Super Bowl XXXII (1997): Green Bay Packers face Denver Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium. Kickoff time: 6:30pm. Winner takes home the Lombardi Trophy. There is no next week for the loser.
Super Bowl XXXII (1997) is the season's final accounting for 1997. Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos arrive at Qualcomm Stadium carrying every snap they have played since training camp. Championship games strip the rest of the schedule away; what is left is whichever team executes its identity longest under the brightest light. The narrative that wins is the one with the trophy attached. Lose, and the season collapses into a footnote no matter how it was played.
The whole league is watching Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos. Two conferences have produced their finalists; the rest of the 1997 season is already in the books. The Lombardi is decided here. Every other team's offseason calendar starts the morning after this kickoff.
Green Bay Packers versus Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl XXXII (1997). The teams who reach this round have already proven they survive a long schedule; the stats that matter most now are the ones that compress: scoring differential, red-zone efficiency, turnover margin. At this stage of the year, the simple math is that defenses tighten and the team that protects the ball wins more often than the team that scores the most. Whichever side of Green Bay Packers-Denver Broncos cleans up the careless plays first usually walks out with the result. Conservative-game expectations should not surprise the reader; both staffs know exactly what worked all season and will lean hard on what travels. The early answer is the kicking game, where any swing of field position compounds.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 11-5 | W2 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 11-5 | L1 |
| Tennessee Oilers | 8-8 | W1 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7-9 | W3 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 6-9-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 10-6 | W1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 9-7 | L2 |
| New York Jets | 9-7 | L1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6-10 | L3 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 3-13 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 13-3 | W6 |
| Denver Broncos | 12-4 | W1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 8-8 | W2 |
| Oakland Raiders | 4-12 | L5 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4-12 | L8 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco 49ers | 13-3 | L1 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 7-9 | L1 |
| Carolina Panthers | 7-9 | L2 |
| New Orleans Saints | 6-10 | L1 |
| St. Louis Rams | 5-11 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 13-3 | W5 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 10-6 | W1 |
| Detroit Lions | 9-7 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 9-7 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 4-12 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New York Giants | 10-5-1 | W3 |
| Washington Redskins | 8-7-1 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 6-9-1 | L3 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 6-10 | L5 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 4-12 | -- |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 714172424 |
| Denver Broncos | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 717243131 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Packers | Antonio Freeman 22 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Ryan Longwell kick) | 7-0 |
| Broncos | Terrell Davis 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick) | 7-7 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Broncos | John Elway 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick) | 7-14 |
| Broncos | Jason Elam 51 yard field goal | 7-17 |
| Packers | Mark Chmura 6 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Ryan Longwell kick) | 14-17 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Packers | Ryan Longwell 27 yard field goal | 17-17 |
| Broncos | Terrell Davis 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick) | 17-24 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Packers | Antonio Freeman 13 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Ryan Longwell kick) | 24-24 |
| Broncos | Terrell Davis 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick) | 24-31 |
| Packers | Broncos | |
|---|---|---|
| Team totals | ||
| First Downs | 21 | 21 |
| Total Yards | 350 | 302 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Passing | ||
| Comp/Att | 25/42 | 12/22 |
| Pass yards | 256 | 123 |
| Pass TD | 3 | 0 |
| Interceptions | 1 | 1 |
| Sacks taken | 1 | 0 |
| Sack yards lost | 1 | 0 |
| Net pass yards | 255 | 123 |
| Rushing | ||
| Rushes | 20 | 39 |
| Rush yards | 95 | 179 |
| Rush TD | 0 | 4 |
| Discipline | ||
| Fumbles | 2 | 1 |
| Fumbles lost | 2 | 1 |
| Penalties | 9 | 7 |
| Penalty yards | 59 | 65 |
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNB | |||||
| Brett Favre | 25/42 | 256 | 3 | 1 | |
| DEN | |||||
| John Elway | 12/22 | 123 | 0 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNB | ||||
| Dorsey Levens | 19 | 90 | 0 | 16 |
| Robert Brooks | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| DEN | ||||
| Terrell Davis | 30 | 157 | 3 | 27 |
| John Elway | 5 | 17 | 1 | 10 |
| Vaughn Hebron | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Howard Griffith | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GNB | ||||
| Antonio Freeman | 9 | 126 | 2 | 27 |
| Dorsey Levens | 6 | 56 | 0 | 22 |
| Mark Chmura | 4 | 43 | 1 | 21 |
| Robert Brooks | 3 | 16 | 0 | 10 |
| William Henderson | 2 | 9 | 0 | 7 |
| Terry Mickens | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| DEN | ||||
| Ed McCaffrey | 2 | 45 | 0 | 36 |
| Shannon Sharpe | 5 | 38 | 0 | 12 |
| Howard Griffith | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 |
| Terrell Davis | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 |
| Vaughn Hebron | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Dwayne Carswell | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
Denver Broncos defeated Green Bay Packers 31-24 at Qualcomm Stadium in the Super Bowl XXXII (1997). The final scoring play was Broncos: Terrell Davis 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick). Top line of the day: Brett Favre: 256 pass yards on 25-of-42, 3 TD, 1 INT. Denver Broncos take home the Lombardi Trophy.
Denver Broncos walked out of Qualcomm Stadium as the team that survived a Super Bowl XXXII (1997) Green Bay Packers will replay in its head for the entire offseason. The scoreboard says 31-24. A one-score game throughout. The decisive points came on the fewest possible margin, which is how these matchups usually resolve. The final scoring play came from Broncos: Terrell Davis 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick). Whether it was the game-decider or just the period at the end of the sentence depends on what the camera caught earlier. Denver Broncos hoist the Lombardi.
Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24. Round: Super Bowl XXXII (1997). Attendance: 68912. Q1: 2 scoring plays. Q2: 3 scoring plays. Q3: 2 scoring plays. Q4: 2 scoring plays. Top performers: - Brett Favre: 256 pass yards on 25-of-42, 3 TD, 1 INT - Terrell Davis: 157 rush yards on 30 carries - Antonio Freeman: 9 catches for 126 yards
Super Bowl XXXII (1997), played at Qualcomm Stadium. Final: Green Bay Packers 24, Denver Broncos 31, with Denver Broncos taking the result by 7. **First quarter**
- Packers: Antonio Freeman 22 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Ryan Longwell kick) - Broncos: Terrell Davis 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick)
**Second quarter**
- Broncos: John Elway 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick) - Broncos: Jason Elam 51 yard field goal - Packers: Mark Chmura 6 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Ryan Longwell kick)
**Third quarter**
- Packers: Ryan Longwell 27 yard field goal - Broncos: Terrell Davis 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick)
**Fourth quarter**
- Packers: Antonio Freeman 13 yard pass from Brett Favre ( Ryan Longwell kick) - Broncos: Terrell Davis 1 yard rush ( Jason Elam kick)
**Top performers**
- Brett Favre: 256 pass yards on 25-of-42, 3 TD, 1 INT - Terrell Davis: 157 rush yards on 30 carries - Antonio Freeman: 9 catches for 126 yards