Rocky Mountain High Broncos 31 - Packers 24 Denver, Afc Finally Win

There was supposed to be one Jewel at Super Bowl XXXII, and she would sing the national anthem. But then along came the Denver Broncos, and look what happened.

Not only did they produce one of the most memorable Super Bowls - a 31-24 defeat of Green Bay - the Broncos ended 13 years of AFC misery, two decades of heartbreak in Denver and nearly 10 years of wishing, hoping and praying for quarterback John Elway.

“I can’t believe this,” Elway said after winning his first Super Bowl and the first Super Bowl for Denver. “This is three times better than anything you can imagine.”

Praised by his teammates, hugged by his coach and cheered by thousands as he hoisted the Lombardi Trophy over his head and pumped his fist in the air, Elway would not be taking bows today were it not for a running back who had trouble seeing because of a migraine but who became one enormous headache for Green Bay.

Terrell Davis, who grew up here and played nose tackle at Lincoln High, was a unanimous MVP - the first time that honor has gone to someone playing in his hometown - for his three touchdowns and 157 yards rushing. Ironically, the last time the AFC won the Super Bowl, it was another Lincoln grad - running back Marcus Allen - who drove away in the MVP car for his heroics in the Raiders’ 38-9 win over Washington in 1984.

“Anything is possible,” said Davis, who missed the second quarter because an oncoming headache affected his vision, “and I think I proved that today.”

So did the Broncos. They had been to the championship game four times before and not only had lost but had gotten drilled. In their previous loss, 55-10 to the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV, the Broncos were hammered so badly the blowout still serves as the Super Bowl’s most lopsided.

Elway was part of that debris, as he was of two spankings by the NFC before that, and this time he hoped it would be different. This time, he hoped a rushing attack - built around Davis and his 1,750 yards - and the league’s fifth-ranked defense would do for him what he and Dan Reeves and the Three Amigos and Dennis Smith and Karl Mecklenburg could not, and this time he was not disappointed.

“To finally come and show them,” said Elway, 0-3 in Super Bowls before Sunday, “is unbelievable. That was the ultimate win, no question.”

Playing a near-flawless game, Denver won by wearing down and wearing out the defending Super Bowl champions. Elway would throw only 22 times, completing 12 for 123 yards and one interception, but he would rely on his legs - scoring Denver’s second touchdown and rushing for three crucial first downs, all inside the Green Bay 20, the legs of Davis and the miracle of modern medicine to pull off the upset.

Davis, who exited after he was tackled on the last play of the first quarter, might not have made it back had he not been given medication for what he described as a migraine about to happen. Davis last suffered such a headache a year earlier against the Chargers, but he had so much trouble seeing and was feeling sufficiently dizzy Sunday that he sat out the second quarter.

“Fortunately,” Davis said, “because it wasn’t a new experience I knew I was going to come back.”

Too bad for Green Bay. With the score tied at 24 with 3:27 left, Denver launched a 49-yard game-winning drive that featured Davis on four of its five plays and Elway on the fifth. Elway’s 23-yard swing pass to fullback Howard Griffith set up a 17-yard Davis run to the 1 which, in turn, produced the game-winning score - a 1-yard run in which Davis was not touched.

The outcome was not decided, however, until with 28 seconds left, linebacker John Mobley swatted down a fourth-and-6 Brett Favre pass intended for tight end Mark Chmura - a play reminiscent of the game-preserving pass defense three weeks earlier in the closing seconds at Kansas City. As Chmura lay face down on the field, the Broncos erupted.

The Super Bowl had lived up to its name.

“We hung in there and made some plays when it counted,” Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. “I’m happy for John, for the way he played and that he will get a ring. I’m proud not only for him, but for the city of Denver.”

While Denver couldn’t have won without Elway, Davis or its defense, the Broncos couldn’t have won without Green Bay’s help, either. Unlike their NFC championship win over the 49ers, the Packers committed mistakes - plenty of them. Favre threw an interception that led to a touchdown, and he lost a fumble that led to a field goal. There was an Antonio Freeman fumble on a kick return that could have caused damage but didn’t. And there were plenty of missed opportunities, with Favre atypically missing open receivers.

“We just didn’t make the plays we’re capable of making,” said Favre, who was 25 of 42 passing for 256 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. “We didn’t have it today.”

That was apparent on the Packers’ last two possessions. On the first, two penalties on left tackle Ross Verba and an errant Favre throw for wide open Antonio Freeman caused the Packers to surrender the ball for Denver’s game-winning drive - one, by the way, that featured a 15-yard face-mask penalty against defensive end Darius Holland, who was subbing for the injured Gabe Wilkins.

On the second, Favre drove the Packers to Denver’s 35 with 1:04 left but completed only one of his last four attempts - a so-what 4-yarder to running back Dorsey Levens - as time finally ran out on Green Bay. It was the Packers’ first loss in 10 weeks and ended a seven-game winning streak.

Broncos 31, Packers 24

Green Bay 7 7 3 7 24

Denver 7 10 7 7 31 GBFreeman 22 pass from Favre (Longwell kick) DenDavis 1 run (Elam kick) DenElway 1 run (Elam kick) DenFG Elam 51 GBChmura 6 pass from Favre (Longwell kick) GBFG Longwell 27 DenDavis 1 run (Elam kick) GBFreeman 13 pass from Favre (Longwell kick) DenDavis 1 run (Elam kick) A68,912.

GB Den First downs 21 21 Rushes-yards 20-95 39-179 Passing 255 123 Punt Returns 0-0 0-0 Kickoff Returns 6-104 5-95 Interceptions Ret. 1-17 1-0 Comp-Att-Int 25-42-1 12-22-1 Sacked-Yards Lost 1-1 0-0 Punts 4-35.5 4-36.5 Fumbles-Lost 2-2 1-1 Penalties-Yards 9-59 7-65 Time of Possession 27:35 32:25 Individual statistics RUSHING-Green Bay, Levens 19-90, Brooks 1-5. Denver, Davis 30-157, Elway 5-17, Hebron 3-3, Griffith 1-2.

PASSING-Green Bay, Favre 25-42-1-256. Denver, Elway 12-22-1-123.

RECEIVING-Green Bay, Freeman 9-126, Levens 6-56, Chmura 4-43, Brooks 3-16, Henderson 2-9, Mickens 1-6. Denver, Sharpe 5-38, McCaffrey 2-45, Davis 2-8, Griffith 1-23, Hebron 1-5, Carswell 1-4.

MISSED FIELD GOALS-None.