Editing Super Bowl XXXII (section)

==Game summary==
{{external media|video1={{YouTube|JUe968JR8UM|Full game broadcast on NBC}}}}

===First quarter===
Packers wide receiver [[Antonio Freeman]] returned the opening kickoff 19 yards to the Green Bay 24-yard line. On 3rd-and-9, quarterback [[Brett Favre]] completed a 13-yard pass to Freeman. Then running back [[Dorsey 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 the [[1973 Miami Dolphins season|Miami Dolphins]] in [[Super Bowl VIII]] and the [[1994 San Francisco 49ers season|San Francisco 49ers]] in [[Super Bowl XXIX]]).

The Broncos responded with a 10-play, 58-yard drive, ignited by running back [[Vaughn 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 cornerback [[Doug Evans (American football)|Doug Evans]] nullified quarterback [[John Elway]]'s incomplete pass to wide receiver [[Willie Green (American football)|Willie Green]] and gave the Broncos a new set of downs down. On the next play, running back [[Terrell 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 safety [[Tyrone 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 a [[migraine]] headache caused by an unintentional trip by defensive tackle [[Santana Dotson]], which had severely impaired his vision) brought the ball to the Green Bay 1 yard line as the 1st quarter expired.

===Second quarter===
Denver head coach [[Mike 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|date=September 2008}} 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 safety [[Steve Atwater]] strip-sacked Favre, and defensive end [[Neil Smith (American football)|Neil 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 kicker [[Jason 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 safety [[Dedrick Dodge]] downed punter [[Tom 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 end [[Mark 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.

===Third quarter===
On the first play after the second half kickoff, Davis fumbled the ball while surrounded by several defenders; Packers cornerback [[Tyrone Williams (cornerback)|Tyrone Williams]] recovered, giving Green Bay excellent field position on the Denver 26-yard line. The Broncos' defense forced a three-and-out, but defensive end [[Alfred Williams]] was flagged for jumping offsides on 4th-and-4, negating a 39-yard field goal by Packers kicker [[Ryan Longwell]] and giving the Packers a new set of downs at the Broncos' 15-yard line. Back-to-back false starts by offensive linemen [[Adam Timmerman]] and [[Frank 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 back [[Tony 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 cornerback [[Darrien Gordon]] mishandled the ball and recovered it at his own 1-yard line. However, Green Bay was forced to replay the punt when long snapper [[Rob Davis (gridiron football)|Rob Davis]] was flagged for going downfield as an ineligible player, but punter [[Craig 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 receiver [[Ed 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.<ref>{{cite news|last=Heath|first=Jon|title=Fans can vote John Elway's helicopter run the greatest moment in NFL history|url=https://broncoswire.usatoday.com/2020/01/09/denver-broncos-john-elway-helicopter-run-super-bowl-xxxii-nominated-for-great-play-in-nfl-history/|newspaper=[[USA Today]]|date=January 9, 2020|access-date=December 21, 2020}}</ref> Two plays later, Davis scored on another 1-yard touchdown run, giving the Broncos a 24–17 lead.

On the ensuing kickoff, Denver fullback [[Detron 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 cornerback [[Tim 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 receiver [[Rod Smith (wide receiver)|Rod Smith]] as he ran a [[Post route|post pattern]] following a fake handoff and a roll out by Elway, but Packers safety [[Eugene Robinson (American football)|Eugene 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.

===Fourth quarter===
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 receiver [[Robert Brooks (American football)|Robert 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 tackle [[Darius 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 fullback [[Howard Griffith]], aided by a powerful block by McCaffrey. A holding penalty on tight end [[Shannon 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 coach [[Mike 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.<ref>{{cite web | last=Biggs | first=Brad | title=Holmgren still explaining 'concession' touchdown | work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | date=February 4, 2006 | url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060204/ai_n16053615 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071103170819/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060204/ai_n16053615 | archive-date=November 3, 2007}}</ref>  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 a [[two-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 a [[prevent 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 linebacker [[John 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 cornerback [[Randy 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.

===Post-game===
During the post-game victory celebration, Broncos owner [[Pat Bowlen]] held the [[Vince Lombardi Trophy]] aloft and said, "this one's for John," saluting Elway's successful completion of his long quest for a Super Bowl victory.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.profootballhof.com/story/2009/10/9/super-bowl-memories-this-ones-for-john/ | title = Super Bowl Memories: This one's for John! | access-date = January 10, 2012 | publisher = Pro Football Hall of Fame | url-status=dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120609134401/http://www.profootballhof.com/story/2009/10/9/super-bowl-memories-this-ones-for-john/ | archive-date = June 9, 2012 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> Eighteen years later, after the Broncos won [[Super Bowl 50]], Elway, now the general manager for the team, would salute Bowlen, who had been diagnosed the year before with [[Alzheimer's disease]], in the same fashion by raising the trophy and exclaiming "this one's for Pat."<ref>{{cite web|title=18 Years Later, John Elway Declares 'This One's For Pat'|url=https://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/02/07/18-years-later-john-elway-declares-this-ones-for-pat/|publisher=[[CBSSports.com|Denver CBSSports]]|access-date=March 5, 2019|date=February 7, 2016}}</ref>

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's [[Reggie White]], [[Gilbert Brown]], [[LeRoy Butler]] and others were unable to register a sack against the Broncos' front line.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/nfl/super/superbowl-xxxii-plays.htm/ | title = USA Today Super Bowl XXXII Play by Play}}</ref>  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, joining [[Lynn Swann]], [[Franco Harris]], [[Thurman Thomas]], [[Jerry Rice]], and [[Emmitt Smith]].  He was also the Broncos' second-leading rusher behind [[Terrell 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 - joining [[Roger Craig (American football)|Roger Craig]], [[Jerry Rice]] (twice), and [[Ricky Watters]] in the feat.  Only New England running back [[James White (running back)|James White]] has matched this achievement since, in [[Super 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, joining [[Lynn Swann]], [[John Stallworth]], and [[Cliff 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 was 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 the [[1983 Los Angeles Raiders season|Los Angeles Raiders]] victory over the [[1983 Washington Redskins season|Washington Redskins]] in [[Super 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 the [[Dallas Cowboys]] ([[1977 Dallas Cowboys season|1977]]–[[1978 Dallas Cowboys season|78]]: won [[Super Bowl XII]], lost [[Super Bowl XIII]]) and the Washington Redskins ([[1982 Washington Redskins season|1982]]–[[1983 Washington Redskins season|83]]: won [[Super Bowl XVII]], lost [[Super Bowl XVIII]]), and would be later joined by the [[Seattle Seahawks]] ([[2013 Seattle Seahawks season|2013]]–[[2014 Seattle Seahawks season|14]]: won [[Super Bowl XLVIII]], lost [[Super Bowl XLIX]]), the [[New England Patriots]] ([[2016 New England Patriots season|2016]]–[[2017 New England Patriots season|17]]: won [[Super Bowl LI]], lost [[Super Bowl LII]]) and the [[Kansas City Chiefs]] ([[2019 Kansas City Chiefs season|2019]]-[[2020 Kansas City Chiefs season|20]]: won [[Super Bowl LIV]], lost [[Super Bowl LV]]).

===Box score===
{{Americanfootballbox | bg=#eee
|titlestyle=text-align:center;background-color:#000;color:#fff
|title=Super Bowl XXXII: Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24
|Road=Packers (NFC)
|R1=7
|R2=7
|R3=3
|R4=7
|Home='''Broncos (AFC)'''
|H1=7
|H2=10
|H3=7
|H4=7
|stadium=[[SDCCU Stadium|Qualcomm Stadium]], [[San Diego|San Diego, California]]
|date=January 25, 1998
|time=3:24 p.m. [[Pacific Time Zone|PST]]
|weather={{convert|67|°F|°C}}, sunny<ref>{{cite web|title=Super Bowl Game-Time Temperatures|url=http://www.profootballhof.com/news/super-bowl-game-time-temperatures/|publisher=[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]]|access-date=March 10, 2018}}</ref>
|state=uncollapsed
}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryStart |VisitorName=GB |HomeName=DEN |state=expanded}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=1 |Time=10:58 |Team=GB |DrivePlays=8 |DriveLength=76 |DriveTime=4:02 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=[[Antonio Freeman]] |QB=[[Brett Favre]] |yards=22 |kickresult=good |Kicker=[[Ryan Longwell]] |Visitor=7 |Home=0}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=1 |Time=5:39 |Team=DEN |DrivePlays=10 |DriveLength=58 |DriveTime=5:19 |Type=RushTD |Runner=[[Terrell Davis]] |yards=1 |kickresult=good |Kicker=[[Jason Elam]] |Visitor=7 |Home=7}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=2 |Time=14:55 |Team=DEN |DrivePlays=8 |DriveLength=45 |DriveTime=4:54 |Type=RushTD |Runner=[[John Elway]] |yards=1 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Elam |Visitor=7 |Home=14}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=2 |Time=12:21 |Team=DEN |DrivePlays=4 |DriveLength=0 |DriveTime=1:02 |Type=FG |yards=51 |Kicker=Elam |Visitor=7 |Home=17}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=2 |Time=0:12 |Team=GB |DrivePlays=17 |DriveLength=95 |DriveTime=7:26 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=[[Mark Chmura]] |QB=Favre| yards=6 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Longwell |Visitor=14 |Home=17}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=3 |Time=11:59 |Team=GB |DrivePlays=7 |DriveLength=17 |DriveTime=2:42 |Type=FG |yards=27 |Kicker=Longwell |Visitor=17 |Home=17}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=3 |Time=0:34 |Team=DEN |DrivePlays=13 |DriveLength=92 |DriveTime=7:12 |Type=RushTD |Runner=Davis |yards=1 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Elam |Visitor=17 |Home=24}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=4 |Time=13:32 |Team=GB |DrivePlays=4 |DriveLength=85 |DriveTime=1:39 |Type=RecTD |Receiver=Freeman |QB=Favre |yards=13 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Longwell |Visitor=24 |Home=24}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEntry |Quarter=4 |Time=1:45 |Team=DEN |DrivePlays=5 |DriveLength=49 |DriveTime=1:42 |Type=RushTD |Runner=Davis |yards=1 |kickresult=good |Kicker=Elam |Visitor=24 |Home=31}}
{{AmFootballScoreSummaryEnd |Visitor=24 |Home=31}}