SB 33 Champion Denver Broncos - Super Bowl XXXIII - Superbowl XXXIII- Super Bowl 33 - Atlanta Falcons - Denver Broncos

A big reason for Elway's passing success was that he had 2 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 an outstanding deep threat, while tight end Shannon Sharpe (64 receptions, 786 yards and 10 touchdowns) was considered one of the best tight ends in NFL history. The Broncos also had 3 Pro Bowlers anchoring their offensive line: center Tom Nalen, guard Mark Schlereth, and tackle Tony Jones.

The Broncos defense typically did not get as much attention as their offense, but it was still effective, giving up just 308 points (8th in the NFL).

After the Broncos won Super Bowl XXXII during the previous season, many wondered if 15-year veteran quarterback John Elway would retire now that he finally won a Super Bowl. But Elway decided to stay with Denver and see if he could lead them to a second consecutive championship. Under Elway's leadership, 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.

The Broncos' offense, under the leadership of Elway and running back Terrell Davis, had another outstanding regular season, ranking 2nd in the NFL with 501 points and gaining 6,276 yards (3rd in the league). 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. But 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.

John Elway, in his last game, 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 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.

Date January 31, 1999
Stadium Pro Player Stadium
City Miami, Florida
MVP John Elway, Quarterback
Favorite Broncos by 7�
National anthem Cher
Coin toss Raymond Berry, Lenny Moore, Jim Parker, Art Donovan, Gino Marchetti, Frank Gifford, Roosevelt Brown, Don Maynard, Sam Huff, Tom Landry
Referee Bernie Kukar
Halftime show Gloria Estefan, Stevie Wonder, and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Attendance 74,803
TV in the United States
Network FOX
Announcers Pat Summerall and John Madden
Nielsen Ratings 40.2
Market share 61
Cost of 30-second commercial US$1.6 million