SB XXXIII RETROSPECTIVE:

     
 

BRONCOS DOWN DIRTY BIRDS IN ELWAY'S LAST GAME

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.

Denver Broncos (AFC) Atlanta Falcons (NFC) 34 19
1 2 3 4 Total DEN 7 10 0 17 34 ATL 3 3 0 13 19
Date	January 31, 1999 (1999-01-31)
Stadium	Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida
MVP	John Elway, Quarterback
Favorite	Broncos by 7.5[1][2]
Referee	Bernie Kukar
Attendance	74,803[3]
Future Hall of Famers
Broncos: John Elway, Shannon Sharpe Falcons: none
Ceremonies
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
Halftime show	Gloria Estefan, Stevie Wonder, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
TV in the United States
Network	Fox
Announcers	Pat Summerall and John Madden
Nielsen ratings	40.2 (est. 83.7 million viewers)[4]
Market share	61
Cost of 30-second commercial	$1.6 million

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.

I watched this game at friend's house in Okemos.

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.

Falcons safety Eugene Robinson was a dirty bird getting busted for soliciting a prostitute the night before the game and the same day he won the Bart Starrr/Athlete's in Action 
citizenship award!

 

 

Elway torched him for an 80 yard TD.

 

 

Dan Reeves lost to his old team.

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.