Over the next two weeks Philguard will be counting down the top 10 moments in the past 42 years in the big game. Today…
#10 – The Helicopter
Move over Brett Favre, John Elway just stepped on the field.
When: Super Bowl XXXII – January 28, 1998
Where: Qualcomm Stadium
It had become painfully clear to NFL fans that 3 legends of pro football may have terrific careers without winning a Super Bowl. John Elway, Jim Kelley and Dan Marino were all members of the 1983 draft class who had set records in the NFL, but between the 3 of them they managed 8 trips to the big game before the 1997 season with no wins. Kelley retired to spend time with family after his son Hunter was diagnosed with Krabbe disease shortly after his birth in February of 1997. As the 1997 season kicked off many wondered if the 83 class of quarterbacks would ever get to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
In 1996 the Green Bay Packers had fought through the tough NFC with the likes of the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers to beat Bill Parcels’ New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIII and were favored to win it all again the next season. They faced very little resistance on their way to a 13-3 record earning a #2 seed in the playoffs. In the Divisional Round, they defeated the Tampa Bay Bucs setting up an NFC Championship game with the #1 seed 49ers. In a game that was widely considered the real Championship game, as either the Packers or the 49er could easily beat any AFC team, the Packers won 23-10 to set up a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance.
The Broncos had posted a 12-4 record in the 97 campaign only to finish second in the AFC West behind the 13-3 Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos held the #4 seed and hosted the Jaguars who had bounced them from the playoffs the previous year. Denver took care of the Jags, 42-17, setting up a game with divisional rival and the #1 seeded Chiefs. The Broncos held on for a 14-10 win in Arrowhead to advance to the AFC Championship game against the Steelers. Steelers Quarterback Kordell Stewart threw 3 interceptions and fumbled and the Broncos took advantage, winning the game 24-21.
The Packers were favored by 11 and a half points for the Super Bowl matchup and many saw a 4th Elway failure in the big game. Elway and the Broncos had other ideas. At the half, the Broncos held on to slim 17-14 lead. A Terrell Davis fumble early in the 3rd quarter gave Green Bay a chance to tie the score at 17 with a field goal. Elway took over on the 8 yard line, late in the third quarter. The Broncos made their way down the field helped by a 36 yard Ed McCaffrey reception and found themselves with a third down and 6 on the 12 yard line. The 37-year old Elway dropped back to pass and when nothing developed, instead of throwing the ball away and setting up for the go ahead field goal, he ran.
It wasn’t fast, or picturesque but Elway took off for the first down. In that moment Elway showed everyone that he wasn’t willing to take the easy way out. Instead of sliding or running out of bounds Elway took on 2 Packers defenders by diving forward into the hit. The ensuing collision spun Elway in a helicopter fashion as he secured the first down. The Broncos would score a touchdown on the drive and eventually win the game 31-24 securing Elway’s legacy where his 1983 classmates had failed, as a champion.