NFL Super Bowl XXXIII: Broncos 34 Falcons 19
The Broncos Defeat the Falcons 34-19 to win Super Bowl XXXIII, Broncos QB John Elway named MVP
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After waiting so long for his first Super Bowl ring, Elway wasted no time in adding a second one to his collection. Elway amassed 336 yards in Denver's 34-19 win over a Falcons squad led by powerful halfback Jamal Anderson.
A member of the famed Class of '83 quarterbacks, Elway walked away from football after winning his second Super Bowl, ending on the highest of notes.
John Elway passed for 336 yards and ran for a touchdown to earn most valuable player honors as the Broncos became the first AFC team to win consecutive Super Bowls since the Steelers won Super Bowls XIII and XIV.
A 25-yard pass interference penalty on Ray Crockett assisted the Falcons' nine-play, 48-yard game-opening drive that was capped by Morten Andersen's 32-yard field goal. Elway's 41-yard pass to Rod Smith kept alive Denver's ensuing drive and led to Howard Griffith's 1-yard touchdown run.
Ronnie Bradford's interception and return to the Broncos' 35 late in the first quarter gave Atlanta excellent field position. However, Jamal Anderson was stopped for no gain on third-and-1 and thrown for a 2-yard loss on fourth down. Denver capitalized on its defensive effort with Jason Elam's 26-yard field goal.
The Falcons responded by driving to the Broncos' 8, but Andersen's 26-yard field-goal attempt sailed wide right and on the next play, Elway fired an 80-yard touchdown pass to Smith to turn a possible 10-6 game into a 17-3 Broncos lead.
Andersen's 28-yard field goal and two misses by Elam on the Broncos' first two second-half possessions gave Atlanta an opportunity to climb back into the game. However, Darrien Gordon dashed the Falcons' hopes with interceptions on consecutive possessions inside the Broncos' 20 to stop drives and set up Broncos touchdowns.
Gordon returned the first interception, on a tipped pass, 58 yards to the Falcons' 24 to set up Griffith's second touchdown five plays later, and picked the second pass off at the Broncos' 2 and returned it 50 yards.
Terrell Davis turned a short pass into a 39-yard gain, and Elway scored two plays later to give Denver a 31-6 lead. Tim Dwight returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown, and, after a field goal by Elam, the Falcons' offense scored with 2:04 remaining on Chandler's 3-yard pass to Tony Martin.
Byron Chamberlain recovered the ensuing onside kick, but Tyrone Braxton recovered Anderson's fumble at the Falcons' 33 with 1:30 remaining to ice the game. The Falcons drove inside the Broncos' 30 seven times, but tallied just one touchdown and two field goals, throwing two interceptions, missing a field goal, and turning the ball over one time on downs during the other possessions.
Elway was 18 of 29 for 336 yards and one touchdown, with an interception. Davis had 25 carries for 102 yards. Smith had five receptions for 152 yards. Chandler was 19 of 35 for 219 yards and a touchdown, with three interceptions.
Super Bowl XXXIII: MVP John Elway, QB, Denver Broncos
French explorer Ponce de Leon searched years for the Fountain of Youth in South Florida. Too bad John Elway wasn't around then to show him where it was.
"It's amazing," the 38-year-old Elway explained Monday, a day after being named Super Bowl XXXIII's Most Valuable Player. "I was talking to (Miami Dolphins quarterback) Danny Marino the other night and I said, 'No wonder you're talking about playing three more years. You get down here in the sun and your bones feel pretty good.' "
The Denver quarterback showed the world exactly how good last night, throwing for 336 yards – the third-highest total in Super Bowl history – and a touchdown in the Broncos' 34-19 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. For his efforts, Elway was awarded the MVP trophy.
"I really never thought I'd be standing here the morning after the Super Bowl as the MVP," Elway said. "It's really one of the great thrills of my career and something I'll always remember."
Once he comes to, that is.
"I still feel like this morning is last night," Elway admitted. "I haven't had a chance to lay down and change days yet. It's still Sunday to me."
Should Elway decide to come back and play a 17th NFL season, he would have the opportunity to win three championships in a row – something that has never been accomplished. For that reason, perhaps, Elway has left the door open for his return.
"As I've said all year, there's a 90 percent chance I'm going to quit," Elway said. "The last thing I want to do is shut the door. I don't want to say I'm done and then get into March or April and say I can go one more year. So I want to take the time to do that and not close the door.
"The thing I know is the way the game's going, you can't start in July and expect to have a good year. The season starts in April. It's a nine-month job. So I have to have a good idea, my mind's got to be set by April."
"I don't want to come back and just go through the motions. If I come back it's going to be full bent trying to repeat."
In addition to the trophy, Elway was awarded a brand new 1999 Ford Expedition, passing up a Mustang.
Super Bowl XXXIII
SUPER BOWL XXXIII SCORING
Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final | ||
Denver Broncos | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 34 | |
Atlanta Falcons | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 19 | |
1st Quarter
ATL FG Andersen 32, 5:25
DEN Griffith 1 run (Elam kick), 11:05
2nd Quarter
DEN FG Elam 26, 5:43
DEN R.Smith 80 pass from Elway (Elam kick), 10:06
ATL FG Andersen 28, 12:35
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
DEN Griffith 1 run (Elam kick), 0:04
DEN Elway 3 run (Elam kick), 3:40
ATL Dwight 94 kickoff return (Andersen kick), 3:59
DEN FG Elam 37, 7:52
ATL Mathis 3 pass from Chandler (pass failed), 12:56
January 31, 1999
Pro Player Stadium (Miami, Florida)
Attendance: 74,803
Super Bowl XXXIII: Ticket and Championship Ring
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Super Bowl Games & Super Bowl MVP History
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Super Bowl I
Green Bay Packers 35 Kansas City Chiefs 10 -
Super Bowl II
Green Bay Packers 33 Oakland Raiders 14 -
Super Bowl III
New York Jets 16 Baltimore Colts 7 -
Super Bowl IV
Kansas City Chiefs 23 Minnesota Vikings 7 -
Super Bowl V
Baltimore Colts 16 Dallas Cowboys 13 -
Super Bowl VI
Dallas Cowboys 24 Miami Dolphins 3 -
Super Bowl VII
Miami Dolphins 14 Washington Redskins 7 -
Super Bowl VIII
Miami Dolphins 24 Minnesota Vikings 7 -
Super Bowl IX
Pittsburgh Steelers 16 Minnesota Vikings 6 -
Super Bowl X
Steelers 21 Dallas Cowboys 17 -
Super Bowl XI
Oakland Raiders 32 Minnesota Vikings 14 -
Super Bowl XII
Cowboys 27 Denver Broncos 10 -
Super Bowl XIII
Pittsburgh Steelers 35 Dallas Cowboys 31 -
Super Bowl XIV
Pittsburgh Steelers 31 Los Angeles Rams 19 -
Super Bowl XV
Oakland Raiders 27 Philadelphia Eagles 10 -
Super Bowl XVI
San Francisco 49ers 26 Cincinnati Bengals 21 -
Super Bowl XVII
Washington Redskins 27 Miami Dolphins 17 -
Super Bowl XVIII
Los Angeles Raiders 38 Washington Redskins 9 -
Super Bowl XIX
San Francisco 49ers 38 Miami Dolphins 16 -
Super Bowl XX
Chicago Bears 46 New England Patriots 10 -
Super Bowl XXI
New York Giants 39 Denver Broncos 20 -
Super Bowl XXII
Washington Redskins 42 Denver Broncos 10 -
Super Bowl XXIII
San Francisco 49ers 20 Cincinnati Bengals 16 -
Super Bowl XXIV
San Francisco 49ers 55 Denver Broncos 10 -
Super Bowl XXV
New York Giants 20 Buffalo Bills 19 -
Super Bowl XXVI
Washington Redskins 37 Buffalo Bills 24 -
Super Bowl XXVII
Dallas Cowboys 52 Buffalo Bills 17 -
Super Bowl XXVIII
Dallas Cowboys 30 Buffalo Bills 13 -
Super Bowl XXIX
San Francisco 49ers 49 San Diego Chargers 26 -
Super Bowl XXX
Dallas Cowboys 27 Pittsburgh Steelers 17 -
Super Bowl XXXI
Green Bay Packers 35 New England Patriots 21 -
Super Bowl XXXII
Denver Broncos 31 Green Bay Packers 24 -
Super Bowl XXXIII
Denver Broncos 34 Atlanta Falcons 19 -
Super Bowl XXXIV
Saint Louis Rams 23 Tennessee Titans 16 -
Super Bowl XXXV
Baltimore Ravens 34 New York Giants 7 -
Super Bowl XXXVI
New England Patriots 20 Saint Louis Rams 17 -
Super Bowl XXXVII
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48 Oakland Raiders 21 -
Super Bowl XXXVIII
New England Patriots 32 Carolina Panthers 29 -
Super Bowl XXXIX
New England Patriots 24 Philadelphia Eagles 21 -
Super Bowl XL
Steelers 21 Seahawks 10 -
Super Bowl XLI
Colts 29 Bears 17 -
Super Bowl XLII
New York Giants 17 New England Patriots 14 -
Super Bowl XLIII
Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Arizona Cardinals 23 -
Super Bowl XLIV
New Orleans Saints 31 Indianapolis Colts 17
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