Horsehead History: Super Bowl XXXIII- Denver 34, Atlanta 19

Super Bowl MVP John Elway threw for 336 yards and a touchdown in what would be his final game as the Broncos easily handled the Atlanta Falcons to repeat as Super Bowl Champions 34-19. Darrien Gordon picked off Falcon QB Chris Chandler twice and Fullback Howard Griffith had two touchdowns as well, but Super Bowl XXXIII was John Elway riding the 1998 Broncos into the sunset.

Horsehead's Memories: Some say the Broncos won this game early in the second quarter when Atlanta went for it on fourth down only down 7-0 and Jamal Anderson was tackled for a two yard loss. Some would say the game was won the night before when Falcons Safety Eugene Robinson was arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover cop covering as a hooker. Either way this Super Bowl was a rewarding easy win to end Elway's Super Bowl run of blowout losses and classic wins. Ironically it was over Dan Reeves, who had upset the Minnesota Vikings which would have been a much tougher matchup. The 1998 Broncos started the season 14-0 and are slighted in the discussion of great NFL teams partly because so much attention is given to Elway's winning his two titles in his final two years. But the late 90's Broncos run, matches up with any in NFL history and they provide Broncos fans with Super Bowl memories that were needless to say rewarding.

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Horsehead History: Super Bowl XXXII- Denver 31, Green Bay 24

In one of the most entertaining Super Bowls ever played, Terrell Davis ran for 157 yards and a Super Bowl record 3 rushing touchdowns as the Denver Broncos and John Elway won their first Super Bowl over the heavily favored, defending champion Green Bay Packers. The biggest surprise was that what was believed to be Denver's biggest disadvantage going into the game; their small offensive line vs. the much bigger Green Bay defensive line featuring Reggie White and 390 pound Gilbert Brown; turned out to be its biggest advantage as the Packers D-line was worn out by the Broncos O-line especially in the fourth quarter. The win broke more than the Broncos and Elway's winless Super Bowl streak but also a 13 game losing streak of AFC teams to NFC teams in the Super Bowl.

Horsehead's Thoughts: I wore a jersey and a Broncos flag as a cape with bright orange pants for this. I couldn't sleep the night before despite drinking out to take the edge off. The Packers scored first with a Favre touchdown to Antonio Freeman, but a strange thing happened; the Broncos answered with a touchdown of their own. It was that moment that I realized this game was going to be different. The 80's teams would have started falling apart at that point.

I also remember the Broncos were ready to put this game out of reach after picking up an Antonio Freeman fumble on the kickoff return following a Davis touchdown, but Elway threw the next play into the hands of Eugene Robinson, allowing the game to be as close as it was.

The Elway tilt-a-whirl was nice but I will never forget Ed McCafferey's block on Gilbert Brown which sprung Howard Griffith loose on a drive making run in the 4th quarter setting up Davis' walk-in touchdown.

The Packers still had a chance to drive the ball down the field and tie and after Steve Atwater and Tyrone Braxton collided into each other knocking them both out of the game I thought they might be able to do it. After John Mobley knocked down Favre's 4th down pass, the Broncos were FINALLY Super Bowl Champions. I thought about my grandmother taking me to the Bottiglio's (neighbors of ours who had since moved to Florida, they called my parents that night to congratulate me even though they hadn't talked to my parents in three years) and my parents who tolerated my love for the Broncos and I started to well up. I couldn't help it. What I felt at that moment, I wish upon anyone and everyone. To follow a team, get excited for them, get hurt by them, over and over and still stay faithful and see all that faith get rewarded is one of the greatest feelings in the world. I would not have my life as a Broncos fan any other way. I know what it means to see my team come so close, to be rejected by history, then to come back and conquer it.

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Horsehead History: Super Bowl XXIV- San Francisco 55, Denver 10

Jerry Rice caught 7 passes for 148 yards and 3 touchdowns. Roger Craig had a touchdown. Tom Rathman had 2 touchdowns. Super Bowl MVP Joe Montana threw for 5 touchdowns. That's how it went. San Francisco destroyed Denver 55-10 in the most one-sided Super Bowl ever. John Elway threw for 109 yards with 0TDs and 2 INT's and was mercilously replaced by Gary Kubiak at the end of this nightmare, the Broncos 4th straight Super Bowl loss and John Elway's 3rd straight Super Bowl loss. A night that made everyone who saw it wonder if John Elway and the Broncos would ever win a Super Bowl.

Horsehead's Thoughts: Pat Bowlen complained to the league before the game that in the dressing that the league used to decorate the divider between the first and second sections of the Superdome that detailed Super Bowl scores with helmets, that the Broncos helmet was in the same spot as where the losing helmets were in all the other dressings. That's where it belonged. Everyone knew the Broncos had no shot in this game and the 49ers proved it.

Four Super Bowls four losses to four teams that were superior and should have been favored to win. That made watching them no less excrutiating.

This is the only Super Bowl I have not watched from beginning to end. I turned it off after a John Taylor touchdown reception made the score 41-3. The problem is because the Super Bowl does such monster ratings, no channels put anything worth watching on against the Super Bowl. So I resorting to playing Tecmo Bowl on my Nintendo until I realized I hated football and what it did to me every year. I think the night ended with me making my own course in Excitebike.

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