Super Bowl XXXIII: Pigskin Pandemonium

From the Spotlight Archive: This feature appeared on January 19, 1999

The Broncos came from behind against the New York Jets in the AFC Championship game to claim their second straight Super Bowl berth. Jets' head coach Bill Parcells, widely lauded as the best in the business, led his team to a 10-0 lead in the second half. But the powerful Denver offense, led by future Hall of Famers John Elway and Terrell Davis, came roaring back, scoring 23 unanswered points for a 23-10 win.

The Falcons are led by former Bronco head coach Dan Reeves. It has been long said that his old quarterback Elway was the catalyst for Reeves' Denver departure in 1993. Their interaction will be an interesting subplot in the days leading up to the biggest of all big games.

Win or lose, this will almost certainly be the final game of Elway's career. Also, Reeves had open-heart surgery a couple weeks back so he is under doctor's orders not to get too worked up. The pressure is always high in the Super Bowl, but not so much for Reeves, considering the Falcons came form out of nowhere to win 14 games in the regular season. Sports Illustrated ranked them 19th in the league in the preseason and expected them to finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs.

The Falcons beat the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings, 30-27, in overtime of the NFC Championship game for their tickets to the big game.

Whether you are in Denver, Atlanta, or Trenton, you will inundated with a Super Bowl media deluge in the coming weeks. So get the blinders out, maybe read an article or two, but don't overdose on the hype. Save plenty of room for the tortilla chips and cold cuts.

Oh yeah, and check back with Information Please for further Super Bowl hype in the near future.