Super Bowl XXXII

Host selection process

NFL owners voted to award Super Bowl XXXII to San Diego during their October 26, 1993, meeting in Chicago. The bidding process was scheduled to award two Super Bowl sites (XXXI and XXXII), the first time that multiple hosts were selected at the same meeting since XXIII and XXIV were voted on in 1985. This was the second time that San Diego hosted the game; the city previously hosted XXII ten years earlier. The Broncos played in both XXII and XXXII, the first franchise to play two different Super Bowls in the same stadium twice; they had already played twice at the Superdome (XII and XXIV).

Four cities entered the bidding for the two games: New Orleans (Superdome), San Diego (Jack Murphy Stadium), Los Angeles/Pasadena (Rose Bowl), and Tampa (Tampa Stadium). The New Orleans representatives bid only on XXXI, Los Angeles only bid on XXXII, while San Diego and Tampa made themselves available for both games. Rules required a candidate to receive a 3⁄4 vote (21 of 28 owners) in order to win the bidding. If no winner received the necessary votes after three rounds, the fourth round would revert to a simple majority.^[9][10]

New Orleans was selected for XXXI, at which time the voting for XXXII commenced. Tampa was eliminated during the first ballot, leaving San Diego and Los Angeles as the two finalists for XXXII. The prospects for Los Angeles suffered after Raiders owner Al Davis left the meeting before the presentation. San Diego representatives, meanwhile promised to add 12,000 temporary seats to Jack Murphy Stadium to counter the Rose Bowl's capacity advantage. In addition, since San Diego had not hosted the Super Bowl in a decade, and Pasadena had just hosted one nine months earlier, owners tipped towards San Diego. After two deadlocked rounds, San Diego won by simple majority on the fourth vote.^[11][12]

Green Bay Packers

The Packers entered the 1997 season coming off of their win in Super Bowl XXXI. They then repeated as NFC Central division champions, earning a 13–3 regular-season record. Green Bay's offense ranked 2nd in the league in points scored (only behind their eventual Super Bowl opponent, the Broncos) and 4th in yards gained, while their defense respectively ranked 5th and 7th in those two categories.

Quarterback Brett Favre had another Pro Bowl season and became the first player ever to win the NFL MVP award three times, winning it for the third consecutive year (Favre was named co-MVP in 1997 with Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders). Favre led the league with 35 passing touchdowns and completed 304 out of 513 attempts for 3,867 yards, with 16 interceptions, while ranking second on the team in rushing with 187 yards and a touchdown. Wide receiver Antonio Freeman led the team in receptions with 81 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns. Wide receiver Robert Brooks was also a major deep threat, catching 60 passes for 1,010 yards and 7 touchdowns. Pro Bowl tight end Mark Chmura recorded 38 receptions for 417 yards and 6 touchdowns. Pro Bowl halfback Dorsey Levens, who had the best season of his career, led the team in rushing with 1,435 yards and 7 touchdowns, while also catching 53 passes for 373 yards and 5 touchdowns. Fullback William Henderson rushed for 113 yards and caught 41 passes for 367 yards and a touchdown. On special teams, receiver Bill Schroeder led the team with 33 punt returns for 342 yards, while also gaining 562 yards on 24 kickoff returns.

On the Packers' defense, the line was led by veteran Pro Bowl selection Reggie White, who led the team with 11 sacks. Behind him, Santana Dotson recorded 37 tackles and 5.5 sacks. In the secondary, Pro Bowl defensive back LeRoy Butler led the team with 5 interceptions, while also adding 70 tackles. Safety Eugene Robinson led the team with 74 tackles while also recording 2.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries, and 1 interception. Cornerback Mike Prior recorded 4 interceptions, while rookie Darren Sharper recorded 2 of them, both of which he returned for touchdowns.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos entered Super Bowl XXXII after suffering four Super Bowl losses: Super Bowls XII, XXI, XXII, and XXIV from 1978, 1987, 1988, and 1990, respectively. In all of those losses, the Broncos never had the ability to rush well enough or score enough points to be competitive. Denver had been defeated by a large margin in each one, losing all four by a combined scoring margin of 163–50.

The previous three Super Bowl losses were under starting quarterback John Elway, whose ad-libbing skills enabled the Broncos to advance to the league's championship game in a span of three out of four seasons. Elway also led his team to the 1991 AFC Championship Game, but they lost in a defensive struggle to the Buffalo Bills, 10–7.

The team's fortunes changed when Mike Shanahan became head coach of the Broncos in 1995. Shanahan was previously Denver's offensive coordinator during Super Bowl XXI and XXII losses but was fired in 1991 after a power struggle between him and then-head coach Dan Reeves over the offensive personnel. Shanahan then served as the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers from 1992 to 1994, including the 49ers' Super Bowl XXIX win. Under Shanahan, the San Francisco offense ranked first in the league in total yards gained for all three of his seasons there.

When Shanahan returned to the Broncos in 1995, he selected running back Terrell Davis in the 6th round of the NFL draft. Davis became the cornerstone of Denver's rebuilt running game, leading the team with 1,117 rushing yards in just his rookie year. The Broncos finished the 1995 regular season with just an 8–8 record. By 1996, the Broncos had the league's best offense, gaining 5,791 total yards, and recorded the AFC's best regular-season record at 13–3, but they were upset by the second year Jacksonville Jaguars, 30–27 in the playoffs.

During the 1997 regular season, the Broncos once again had the league's best offense with 5,872 total yards and led the league in total points scored with 472. Although they recorded a 12–4 regular-season record, they finished in second place behind the 13–3 Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West.

Davis, a Pro Bowl selection, remained the team's leading rusher, recording 1,750 yards and 15 touchdowns (first in the AFC and second in the NFL behind only co-league MVP Barry Sanders's 2,053 rushing yards), while also catching 42 passes for 287 yards. At 37 years old, Elway still posted a Pro Bowl season with 280 out of 502 completions for 3,635 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions. He also rushed for 215 yards and another touchdown. Pro Bowl tight end Shannon Sharpe led the team with 72 receptions for 1,107 yards. Wide receiver Rod Smith, who was not drafted by any NFL team and recorded only 22 receptions for 389 yards and 3 touchdowns in his two previous seasons, had a breakout year with 70 receptions for 1,180 yards and 12 touchdowns. Wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, who played in Shanahan's 1994 49ers offense, recorded 45 receptions for 590 yards and 8 touchdowns. Denver's offensive line was led by seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Gary Zimmerman and Pro Bowl center Tom Nalen.

On defense, the major acquisition to the team prior to the season was former Chiefs defensive lineman Neil Smith. Smith had a Pro Bowl season for the 6th time in his career with 28 tackles and 8.5 sacks. Defensive end Alfred Williams recorded 36 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery. The linebacking corps was led by veteran Bill Romanowski, who had 55 tackles and 2 sacks, and John Mobley, who led the team with 97 tackles while also recording 4 sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception.

The secondary was led by veteran defensive backs Tyrone Braxton, who led the team with 4 interceptions for 113 yards and 1 touchdown, and Steve Atwater, who had 53 tackles, 1 sack, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 interceptions for 42 yards and 1 touchdown. Defensive back Darrien Gordon recorded 50 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 fumble recoveries, 4 interceptions, 64 return yards, and 1 touchdown. He also returned 40 punts for 543 yards and 3 touchdowns.^[13]

Playoffs

The Broncos entered the playoffs as a wild-card team and defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars, 42–17, the Kansas City Chiefs, 14–10, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, 24–21, making Denver the fifth wild-card team to make it to the Super Bowl.^[14][15][16] Meanwhile, the Packers were victorious against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 21–7, and the San Francisco 49ers, 23–10.^[17][18][19]

Super Bowl pregame news

The Packers came into the game as 11-point favorites, having compiled a 13–3 record regular-season record compared to the Broncos' 12–4 and coming in as defending Super Bowl champions after winning Super Bowl XXXI 35–21 over the New England Patriots. Furthermore, the Packers had easily crushed their two playoff opponents, while the Broncos had barely edged out their final two postseason victories by a margin of one score.

As the designated home team in the annual rotation between AFC and NFC teams, the Broncos chose to wear their newly unveiled home navy uniforms with white pants. The uniforms replaced the "Orange Crush" uniforms they previously wore in three of their four Super Bowl losses. The Packers wore their customary road white uniforms with gold pants. Both teams wore the Super Bowl XXXII logo on the left breast of their jersey. The Super Bowl logo was previously worn in Super Bowl XXV to commemorate the game's silver anniversary. All future Super Bowls contestants would wear the game's logo on their jerseys.^[20]

Pregame ceremonies

The pregame show, narrated by actor and comedian Phil Hartman (who was murdered four months and three days later), celebrated the music and history of California. It featured performances by The 5th Dimension, Lee Greenwood, and The Beach Boys. Singer Jewel later sang the U.S. national anthem.

To honor the 10th anniversary of the Washington Redskins' win in Super Bowl XXII, the only other previous Super Bowl played in San Diego, the game's MVP, Doug Williams, and former head coach Joe Gibbs participated during the coin toss ceremony. They were joined by the recently retired, longtime college football head coach Eddie Robinson, who ran the Grambling State University Tigers football team from 1942 until 1997.

Halftime show

The halftime show was titled "A Tribute to Motown's 40th Anniversary" and featured Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Queen Latifah, Martha Reeves and The Temptations.

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 kept the offense on the field by completing a 13-yard pass to Freeman. Then running back Dorsey Levens rushed the ball on three consecutive plays, gaining 27 yards to advance to the Denver 35-yard line. Favre finished the drive with two completions to Freeman: the first one for 13 yards, and the second for a 22-yard touchdown to give the Packers an early 7–0 lead (the Packers were the third team to take the opening kickoff down the field and score a touchdown on that drive; the other two were the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl VIII and the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX).

The Broncos responded with a 10-play, 58-yard drive on their first possession of the game. Broncos running back Vaughn Hebron returned the ensuing kickoff 32 yards to their own 42-yard line. Denver then drove to the Green Bay 46-yard line. The Green Bay defense did not allow any more yards on the first two plays, but on 3rd-and-10, a holding penalty on Packers cornerback Doug Evans nullified quarterback John Elway's incomplete pass to wide receiver Willie Green and gave the Broncos a new set of downs down. On the next play, running back Terrell Davis ran the ball 27 yards to the Green Bay 14 (his longest run of the game). Then 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 capped off the drive with 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.

Second quarter

Aided by four runs by Davis for 26 yards, including a 16-yard run on the first play after Braxton's interception, Denver marched 45 yards to score on Elway's 1-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter, taking a 14–7 lead. Elway's touchdown play involved a fake handoff to Davis, who was briefly taken out of the game during the drive because the onset of a migraine headache, which was caused by an unintentional trip by defensive tackle Santana Dotson, had severely impaired his vision. But head coach Mike Shanahan decided to send him into the game for the third-down play, believing that the Packers would not be fooled by a fake handoff without Davis on the field. 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]} Despite his blurred vision, Davis perfectly executed the play, drawing the Green Bay defense into the middle of the line as Elway rushed to the right and into the end zone 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 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, 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 their deficit to 17–14.

Third quarter

On the first play after the second half kickoff, Davis fumbled the ball while surrounded by several Packers defenders and cornerback Tyrone Williams recovered the ball for Green Bay, giving them good field position at the Denver 26-yard line. The Broncos' defense forced a three-and-out, but as Packers kicker Ryan Longwell successfully kicked a 39-yard field goal on 4th-and-4, defensive end Alfred Williams was flagged for jumping offsides, giving the Packers a new set of downs at the Broncos' 15-yard line and taking the field goal off the board. Back-to-back false starts by offensive linemen Adam Timmerman and Frank Winters pushed the Packers back to the 25-yard line, but they got those yards back on a 16-yard run by Levens on third down. However, Levens' run came up 4 yards short of a first down at the 9-yard line, forcing Green Bay to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Longwell, tying the game at 17–17.

Denver's offense stalled once more on their next possession, resulting in a punt, but their defense forced another three-and-out for the third straight time. However, 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. The Broncos then forced another punt with a fourth three-and-out in a row. Marking four consecutive three-and-out drives to start the second half for the Broncos Defense.

The Broncos caught a break during the ensuing punt when cornerback Darrien Gordon mishandled the ball and recovered it at his own 1-yard line before being tackled by Packers running back Chris Darkins. However, Green Bay was forced to replay the punt when long snapper 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.^[25] 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 as he ran a post pattern following a fake handoff and a roll out by Elway, but Packers safety 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 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 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, this time at 24–24.

After the ensuing kickoff, the Packers forced Denver's offense to punt. 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. And despite being tired and having had to play from behind almost the entire game, the Packers' defense was still able to stop the Broncos' offense on the ensuing possession just outside of field goal range, forcing a punt and giving Green Bay a first down at their own 10-yard line with 5:25 remaining in the game and a chance at a game-winning drive with Favre at the helm. But with the game in the balance, the Broncos' defense forced a fifth critical three-and-out in 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, but then Davis rushed 17 yards to the 1-yard line, and the Broncos called a time-out. This left the Broncos facing 2nd-and-goal with 1:47 left on the clock. Green Bay 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.^[26] Davis then scored his third rushing touchdown, with 1:45 remaining in regulation. The Broncos now had a one-touchdown lead, 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 playing prevent defense. Freeman returned the Broncos' kickoff 22 yards to the 30-yard line. On the first play of the drive, the Packers advanced to the Denver 48-yard line with a 22-yard screen pass to Levens, leaving them in Broncos territory with 1:30 remaining in regulation and two time-outs. But following the first pass, rather than use a time-out, the Packers hurried to the line of scrimmage and ran a second consecutive screen pass to Levens. The pass was complete, but Levens was stopped for no gain. The play burned 19 seconds off the game clock, forcing the Packers to take their second time-out.

On the next play, Favre completed another pass to Levens, who picked up 13 yards and was able to run out of bounds, stopping the clock. With 1:04 left in the game, the Packers had a first down at the Broncos' 35-yard line with one time-out still remaining. The Broncos' defense would stop the Packers on all four down the next four plays:

On first down, Favre completed a 4-yard pass to Levens, but he was stopped in bounds by linebacker John Mobley. The Packers hurried to the line, but even in hurry up mode that 4-yard gain took 22 seconds off the clock before Favre could run another play. On second down, now with only 42 seconds remaining, Favre attempted another pass downfield that hit Freeman in both hands and the chest at the Denver 15, but Freeman could not handle the ball because Broncos cornerback Darian Gordon ripped on Freeman's right arm at the last second just as he was trying to catch the pass. The incomplete pass stopped the clock, but left the Packers with 3rd-and-6 and now only 37 seconds remaining. On third down, Favre then threw a pass intended for Brooks, covered by cornerback Randy Hilliard, but both took a hard hit by Atwater, and the pass was incomplete. All three players were knocked out of the game. The clock was stopped, but because of NFL rules regarding injuries to players in the final two minutes of a game, both teams were charged a time-out since players on both teams were injured and needed to be tended to. Now facing 4th-and-6 with the ball at the Denver 31-yard line, having no time-outs remaining and only 32 seconds, Favre threw a short pass over the middle intended to tight end Mark Chmura, but Mobley broke it up, forcing three consecutive incomplete passes, and 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 in the air and said, "This one's for John," referring to the fact that Elway's long quest for a Super Bowl victory was finally complete.^[27] Eighteen years later, Elway, now the general manager for the team, would salute an Alzheimer's-stricken Bowlen in the same fashion after the Broncos won Super Bowl 50.^[28]

A remarkable fact about Denver's offensive performance was 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.^[29] 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 Davis, with 17 yards and a touchdown on 5 carries. Terrell Davis became the only player to rush for three touchdowns in a Super Bowl, and the only non-San Francisco 49er to score three touchdowns in a Super Bowl; Roger Craig, Jerry Rice, and Ricky Watters were the only other players to do so. Rice had 3 touchdown catches in two different Super Bowls. This feat has only been accomplished one time since Davis, by James White 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 in the second half. 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.

Levens was Green Bay's leading rusher with 90 rushing yards and was their second-leading receiver with 56 yards on 6 receptions. 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.

Denver was the first team with a previous 0–2 Super Bowl record to win (their record had been 0–4). The Broncos' victory snapped the NFC's 13-game winning streak in the Super Bowl. The Broncos were the first AFC team to win the NFL championship since the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the 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 the Super Bowl, joining the Dallas Cowboys (1977–78: won Super Bowl XII, lost Super Bowl XIII) and the Washington Redskins (1982–83: won Super Bowl XVII, lost Super Bowl XVIII), and would be later joined by the Seattle Seahawks (2013–14: won Super Bowl XLVIII, lost Super Bowl XLIX), the New England Patriots (2016–17: won Super Bowl LI, lost Super Bowl LII) and the Kansas City Chiefs (2019-20: won Super Bowl LIV, lost Super Bowl LV).

Box score

Statistical comparison

Individual statistics

¹Completions/attempts ²Carries ³Long gain ⁴Receptions ⁵Times targeted

Records set

One new record was set and several were tied in Super Bowl XXXII, according to the official NFL.com boxscore,^[31] the 2016 NFL Record & Fact Book^[32] and the ProFootball reference.com game summary.^[33]