Mile High

It might have taken a lifetime of football to complete the journey, but John Elway has the exclamation point his stellar career lacked, and Denver, the city that demanded and expected as much from him for the last 15 years, is now a million miles high.

“Just four words,” Bronco owner Pat Bowlen said while holding the Lombardi Trophy. “This one’s for John.”

Known early in his career as the “Duke of Denver” and around the country as a three-time Super Bowl loser, Elway rode the heroics of running back Terrell Davis and a last-minute defensive stand to score a shocking and entertaining 31-24 Super Bowl XXXII victory Sunday over the Green Bay Packers in Qualcomm Stadium before 68,912.

“What a storybook ending to John’s career--if it’s over,” said Denver wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, like everyone else after the game left dangling by Elway, who has yet to commit to his future plans.

Elway, who has won more games than any quarterback in NFL history, knelt down at the Denver 30-yard line for a one-yard loss on what might have been the final play of his career, and then raised his arms high above his head in victory, the game ball still locked solid in his left hand.

“You’re never going to be up there with the elite quarterbacks in the game without winning the Super Bowl,” he said, admitting for the first time, “no, my career would not have been complete without this.”

Denver’s defeat of the defending world champions ended a 13-game streak of domination for the National Football Conference and proved one thing: If an AFC team wants to win the Super Bowl, it needs to employ a running back, who played previously for Lincoln High in San Diego.

Davis, the game’s MVP just as Lincoln graduate Marcus Allen was for the L.A. Raiders in their victory over Washington in Super Bowl XVIII, overcame a migraine headache that forced him from the game in the second quarter to rush for 157 yards in 30 carries and become the first player in Super Bowl history to run for three touchdowns.

A series of migraine headaches two years ago left Davis unable to play, but after reducing his caffeine intake, having braces put on his teeth and working consciously to reduce the stress in his life, he played this season without a reoccurrence until Super Bowl XXXII.

“I blinked out for a play,” he said, “and my vision was blurred. It was not a concussion--I thought it was the onset of a migraine--I took some medication, and the long halftime show helped.”

Helped? It rejuvenated Davis, thus killing off the Packers.

“I told the students at Lincoln High this week don’t listen when someone tells you you can’t do it or that you don’t have what it takes,” said Davis, a sixth-round draft choice for the Broncos. “I watched the Super Bowl game that was played here in San Diego from my home and never dreamed this would be happening to me 10 years later. I’m numb right now; I have no idea that this is even going on right now.”

Imagine how the Packers must feel, left dazed and bewildered after coming into the game as 11 1/2-point favorites and jumping on top of the Broncos, 7-0, in just over four minutes.

“I don’t want to take anything away from Denver, but we just didn’t make the plays,” Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre said, while making no attempt to hide his displeasure. “We scored three touchdowns; that should be enough to win.

“I wanted to go over and congratulate John Elway and wish him well, but they were all jumping on him. . . . He’s had a great career and he’s finally got the greatest thing that the NFL has to offer.”

Favre had the chance, however, to once again devastate Elway, the final minutes of the game resting on his arm.

With the score tied, 24-24, with 1:47 to play, Packer Coach Mike Holmgren told his defense to let the Broncos, who were parked on the one-yard line, score in order to give Favre the time to battle back.

Davis ran untouched up the middle for the go-ahead score with only two seconds running off the clock, and after the kickoff, the Packers took possession at their 30-yard with two timeouts remaining and 1:39 on the clock.

“Favre is the best quarterback in the league, bar none,” said Elway, the master of the comeback, but now just hoping to hold on.

Favre quickly advanced the ball to the Denver 35-yard line with 1:04 to play and one timeout remaining, and threw a four-yard pass to running back Dorsey Levens for a four-yard gain. The Broncos tackled Levens inbounds, and Favre elected not to use his final timeout, leaving 42 seconds on the clock after firing an incomplete pass to Antonio Freeman, who caught two touchdown passes.

On third and six from the 31, Favre tried to go deep to wide receiver Robert Brooks, inspiring a three-player collision, which left Brooks and Denver defenders Steve Atwater and Randy Hilliard injured. By rule, any injury in the final two minutes of the game becomes a charged timeout, and since both teams had injured players, both teams surrendered a timeout--the last one for the Packers.

On fourth down, still needing six yards to continue playing, the Packers opted to have Favre look for his tight end, Mark Chmura, who caught a touchdown pass earlier in the game.

On the Denver sideline, Elway held the hand of his own tight end, Shannon Sharpe, bracing for a moment that might mean everything to his career.

“We had done it before, we had the best quarterback in the game and we thought we were going to score,” Chmura said. “We came close, real close.”

But Favre’s throw to Chmura arrived at the same time as Denver linebacker John Mobley, the ball never having a chance to settle in Chmura’s hands, the Denver celebration beginning as soon as the ball hit the ground.

“Coach [Mike] Shanahan told us earlier in the week, ‘Who would you rather play, Kansas City in Kansas City, Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh or Green Bay on a neutral field, no cold, no Cheeseheads, well, maybe a few Cheeseheads, but in front of our fans too?’ ” Sharpe said. “Everybody disrespected us, but Green Bay never faced the running game we have, the quarterback we have and the kind of composure we showed. We just did everything we wanted to do.”

The Packers appeared to be gearing up for a rout on their first possession, running off gains of 13 yards at a time on their way to a 7-0 lead with Favre connecting with Freeman for the score with a perfect throw in the back of the end zone.

“Based on the way some of the earlier Super Bowls had gone for us, it was important that we come back and score after that,” Elway said.

The Broncos charged back on a 10-play, 58-yard drive with Davis running in from one yard out, and for the first time in Super Bowl history both teams had scored on their opening drives.

Denver went ahead after taking advantage of a Packer turnover, cornerback Tyrone Braxton intercepting a Favre pass at the Green Bay 45. On third and goal from the one eight plays later, Elway faked a handoff to Davis and ran untouched into the end zone for a 14-7 advantage.

A Favre fumble on the Packers’ ensuing possession gave Denver a chance to add to their lead. And they did, Jason Elam kicking only the second field goal in Super Bowl history from 50 yards or longer from 51 for a 17-7 lead.

Green Bay struck back with 12 seconds left in the half on Favre’s six-yard toss to Chmura, and then pounced on a Davis fumble on the opening drive of the third quarter to set up Ryan Longwell’s 27-yard field goal.

Suddenly, it appeared that this was going to be a Super Bowl worth remembering--Favre and Elway facing off in a 17-17 tie with about 27 minutes to play.

The first shot was fired by Elway, who took the Broncos from his own eight-yard line to the Green Bay 12 with third-and-six. Pressured, Elway took off running, but rather than slide to the ground like most quarterbacks, he hurled his body at a trio of Packer defenders in order to fight for the first down.

“I used all of my three-inch vertical leap for that,” Elway said.

Elway went whirling into the air like a helicopter, landing hard for an eight-yard gain, and if possible, garnering even more admiration from his teammates.

“From that point on, I knew we had the game,” Mobley said. “I think that inspired everybody on the team. It definitely got me going. This guy is almost 40 years old and he was laying his life and body on the line, so as a defense, we needed to have that same intensity.”

The first down set up Davis’ second one-yard touchdown run, but in championship fashion, the Packers struck back to tie the score with Favre going to Freeman for 13 yards, capping an 85-yard drive.

“There is no way Denver wanted the game more than Green Bay,” Packer Coach Mike Holmgren said. “That’s ridiculous. This is the Super Bowl. When you walk in our locker room and see my players’ responses to the game, you’ll know how much they wanted the game. It’s just football. The ball bounces funny sometimes. You don’t always win.”

The Packers were most everyone’s favorite back from the outset of the season, however, to win it all again, but tied, 24-24, it was the Broncos who scored to end the season on top as world champions.

A 15-yard facemask penalty on Green Bay defensive end Darius Holland, who tried to twist off Davis’ head, pushed the ball from the Green Bay 49-yard line to the 32 on Denver’s decisive drive. Holland, subbing for Gabe Wilkins, who left the game early because of a knee injury, complained that his indiscretion should have merited only a five-yard penalty, but the officials disagreed.

A 10-yard holding penalty on Sharpe toughened the task for Denver, wiping out a Davis run to the one, but Shanahan called the exact same play and Davis went 17 yards to the Green Bay one line to set up the game-winner.

“Coach Shanahan told me he was calling the same play again because he knew how mad I was and how well I would block,” Sharpe said.

Davis scored on the next play as the Packers stepped aside, and after the remaining drama played itself out, the Broncos and Elway, their lifeblood for the past 15 years, were on top of the world.

“I would not let myself think about this,” Elway said. “But it’s three times better than I could have ever imagined.”