingSuper Bowl XXXI championGreen Bay Packers and theAmerican Football Conference (AFC) championDenver Broncos to decide theNational Football League (NFL) champion for the1997 season. The Broncos upset the heavily favored Packers by the score of 31–24. The game was played on January 25, 1998, atQualcomm Stadium inSan Diego, California, the second time that the Super Bowl was held in that city.[6] Super Bowl XXXII also made Qualcomm Stadium the only stadium in history to host both the Super Bowl and theWorld Series in the same year.
This was Denver's first league championship after suffering four previous Super Bowl losses, three of which were under Elway, and snapped a 13-game losing streak for AFC teams in the Super Bowl (the last win being theLos Angeles Raiders' win inSuper Bowl XVIII after the1983 season). The Broncos, who entered the game after posting a 12–4 regular-season record in 1997, became just the secondwild card team to win a Super Bowl and the first since theRaiders inSuper Bowl XV. The Packers, who entered the game as the defendingSuper Bowl XXXI champions after posting a 13–3 regular-season record, were the first team favored to win by double digits to lose a Super Bowl since theMinnesota Vikings inSuper Bowl IV.
The game was close throughout much of the contest. The Broncos converted two turnovers to take a 17–7 lead in the second quarter before the Packers cut the score to 17–14 at halftime. Green Bay kept pace with Denver in the second half, before tying the game with 13:31 remaining. Both defenses stiffened until Broncos running backTerrell Davis scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:45 left. Despite suffering a migraine headache that caused him to miss most of the second quarter, Davis was namedSuper Bowl MVP. He ran for 157 yards, caught two passes for 8 yards, and scored a Super Bowl record three rushing touchdowns. As of 2025, Davis remains the most recent running back to be named Super Bowl MVP.
NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXXII to San Diego during their October 26, 1993, meeting inChicago. The bidding process was scheduled to award two Super Bowl sites (XXXI and XXXII), the first time that multiple hosts were selected at the same meeting sinceXXIII andXXIV were voted on in 1985. This was the second time that San Diego hosted the game; the city previously hostedXXII ten years earlier. The Broncos played in both XXII and XXXII, the first franchise to play two different Super Bowls in the same stadium twice; they had already played twice at theSuperdome (XII andXXIV).
Four cities entered the bidding for the two games:New Orleans (Superdome),San Diego (Jack Murphy Stadium),Los Angeles/Pasadena (Rose Bowl), andTampa (Tampa Stadium). The New Orleans representatives bid only on XXXI, Los Angeles only bid on XXXII, while San Diego and Tampa made themselves available for both games. Rules required a candidate to receive a3⁄4 vote (21 of 28 owners) in order to win the bidding. If no winner received the necessary votes after three rounds, the fourth round would revert to a simple majority.[7][8]
New Orleans was selected for XXXI, at which time the voting for XXXII commenced. Tampa was eliminated during the first ballot, leaving San Diego and Los Angeles as the two finalists for XXXII. The prospects for Los Angeles suffered afterRaiders ownerAl Davis left the meeting before the presentation. San Diego representatives, meanwhile promised to add 12,000 temporary seats toJack Murphy Stadium to counter the Rose Bowl's capacity advantage. In addition, since San Diego had not hosted the Super Bowl in a decade, and Pasadena had just hosted one nine months earlier, owners tipped towards San Diego. After two deadlocked rounds, San Diego won by simple majority on the fourth vote.[9][10]
The Packers entered the 1997 season coming off of their win inSuper Bowl XXXI. They then repeated asNFC Central division champions, earning a 13–3 regular-season record. Green Bay's offense ranked 2nd in the league in points scored (only behind their eventual Super Bowl opponent, the Broncos) and 4th in yards gained, while their defense respectively ranked 5th and 7th in those two categories.
QuarterbackBrett Favre had another Pro Bowl season and became the first player ever to win theNFL MVP award three times, winning it for the third consecutive year (Favre was named co-MVP in 1997 withDetroit Lions running backBarry Sanders). Favre led the league with 35 passing touchdowns and completed 304 out of 513 attempts for 3,867 yards, with 16 interceptions, while ranking second on the team in rushing with 187 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiverAntonio Freeman led the team in receptions with 81 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns. Wide receiverRobert Brooks was also a major deep threat, catching 60 passes for 1,010 yards and 7 touchdowns. Pro Bowl tight endMark Chmura recorded 38 receptions for 417 yards and 6 touchdowns. Pro Bowl halfbackDorsey Levens, who had the best season of his career, led the team in rushing with 1,435 yards and 7 touchdowns, while also catching 53 passes for 373 yards and 5 touchdowns. FullbackWilliam Henderson rushed for 113 yards and caught 41 passes for 367 yards and a touchdown. On special teams, receiverBill Schroeder led the team with 33 punt returns for 342 yards, while also gaining 562 yards on 24 kickoff returns.
On the Packers' defense, the line was led by veteran Pro Bowl selectionReggie White, who led the team with 11 sacks. Behind him,Santana Dotson recorded 37 tackles and 5.5 sacks. In the secondary, Pro Bowl defensive backLeRoy Butler led the team with 5 interceptions, while also adding 70 tackles. SafetyEugene Robinson led the team with 74 tackles while also recording 2.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 interception. CornerbackMike Prior recorded 4 interceptions, while rookieDarren Sharper recorded 2 of them, both of which he returned for touchdowns.
The Broncos entered Super Bowl XXXII after suffering four Super Bowl losses: Super BowlsXII,XXI,XXII, andXXIV from 1978, 1987, 1988, and 1990, respectively. In all of those losses, the Broncos never had the ability to rush well enough or score enough points to be competitive. Denver had been defeated by a large margin in each one, losing all four by a combined scoring margin of 163–50.
The previous three Super Bowl losses were under starting quarterbackJohn Elway, whose ad-libbing skills enabled the Broncos to advance to the league's championship game in a span of three out of four seasons. Elway also led his team to the1991 AFC Championship Game, but they lost in a defensive struggle to theBuffalo Bills, 10–7.
The team's fortunes changed whenMike Shanahan became head coach of the Broncos in1995. Shanahan was previously Denver'soffensive coordinator during Super Bowl XXI and XXII losses but was fired in1991 after a power struggle between him and then-head coachDan Reeves over the offensive personnel. Shanahan then served as the offensive coordinator for theSan Francisco 49ers from1992 to1994, including the 49ers'Super Bowl XXIX win. Under Shanahan, the San Francisco offense ranked first in the league in total yards gained for all three of his seasons there.
When Shanahan returned to the Broncos in 1995, he selected running backTerrell Davis in the 6th round of theNFL draft. Davis became the cornerstone of Denver's rebuilt running game, leading the team with 1,117 rushing yards in just his rookie year. The Broncos finished the 1995 regular season with just an 8–8 record. By1996, the Broncos had the league's best offense, gaining 5,791 total yards, and recorded the AFC's best regular-season record at 13–3, but they were upset by the second yearJacksonville Jaguars, 30–27 in the playoffs.
During the 1997 regular season, the Broncos once again had the league's best offense with 5,872 total yards and led the league in total points scored with 472. Although they recorded a 12–4 regular-season record, they finished in second place behind the 13–3Kansas City Chiefs in theAFC West.
Davis, aPro Bowl selection, remained the team's leading rusher, recording 1,750 yards and 15 touchdowns (first in the AFC and second in the NFL behind only co-league MVPBarry Sanders's 2,053 rushing yards), while also catching 42 passes for 287 yards. At 37 years old, Elway still posted a Pro Bowl season with 280 out of 502 completions for 3,635 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions. He also rushed for 215 yards and another touchdown. Pro Bowl tight endShannon Sharpe led the team with 72 receptions for 1,107 yards. Wide receiverRod Smith, who was not drafted by any NFL team and recorded only 22 receptions for 389 yards and 3 touchdowns in his two previous seasons, had a breakout year with 70 receptions for 1,180 yards and 12 touchdowns. Wide receiverEd McCaffrey, who played in Shanahan's 1994 49ers offense, recorded 45 receptions for 590 yards and 8 touchdowns. Denver's offensive line was led by seven-time Pro Bowl left tackleGary Zimmerman and Pro Bowl centerTom Nalen.
On defense, the major acquisition to the team prior to the season was former Chiefs defensive linemanNeil Smith. Smith had a Pro Bowl season for the 6th time in his career with 28 tackles and 8.5 sacks. Defensive endAlfred Williams recorded 36 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery. The linebacking corps was led by veteranBill Romanowski, who had 55 tackles and 2 sacks, andJohn Mobley, who led the team with 97 tackles while also recording 4 sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception.
The secondary was led by veteran defensive backsTyrone Braxton, who led the team with 4 interceptions for 113 yards and 1 touchdown, andSteve Atwater, who had 53 tackles, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions for 42 yards and 1 touchdown. Defensive backDarrien Gordon recorded 50 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries, 4 interceptions, 64 return yards, and 1 touchdown. He also returned 40 punts for 543 yards and 3 touchdowns.[11]
The Broncos entered the playoffs as awild-card team and defeated theJacksonville Jaguars, 42–17, theKansas City Chiefs, 14–10, and thePittsburgh Steelers, 24–21, making Denver the fifth wild-card team to make it to the Super Bowl.[12][13][14] Meanwhile, the Packers were victorious against theTampa Bay Buccaneers, 21–7, and theSan Francisco 49ers, 23–10.[15][16][17]
The Packers came into the game as 11-point favorites, having compiled a 13–3 record regular-season record compared to the Broncos' 12–4 and coming in as defending Super Bowl champions after winningSuper Bowl XXXI 35–21 over theNew England Patriots. Furthermore, the Packers had easily crushed their two playoff opponents, while the Broncos had barely edged out their final two postseason victories by a margin of one score.
As thedesignated home team in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, the Broncos chose to wear their newly unveiled home navy uniforms with white pants. The uniforms replaced the "Orange Crush" uniforms they previously wore in three of their four Super Bowl losses. The Packers wore their customary road white uniforms with gold pants. Both teams wore the Super Bowl XXXII logo on the left breast of their jersey. The Super Bowl logo was previously worn inSuper Bowl XXV to commemorate the game's silver anniversary. All future Super Bowl teams would wear the game's logo on their jerseys.[18]
The game was televised in theUnited States byNBC, withplay-by-play announcerDick Enberg (calling his eighth and final Super Bowl),color commentatorsPhil Simms andPaul Maguire, andsideline reporterJim Gray.Greg Gumbel hosted all the events and was joined by co-hostAhmad Rashad and commentatorsCris Collinsworth,Sam Wyche, andJoe Gibbs. This was Gumbel's final assignment for NBC as he returned to CBS for the 1998 season. During the game, NBC (partnering withSilicon Graphics Inc.) included real-time3D computer graphics on SGI'sOnyx2 computers to display a model of Qualcomm Stadium and simulatingreal-time animation of action such as receiver patterns and yards after the catch; along with a second model known as "Football Guy", which allowed viewers to see defensive players from the quarterback's vantage point, accompanied by commentary byRandy Cross.[19]
This broadcast was the last for NBC as theAFC network after 33 years.CBS was awarded the AFC package for the 1998 season, and NBC would not return to covering the NFL until2006 when they signed on to televiseSunday Night Football and thenSuper Bowl XLIII in February 2009. As a result of NBC losing NFL rights, among others, Gumbel and Simms moved on to become CBS's lead NFL broadcast team.
For theSuper Bowl lead-out program, NBC broadcast an hour-long episode of3rd Rock from the Sun, "36! 24! 36! Dick". As a transition from NBC's live Super Bowl coverage and the program, Gumbel played himself attempting to close the postgame show before he was "attacked" by show starJohn Lithgow. NBC's Denver affiliateKUSA instead broadcast its own 30-minute local postgame show before airing the episode.[20][21] (WGBA-TV aired the Super Bowl in the Green Bay area.)
This was the last timeChannel 4 in theUnited Kingdom showed the Super Bowl – and their last NFL coverage until 2010 – after they had been showing the event since 1983 (Super Bowl XVII). OnlySky Sports showed it live untilChannel 5 joined them in 2003 (Super Bowl XXXVII). It also marked the last Super Bowl until 2007 forCTV inCanada after airing the NFL and the event sinceSuper Bowl XVI (the lead out program rights were held by new rightsholder Global); from 1999 to 2006 the Super Bowl aired on theGlobal Television Network. CTV had aired NFL football since 1970 and the Super Bowl since 1982 (Super Bowl XVI). It was also the final NFL game forGMA Network in thePhilippines until the2006 season; GMA had aired NFL football since1986 and the Super Bowl sinceSuper Bowl XXI in 1987. The Super Bowl was broadcast onABC 5, also from 1999 until 2006. It was also the final Super Bowl in which theTelevisa family of networks aired on its own inMexico, also until 2007, being broadcast onCanal 5; Televisa had aired NFL football since 1970 and the Super Bowl since 1988 (at the time,the only other Super Bowl in San Diego).Azteca 13 likewise exclusively aired all Super Bowls from 1999 until 2006, except for 2004,[22] includingSuper Bowl XXXVII which was the next Super Bowl to be played at Qualcomm Stadium.
InAustralia, Super Bowl was broadcast live onSBS.
This game was later featured onNFL's Greatest Games asThis One's for John.
The pregame show, narrated byactor andcomedianPhil Hartman (who was murdered four months later), celebrated the music and history of California. It featured performances byThe 5th Dimension,Lee Greenwood, andThe Beach Boys. SingerJewel later sang theU.S. national anthem.
To honor the 10th anniversary of theWashington Redskins' win inSuper Bowl XXII, the only other previous Super Bowl played in San Diego, the game's MVP,Doug Williams, and former head coachJoe Gibbs, participated during thecoin toss ceremony. They were joined by the recently retired longtimecollege football head coachEddie Robinson, who ran theGrambling State University Tigers football team from 1942 until 1997.
The halftime show was titled "A Tribute to Motown's 40th Anniversary" and featuredBoyz II Men,Smokey Robinson,Queen Latifah,Martha Reeves andThe Temptations. With her performance, Latifah was the first rapper to perform at the Super Bowl.[23]
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Full game broadcast on NBC onYouTube |
Packers wide receiverAntonio Freeman returned the opening kickoff 19 yards to the Green Bay 24-yard line. On 3rd-and-9, quarterbackBrett Favre completed a 13-yard pass to Freeman. Then running backDorsey Levens rushed for 27 yards on three consecutive plays, advancing the ball to the Denver 35-yard line. Favre capped the drive with two completions to Freeman, a 13-yard gain followed by a 22-yard touchdown strike, giving the Packers a 7–0 lead. The touchdown-scoring drive on the opening kickoff was only the third in Super Bowl history, joining theMiami Dolphins inSuper Bowl VIII and theSan Francisco 49ers inSuper Bowl XXIX).
The Broncos responded with a 10-play, 58-yard drive, ignited by running backVaughn Hebron returning the kickoff 32 yards to the Denver 42-yard line. Denver then drove to the Green Bay 46-yard line. On 3rd-and-10, a holding penalty on Packers cornerbackDoug Evans nullified quarterbackJohn Elway's incomplete pass to wide receiverWillie Green and gave the Broncos a new set of downs down. On the next play, running backTerrell Davis reeled off his longest run of the game, a 27-yard gain to the Green Bay 14. After a 2-yard run by Davis, Elway scrambled 10 yards to set up 1st-and-goal at the 2-yard line. Two plays later Davis scored a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game.
On the second play of the Packers' next possession, Broncos safetyTyrone Braxton intercepted a pass from Favre at the Green Bay 45-yard line. Davis ran for 16 yards on Denver's first play, bringing the ball to the 29. A combination of short passing and 10 yards gained on three more rushes by Davis (who was briefly taken out of the game during the drive because the onset of amigraine headache caused by an unintentional trip by defensive tackleSantana Dotson, which had severely impaired his vision) brought the ball to the Green Bay 1 yard line as the 1st quarter expired.
Denver head coachMike Shanahan schemed a play-action rush for the first play of the second quarter. Believing that the Packers would not be fooled by a fake third-down handoff on the one yard line without Davis on the field, he reinserted the back. The misdirection worked, and Elway drove in for a touchdown, giving the Broncos a 14–7 lead. Davis later said his vision was so impaired that he was afraid Elway would call an audible at the line and try to hand him the ball.[citation needed] Instead, he perfectly executed the play, drawing the Green Bay defense into the middle of the line and allowing Elway to rush into the end zone on the right completely untouched. By halftime, Davis had taken migraine medication, and his vision had returned to normal, allowing him to play the rest of the game.
On the Packers' ensuing possession, Broncos safetySteve Atwater strip-sacked Favre, and defensive endNeil Smith recovered the fumble on the Green Bay 33-yard line. Despite being unable to get a first down, Denver nonetheless capitalized on the turnover when kickerJason Elam kicked a 51-yard field goal, then the second-longest in Super Bowl history, to increase their lead to 17–7. Both teams exchanged punts on their next possessions, and Denver safetyDedrick Dodge downed punterTom Rouen's 47-yard kick at Green Bay's 5-yard line with 7:38 left in the half. But the Packers stormed down the field on their ensuing drive, marching 95 yards in 17 plays, which featured two completions from Favre to tight endMark Chmura for 32 yards (the first one being a 21-yard catch on 3rd-and-10 from his own 5-yard line), as well as three runs by Levens for 26 yards. The drive ended with Favre's 6-yard touchdown pass to Chmura with just 12 seconds left in the half, cutting Green Bay's deficit to 17–14.
On the first play after the second half kickoff, Davis fumbled the ball while surrounded by several defenders; Packers cornerbackTyrone Williams recovered, giving Green Bay excellent field position on the Denver 26-yard line. The Broncos' defense forced a three-and-out, but defensive endAlfred Williams was flagged for jumping offsides on 4th-and-4, negating a 39-yard field goal by Packers kickerRyan Longwell and giving the Packers a new set of downs at the Broncos' 15-yard line. Back-to-back false starts by offensive linemenAdam Timmerman andFrank Winters pushed the Packers back to the 25-yard line. On third down and twenty Levens' 16-yard run run came up short of a first down; Longwell then kicked a 27-yard field goal, tying the game at 17–17.
Denver's offense stalled once more on their next possession, resulting in a punt, but their defense forced Green Bay into a third straight three-and-out. On the ensuing punt Broncos defensive backTony Veland was called for an offsides penalty, giving the Packers another new set of downs near midfield. A fourth straight three-and-out forced another Green Bay punt.
The Broncos got a break during the ensuing punt when cornerbackDarrien Gordon mishandled the ball and recovered it at his own 1-yard line. However, Green Bay was forced to replay the punt when long snapperRob Davis was flagged for going downfield as an ineligible player, but punterCraig Hentrich's 51-yard kick pinned Denver back at their own 8-yard line. But the Green Bay defense could not stop Denver as they marched on a 13-play, 92-yard drive. Aided by a 36-yard reception by wide receiverEd McCaffrey (the longest play of the game), the Broncos advanced to the Green Bay 12-yard line. On 3rd-and-6 from the 12-yard line, Elway scrambled for an 8-yard run and dove for the first down, a play in which he was hit so hard by three Packers defenders that he spun sideways in mid-air. This run was later referred to as "The Helicopter," and what many consider as Elway's career-defining moment and the defining moment of the game.[24] Two plays later, Davis scored on another 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Broncos a 24–17 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Denver fullbackDetron Smith ran full speed into the wedge of the Green Bay blockers, forcing Freeman outside, to his left. Freeman fumbled while being tackled by Veland, and cornerbackTim McKyer recovered the ball for the Broncos at the Green Bay 22. In the quarter's closing seconds, Denver immediately tried to capitalize on the turnover by trying a quick-strike touchdown pass, intended for wide receiverRod Smith as he ran apost pattern following a fake handoff and a roll out by Elway, but Packers safetyEugene Robinson intercepted Elway's pass in the end zone and returned it to the 15-yard line. On the last play of the quarter after the turnover, Favre completed a 27-yard pass to Freeman to reach the Green Bay 42.
Freeman's reception was the start of a four-play, 85-yard drive on four straight Green Bay pass completions. After a 25-yard pass interference penalty on Gordon, Favre completed back-to-back passes to Freeman; the first for 17 yards, and the second for a 13-yard touchdown. On the scoring play, Freeman and wide receiverRobert Brooks ran a "criss-cross" pattern, with Freeman on the inside running towards the sidelines. Gordon hesitated as to which receiver to cover, and Favre hit Freeman for the score, tying the game once again, at 24–24.
After the ensuing kickoff, the Packers forced Denver's offense to punt from its 29 yard-line. With a short punt of only 33 yards, the Packers took possession with good field position, having 1st-and-10 at their own 48-yard line. On 3rd-and-8 from the Denver 39, Favre dropped back to pass and Denver's defense blitzed, leaving Brooks to face one-on-one coverage deep. Favre attempted the pass to a seemingly wide-open Brooks at the Denver 16-yard line, but Atwater knocked the pass away at the last second, leaving the Packers just outside of field goal range and forcing another punt.
The Broncos took over at their own 18 yard line and drove to the Packers 39 yard line. Despite being tired and having had to play from behind almost the entire game, the Packers' defense was still able to stop the Broncos' just outside of field goal range on the ensuing possession, forcing a punt and giving Green Bay a first down at their own 10-yard line with 5:25 remaining in the game. The Broncos' defense responded with its fifth three-and-out of the second half.
Hentrich then punted the ball 39 yards to the Packers' 49-yard line, giving Denver a chance for a potential game-winning drive with only 3:27 left in the game. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Packers defensive tackleDarius Holland committed a 15-yard face-mask penalty while tackling Davis on a 2-yard run, moving the ball to the 32-yard line. Two plays later, Elway completed a 23-yard pass to fullbackHoward Griffith, aided by a powerful block by McCaffrey. A holding penalty on tight endShannon Sharpe nullified an 8-yard touchdown run by Davis and pushed the Broncos back to the 18-yard line. Davis then rushed 17 yards to the 1-yard line, and the Broncos a time-out, their first. This left the Broncos facing 2nd-and-goal with 1:47 left in the game. Both teams had two time-outs remaining.
Packers coachMike Holmgren told his team to let the Broncos score to maximize the time the Packers would have on the clock for a potential game-tying drive. He admitted later that he had thought that it was 1st-and-goal rather than 2nd-and-goal, a crucial distinction in clock-management decision-making on the play.[25] Davis then scored his third rushing touchdown, with 1:45 remaining in regulation, putting Denver ahead 31–24.
The Packers still had one more chance to either tie the game before the end of regulation and send the contest into overtime, or go for atwo-point conversion for the win. Shanahan famously instructed his defensive coordinators to keep playing the same blitzing defense they had done throughout the game, instead of falling into aprevent defense. Freeman returned the Broncos' kickoff 22 yards to the 30-yard line. A 22-yard screen pass to Levens immediately advanced the ball to the Denver 48-yard line, with 1:30 remaining. Green Bay then hurried to the line of scrimmage and ran another screen to Levens, for no gain. The 19 seconds burned off the game clock caused the Packers to take their second time-out.
On the next play, Favre completed a 13-yard pass to Levens, who ran out of bounds at the Broncos' 35-yard line, stopping the clock. With 1:04 left, the Packers had a first down with one time-out still remaining.
On first down, Favre completed a 4-yard pass to Levens, who was stopped in bounds by linebackerJohn Mobley. Even with the Packers in hurry-up mode the short gain took 22 seconds off the clock before the next snap. With 42 seconds remaining Favre's pass to Freeman hit him in both hands and the chest at the Denver 15, but Broncos cornerback Darian Gordon stripped the ball loose. The incomplete pass stopped the clock, leaving the Packers with 3rd-and-6 and 37 seconds remaining. On third down Favre passed to Brooks, covered by cornerbackRandy Hilliard, but a hard hit to both by Atwater broke it up (and sent all three players out of the game). Although play had been stopped for an injury time out, NFL rules governing the final two minutes of a game charged both teams with a time-out, erasing Green Bay's last. With 32 seconds remaining and Green Bay facing 4th-and-6 on the Denver 31-yard line, Favre threw a short pass over the middle intended to tight end Mark Chmura. Mobley broke it up, giving the ball back to the Broncos and cementing their first-ever Super Bowl victory.
During the post-game victory celebration, Broncos ownerPat Bowlen held theVince Lombardi Trophy aloft and said, "this one's for John," saluting Elway's successful completion of his long quest for a Super Bowl victory.[26] Eighteen years later, after the Broncos wonSuper Bowl 50, Elway, now the general manager for the team, would salute Bowlen, who had been diagnosed the year before withAlzheimer's disease, in the same fashion by raising the trophy and exclaiming "this one's for Pat."[27]
Denver's offensive performance had been so consistent that except for two penalties and Elway's kneel-downs to end each half, the Broncos did not lose yardage on any play from scrimmage. Green Bay'sReggie White,Gilbert Brown,LeRoy Butler and others were unable to register a sack against the Broncos' front line.[28] Elway completed 12 out of 22 passes for 123 yards, with 1 interception. He became the sixth player to score touchdowns in three different Super Bowls, joiningLynn Swann,Franco Harris,Thurman Thomas,Jerry Rice, andEmmitt Smith. He was also the Broncos' second-leading rusher behindTerrell Davis, with 17 yards and a touchdown on 5 carries. Davis became the only player to rush for three touchdowns in a Super Bowl, and the only non-San Francisco 49er to score three in a Super Bowl - joiningRoger Craig,Jerry Rice (twice), andRicky Watters in the feat. Only New England running backJames White has matched this achievement since, inSuper Bowl LI. Davis's three touchdowns in this Super Bowl gave him a total of 48 points (8 touchdowns) during the postseason, an NFL record.
Denver's defense limited Green Bay to only 10 points in the second half, despite Green Bay having nine possessions during it. The Packers' first four possessions of the second half were all 3-and-out's. Their fifth possession of the second half resulted in a lost fumble by their kick return team, the sixth possession resulted in an 85-yard drive and a touchdown, the seventh ended in four plays and a punt, the eighth resulted in another 3-and-out, and the ninth and final possession ended on a fourth down stop.
Both Freeman and Favre had outstanding performances for the second Super Bowl game in a row. Favre completed 25 out of 42 passes for 256 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 1 interception. Freeman caught 9 passes for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns, and also gained another 104 yards on 6 kickoff returns, giving him 230 total yards, the third highest total in Super Bowl history. Freeman also tied himself for second all-time in touchdown catches in Super Bowls with three, joiningLynn Swann,John Stallworth, andCliff Branch, trailing only Rice's eight. He also became just the third player to have at least 100 yards receiving in back-to-back Super Bowls, joining Rice and Stallworth. Levens was Green Bay's leading rusher with 90 yards, and was their second-leading receiver with 56 yards on 6 receptions.
Denver, which had been 0-4 in Super Bowls, became the first team with even a previous 0–2 record to win a Championship. The Broncos' victory snapped the NFC's 13-game winning streak in the Super Bowl, which traced back to theLos Angeles Raiders victory over theWashington Redskins inSuper Bowl XVIII. Denver also became the first team to score on four 1-yard touchdown runs in a Super Bowl. The Packers became the third defending Super Bowl champion to lose, joining theDallas Cowboys (1977–78: wonSuper Bowl XII, lostSuper Bowl XIII) and the Washington Redskins (1982–83: wonSuper Bowl XVII, lostSuper Bowl XVIII), and would be later joined by theSeattle Seahawks (2013–14: wonSuper Bowl XLVIII, lostSuper Bowl XLIX), theNew England Patriots (2016–17: wonSuper Bowl LI, lostSuper Bowl LII) and theKansas City Chiefs (twice,2019-20: wonSuper Bowl LIV, lostSuper Bowl LV, and2023-24: wonSuper Bowl LVIII, lostSuper Bowl LIX).
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Packers (NFC) | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Broncos (AFC) | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Scoring summary | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sources:NFL.com Super Bowl XXXII,Super Bowl XXXII Play Finder Den,Super Bowl XXXII Play Finder GB
| Statistic | Green Bay Packers | Denver Broncos |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 21 | 21 |
| First downs rushing | 4 | 14 |
| First downs passing | 14 | 5 |
| First downs penalty | 3 | 2 |
| Third down efficiency | 5/14 | 5/10 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 0/1 | 0/0 |
| Net yards rushing | 95 | 179 |
| Rushing attempts | 20 | 39 |
| Yards per rush | 4.8 | 4.6 |
| Passing – Completions/attempts | 25/42 | 12/22 |
| Times sacked-total yards | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Net yards passing | 255 | 123 |
| Total net yards | 350 | 302 |
| Punt returns-total yards | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Kickoff returns-total yards | 6–104 | 5–95 |
| Interceptions-total return yards | 1–17 | 1–0 |
| Punts-average yardage | 4–35.5 | 4–36.5 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Penalties-total yards | 9–59 | 7–65 |
| Time of possession | 27:35 | 32:25 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Packers passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C/ATT1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating | |
| Brett Favre | 25/42 | 256 | 3 | 1 | 91.0 |
| Packers rushing | |||||
| Car2 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Yds/Car | |
| Dorsey Levens | 19 | 90 | 0 | 16 | 4.74 |
| Robert Brooks | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5.00 |
| Packers receiving | |||||
| Rec4 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Target5 | |
| Antonio Freeman | 9 | 126 | 2 | 27 | 13 |
| Dorsey Levens | 6 | 56 | 0 | 22 | 6 |
| Mark Chmura | 4 | 43 | 1 | 21 | 5 |
| Robert Brooks | 3 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 11 |
| William Henderson | 2 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
| Terry Mickens | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Derrick Mayes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Broncos passing | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C/ATT1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating | |
| John Elway | 12/22 | 123 | 0 | 1 | 51.9 |
| Broncos rushing | |||||
| Car2 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Yds/Car | |
| Terrell Davis | 30 | 157 | 3 | 27 | 5.23 |
| John Elway | 5 | 17 | 1 | 10 | 3.40 |
| Vaughn Hebron | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1.00 |
| Howard Griffith | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2.00 |
| Broncos receiving | |||||
| Rec4 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Target5 | |
| Shannon Sharpe | 5 | 38 | 0 | 12 | 5 |
| Ed McCaffrey | 2 | 45 | 0 | 36 | 3 |
| Terrell Davis | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Howard Griffith | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 | 2 |
| Vaughn Hebron | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Dwayne Carswell | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Rod Smith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Willie Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
1Completions/attempts2Carries3Long gain4Receptions5Times targeted
One new record was set and several were tied in Super Bowl XXXII, according to the official NFL.com boxscore,[30] the 2016 NFL Record & Fact Book[31] and the ProFootball reference.com game summary.[32]
| Player records set[32] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Most rushing touchdowns, game | 3 | Terrell Davis (Denver) |
| Records tied | ||
| Most points scored, game | 18 | Terrell Davis (Denver) |
| Most touchdowns, game | 3 | |
| Most interceptions thrown, career | 7 | John Elway (Denver) |
| Team records tied[32] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Most rushing touchdowns | 4 | Broncos |
| Fewest times sacked | 0 | |
| Fewest passing touchdowns | 0 | |
| Fewest punt returns, game | 0 | Broncos Packers |
| Fewest rushing touchdowns | 0 | Packers |
| Records tied, both team totals[32] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Broncos | Packers | |
| Most rushing touchdowns | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Fewest times sacked | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Fewest punt returns, game | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fewest punt return yards gained | 0 yds | 0 | 0 |
Hall of Fame‡
NOTE: the titles of field judge and back judge were swapped before the next season.
John Robison was originally assigned as the field judge, but was pulled by Vice President of OfficiatingJerry Seeman after he missed a call in the Vikings-Giants wild card game. Don Dorkowski, the field judge for the NFC championship game, was named as Robison's replacement.[35]
