Super Bowl XXXII
Updated: 12/10/2025, 11:38:59 AM Wikipedia source
Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion and defending Super Bowl XXXI champion Green Bay Packers and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for the 1997 season. The Broncos upset the heavily favored Packers by the score of 31–24. The game was played on January 25, 1998, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, the second time that the Super Bowl was held in that city. Super Bowl XXXII also made Qualcomm Stadium the only stadium in history to host both the Super Bowl and the World Series in the same year. This was Denver's first league championship after suffering four previous Super Bowl losses, three of which were under Elway, and snapped a 13-game losing streak for AFC teams in the Super Bowl (the last win being the Los Angeles Raiders' win in Super Bowl XVIII after the 1983 season). The Broncos, who entered the game after posting a 12–4 regular-season record in 1997, became just the second wild card team to win a Super Bowl and the first since the Raiders in Super Bowl XV. The Packers, who entered the game as the defending Super Bowl XXXI champions after posting a 13–3 regular-season record, were the first team favored to win by double digits to lose a Super Bowl since the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV. The game was close throughout much of the contest. The Broncos converted two turnovers to take a 17–7 lead in the second quarter before the Packers cut the score to 17–14 at halftime. Green Bay kept pace with Denver in the second half, before tying the game with 13:31 remaining. Both defenses stiffened until Broncos running back Terrell Davis scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:45 left. Despite suffering a migraine headache that caused him to miss most of the second quarter, Davis was named Super Bowl MVP. He ran for 157 yards, caught two passes for 8 yards, and scored a Super Bowl record three rushing touchdowns. As of 2025, Davis remains the most recent running back to be named Super Bowl MVP.
Infobox
Tables
| Quarter | mw- 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers (NFC) | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Broncos (AFC) | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 31 |
| Scoring summary | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP GB DEN 1 10:58 8 76 4:02 GB Antonio Freeman 22-yard touchdown reception from Brett Favre, Ryan Longwell kick good 7 0 1 5:39 10 58 5:19 DEN Terrell Davis 1-yard touchdown run, Jason Elam kick good 7 7 2 14:55 8 45 4:54 DEN John Elway 1-yard touchdown run, Elam kick good 7 14 2 12:21 4 0 1:02 DEN 51-yard field goal by Elam 7 17 2 0:12 17 95 7:26 GB Mark Chmura 6-yard touchdown reception from Favre, Longwell kick good 14 17 3 11:59 7 17 2:42 GB 27-yard field goal by Longwell 17 17 3 0:34 13 92 7:12 DEN Davis 1-yard touchdown run, Elam kick good 17 24 4 13:32 4 85 1:39 GB Freeman 13-yard touchdown reception from Favre, Longwell kick good 24 24 4 1:45 5 49 1:42 DEN Davis 1-yard touchdown run, Elam kick good 24 31 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 24 31
|
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | |||
| Plays | Yards | TOP | GB | DEN | ||||
| 1 | 10:58 | 8 | 76 | 4:02 | GB | Antonio Freeman 22-yard touchdown reception from Brett Favre, Ryan Longwell kick good | 7 | 0 |
| 1 | 5:39 | 10 | 58 | 5:19 | DEN | Terrell Davis 1-yard touchdown run, Jason Elam kick good | 7 | 7 |
| 2 | 14:55 | 8 | 45 | 4:54 | DEN | John Elway 1-yard touchdown run, Elam kick good | 7 | 14 |
| 2 | 12:21 | 4 | 0 | 1:02 | DEN | 51-yard field goal by Elam | 7 | 17 |
| 2 | 0:12 | 17 | 95 | 7:26 | GB | Mark Chmura 6-yard touchdown reception from Favre, Longwell kick good | 14 | 17 |
| 3 | 11:59 | 7 | 17 | 2:42 | GB | 27-yard field goal by Longwell | 17 | 17 |
| 3 | 0:34 | 13 | 92 | 7:12 | DEN | Davis 1-yard touchdown run, Elam kick good | 17 | 24 |
| 4 | 13:32 | 4 | 85 | 1:39 | GB | Freeman 13-yard touchdown reception from Favre, Longwell kick good | 24 | 24 |
| 4 | 1:45 | 5 | 49 | 1:42 | DEN | Davis 1-yard touchdown run, Elam kick good | 24 | 31 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 24 | 31 | ||||||
| Statistic | Green Bay Packers | Denver Broncos |
| First downs | 21 | 21 |
| First downs rushing | 4 | 14 |
| First downs passing | 14 | 5 |
| First downs penalty | 3 | 2 |
| Third down efficiency | 5/14 | 5/10 |
| Fourth down efficiency | 0/1 | 0/0 |
| Net yards rushing | 95 | 179 |
| Rushing attempts | 20 | 39 |
| Yards per rush | 4.8 | 4.6 |
| Passing – Completions/attempts | 25/42 | 12/22 |
| Times sacked-total yards | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 1 |
| Net yards passing | 255 | 123 |
| Total net yards | 350 | 302 |
| Punt returns-total yards | 0–0 | 0–0 |
| Kickoff returns-total yards | 6–104 | 5–95 |
| Interceptions-total return yards | 1–17 | 1–0 |
| Punts-average yardage | 4–35.5 | 4–36.5 |
| Fumbles-lost | 2–2 | 1–1 |
| Penalties-total yards | 9–59 | 7–65 |
| Time of possession | 27:35 | 32:25 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Packers passing | |||||
| C/ATT1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating | |
| Brett Favre | 25/42 | 256 | 3 | 1 | 91.0 |
| Packers rushing | |||||
| Car2 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Yds/Car | |
| Dorsey Levens | 19 | 90 | 0 | 16 | 4.74 |
| Robert Brooks | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5.00 |
| Packers receiving | |||||
| Rec4 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Target5 | |
| Antonio Freeman | 9 | 126 | 2 | 27 | 13 |
| Dorsey Levens | 6 | 56 | 0 | 22 | 6 |
| Mark Chmura | 4 | 43 | 1 | 21 | 5 |
| Robert Brooks | 3 | 16 | 0 | 10 | 11 |
| William Henderson | 2 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
| Terry Mickens | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Derrick Mayes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Broncos passing | |||||
| C/ATT1 | Yds | TD | INT | Rating | |
| John Elway | 12/22 | 123 | 0 | 1 | 51.9 |
| Broncos rushing | |||||
| Car2 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Yds/Car | |
| Terrell Davis | 30 | 157 | 3 | 27 | 5.23 |
| John Elway | 5 | 17 | 1 | 10 | 3.40 |
| Vaughn Hebron | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1.00 |
| Howard Griffith | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2.00 |
| Broncos receiving | |||||
| Rec4 | Yds | TD | LG3 | Target5 | |
| Shannon Sharpe | 5 | 38 | 0 | 12 | 5 |
| Ed McCaffrey | 2 | 45 | 0 | 36 | 3 |
| Terrell Davis | 2 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 3 |
| Howard Griffith | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 | 2 |
| Vaughn Hebron | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Dwayne Carswell | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Rod Smith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Willie Green | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Player records set | ||
| Most rushing touchdowns, game | 3 | Terrell Davis(Denver) |
| Records tied | ||
| Most points scored, game | 18 | Terrell Davis(Denver) |
| Most touchdowns, game | 3 | |
| Most interceptions thrown, career | 7 | John Elway(Denver) |
| Team records tied | ||
| Most rushing touchdowns | 4 | Broncos |
| Fewest times sacked | 0 | |
| Fewest passing touchdowns | 0 | |
| Fewest punt returns, game | 0 | BroncosPackers |
| Fewest rushing touchdowns | 0 | Packers |
| Records tied, both team totals | |||
| 00Total00 | Broncos | Packers | |
| Most rushing touchdowns | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Fewest times sacked | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Fewest punt returns, game | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fewest punt return yards gained | 0 yds | 0 | 0 |
| Green Bay | Position | Position | Denver |
| Offense | |||
| Antonio Freeman | WR | Rod Smith | |
| Ross Verba | LT | Gary Zimmerman‡ | |
| Aaron Taylor | LG | Mark Schlereth | |
| Frank Winters | C | Tom Nalen | |
| Adam Timmerman | RG | Brian Habib | |
| Earl Dotson | RT | Tony Jones | |
| Mark Chmura | TE | Shannon Sharpe‡ | |
| Robert Brooks | WR | Ed McCaffrey | |
| Brett Favre‡ | QB | John Elway‡ | |
| Dorsey Levens | RB | Terrell Davis‡ | |
| William Henderson | FB | Howard Griffith | |
| Defense | |||
| Reggie White‡ | LE | Neil Smith | |
| Santana Dotson | LDT | Keith Traylor | |
| Gilbert Brown | RDT | Maa Tanuvasa | |
| Gabe Wilkins | RE | Alfred Williams | |
| Seth Joyner | LLB | WLB | John Mobley |
| Bernardo Harris | MLB | Allen Aldridge | |
| Brian Williams | RLB | SLB | Bill Romanowski |
| Tyrone Williams | LCB | Ray Crockett | |
| Doug Evans | RCB | Darrien Gordon | |
| LeRoy Butler ‡ | SS | Tyrone Braxton | |
| Eugene Robinson | FS | Steve Atwater‡ | |
References
- The Linemakershttps://web.archive.org/web/20150204100054/http://linemakers.sportingnews.com/nfl/2015-01-25/super-bowl-betting-history-patriots-vs-seahawks-point-spread-line-vegas-odds
- "Super Bowl History"http://www.vegasinsider.com/nfl/superbowl/history/
- SuperBowl.comhttp://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history/boxscore/sbxxxii
- 2019 NFL Postsesason Media Guidehttps://nflcommunications.com/Documents/2019%20Football%20Information/2019%20Postseason%20Media%20Guide.pdf#page=111
- TV By The Numbers by zap2it.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20100208213536/http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/01/18/historical-super-bowl-tv-ratings/11044
- San Diego's first was Super Bowl XXII after the 1987 season.
- The Tampa Tribunehttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune/144252986/
- The Tampa Tribunehttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune/144253099/
- The Tampa Tribunehttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune/144253635/
- The Tampa Tribunehttps://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tampa-tribune/144253688/
- Pro Football Referencehttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GordDa20/gamelog/1997/
- Pro Football Referencehttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199712270den.htm
- Pro Football Referencehttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199801040kan.htm
- Pro Football Referencehttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199801110pit.htm
- Pro Football Referencehttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199801040gnb.htm
- Pro Football Referencehttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199801110sfo.htm
- Pro Football Referencehttps://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1997/index.htm
- ESPN.comhttps://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/14700104/uni-watch-friday-flashback-humble-super-bowl-patches-fascinating-history
- American Radio Historyhttp://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1998/BC-1998-01-26.pdf
- The New York Timeshttps://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D00E3DC103BF935A15752C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
- The New York Timeshttps://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E1DA113BF934A15752C0A96E958260&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
- Tom Brady's Super Bowl that 'no one's watched because Televisa and Azteca don't showed it.https://www.mediotiempo.com/futbol-americano/nfl/super-bowl-la-temporada-2003-que-televisa-y-tv-azteca-no-transmitieron-nfl-por-derechos-televisivos
- "Queen Latifah Becomes First Rapper - Today In Hip Hop"https://www.xxlmag.com/queen-latifah-performs-1998-super-bowl/
- USA Todayhttps://broncoswire.usatoday.com/2020/01/09/denver-broncos-john-elway-helicopter-run-super-bowl-xxxii-nominated-for-great-play-in-nfl-history/
- Chicago Sun-Timeshttps://web.archive.org/web/20071103170819/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060204/ai_n16053615
- "Super Bowl Memories: This one's for John!"https://web.archive.org/web/20120609134401/http://www.profootballhof.com/story/2009/10/9/super-bowl-memories-this-ones-for-john/
- "18 Years Later, John Elway Declares 'This One's For Pat'"https://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/02/07/18-years-later-john-elway-declares-this-ones-for-pat/
- "USA Today Super Bowl XXXII Play by Play"http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/nfl/super/superbowl-xxxii-plays.htm/
- "Super Bowl Game-Time Temperatures"http://www.profootballhof.com/news/super-bowl-game-time-temperatures/
- NFL.comhttp://www.nfl.com/superbowl/history/boxscore/sbxxxii
- "2016 NFL Factbook"http://www.nfl.com/static/content/public/photo/2015/07/21/0ap3000000502939.pdf
- "Super Bowl XXXII statistics"https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199801250den.htm
- "Super Bowl XXXII–National Football League Game Summary"http://www.nflgsis.com/1997/Post/04/18024/Gamebook.pdf#page=2
- Neft, David S., Cohen, Richard M., and Korch, Rick. The Complete History of Professional Football from 1892 to the Prese
- "Super Bowl XXXII | Football Zebras"https://www.footballzebras.com/super-bowl-officials/super-bowl-xxxii/