Forever My Favorite: The 1997-'98 Denver Broncos

I really enjoy these assignments where I get to talk about my favorite subject, me.  It’s an opportunity for me to impart all my opinions on the world, making it a better place.

So now I’ll tell you my favorite football team and why they should be yours, too.

As I stated in a previous article, I became a Denver Broncos fan in January of 1988.  The Broncos had just been destroyed by my other favorite football club, the Washington Redskins, in Super Bowl XXII.  That day, I found a new respect for this team.

A team that lost the game with dignity.  A team that kept its pride and held their collective heads high when they fell short of their goal.  A team that said, “Congratulations, but we’ll be back.”

Well they did come back...twice.

After an early exit in the 1996 NFL playoffs (a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars), the 1997 Broncos were back with a vengeance.  Posting a record of 12-4, the Broncos made the playoffs as a wild card team.

Their opponent in the first round would be the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Things would finish a little differently this time, as the Broncos rolled to a 42-17 victory.

Denver would then dispatch the (AFC West Champion) Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers en route to a matchup with Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers (13-3).

Super Bowl XXXII, ten years after losing that game to the Redskins, they were to challenge for the Lombardi trophy again.

So there they were.  The Denver Broncos, four times defeated in the big dance, now up against the defending Super Bowl Champions (and 11 point favorites).

The Packers had noticeable talent on both sides of the ball.  Brett Favre, the gunslinger, was surrounded by sure-handed targets.  Mark Chmura was a Pro Bowl tight end.  Antonio Freeman and Robert Brooks were known for making the big plays downfield. 

And in the background, fullback William Henderson and running back Dorsey Levens had the option of making the catch or running the ball down opponents’ throats.

On defense, Green Bay had a host of terrors.  Among them were safety Eugene Robinson, cornerback LeRoy Butler, defensive tackle Santana Dotson, and defensive end Reggie White (later inducted into the Football Hall of Fame).

Luckily, the Broncos came prepared.  Lead by a defensive backfield consisting of Steve Atwater, Tyron Braxton, and Darrien Gordon, the Broncos were the sixth-ranked defense in the NFL. Up front, Denver had newly acquired defensive end Neil Smith, defensive end Alfred Williams, and a linebacking corps that had John Mobley and Bill Romanowski.

The No. 1 ranked offense in the NFL that year was lead by (future Hall of Famer) John Elway.  Elway had lead the Broncos to three previous Super Bowls. 

All three were losses. 

And to be fair, those Denver teams were John Elway.  This was the first time the QB would have a host of talent around him.

Pro Bowl running back Terrell Davis would have 15 touchdowns and 1,750 yards on the ground that season.  He also would amass 287 yards in the air on 42 passes.

The wide receiver group consisted of such talent as Ed McCaffery and Rod Smith.  They were joined by Pro Bowl tight end Shannon Sharpe.

The offensive line was anchored by two Pro Bowlers as well, Tom Nalen and Gary Zimmerman.

Green Bay jumped out to an early seven point lead in the game, but it would soon be answered by a Terrell Davis TD run.  Then, Denver would go up by 10 before the Packers knotted the score at 17.  In the end, the Broncos would prove to be too much and they’d put the game away, 31-24.

The 37 year old Elway had won his first Super Bowl and Denver was alive with celebration.  Everyone was excited for John Elway, a quarterback who had played his entire career in Denver and failed three previous times to capture the Lombardi trophy. 

Now, he could retire “on top.”

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