NFL playoffs, 1997-98
Encyclopedia
The NFL playoffs
following the 1997 NFL season
led up to Super Bowl XXXII
.
30-yard touchdown pass from Randall Cunningham
and a field goal) in the final 90 seconds of the game to stun the Giants.
rushed for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns, while running back Derek Loville
racked up 103 yards and 2 scores on just 11 carries. Broncos quarterback John Elway
completed 16 of 24 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown.
was held to just 17 of 43 completions for 141 yards and was intercepted twice.
, running back Mike Alstott's 31-yard touchdown run, and two field goals. Their defense limited Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell to just 10 of 25 completions for 78 yards.
's 40-yard touchdown run made the difference in a defense-dominated game, and rookie lineman/linebacker Mike Vrabel
's late sack and forced fumble on quarterback Drew Bledsoe
sealed the victory for the Steelers. For the 3rd time in 4 years, Pittsburgh would play and host the AFC championship game
ran for a career-high 120 yards and two touchdowns and 49ers receiver J.J. Stokes caught a career-high nine passes for 101 yards. Steve Young threw for 220 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 37.
rushed for a team playoff record of 112 yards and a touchdown while also catching 4 passes for 29 yards as the Green Bay defense held Tampa Bay to 90 rushing yards and intercepted 2 passes from Trent Dilfer
, who finished the game with only 11 of 36 completions for 200 yards.
Early in the game, Tampa Bay had a chance to score first, but Packers defensive tackle Bob Kuberski
blocked Michael Husted's 43-yard field goal attempt. Green Bay then drove for the first touchdown of the game with Brett Favre
's 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Chmura
. Early in the second quarter, Packers receiver Robert Brooks
' 28-yard punt return and his 21-yard reception set up a field goal by Ryan Longwell
. And later on, defensive back Tyrone Williams intercepted a pass from Dilfer and returned it 14 yards, setting up Longwell's second field goal with six seconds left in the half, making the score 13-0.
Green Bay receiver Antonio Freeman
returned the second half kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, but a holding penalty on Darren Sharper
eliminated the score and moved the ball all the way back to their own 11-yard line. Green Bay still managed to drive into scoring range, but on the eighth play of the drive, Bucs defensive back Donnie Abraham
intercepted a pass from Favre on the Tampa Bay 6-yard line. Dilfer subsequently led the Bucs offense 94 yards in 8 plays to score on fullback Mike Alstott
's 6-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 13-7. But two possessions later, the Packers drove 54 yards and scored with a 2-yard touchdown run by Levens. Then, Favre closed out the scoring by running in the 2-point conversion on a quarterback draw.
threw for 260 yards, but his team could only score 10 points. Receiver Andre Rison
caught 8 passes for 110 yards. The Chiefs had an opportunity to go ahead near the end of the game, but with the clock at 19 seconds and running down a confused Chiefs offense hurried an Elvis Grbac incompletion into the end zone intended for Lake Dawson
on fourth down. For the second time in 3 years, Kansas City was eliminated as a #1 seed
rushed for 105 yards and a score.
intercepted Steve Young's pass and returned it 58 yards in what turned out to be a crucial play. Quarterback Brett Favre
would then find wide receiver Antonio Freeman
slicing across the middle on a slant for a 29-yard touchdown to give the Packers a 10-0 lead. The Packers led 13-3 at the half and although the 49ers would manage a field goal in the second quarter, they would not manage a touchdown until the closing minutes of the game on a kickoff return by Chuck Levy
. Favre finished the game with 16 of 27 pass completions for 222 yards, while the Green Bay defense held the 49ers to 33 rushing yards and forced two turnovers. Running back Dorsey Levens
recorded a then-playoff team record of 116 rushing yards and a touchdown, while also catching 6 passes for 37 yards. And in addition to his touchdown reception, Freeman caught 4 passes for 107 yards. This was the third year in a row the Packers defeated the 49ers in the playoffs, twice in San Francisco.
NFL playoffs
The National Football League playoffs are a single-elimination tournament held at the end of the regular season to determine the NFL champion. Six teams from each of the league's two conferences qualify for the playoffs based on regular season records, and a tie-breaking procedure exists in the...
following the 1997 NFL season
1997 NFL season
The 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
led up to Super Bowl XXXII
Super Bowl XXXII
Super Bowl XXXII was an American football game played on January 25, 1998 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1997 regular season...
.
Bracket
NFC: Minnesota Vikings 23, New York Giants 22
The Vikings scored 10 points (a Jake ReedJake Reed
Willis "Jake" Reed is a former professional American football player who played for 12 seasons in the National Football League as a wide receiver from 1991 to 2002 for the Minnesota Vikings and the New Orleans Saints.Reed played football collegiately at Grambling State University and was selected...
30-yard touchdown pass from Randall Cunningham
Randall Cunningham
Randall W. Cunningham is a former American football quarterback.After playing college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he was selected in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he remained through the 1995 season...
and a field goal) in the final 90 seconds of the game to stun the Giants.
AFC: Denver Broncos 42, Jacksonville Jaguars 17
Denver ran over the Jaguars with 310 rushing yards and 511 total yards of offense. Denver running back Terrell DavisTerrell Davis
Terrell Lamar Davis is a former American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League from 1995 to 2001. Davis was drafted by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft. Davis is the Denver Broncos all-time leading rusher, with 7,607 rushing...
rushed for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns, while running back Derek Loville
Derek Loville
Derek Kevin Loville is a former American football running back who played 8 years in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos from 1990 to 1998. He played for Archbishop Riordan High School...
racked up 103 yards and 2 scores on just 11 carries. Broncos quarterback John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
completed 16 of 24 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown.
AFC: New England Patriots 17, Miami Dolphins 3
The Patriot defense held Miami to 162 total yards of offense, 42 rushing yards and forced three Dolphins turnovers. Dolphins quarterback Dan MarinoDan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
was held to just 17 of 43 completions for 141 yards and was intercepted twice.
NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, Detroit Lions 10
Tampa Bay won their first playoff game since 1979 with quarterback Trent Dilfer's 9-yard touchdown pass to receiver Horace CopelandHorace Copeland
Horace Copeland is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for seven seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders...
, running back Mike Alstott's 31-yard touchdown run, and two field goals. Their defense limited Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell to just 10 of 25 completions for 78 yards.
Byes
- AFC: Kansas City ChiefsKansas City ChiefsThe Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
, Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh SteelersThe Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... - NFC: San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, Green Bay PackersGreen Bay PackersThe Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 7, New England Patriots 6
Quarterback Kordell StewartKordell Stewart
Kordell Stewart, nicknamed "Slash" , is a former American NFL quarterback. Stewart attended the University of Colorado and was drafted 60th in the 1995 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers...
's 40-yard touchdown run made the difference in a defense-dominated game, and rookie lineman/linebacker Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel
Michael George "Mike" Vrabel is an assistant coach at Ohio State. He is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League. Vrabel spent 14 seasons in the NFL, having played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, New England Patriots and most recently, the Kansas City Chiefs...
's late sack and forced fumble on quarterback Drew Bledsoe
Drew Bledsoe
Drew McQueen Bledsoe is a former football quarterback in the National Football League, best known as the starting quarterback for the New England Patriots from 1993-2001. During the 1990s, he was considered the face of the Patriots franchise...
sealed the victory for the Steelers. For the 3rd time in 4 years, Pittsburgh would play and host the AFC championship game
NFC: San Francisco 49ers 38, Minnesota Vikings 22
49ers running back Terry KirbyTerry Kirby
Terry Gayle Kirby , is a former professional American football player who played ten seasons in the NFL from 1993 to 2002. A 6'1" running back from the University of Virginia...
ran for a career-high 120 yards and two touchdowns and 49ers receiver J.J. Stokes caught a career-high nine passes for 101 yards. Steve Young threw for 220 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 37.
NFC: Green Bay Packers 21, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7
Packers running back Dorsey LevensDorsey Levens
Herbert Dorsey Levens is a retired American football running back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame and later Georgia Tech.In his career, Levens also played for the...
rushed for a team playoff record of 112 yards and a touchdown while also catching 4 passes for 29 yards as the Green Bay defense held Tampa Bay to 90 rushing yards and intercepted 2 passes from Trent Dilfer
Trent Dilfer
Trent Farris Dilfer is a former football quarterback in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sixth overall in the 1994 NFL Draft and went on to play for the Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers. He played college football...
, who finished the game with only 11 of 36 completions for 200 yards.
Early in the game, Tampa Bay had a chance to score first, but Packers defensive tackle Bob Kuberski
Bob Kuberski
Robert Kenneth Kuberski, Jr. is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots. He played college football at the United States Naval Academy .Kuberski was drafted by the Packers in the seventh round of the 1993...
blocked Michael Husted's 43-yard field goal attempt. Green Bay then drove for the first touchdown of the game with Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
's 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Chmura
Mark Chmura
Mark William Chmura , is a former American football tight end, who played his entire career with the Green Bay Packers .-Biography:Chmura was born in Deerfield, Massachusetts, United States.-College:...
. Early in the second quarter, Packers receiver Robert Brooks
Robert Brooks
Robert Darren Brooks is a former American football wide receiver who attended University of South Carolina and played for the Green Bay Packers and the Denver Broncos.-Early life:...
' 28-yard punt return and his 21-yard reception set up a field goal by Ryan Longwell
Ryan Longwell
Ryan Walker Longwell is an American football placekicker for the Minnesota Vikings in the National Football League. After playing college football for the California Golden Bears, he started his professional football career with the San Francisco 49ers, but never played a game for the franchise...
. And later on, defensive back Tyrone Williams intercepted a pass from Dilfer and returned it 14 yards, setting up Longwell's second field goal with six seconds left in the half, making the score 13-0.
Green Bay receiver Antonio Freeman
Antonio Freeman
Antonio Michael Freeman is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League, most notably for the Green Bay Packers. He attended the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, dominating his high school conference. Freeman played college football at Virginia Tech...
returned the second half kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, but a holding penalty on Darren Sharper
Darren Sharper
Darren Mallory Sharper is an American football safety who currently is a free agent. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at William & Mary....
eliminated the score and moved the ball all the way back to their own 11-yard line. Green Bay still managed to drive into scoring range, but on the eighth play of the drive, Bucs defensive back Donnie Abraham
Donnie Abraham
Nathaniel Donnell "Donnie" Abraham , is a former American football cornerback. In his career, he played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Jets . After considering retirement since the 2004 season ended, he finally decided to do so on July 15, 2005. He is now the head coach for Gibbs...
intercepted a pass from Favre on the Tampa Bay 6-yard line. Dilfer subsequently led the Bucs offense 94 yards in 8 plays to score on fullback Mike Alstott
Mike Alstott
Michael Joseph Alstott , nicknamed "A-Train", is a former American football fullback in the National Football League. He spent his entire 12-year career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football at Purdue...
's 6-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 13-7. But two possessions later, the Packers drove 54 yards and scored with a 2-yard touchdown run by Levens. Then, Favre closed out the scoring by running in the 2-point conversion on a quarterback draw.
AFC: Denver Broncos 14, Kansas City Chiefs 10
For the third consecutive year the AFC's top seed fell in the divisional playoffs, as the Chiefs fell to the Broncos. Denver running back Terrell Davis ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Broncos to victory. Chiefs quarterback Elvis GrbacElvis Grbac
Elvis M. Grbac is a retired American football quarterback who played in the NFL. During his career he was a starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, the Kansas City Chiefs, and Baltimore Ravens...
threw for 260 yards, but his team could only score 10 points. Receiver Andre Rison
Andre Rison
Andre Previn Rison is a retired American football wide receiver who played professionally for the National Football League's Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, and the Canadian Football League's...
caught 8 passes for 110 yards. The Chiefs had an opportunity to go ahead near the end of the game, but with the clock at 19 seconds and running down a confused Chiefs offense hurried an Elvis Grbac incompletion into the end zone intended for Lake Dawson
Lake Dawson
Lake Dawson is a former professional American football player. He graduated from Federal Way High School in 1990, where he had participated in football, basketball, and track...
on fourth down. For the second time in 3 years, Kansas City was eliminated as a #1 seed
AFC Championship: Denver Broncos 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 21
Denver forced three interceptions and a fumble from Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart. After Pittsburgh cut the lead to 24-21 with 2:46 left in the game, the Broncos were able to run out the clock after a key third-down conversion from John Elway to Shannon Sharpe. Sharpe said that Elway made up the converting play in the huddle, seconds before the snap. Terrell Davis rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown. Jerome BettisJerome Bettis
Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...
rushed for 105 yards and a score.
NFC Championship: Green Bay Packers 23, San Francisco 49ers 10
Green Bay opened the game by driving to the 3-yard line before a pass was deflected falling short of a wide open fullback William Henderson, forcing the Packers to settle for a field goal. Later in the first half, Packers safety Eugene RobinsonEugene Robinson
Eugene Keefe Robinson is a former professional American football player who played free safety. He played collegiately at Colgate University...
intercepted Steve Young's pass and returned it 58 yards in what turned out to be a crucial play. Quarterback Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
would then find wide receiver Antonio Freeman
Antonio Freeman
Antonio Michael Freeman is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League, most notably for the Green Bay Packers. He attended the Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, dominating his high school conference. Freeman played college football at Virginia Tech...
slicing across the middle on a slant for a 29-yard touchdown to give the Packers a 10-0 lead. The Packers led 13-3 at the half and although the 49ers would manage a field goal in the second quarter, they would not manage a touchdown until the closing minutes of the game on a kickoff return by Chuck Levy
Chuck Levy
Charles Levy is a former professional American football running back spending five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League. He coached defense at Basha High School's football team in Chandler, Arizona until he was arrested for drug charges....
. Favre finished the game with 16 of 27 pass completions for 222 yards, while the Green Bay defense held the 49ers to 33 rushing yards and forced two turnovers. Running back Dorsey Levens
Dorsey Levens
Herbert Dorsey Levens is a retired American football running back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 1994 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre Dame and later Georgia Tech.In his career, Levens also played for the...
recorded a then-playoff team record of 116 rushing yards and a touchdown, while also catching 6 passes for 37 yards. And in addition to his touchdown reception, Freeman caught 4 passes for 107 yards. This was the third year in a row the Packers defeated the 49ers in the playoffs, twice in San Francisco.