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class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>Bracket</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Bracket-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Schedule" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Schedule"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Schedule</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Schedule-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Wild_Card_playoffs" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Wild_Card_playoffs"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Wild Card playoffs</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Wild_Card_playoffs-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Wild Card playoffs subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Wild_Card_playoffs-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Saturday,_December_27,_1997" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Saturday,_December_27,_1997"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.1</span> <span>Saturday, December 27, 1997</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Saturday,_December_27,_1997-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-NFC:_Minnesota_Vikings_23,_New_York_Giants_22" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#NFC:_Minnesota_Vikings_23,_New_York_Giants_22"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.1.1</span> <span>NFC: Minnesota Vikings 23, New York Giants 22</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-NFC:_Minnesota_Vikings_23,_New_York_Giants_22-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-AFC:_Denver_Broncos_42,_Jacksonville_Jaguars_17" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#AFC:_Denver_Broncos_42,_Jacksonville_Jaguars_17"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.1.2</span> <span>AFC: Denver Broncos 42, Jacksonville Jaguars 17</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-AFC:_Denver_Broncos_42,_Jacksonville_Jaguars_17-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Sunday,_December_28,_1997" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Sunday,_December_28,_1997"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.2</span> <span>Sunday, December 28, 1997</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Sunday,_December_28,_1997-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-AFC:_New_England_Patriots_17,_Miami_Dolphins_3" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#AFC:_New_England_Patriots_17,_Miami_Dolphins_3"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.2.1</span> <span>AFC: New England Patriots 17, Miami Dolphins 3</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-AFC:_New_England_Patriots_17,_Miami_Dolphins_3-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-NFC:_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_20,_Detroit_Lions_10" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#NFC:_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_20,_Detroit_Lions_10"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.2.2</span> <span>NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, Detroit Lions 10</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-NFC:_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_20,_Detroit_Lions_10-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Divisional_playoffs" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Divisional_playoffs"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Divisional playoffs</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Divisional_playoffs-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Divisional playoffs subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Divisional_playoffs-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Saturday,_January_3,_1998" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Saturday,_January_3,_1998"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.1</span> <span>Saturday, January 3, 1998</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Saturday,_January_3,_1998-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-AFC:_Pittsburgh_Steelers_7,_New_England_Patriots_6" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#AFC:_Pittsburgh_Steelers_7,_New_England_Patriots_6"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.1.1</span> <span>AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 7, New England Patriots 6</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-AFC:_Pittsburgh_Steelers_7,_New_England_Patriots_6-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-NFC:_San_Francisco_49ers_38,_Minnesota_Vikings_22" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#NFC:_San_Francisco_49ers_38,_Minnesota_Vikings_22"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.1.2</span> <span>NFC: San Francisco 49ers 38, Minnesota Vikings 22</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-NFC:_San_Francisco_49ers_38,_Minnesota_Vikings_22-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Sunday,_January_4,_1998" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Sunday,_January_4,_1998"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.2</span> <span>Sunday, January 4, 1998</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Sunday,_January_4,_1998-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-NFC:_Green_Bay_Packers_21,_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_7" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#NFC:_Green_Bay_Packers_21,_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_7"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.2.1</span> <span>NFC: Green Bay Packers 21, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-NFC:_Green_Bay_Packers_21,_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_7-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-AFC:_Denver_Broncos_14,_Kansas_City_Chiefs_10" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#AFC:_Denver_Broncos_14,_Kansas_City_Chiefs_10"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5.2.2</span> <span>AFC: Denver Broncos 14, Kansas City Chiefs 10</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-AFC:_Denver_Broncos_14,_Kansas_City_Chiefs_10-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Conference_Championships" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Conference_Championships"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Conference Championships</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Conference_Championships-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Conference Championships subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Conference_Championships-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Sunday,_January_11,_1998" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Sunday,_January_11,_1998"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.1</span> <span>Sunday, January 11, 1998</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Sunday,_January_11,_1998-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-AFC:_Denver_Broncos_24,_Pittsburgh_Steelers_21" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#AFC:_Denver_Broncos_24,_Pittsburgh_Steelers_21"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.1.1</span> <span>AFC: Denver Broncos 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 21</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-AFC:_Denver_Broncos_24,_Pittsburgh_Steelers_21-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-NFC:_Green_Bay_Packers_23,_San_Francisco_49ers_10" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#NFC:_Green_Bay_Packers_23,_San_Francisco_49ers_10"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6.1.2</span> <span>NFC: Green Bay Packers 23, San Francisco 49ers 10</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-NFC:_Green_Bay_Packers_23,_San_Francisco_49ers_10-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Super_Bowl_XXXII:_Denver_Broncos_31,_Green_Bay_Packers_24" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Super_Bowl_XXXII:_Denver_Broncos_31,_Green_Bay_Packers_24"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>Super Bowl XXXII: Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Super_Bowl_XXXII:_Denver_Broncos_31,_Green_Bay_Packers_24-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Bibliography" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Bibliography"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>Bibliography</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Bibliography-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" 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class="mw-empty-elt"> </p> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1257001546">.mw-parser-output .infobox-subbox{padding:0;border:none;margin:-3px;width:auto;min-width:100%;font-size:100%;clear:none;float:none;background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .infobox-3cols-child{margin:auto}.mw-parser-output .infobox .navbar{font-size:100%}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme)>div:not(.notheme)[style]{background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .infobox-full-data:not(.notheme) div:not(.notheme){background:#1f1f23!important;color:#f8f9fa}}@media(min-width:640px){body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table{display:table!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>caption{display:table-caption!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table>tbody{display:table-row-group}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table tr{display:table-row!important}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table th,body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .infobox-table td{padding-left:inherit;padding-right:inherit}}</style><table class="infobox vcard"><caption class="infobox-title fn org">1997–98 NFL playoffs</caption><tbody><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Dates</th><td class="infobox-data">December 27, 1997–January 25, 1998</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Season</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/1997_NFL_season" title="1997 NFL season">1997</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Teams</th><td class="infobox-data">12</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Games played</th><td class="infobox-data">11</td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label"><a href="/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXXII" title="Super Bowl XXXII">Super Bowl XXXII</a> site</th><td class="infobox-data"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/SDCCU_Stadium" class="mw-redirect" title="SDCCU Stadium">Qualcomm Stadium</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/San_Diego" title="San Diego">San Diego, California</a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Defending champions</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/1997_Green_Bay_Packers_season" title="1997 Green Bay Packers season">Green Bay Packers</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Champions</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/1997_Denver_Broncos_season" title="1997 Denver Broncos season">Denver Broncos</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Runners-up</th><td class="infobox-data"><a href="/wiki/1997_Green_Bay_Packers_season" title="1997 Green Bay Packers season">Green Bay Packers</a></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="infobox-label">Conference<br />runners-up</th><td class="infobox-data"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><a href="/wiki/1997_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season" title="1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season">Pittsburgh Steelers</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/1997_San_Francisco_49ers_season" title="1997 San Francisco 49ers season">San Francisco 49ers</a></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="infobox-full-data"><table style="font-size: 95%; line-height: 95%; background-color: inherit" width="100%" class="nowraplinks"> <tbody><tr><th style="text-align:center" colspan="2"><a href="/wiki/NFL_playoffs" title="NFL playoffs">NFL playoffs</a></th></tr><tr> <td style="width:50%; text-align:center">← <a href="/wiki/1996%E2%80%9397_NFL_playoffs" title="1996–97 NFL playoffs">1996–97</a></td> <td style="width:50%; text-align:center"><a href="/wiki/1998%E2%80%9399_NFL_playoffs" title="1998–99 NFL playoffs">1998–99</a> →</td> </tr> </tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>The <b><a href="/wiki/National_Football_League_playoffs" class="mw-redirect" title="National Football League playoffs">National Football League playoffs</a></b> for the <b><a href="/wiki/1997_NFL_season" title="1997 NFL season">1997 season</a></b> began on December 27, 1997. The postseason tournament concluded with the <a href="/wiki/Denver_Broncos" title="Denver Broncos">Denver Broncos</a> defeating the <a href="/wiki/Green_Bay_Packers" title="Green Bay Packers">Green Bay Packers</a> in <a href="/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXXII" title="Super Bowl XXXII">Super Bowl XXXII</a>, 31–24, on January 25, 1998, at <a href="/wiki/Qualcomm_Stadium" class="mw-redirect" title="Qualcomm Stadium">Qualcomm Stadium</a> in <a href="/wiki/San_Diego" title="San Diego">San Diego</a>, <a href="/wiki/California" title="California">California</a>. </p><p>For the first time ever, all three Florida teams (the <a href="/wiki/Jacksonville_Jaguars" title="Jacksonville Jaguars">Jacksonville Jaguars</a>, <a href="/wiki/Miami_Dolphins" title="Miami Dolphins">Miami Dolphins</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers" title="Tampa Bay Buccaneers">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a>) qualified for the playoffs. The feat would repeat itself in the <a href="/wiki/1999%E2%80%932000_NFL_playoffs" title="1999–2000 NFL playoffs">1999 postseason</a> and again during the <a href="/wiki/2022%E2%80%9323_NFL_playoffs" title="2022–23 NFL playoffs">2022 postseason</a>. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Participants">Participants</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Participants"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="thumb tright"> <div class="thumbinner" style="width: 432px;"> <div class="thumbimage" style="width: 430px; height: 270px; overflow: hidden;"> <div style="position: relative; top: -10px; left: -30px; width: 480px"><div class="noresize"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238443738">.mw-parser-output .locmap 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typeof="mw:File"><span title="Broncos"><img alt="Broncos" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Blue_pog.svg/8px-Blue_pog.svg.png" decoding="async" width="8" height="8" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Blue_pog.svg/12px-Blue_pog.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Blue_pog.svg/16px-Blue_pog.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="64" data-file-height="64" /></span></span></div><div class="pv" style="width:6em;top:5px;left:-3em"><div><b><a href="/wiki/Denver_Broncos" title="Denver Broncos">Broncos</a></b></div></div></div><div class="od notheme" style="top:75.331%;left:76.809%;font-size:80%"><div class="id" style="left:-4px;top:-4px"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Jaguars"><img alt="Jaguars" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Blue_pog.svg/8px-Blue_pog.svg.png" decoding="async" width="8" height="8" class="mw-file-element" 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class="id" style="left:-4px;top:-4px"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Packers"><img alt="Packers" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/8px-Red_pog.svg.png" decoding="async" width="8" height="8" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/12px-Red_pog.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/16px-Red_pog.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="64" data-file-height="64" /></span></span></div><div class="pv" style="width:6em;top:5px;left:-3em"><div><b><a href="/wiki/Green_Bay_Packers" title="Green Bay Packers">Packers</a></b></div></div></div><div class="od notheme" style="top:42.749%;left:5.548%;font-size:80%"><div class="id" style="left:-4px;top:-4px"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><span title="49ers"><img alt="49ers" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/8px-Red_pog.svg.png" decoding="async" width="8" height="8" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/12px-Red_pog.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/16px-Red_pog.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="64" data-file-height="64" /></span></span></div><div class="pv" style="width:6em;top:5px;left:-3em"><div><b><a href="/wiki/San_Francisco_49ers" title="San Francisco 49ers">49ers</a></b></div></div></div><div class="od notheme" style="top:83.812%;left:75.929%;font-size:80%"><div class="id" style="left:-4px;top:-4px"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Buccaneers"><img alt="Buccaneers" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/8px-Red_pog.svg.png" decoding="async" width="8" height="8" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/12px-Red_pog.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/16px-Red_pog.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="64" data-file-height="64" /></span></span></div><div class="pl" style="width:6em;right:5px"><div><b><a href="/wiki/Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers" title="Tampa Bay Buccaneers">Buccaneers</a></b></div></div></div><div class="od notheme" style="top:33.287%;left:70.247%;font-size:80%"><div class="id" style="left:-4px;top:-4px"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Lions"><img alt="Lions" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/8px-Red_pog.svg.png" decoding="async" width="8" height="8" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/12px-Red_pog.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/16px-Red_pog.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="64" data-file-height="64" /></span></span></div><div class="pv" style="width:6em;top:5px;left:-3em"><div><b><a href="/wiki/Detroit_Lions" title="Detroit Lions">Lions</a></b></div></div></div><div class="od notheme" style="top:27.265%;left:54.223%;font-size:80%"><div class="id" style="left:-4px;top:-4px"><span class="notpageimage" typeof="mw:File"><span title="Vikings"><img alt="Vikings" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/8px-Red_pog.svg.png" decoding="async" width="8" height="8" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/12px-Red_pog.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/16px-Red_pog.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="64" data-file-height="64" /></span></span></div><div class="pv" style="width:6em;bottom:5px;left:-3em"><div><b><a href="/wiki/Minnesota_Vikings" title="Minnesota Vikings">Vikings</a></b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> </div> <div class="thumbcaption"> <div class="magnify"><a class="mw-selflink selflink"> </a></div><span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Blue_pog.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Blue_pog.svg/10px-Blue_pog.svg.png" decoding="async" width="10" height="10" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Blue_pog.svg/15px-Blue_pog.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Blue_pog.svg/20px-Blue_pog.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="64" data-file-height="64" /></a></span> AFC Teams <span typeof="mw:File"><a href="/wiki/File:Red_pog.svg" class="mw-file-description"><img src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/10px-Red_pog.svg.png" decoding="async" width="10" height="10" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/15px-Red_pog.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0c/Red_pog.svg/20px-Red_pog.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="64" data-file-height="64" /></a></span> NFC Teams </div> </div> </div> <p>Within each conference, the three division winners and the three <a href="/wiki/Wild_card_(sports)" title="Wild card (sports)">non-division winners with the best overall regular season records</a> qualified for the playoffs. The three division winners were <a href="/wiki/Seed_(sports)" class="mw-redirect" title="Seed (sports)">seeded</a> 1–3 based on the overall won-lost-tied record, and the three wild card teams were seeded 4–6. The NFL did not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there were no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round. In the first round, dubbed the <i>wild-card playoffs</i> or <i>wild-card weekend</i>, the third-seeded division winner hosted the sixth seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosted the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference received a <a href="/wiki/Bye_(sports)" title="Bye (sports)">first-round bye</a>. In the second round, the <i>divisional playoffs</i>, the number 1 seed hosted the worst-remaining seed from the first round (seed 4, 5, or 6), while the number 2 seed played the other team (seed 3, 4, or 5). The two winning teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the <a href="/wiki/Super_Bowl" title="Super Bowl">Super Bowl</a>, the championship round of the playoffs, was played at a neutral site, the designated home team was based on an annual rotation by conference. </p> <table class="wikitable"> <tbody><tr> <td colspan="3" style="text-align:center;"><b>Playoff seeds</b> </td></tr> <tr style="background-color:#efefef;"> <th>Seed</th> <th><a href="/wiki/American_Football_Conference" title="American Football Conference">AFC</a></th> <th><a href="/wiki/National_Football_Conference" title="National Football Conference">NFC</a> </th></tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"><b>1</b></td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Kansas_City_Chiefs_season" title="1997 Kansas City Chiefs season">Kansas City Chiefs</a> (<a href="/wiki/AFC_West" title="AFC West">West</a> winner)</td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_San_Francisco_49ers_season" title="1997 San Francisco 49ers season">San Francisco 49ers</a> (<a href="/wiki/NFC_West" title="NFC West">West</a> winner) </td></tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"><b>2</b></td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season" title="1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season">Pittsburgh Steelers</a> (<a href="/wiki/AFC_Central" class="mw-redirect" title="AFC Central">Central</a> winner)</td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Green_Bay_Packers_season" title="1997 Green Bay Packers season">Green Bay Packers</a> (<a href="/wiki/NFC_Central" class="mw-redirect" title="NFC Central">Central</a> winner) </td></tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"><b>3</b></td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_New_England_Patriots_season" title="1997 New England Patriots season">New England Patriots</a> (<a href="/wiki/AFC_East" title="AFC East">East</a> winner)</td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_New_York_Giants_season" title="1997 New York Giants season">New York Giants</a> (<a href="/wiki/NFC_East" title="NFC East">East</a> winner) </td></tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"><b>4</b></td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Denver_Broncos_season" title="1997 Denver Broncos season">Denver Broncos</a> (<a href="/wiki/Wild_card_(sports)#National_Football_League" title="Wild card (sports)">wild card</a>)</td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_season" title="1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a> (wild card) </td></tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"><b>5</b></td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Jacksonville_Jaguars_season" title="1997 Jacksonville Jaguars season">Jacksonville Jaguars</a> (wild card)</td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Detroit_Lions_season" title="1997 Detroit Lions season">Detroit Lions</a> (wild card) </td></tr> <tr> <td style="text-align:center;"><b>6</b></td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Miami_Dolphins_season" title="1997 Miami Dolphins season">Miami Dolphins</a> (wild card)</td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Minnesota_Vikings_season" title="1997 Minnesota Vikings season">Minnesota Vikings</a> (wild card) </td></tr></tbody></table> <p><br /> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Bracket">Bracket</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Bracket"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <table style="font-size:90%; margin:1em 2em 1em 1em; border-collabpse:collapse; border-spacing:0px;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="height:1px;"> </td> <td style="width:1.7em;"></td> <td style="width:10em;"></td> <td style="width:2.6em;"> </td> <td style="width:.5em;"></td> <td style="width:.9em;"> </td> <td style="width:1.7em;"></td> <td style="width:10em;"></td> <td style="width:2.6em;"> </td> <td style="width:.7em;"></td> <td style="width:.7em;"> </td> <td style="width:1.7em;"></td> <td style="width:10em;"></td> <td style="width:2.6em;"> </td> <td style="width:.7em;"></td> <td style="width:.7em;"> </td> <td style="width:2em;"></td> <td style="width:10em;"></td> <td style="width:2.6em;"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:4.8ex;"> </td> <td colspan="3" style="vertical-align:bottom;">Dec 28 – <a href="/wiki/Tampa_Stadium" title="Tampa Stadium">Houlihan's Stadium</a> </td> <td rowspan="3" style="border-bottom:2px solid"> </td> <td rowspan="3" style="border-bottom:2px solid"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="2" style="vertical-align:bottom;">Jan 4 – <a href="/wiki/Lambeau_Field" title="Lambeau Field">Lambeau Field</a> </td> <td rowspan="4" style="border-bottom:2px solid"> </td> <td rowspan="9" style="border-bottom:2px solid"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="3"> </td> <td rowspan="9" style="border-bottom:2px solid"> </td> <td rowspan="19" style="border-bottom:2px solid"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="13"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;">5 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:1px 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Detroit_Lions_season" title="1997 Detroit Lions season">Detroit</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;">10 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;">4 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:1px 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;">Tampa Bay </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;">7 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;font-weight:bold;">4 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:0 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;font-weight:bold;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_season" title="1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season">Tampa Bay</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;font-weight:bold;">20 </td> <td rowspan="10" style="border-width:1px 0 2px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000;"> </td> <td rowspan="10" style="border-width:1px 0 2px 0; border-style:solid;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="4" style="vertical-align:bottom;">Jan 11 – 3Com Park </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;font-weight:bold;">2 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:0 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;font-weight:bold;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Green_Bay_Packers_season" title="1997 Green Bay Packers season">Green Bay</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;font-weight:bold;">21 </td> <td rowspan="10" style="border-width:1px 3px 2px 0; border-style:solid;"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="2" style="text-align:right;font-size:80%"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"><b>NFC</b> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="4" style="vertical-align:bottom;">Dec 27 – <a href="/wiki/Giants_Stadium" title="Giants Stadium">Giants Stadium</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;font-weight:bold;">2 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:1px 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;font-weight:bold;">Green Bay </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;font-weight:bold;">23 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="4" style="vertical-align:bottom;">Jan 3 – <a href="/wiki/Candlestick_Park" title="Candlestick Park">3Com Park</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="20" style="border-width:1px 0 2px 0; border-style:solid;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;">1 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:0 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;">San Francisco </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;">10 </td> <td rowspan="20" style="border-width:1px 3px 2px 0; border-style: solid;"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;font-weight:bold;">6 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:1px 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;font-weight:bold;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Minnesota_Vikings_season" title="1997 Minnesota Vikings season">Minnesota</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;font-weight:bold;">23 </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="4" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:top;"><b>NFC Championship</b> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;">6 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:1px 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;">Minnesota </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;">22 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;">3 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:0 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_New_York_Giants_season" title="1997 New York Giants season">NY Giants</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;">22 </td> <td rowspan="10" style="border-width:1px 0 2px 0; border-style:solid;"> </td> <td rowspan="10" style="border-top:1px solid;border-bottom:2px solid;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="4" style="vertical-align:bottom;">Jan 25 – <a href="/wiki/Qualcomm_Stadium" class="mw-redirect" title="Qualcomm Stadium">Qualcomm Stadium</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;font-weight:bold;">1 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:0 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;font-weight:bold;"><a href="/wiki/1997_San_Francisco_49ers_season" title="1997 San Francisco 49ers season">San Francisco</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;font-weight:bold;">38 </td> <td rowspan="10" style="border-width:1px 0 2px 0; border-style:solid;"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"><b>Wild Card playoffs</b> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="8"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"><b>Divisional playoffs</b> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="4" style="vertical-align:bottom;">Dec 27 – <a href="/wiki/Mile_High_Stadium" title="Mile High Stadium">Mile High Stadium</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;">N2 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:1px 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;">Green Bay </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#D0E7FF;">24 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="4" style="vertical-align:bottom;">Jan 4 – <a href="/wiki/Arrowhead_Stadium" title="Arrowhead Stadium">Arrowhead Stadium</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="17" style="border-top:1px solid;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;font-weight:bold;">A4 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:0 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;font-weight:bold;">Denver </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;font-weight:bold;">31 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;">5 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:1px 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Jacksonville_Jaguars_season" title="1997 Jacksonville Jaguars season">Jacksonville</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;">17 </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;"><b><a href="/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXXII" title="Super Bowl XXXII">Super Bowl XXXII</a></b> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;font-weight:bold;">4 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:1px 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;font-weight:bold;">Denver </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;font-weight:bold;">14 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;font-weight:bold;">4 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:0 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;font-weight:bold;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Denver_Broncos_season" title="1997 Denver Broncos season">Denver</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;font-weight:bold;">42 </td> <td rowspan="10" style="border-width:1px 0 2px 0; border-style:solid;"> </td> <td rowspan="10" style="border-width:1px 0 2px 0; border-style:solid;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="4" style="vertical-align:bottom;">Jan 11 – Three Rivers Stadium </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;">1 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:0 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Kansas_City_Chiefs_season" title="1997 Kansas City Chiefs season">Kansas City</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;">10 </td> <td rowspan="10" style="border-width:1px 3px 2px 0; border-style:solid;"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="2" style="text-align:right; font-size:80%"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"><b>AFC</b> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="4" style="vertical-align:bottom;">Dec 28 – <a href="/wiki/Foxboro_Stadium" title="Foxboro Stadium">Foxboro Stadium</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;font-weight:bold;">4 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:1px 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;font-weight:bold;">Denver </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;font-weight:bold;">24 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="4" style="vertical-align:bottom;">Jan 3 – <a href="/wiki/Three_Rivers_Stadium" title="Three Rivers Stadium">Three Rivers Stadium</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="7" style="border-top:1px solid;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;">2 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:0 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;">Pittsburgh </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;">21 </td> <td rowspan="7" style="border-top:1px solid;"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;">6 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:1px 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Miami_Dolphins_season" title="1997 Miami Dolphins season">Miami</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;">3 </td> <td colspan="3" rowspan="4" style="text-align:center;vertical-align:top;"><b>AFC Championship</b> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;">3 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:1px 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;">New England </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:1px 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;">6 </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;font-weight:bold;">3 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:0 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;font-weight:bold;"><a href="/wiki/1997_New_England_Patriots_season" title="1997 New England Patriots season">New England</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;font-weight:bold;">17 </td> <td rowspan="3" style="border-top:1px solid;"> </td> <td rowspan="3" style="border-top:1px solid;"> </td> <td colspan="2" rowspan="3"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 0 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;;font-weight:bold;">2 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="padding-left:.5em; border-width:0 1px 1px 1px; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;font-weight:bold;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season" title="1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season">Pittsburgh</a> </td> <td rowspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-width:0 1px 1px 0; border-style:solid; border-color:#000000; background:#FFCCCC;font-weight:bold;">7 </td> <td rowspan="2" style="border-top:1px solid;"> </td></tr> <tr> <td style="height:1.6ex;"> </td> <td 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dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:last-child::after{content:")";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol{counter-reset:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li{counter-increment:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li::before{content:" "counter(listitem)"\a0 "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li ol>li:first-child::before{content:" ("counter(listitem)"\a0 "}</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist"><span>This box: </span><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs" title="Template:1997–98 NFL playoffs"><span title="View this template">view</span></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs" title="Template talk:1997–98 NFL playoffs"><span title="Discuss this template">talk</span></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs" title="Special:EditPage/Template:1997–98 NFL playoffs"><span title="Edit this template">edit</span></a></li></ul></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Schedule">Schedule</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Schedule"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>These playoffs marked the final season that <a href="/wiki/NFL_on_NBC" title="NFL on NBC">NBC</a> was the <a href="/wiki/American_Football_Conference" title="American Football Conference">AFC</a> network. <a href="/wiki/NFL_on_CBS" title="NFL on CBS">CBS</a> would then take over the rights to the AFC before the start of the following season. <a href="/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXXII" title="Super Bowl XXXII">Super Bowl XXXII</a> was also NBC's last NFL broadcast overall until <a href="/wiki/2006_NFL_season" title="2006 NFL season">2006</a>, when they signed on to televise <i><a href="/wiki/NBC_Sunday_Night_Football" title="NBC Sunday Night Football">Sunday Night Football</a></i>. </p><p><a href="/wiki/Monday_Night_Football" title="Monday Night Football">ABC</a> continued to broadcast the first two Wild Card playoff games, and <a href="/wiki/Fox_NFL" class="mw-redirect" title="Fox NFL">Fox</a> televised the rest of the <a href="/wiki/National_Football_Conference" title="National Football Conference">NFC</a> games. </p> <table class="wikitable" style="font-size:92%; text-align:center;"> <tbody><tr> <th>Away team</th> <th>Score</th> <th>Home team</th> <th>Date</th> <th>Kickoff<br />(<a href="/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone" title="Eastern Time Zone">ET</a> / <a href="/wiki/UTC%E2%88%9205:00" title="UTC−05:00">UTC–5</a>)</th> <th>TV </th></tr> <tr> <th colspan="6">Wild Card playoffs </th></tr> <tr> <td><b><a href="/wiki/1997_Minnesota_Vikings_season" title="1997 Minnesota Vikings season">Minnesota Vikings</a></b></td> <td>23–22</td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_New_York_Giants_season" title="1997 New York Giants season">New York Giants</a></td> <td>December 27, 1997</td> <td>12:30 p.m.</td> <td><a href="/wiki/Monday_Night_Football" title="Monday Night Football">ABC</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Jacksonville_Jaguars_season" title="1997 Jacksonville Jaguars season">Jacksonville Jaguars</a></td> <td>17–42</td> <td><b><a href="/wiki/1997_Denver_Broncos_season" title="1997 Denver Broncos season">Denver Broncos</a></b></td> <td>December 27, 1997</td> <td>4:00 p.m.</td> <td><a href="/wiki/Monday_Night_Football" title="Monday Night Football">ABC</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Miami_Dolphins_season" title="1997 Miami Dolphins season">Miami Dolphins</a></td> <td>3–17</td> <td><b><a href="/wiki/1997_New_England_Patriots_season" title="1997 New England Patriots season">New England Patriots</a></b></td> <td>December 28, 1997</td> <td>12:30 p.m.</td> <td><a href="/wiki/NFL_on_NBC" title="NFL on NBC">NBC</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Detroit_Lions_season" title="1997 Detroit Lions season">Detroit Lions</a></td> <td>10–20</td> <td><b><a href="/wiki/1997_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_season" title="1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a></b></td> <td>December 28, 1997</td> <td>4:00 p.m.</td> <td><a href="/wiki/NFL_on_Fox" title="NFL on Fox">Fox</a> </td></tr> <tr> <th colspan="6">Divisional playoffs </th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_New_England_Patriots_season" title="1997 New England Patriots season">New England Patriots</a></td> <td>6–7</td> <td><b><a href="/wiki/1997_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season" title="1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season">Pittsburgh Steelers</a></b></td> <td>January 3, 1998</td> <td>12:30 p.m.</td> <td><a href="/wiki/NFL_on_NBC" title="NFL on NBC">NBC</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Minnesota_Vikings_season" title="1997 Minnesota Vikings season">Minnesota Vikings</a></td> <td>22–38</td> <td><b><a href="/wiki/1997_San_Francisco_49ers_season" title="1997 San Francisco 49ers season">San Francisco 49ers</a></b></td> <td>January 3, 1998</td> <td>4:00 p.m.</td> <td><a href="/wiki/NFL_on_Fox" title="NFL on Fox">Fox</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_season" title="1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</a></td> <td>7–21</td> <td><b><a href="/wiki/1997_Green_Bay_Packers_season" title="1997 Green Bay Packers season">Green Bay Packers</a></b></td> <td>January 4, 1998</td> <td>12:30 p.m.</td> <td><a href="/wiki/NFL_on_Fox" title="NFL on Fox">Fox</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td><b><a href="/wiki/1997_Denver_Broncos_season" title="1997 Denver Broncos season">Denver Broncos</a></b></td> <td>14–10</td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Kansas_City_Chiefs_season" title="1997 Kansas City Chiefs season">Kansas City Chiefs</a></td> <td>January 4, 1998</td> <td>4:00 p.m.</td> <td><a href="/wiki/NFL_on_NBC" title="NFL on NBC">NBC</a> </td></tr> <tr> <th colspan="6">Conference Championships </th></tr> <tr> <td><b><a href="/wiki/1997_Denver_Broncos_season" title="1997 Denver Broncos season">Denver Broncos</a></b></td> <td>24–21</td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season" title="1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season">Pittsburgh Steelers</a></td> <td>January 11, 1998</td> <td>12:30 p.m.</td> <td><a href="/wiki/NFL_on_NBC" title="NFL on NBC">NBC</a> </td></tr> <tr> <td><b><a href="/wiki/1997_Green_Bay_Packers_season" title="1997 Green Bay Packers season">Green Bay Packers</a></b></td> <td>23–10</td> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_San_Francisco_49ers_season" title="1997 San Francisco 49ers season">San Francisco 49ers</a></td> <td>January 11, 1998</td> <td>4:00 p.m.</td> <td><a href="/wiki/NFL_on_Fox" title="NFL on Fox">Fox</a> </td></tr> <tr> <th colspan="6"><a href="/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXXII" title="Super Bowl XXXII">Super Bowl XXXII</a><br /><small><a href="/wiki/Qualcomm_Stadium" class="mw-redirect" title="Qualcomm Stadium">Qualcomm Stadium</a>, San Diego, California</small> </th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="/wiki/1997_Green_Bay_Packers_season" title="1997 Green Bay Packers season">Green Bay Packers</a></td> <td>24–31</td> <td><b><a href="/wiki/1997_Denver_Broncos_season" title="1997 Denver Broncos season">Denver Broncos</a></b></td> <td>January 25, 1998</td> <td>6:00 p.m.</td> <td><a href="/wiki/NFL_on_NBC" title="NFL on NBC">NBC</a> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Wild_Card_playoffs">Wild Card playoffs</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Wild Card playoffs"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Saturday,_December_27,_1997"><span id="Saturday.2C_December_27.2C_1997"></span>Saturday, December 27, 1997</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Saturday, December 27, 1997"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="NFC:_Minnesota_Vikings_23,_New_York_Giants_22"><span id="NFC:_Minnesota_Vikings_23.2C_New_York_Giants_22"></span>NFC: Minnesota Vikings 23, New York Giants 22</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: NFC: Minnesota Vikings 23, New York Giants 22"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div style="border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px; font-size: 95%; margin:auto;"> <div style="width: 100%;"> <div style="text-align:center; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;"><b>Minnesota Vikings vs. New York Giants – Game summary</b></div> <table class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; margin-left:1em; float:right"> <tbody><tr style="text-align:center;"> <th>Quarter</th> <th width="25">1</th> <th width="25">2</th> <th width="25">3</th><th width="25">4</th><th width="25">Total</th> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left"><b>Vikings</b></td> <td>0</td> <td>3</td> <td>7</td><td>13</td><td><b>23</b></td> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left">Giants</td> <td>6</td> <td>13</td> <td>0</td><td>3</td><td><b>22</b></td> </tr></tbody></table> <p><i>at <a href="/wiki/Giants_Stadium" title="Giants Stadium">Giants Stadium</a>, <a href="/wiki/East_Rutherford,_New_Jersey" title="East Rutherford, New Jersey">East Rutherford, New Jersey</a></i> </p> <ul><li><b>Game time</b>: 12:30 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone" title="Eastern Time Zone">EST</a></li><li><b>Game weather</b>: Snow and rain, 39 °F (4 °C)</li><li><b>Game attendance</b>: 77,497</li><li><b>Referee</b>: <a href="/wiki/Ed_Hochuli" title="Ed Hochuli">Ed Hochuli</a></li><li><b>TV announcers (<a href="/wiki/Monday_Night_Football" title="Monday Night Football">ABC</a>)</b>: <a href="/wiki/Mike_Patrick" title="Mike Patrick">Mike Patrick</a> (<a href="/wiki/Play-by-play" class="mw-redirect" title="Play-by-play">play-by-play</a>) and <a href="/wiki/Joe_Theismann" title="Joe Theismann">Joe Theismann</a> (<a href="/wiki/Color_commentator" title="Color commentator">color commentator</a>)</li> </ul> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%"> <tbody><tr> <th>Game information </th></tr> <tr> <td style="padding-left: 0.5em;"> <ul><li><b>Scoring</b> <ul><li>NYG – field goal Daluiso 43 <b>NYG 3–0</b></li> <li>NYG – field goal Daluiso 22 <b>NYG 6–0</b></li> <li>NYG – Pierce 2 pass from Kanell (Daluiso kick) <b>NYG 13–0</b></li> <li>NYG – field goal Daluiso 41 <b>NYG 16–0</b></li> <li>MIN – field goal Murray 26 <b>NYG 16–3</b></li> <li>NYG – field goal Daluiso 41 <b>NYG 19–3</b></li> <li>MIN – Hoard 4 run (Murray kick) <b>NYG 19–10</b></li> <li>MIN – field goal Murray 26 <b>NYG 19–13</b></li> <li>NYG – field goal Daluiso 22 <b>NYG 22–13</b></li> <li>MIN – Reed 30 pass from Cunningham (Murray kick) <b>NYG 22–20</b></li> <li>MIN – field goal Murray 24 <b>MIN 23–22</b></li></ul></li></ul> </td></tr></tbody></table> </div> <p>The 1997 playoffs were notable for featuring four teams from the <a href="/wiki/NFC_Central" class="mw-redirect" title="NFC Central">NFC Central</a>. At fourth place were the Vikings, who had started the year a promising 8–2 before losing five straight games and barely making the postseason with a 9–7 record. The Vikings had made the playoffs in four of the last five seasons, but had lost each time in the first round. This time, however, they managed to earn a win by scoring 10 points in the final 90 seconds of the game. </p><p>Vikings quarterback <a href="/wiki/Randall_Cunningham" title="Randall Cunningham">Randall Cunningham</a> got off to a rough start as he lost three first half turnovers that would be converted into nine New York points. After each team punted to start the game, Cunningham lost a fumble that was recovered by defensive tackle <a href="/wiki/Bernard_Holsey" title="Bernard Holsey">Bernard Holsey</a> on the Vikings 23. New York ended up losing yardage with their ensuing drive, but <a href="/wiki/Brad_Daluiso" title="Brad Daluiso">Brad Daluiso</a> kicked a 43-yard field goal to put them up 3–0. Cunningham fumbled again on his next drive, and New York defensive end <a href="/wiki/Michael_Strahan" title="Michael Strahan">Michael Strahan</a> recovered the ball on the Minnesota 46-yard line. Quarterback <a href="/wiki/Danny_Kanell" title="Danny Kanell">Danny Kanell</a> subsequently completed a 27-yard pass to fullback <a href="/wiki/Charles_Way" title="Charles Way">Charles Way</a>, setting up Daluiso's second field goal that made the score 6–0. </p><p>In the second quarter, New York increased their lead to 13–0 with a 7-play, 56-yard scoring drive. Kanell kept it going with an 11-yard pass to running back <a href="/wiki/Tiki_Barber" title="Tiki Barber">Tiki Barber</a> on third and 4, and then hit <a href="/wiki/David_Patten" title="David Patten">David Patten</a> for a 37-yard completion to the Vikings 2-yard line. Three plays later, he threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end <a href="/wiki/Aaron_Pierce_(American_football)" title="Aaron Pierce (American football)">Aaron Pierce</a>. After the teams traded punts, Giants cornerback <a href="/wiki/Jason_Sehorn" title="Jason Sehorn">Jason Sehorn</a> intercepted a pass from Cunningham and returned it 36 yards to the Vikings 47-yard line. New York then drove 23 yards to a 41-yard field goal from Daluiso, making the score 16–0. The Vikings punted on their next drive but caught a break when cornerback <a href="/wiki/Duane_Butler" title="Duane Butler">Duane Butler</a> recovered a fumble from Giants receiver <a href="/wiki/Amani_Toomer" title="Amani Toomer">Amani Toomer</a> on the punt return on the New York 27-yard line. Cunningham's 19-yard completion to <a href="/wiki/Cris_Carter" title="Cris Carter">Cris Carter</a> moved the ball to the 7, leading to <a href="/wiki/Eddie_Murray_(American_football)" title="Eddie Murray (American football)">Eddie Murray</a>'s 26-yard field goal. However, his ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving the ball to New York on their 40. Taking advantage of their excellent field position, the Giants put together a 26-yard drive to score on Daluiso's 51-yard field goal giving New York a 19–3 lead. The Giants defense held the Vikings offense to 21 rushing yards and Cunningham completed only five of 16 passes for 46 yards. </p><p>Early in the third quarter, Vikings defensive end <a href="/wiki/Jerry_Ball" title="Jerry Ball">Jerry Ball</a> recovered a fumble from Barber on the Giants 5-yard line, setting up <a href="/wiki/Leroy_Hoard" title="Leroy Hoard">Leroy Hoard</a>'s 5-yard touchdown run on the ensuing play that narrowed the gap to 19–10. Then after a punt, Minnesota's offense got on track, moving the ball into New York territory with Cunningham's 33-yard completion to <a href="/wiki/Jake_Reed_(American_football)" title="Jake Reed (American football)">Jake Reed</a>. However, Murray missed a 48-yard field goal attempt. Still their defense managed to force a punt, and <a href="/wiki/Brad_Maynard" title="Brad Maynard">Brad Maynard</a>'s 15-yard kick gave Minnesota a first down on their own 40. This time they managed to drive 52 yards and score with Murray's 26-yard field goal, making the score 19–13 early in the fourth quarter. </p><p>New York's offense came back to life in the final quarter, as Kanell completed six passes on a 13-play, 74-yard drive, including an 18-yarder to Patten on third and 9, and a 21-yard completion to <a href="/wiki/Chris_Calloway" title="Chris Calloway">Chris Calloway</a>. The Vikings defense halted the possession on their own 5, but Daluiso kicked his fifth field goal of the day from there, giving the Giants a 22–13 lead with 7:03 left in regulation. The Vikings got the ball back and ran seven plays, but could not get into scoring range and ultimately decided to punt facing a two-score deficit with 3:51 left. </p><p>"If we were home, we would have been booed all over the place, because people don't understand the game", Vikings coach <a href="/wiki/Dennis_Green" title="Dennis Green">Dennis Green</a> said after the game. What persuaded Green to punt and keep playing defense was how well his maligned run defenders were stopping New York's running attack. But Green admitted he was cutting it close. "We had to get the onside kick", he said. "We practice it every day. Luck is when preparation meets opportunity."<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Green's decision paid off as the Vikings forced a punt with 2:13 left, and got the ball on the Giants 49-yard line due to another short Maynard kick. Soon after, they scored on Cunningham's 30-yard touchdown pass to Reed with 1:30 left. Murray then attempted an <a href="/wiki/Onside_kick" title="Onside kick">onside kick</a>, which bounced off Calloway's chest and was recovered by Vikings receiver <a href="/wiki/Chris_Walsh_(American_football)" title="Chris Walsh (American football)">Chris Walsh</a> on the Minnesota 39. A false start penalty and an incompletion left the Vikings facing second and 15 from the 34, but Cunningham subsequently completed passes to <a href="/wiki/Andrew_Glover_(American_football)" class="mw-redirect" title="Andrew Glover (American football)">Andrew Glover</a> and Carter for gains of 5 and 24 yards. Following a 14-yard pass interference penalty on cornerback <a href="/wiki/Phillippi_Sparks" title="Phillippi Sparks">Phillippi Sparks</a>, <a href="/wiki/Robert_Smith_(running_back)" title="Robert Smith (running back)">Robert Smith</a> ran for a 16-yard gain to set up Murray's go-ahead 24-yard field goal with 0:10 remaining in the game. </p><p>This game was the biggest comeback win by a road team in the playoffs since 1972, and the first postseason win for the Vikings in nine years.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It was also the first playoff win of Green's career, following four first-round playoff losses over the last five years. </p><p>This was the second postseason meeting between the Vikings and Giants. New York won the only prior meeting.<sup id="cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NFL_playoff_games-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <table class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"> <caption><span class="nowrap">Previous playoff games</span> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th>New York leads 1–0 in all-time playoff games </th></tr> <tr> <td> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: #fff"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1993</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none">Minnesota Vikings 10 @ <b>New York Giants</b> 17 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1993%E2%80%9394_NFL_playoffs" title="1993–94 NFL playoffs">1993 NFC Wild Card playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="AFC:_Denver_Broncos_42,_Jacksonville_Jaguars_17"><span id="AFC:_Denver_Broncos_42.2C_Jacksonville_Jaguars_17"></span>AFC: Denver Broncos 42, Jacksonville Jaguars 17</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: AFC: Denver Broncos 42, Jacksonville Jaguars 17"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div style="border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px; font-size: 95%; margin:auto;"> <div style="width: 100%;"> <div style="text-align:center; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;"><b>Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Denver Broncos – Game summary</b></div> <table class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; margin-left:1em; float:right"> <tbody><tr style="text-align:center;"> <th>Quarter</th> <th width="25">1</th> <th width="25">2</th> <th width="25">3</th><th width="25">4</th><th width="25">Total</th> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left">Jaguars</td> <td>0</td> <td>7</td> <td>10</td><td>0</td><td><b>17</b></td> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left"><b>Broncos</b></td> <td>14</td> <td>7</td> <td>0</td><td>21</td><td><b>42</b></td> </tr></tbody></table> <p><i>at <a href="/wiki/Mile_High_Stadium" title="Mile High Stadium">Mile High Stadium</a>, <a href="/wiki/Denver" title="Denver">Denver</a>, <a href="/wiki/Colorado" title="Colorado">Colorado</a></i> </p> <ul><li><b>Game time</b>: 4:00 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone" title="Eastern Time Zone">EST</a>/2:00 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Mountain_Time_Zone" title="Mountain Time Zone">MST</a></li><li><b>Game weather</b>: 42 °F (6 °C), clear</li><li><b>Game attendance</b>: 74,481</li><li><b>Referee</b>: <a href="/wiki/Bernie_Kukar" title="Bernie Kukar">Bernie Kukar</a></li><li><b>TV announcers (<a href="/wiki/Monday_Night_Football" title="Monday Night Football">ABC</a>)</b>: <a href="/wiki/Al_Michaels" title="Al Michaels">Al Michaels</a> (play-by-play), <a href="/wiki/Frank_Gifford" title="Frank Gifford">Frank Gifford</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Dan_Dierdorf" title="Dan Dierdorf">Dan Dierdorf</a> (color commentators)</li> </ul> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%"> <tbody><tr> <th>Game information </th></tr> <tr> <td style="padding-left: 0.5em;"> <ul><li><b>Scoring</b> <ul><li>DEN – Davis 2 Run (Elam kick) <b>DEN 7–0</b></li> <li>DEN – Smith 43 pass from Elway (Elam kick) <b>DEN 14–0</b></li> <li>DEN – Davis 5 Run (Elam kick) <b>DEN 21–0</b></li> <li>JAX – Means 2 run (Hollis kick) <b>DEN 21–7</b></li> <li>JAX – field goal Hollis 38 <b>DEN 21–10</b></li> <li>JAX – Davis 29 blocked punt return (Hollis kick) <b>DEN 21–17</b></li> <li>DEN – Loville 25 run (Elam kick) <b>DEN 28–17</b></li> <li>DEN – Loville 8 run (Elam kick) <b>DEN 35–17</b></li> <li>DEN – Hebron 6 run (Elam kick) <b>DEN 42–17</b></li></ul></li></ul> </td></tr></tbody></table> </div> <p>Denver compiled 310 rushing yards and 511 total yards of offense, and held the ball for 40:59 in a 42–17 win, avenging their playoff loss to the Jaguars the year before. The Broncos dominated early, converting their first nine third downs and scoring touchdowns on their first three drives. First, they converted four third downs as they drove 72 yards in 7:21, featuring a 25-yard reception by <a href="/wiki/Ed_McCaffrey" title="Ed McCaffrey">Ed McCaffrey</a> on third and 15, and scored on a 2-yard touchdown run by <a href="/wiki/Terrell_Davis" title="Terrell Davis">Terrell Davis</a>. Jacksonville was forced to a <a href="/wiki/Three-and-out" class="mw-redirect" title="Three-and-out">three-and-out</a> on their next drive, and <a href="/wiki/Bryan_Barker" title="Bryan Barker">Bryan Barker</a>'s punt went just 24 yards to the Denver 40-yard line. The Broncos then drove 60 yards and increased their lead to 14–0 with a 43-yard touchdown pass from <a href="/wiki/John_Elway" title="John Elway">John Elway</a> to <a href="/wiki/Rod_Smith_(wide_receiver)" title="Rod Smith (wide receiver)">Rod Smith</a> on third down and 4 with 2:37 left in the first quarter. <a href="/wiki/Reggie_Barlow" title="Reggie Barlow">Reggie Barlow</a> returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to midfield, and Jacksonville subsequently drove to the Denver 40, but were stopped there and had to punt. Barker's kick pinned the Broncos back at their own 8, but they still drove 92 yards to make the score 21–0 on Davis' 5-yard touchdown run. The key play of the drive was a 40-yard completion from Elway to Smith on third down and 6 from their own 12-yard line. Later in the drive, Elway completed a 16-yard pass to Smith on third down and 13 from the Jags 26. By this point, Elway had completed all six of his passes for 156 yards on third down plays. </p><p>Jacksonville responded by driving 79 yards, aided by a 16-yard reception from <a href="/wiki/Jimmy_Smith_(wide_receiver)" title="Jimmy Smith (wide receiver)">Jimmy Smith</a> and a 34-yard pass interference penalty on safety <a href="/wiki/Darrien_Gordon" title="Darrien Gordon">Darrien Gordon</a>, to score on a 2-yard touchdown run from <a href="/wiki/Natrone_Means" title="Natrone Means">Natrone Means</a>, cutting the score to 21–7 with just over five minutes left in the second quarter. This would be the final score of the first half as the next three drives would end in punts. </p><p>Barlow returned the second half kickoff 58 yards to the Broncos 27, setting up Jags kicker <a href="/wiki/Mike_Hollis" title="Mike Hollis">Mike Hollis</a>' 38-yard field goal that cut the score to 21–10. Four minutes later, safety <a href="/wiki/Travis_Davis" title="Travis Davis">Travis Davis</a> blocked a punt from Denver's <a href="/wiki/Tom_Rouen" title="Tom Rouen">Tom Rouen</a> and returned it 29 yards for a touchdown, bringing Jacksonville to within 21–17. Despite a 51-yard kickoff return by <a href="/wiki/Vaughn_Hebron" title="Vaughn Hebron">Vaughn Hebron</a>, things seemed to look even better for Jacksonville on the ensuing possession when safety <a href="/wiki/Chris_Hudson_(American_football)" title="Chris Hudson (American football)">Chris Hudson</a> forced a fumble from Elway that was recovered by defensive end <a href="/wiki/Renaldo_Wynn" title="Renaldo Wynn">Renaldo Wynn</a>. Jacksonville quarterback <a href="/wiki/Mark_Brunell" title="Mark Brunell">Mark Brunell</a>'s subsequent 37-yard completion to tight end <a href="/wiki/Damon_Jones_(American_football)" title="Damon Jones (American football)">Damon Jones</a> gave them a first down on the Broncos 16-yard line. But on the next play, Brunell lost a fumble of his own that was recovered by linebacker <a href="/wiki/Allen_Aldridge" title="Allen Aldridge">Allen Aldridge</a>. Denver then drove to the Jacksonville 15, featuring a 59-yard run by Davis, but Elway lost another fumble that was recovered by cornerback <a href="/wiki/Dave_Thomas_(cornerback)" title="Dave Thomas (cornerback)">Dave Thomas</a> and the score remained 21–17 going into the fourth quarter. </p><p>In the final quarter, Denver took over the game. Jacksonville was forced to punt after Elway's second fumble, and Barker's 27-yard kick gave Denver a first down on the Jacksonville 48. From there it took just two plays to score, a 23-yard completion from Elway to tight end <a href="/wiki/Shannon_Sharpe" title="Shannon Sharpe">Shannon Sharpe</a> and a 25-yard touchdown run by <a href="/wiki/Derek_Loville" title="Derek Loville">Derek Loville</a>, making the score 28–17. The Jaguars made one last spirited comeback attempt, but Gordon put an end to it by intercepting a pass from Brunell in the end zone. Denver then drove 80 yards in 10 plays, eight of them carries by Loville (including a 44-yard run), who was now starting in place of the injured Davis. On the last play, his 8-yard touchdown run gave Denver a 35–17 lead. Now in a desperate situation, Brunell attempted to convert a fourth and 10 on the Jaguars next drive, but Gordon sacked him for a 10-yard loss, while a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on receiver <a href="/wiki/Keenan_McCardell" title="Keenan McCardell">Keenan McCardell</a> gave the Broncos a first down on the Jacksonville 15-yard line. A few plays later, Hebron finished off the scoring on a 6-yard touchdown run with 1:16 left in the game.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Davis rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns, while also catching four passes for 11 yards. Loville, who rushed for only 124 yards during the regular season, had 103 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries and a 10-yard reception. Elway completed 16 of 24 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown. Rod Smith was the top receiver of the game with three receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown. Hebron had six carries for 23 yards and a touchdown, along with three kickoff returns for 87 yards. Barlow returned three kickoffs for 118 yards and a punt for five yards. Jags defensive end <a href="/wiki/Clyde_Simmons" title="Clyde Simmons">Clyde Simmons</a> had two sacks. </p><p>This was the second postseason meeting between the Jaguars and Broncos. Jacksonville won the only prior meeting the year prior.<sup id="cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NFL_playoff_games-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <table class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"> <caption><span class="nowrap">Previous playoff games</span> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th>Jacksonville leads 1–0 in all-time playoff games </th></tr> <tr> <td> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: #fff"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1996</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none"><b>Jacksonville Jaguars</b> 30 @ Denver Broncos 27 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1996%E2%80%9397_NFL_playoffs" title="1996–97 NFL playoffs">1996 AFC Divisional playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Sunday,_December_28,_1997"><span id="Sunday.2C_December_28.2C_1997"></span>Sunday, December 28, 1997</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Sunday, December 28, 1997"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="AFC:_New_England_Patriots_17,_Miami_Dolphins_3"><span id="AFC:_New_England_Patriots_17.2C_Miami_Dolphins_3"></span>AFC: New England Patriots 17, Miami Dolphins 3</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: AFC: New England Patriots 17, Miami Dolphins 3"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Dolphins%E2%80%93Patriots_rivalry" title="Dolphins–Patriots rivalry">Dolphins–Patriots rivalry</a></div> <div style="border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px; font-size: 95%; margin:auto;"> <div style="width: 100%;"> <div style="text-align:center; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;"><b>Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots – Game summary</b></div> <table class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; margin-left:1em; float:right"> <tbody><tr style="text-align:center;"> <th>Quarter</th> <th width="25">1</th> <th width="25">2</th> <th width="25">3</th><th width="25">4</th><th width="25">Total</th> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left">Dolphins</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td><td>3</td><td><b>3</b></td> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left"><b>Patriots</b></td> <td>0</td> <td>7</td> <td>10</td><td>0</td><td><b>17</b></td> </tr></tbody></table> <p><i>at <a href="/wiki/Foxboro_Stadium" title="Foxboro Stadium">Foxboro Stadium</a>, <a href="/wiki/Foxborough,_Massachusetts" title="Foxborough, Massachusetts">Foxborough, Massachusetts</a></i> </p> <ul><li><b>Game time</b>: 12:30 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone" title="Eastern Time Zone">EST</a></li><li><b>Game weather</b>: 32 °F (0 °C), clear</li><li><b>Game attendance</b>: 60,041</li><li><b>Referee</b>: <a href="/wiki/Gerald_Austin" class="mw-redirect" title="Gerald Austin">Gerald Austin</a></li><li><b>TV announcers (<a href="/wiki/NFL_on_NBC" title="NFL on NBC">NBC</a>)</b>: <a href="/wiki/Dick_Enberg" title="Dick Enberg">Dick Enberg</a> (play-by-play), <a href="/wiki/Phil_Simms" title="Phil Simms">Phil Simms</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Paul_Maguire" title="Paul Maguire">Paul Maguire</a> (color commentators)</li> </ul> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%"> <tbody><tr> <th>Game information </th></tr> <tr> <td style="padding-left: 0.5em;"> <ul><li><b>Scoring</b> <ul><li>NE – Brown 24 pass from Bledsoe (Vinatieri kick) <b>NE 7–0</b></li> <li>NE – Collins 40 interception return (Vinatieri kick) <b>NE 14–0</b></li> <li>NE – field goal Vinatieri 22 <b>NE 17–0</b></li> <li>MIA – field goal Mare 38 <b>NE 17–3</b></li></ul></li></ul> </td></tr></tbody></table> </div> <p>New England had narrowly defeated the Dolphins 14–12 in a tough defensive struggle during the last Monday night game of the regular season, and this playoff game would have similar results. The Patriots' defense held Miami to 162 total yards of offense, 42 rushing yards and forced three Dolphins turnovers. Dolphins quarterback <a href="/wiki/Dan_Marino" title="Dan Marino">Dan Marino</a> completed only 17 of 43 passes for 141 yards and was intercepted twice. He also fumbled the ball twice, losing a turnover on one of them. This was the first time in Marino's 15-year career (including 14 postseason games) that he did not throw a touchdown pass in a playoff game. Without star running back <a href="/wiki/Curtis_Martin" title="Curtis Martin">Curtis Martin</a>, New England could only generate 228 offensive yards, but their ball security turned out to be key as they avoided losing any turnovers for the entire game. </p><p>The first quarter was scoreless. Near the end of it, Miami threatened to score with a drive to the Patriots 39, but lost the ball when <a href="/wiki/Abdul-Karim_al-Jabbar" title="Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar">Karim Abdul-Jabbar</a> was tackled by <a href="/wiki/Todd_Collins_(linebacker)" title="Todd Collins (linebacker)">Todd Collins</a> and <a href="/wiki/Lawyer_Milloy" title="Lawyer Milloy">Lawyer Milloy</a> for no gain on fourth and 1. New England then drove to the Dolphins 31-yard line, but also failed to score when <a href="/wiki/Adam_Vinatieri" title="Adam Vinatieri">Adam Vinatieri</a> missed a 48-yard field goal attempt. </p><p>A few plays later, Marino threw his first interception, which was returned 22 yards to the Dolphins 29-yard line by New England linebacker <a href="/wiki/Chris_Slade_(American_football)" title="Chris Slade (American football)">Chris Slade</a> off a pass deflected by safety <a href="/wiki/Larry_Whigham" title="Larry Whigham">Larry Whigham</a>, setting up quarterback <a href="/wiki/Drew_Bledsoe" title="Drew Bledsoe">Drew Bledsoe</a>'s 24-yard touchdown pass to receiver <a href="/wiki/Troy_Brown" title="Troy Brown">Troy Brown</a>. New England would go into halftime with a 7–0 lead, as the only other scoring opportunity of the half would be a Pats drive to the Miami 30 that ended with another missed field goal attempt from Vinatieri. </p><p>On the second play of the third quarter, Collins returned Marino's other interception 40 yards for a touchdown, making him the first Patriot to ever score on a postseason interception return. After a punt, New England mounted the first long sustained scoring drive of the game, moving the ball 67 yards in 15 plays. Running back <a href="/wiki/Derrick_Cullors" title="Derrick Cullors">Derrick Cullors</a> carried the ball seven times for 42 yards on the drive, while Bledsoe added a 20-yard completion to <a href="/wiki/Terry_Glenn" title="Terry Glenn">Terry Glenn</a> and Vinatieri finished it off with a 22-yard field goal with 1:58 left in the third quarter. </p><p>Aided by a 40-yard kickoff return by <a href="/wiki/Corey_Harris_(American_football,_born_1969)" title="Corey Harris (American football, born 1969)">Corey Harris</a> and a 10-yard late hit penalty against Vinatieri at the end of it, Miami finally managed to score on their following drive, moving the ball 23 yards to the Patriots 20-yard line where <a href="/wiki/Olindo_Mare" title="Olindo Mare">Olindo Mare</a> made a 38-yard field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter. After Mare's field goal, Miami recovered an onside kick, but cornerback <a href="/wiki/Chris_Canty_(defensive_back)" title="Chris Canty (defensive back)">Chris Canty</a> forced a fumble while sacking Marino, and Slade recovered the ball. Miami's final three drives of the game would result in a punt and two turnovers on downs. </p><p>Cullors, who only rushed for 102 yards during the season, was the sole offensive star of the game, with 86 yards on 22 carries and a kick return for 17 yards. </p><p>This was the third postseason meeting between the Dolphins and Patriots. Both teams split the prior two meetings.<sup id="cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NFL_playoff_games-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <table class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"> <caption><span class="nowrap">Previous playoff games</span> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th>Tied 1–1 in all-time playoff games </th></tr> <tr> <td> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: #fff"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1982</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none">New England Patriots 13 @ <b>Miami Dolphins</b> 28 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1982%E2%80%9383_NFL_playoffs" title="1982–83 NFL playoffs">1982 AFC first round playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: transparent"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1985</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none"><b>New England Patriots</b> 31 @ Miami Dolphins 14 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1985%E2%80%9386_NFL_playoffs" title="1985–86 NFL playoffs">1985 AFC Championship Game</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="NFC:_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_20,_Detroit_Lions_10"><span id="NFC:_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_20.2C_Detroit_Lions_10"></span>NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, Detroit Lions 10</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: NFC: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, Detroit Lions 10"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div style="border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px; font-size: 95%; margin:auto;"> <div style="width: 100%;"> <div style="text-align:center; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;"><b>Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary</b></div> <table class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; margin-left:1em; float:right"> <tbody><tr style="text-align:center;"> <th>Quarter</th> <th width="25">1</th> <th width="25">2</th> <th width="25">3</th><th width="25">4</th><th width="25">Total</th> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left">Lions</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>3</td><td>7</td><td><b>10</b></td> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left"><b>Buccaneers</b></td> <td>3</td> <td>10</td> <td>7</td><td>0</td><td><b>20</b></td> </tr></tbody></table> <p><i>at <a href="/wiki/Tampa_Stadium" title="Tampa Stadium">Houlihan's Stadium</a>, <a href="/wiki/Tampa,_Florida" title="Tampa, Florida">Tampa, Florida</a></i> </p> <ul><li><b>Game time</b>: 4:00 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone" title="Eastern Time Zone">EST</a></li><li><b>Game weather</b>: 57 °F (14 °C), partly cloudy</li><li><b>Game attendance</b>: 73,361</li><li><b>Referee</b>: <a href="/wiki/Mike_Carey_(American_football)" title="Mike Carey (American football)">Mike Carey</a></li><li><b>TV announcers (<a href="/wiki/Fox_NFL" class="mw-redirect" title="Fox NFL">Fox</a>)</b>: <a href="/wiki/Pat_Summerall" title="Pat Summerall">Pat Summerall</a> (play-by-play) and <a href="/wiki/John_Madden" title="John Madden">John Madden</a> (color commentator)</li> </ul> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%"> <tbody><tr> <th>Game information </th></tr> <tr> <td style="padding-left: 0.5em;"> <ul><li><b>Scoring</b> <ul><li>TB – field goal Husted 22 <b>TB 3–0</b></li> <li>TB – Copeland 9 pass from Dilfer (Husted kick) <b>TB 10–0</b></li> <li>TB – field goal Husted 42 <b>TB 13–0</b></li> <li>TB – Alstott 31 run (Husted kick) <b>TB 20–0</b></li> <li>DET – field goal Hanson 33 <b>TB 20–3</b></li> <li>DET – Vardell 1 run (Hanson kick) <b>TB 20–10</b></li></ul></li></ul> </td></tr></tbody></table> </div> <p>The Buccaneers won their first playoff game since <a href="/wiki/1979%E2%80%9380_NFL_playoffs" title="1979–80 NFL playoffs">1979</a>, in what turned out to be their final game at <a href="/wiki/Tampa_Stadium" title="Tampa Stadium">Houlihan's Stadium</a>. Tampa Bay built a 20–0 lead midway through the third quarter. Lions quarterback <a href="/wiki/Scott_Mitchell_(quarterback)" title="Scott Mitchell (quarterback)">Scott Mitchell</a> completed only 10 of 25 passes for 78 yards, and running back <a href="/wiki/Barry_Sanders" title="Barry Sanders">Barry Sanders</a>, who rushed for over 2,000 yards during the season, had 18 carries for just 65 yards. </p><p>Bucs quarterback <a href="/wiki/Trent_Dilfer" title="Trent Dilfer">Trent Dilfer</a>'s 23-yard completion to <a href="/wiki/Karl_Williams" title="Karl Williams">Karl Williams</a> on third down and 1 set up the first score of the game, <a href="/wiki/Michael_Husted" title="Michael Husted">Michael Husted</a>'s 22-yard field goal with 5:25 left in the first quarter. The Lions received a huge scoring opportunity when Williams fumbled a punt at the end of the next drive. Lions linebacker <a href="/wiki/Matt_Russell" title="Matt Russell">Matt Russell</a> got to the ball first, but instead of falling on the ball, he tried to pick it up and run with it. Instead of grabbing the ball, he accidentally batted it out of bounds, allowing the Bucs to keep possession on the Lions 11-yard line. Taking full advantage of their second chance, Tampa Bay subsequently drove 89 yards in 17 plays, taking 8:50 off the clock and converting three third downs, one from a 12-men on the field penalty against Detroit. Dilfer finished the drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to <a href="/wiki/Horace_Copeland" title="Horace Copeland">Horace Copeland</a> that put the team up 10–0. Later on, Buccaneers cornerback <a href="/wiki/Anthony_Parker_(defensive_back,_born_1966)" title="Anthony Parker (defensive back, born 1966)">Anthony Parker</a> intercepted a pass from Mitchell and returned it 19 yards to the Lions 20-yard line, setting up Husted's 43-yard field goal that gave the team a 13–0 lead at the end of the half. Tampa Bay had a chance to increase their lead even more before halftime with a drive to the Lions 43, but <a href="/wiki/Ron_Rice_(American_football)" title="Ron Rice (American football)">Ron Rice</a> intercepted a pass from Dilfer on the last play of the second quarter. </p><p>Detroit had to punt on their opening drive of the third quarter, and <a href="/wiki/John_Jett" title="John Jett">John Jett</a>'s 31-yard kick gave Tampa Bay great field position on their own 47-yard line. Five plays later, Bucs fullback <a href="/wiki/Mike_Alstott" title="Mike Alstott">Mike Alstott</a> scored on a 31-yard touchdown run (the longest run in franchise playoff history) to make the score 20–0. Detroit responded with their best drive of the day, moving the ball 73 yards to the Tampa Bay 8-yard line. But it ended with no points when Mitchell threw an incomplete pass on fourth down and 3. </p><p>Detroit finally managed to put some points on the board the next time they got the ball, driving 46 yards in nine plays. The key play was a 17-yard run by <a href="/wiki/Ron_Rivers" title="Ron Rivers">Ron Rivers</a> on fourth and 4 from the Lions 45. After reaching the Buccaneers 17, Mitchell suffered a concussion on a 2-yard run and was replaced by <a href="/wiki/Frank_Reich" title="Frank Reich">Frank Reich</a>. On the next play after the injury, <a href="/wiki/Jason_Hanson" title="Jason Hanson">Jason Hanson</a> kicked a 33-yard field goal, cutting the score to 20–3. Then after a Bucs punt, Reich completed all five of his pass attempts for 71 yards (3 of them to <a href="/wiki/Johnnie_Morton" title="Johnnie Morton">Johnnie Morton</a> for 45) on the way to <a href="/wiki/Tommy_Vardell" title="Tommy Vardell">Tommy Vardell</a>'s 1-yard touchdown run, and the lead was trimmed to 20–10. The Lions seemed primed to make a serious comeback attempt when they forced Tampa Bay into a third and 5 situation on their own 10-yard line, but Dilfer's 50-yard completion to <a href="/wiki/Robb_Thomas" title="Robb Thomas">Robb Thomas</a> moved the ball to the Lions 36. The Bucs were unable to score, but <a href="/wiki/Sean_Landeta" title="Sean Landeta">Sean Landeta</a>'s punt pinned the Lions back at their own 4-yard line with 3:20 left in the game. Then after completing a 14-yard pass on third and 15 during their final drive, Reich accidentally spiked the ball on fourth down, giving the ball to Tampa Bay.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In the defensive struggle, both teams combined for only 623 yards (316 for Tampa Bay, 307 for Detroit). Bucs running back <a href="/wiki/Warrick_Dunn" title="Warrick Dunn">Warrick Dunn</a> was the leading rusher of the game with 72 yards, while Alstott had 68 yards and a touchdown, along with a reception for 12 yards. Morton was the Lions leading receiver of the game with seven receptions for 69 yards. </p><p>This was the first postseason meeting between the Lions and Buccaneers.<sup id="cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NFL_playoff_games-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Divisional_playoffs">Divisional playoffs</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Divisional playoffs"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Saturday,_January_3,_1998"><span id="Saturday.2C_January_3.2C_1998"></span>Saturday, January 3, 1998</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Saturday, January 3, 1998"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="AFC:_Pittsburgh_Steelers_7,_New_England_Patriots_6"><span id="AFC:_Pittsburgh_Steelers_7.2C_New_England_Patriots_6"></span>AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 7, New England Patriots 6</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers 7, New England Patriots 6"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Patriots%E2%80%93Steelers_rivalry" title="Patriots–Steelers rivalry">Patriots–Steelers rivalry</a></div> <div style="border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px; font-size: 95%; margin:auto;"> <div style="width: 100%;"> <div style="text-align:center; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;"><b>New England Patriots vs. Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary</b></div> <table class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; margin-left:1em; float:right"> <tbody><tr style="text-align:center;"> <th>Quarter</th> <th width="25">1</th> <th width="25">2</th> <th width="25">3</th><th width="25">4</th><th width="25">Total</th> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left">Patriots</td> <td>0</td> <td>3</td> <td>0</td><td>3</td><td><b>6</b></td> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left"><b>Steelers</b></td> <td>7</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td><td>0</td><td><b>7</b></td> </tr></tbody></table> <p><i>at <a href="/wiki/Three_Rivers_Stadium" title="Three Rivers Stadium">Three Rivers Stadium</a>, <a href="/wiki/Pittsburgh" title="Pittsburgh">Pittsburgh</a>, <a href="/wiki/Pennsylvania" title="Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania</a></i> </p> <ul><li><b>Game time</b>: 12:30 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone" title="Eastern Time Zone">EST</a></li><li><b>Game weather</b>: 55 °F (13 °C), cloudy</li><li><b>Game attendance</b>: 61,228</li><li><b>Referee</b>: <a href="/wiki/Walt_Coleman" title="Walt Coleman">Walt Coleman</a></li><li><b>TV announcers (<a href="/wiki/NFL_on_NBC" title="NFL on NBC">NBC</a>)</b>: <a href="/wiki/Tom_Hammond" title="Tom Hammond">Tom Hammond</a> (play-by-play) and <a href="/wiki/Randy_Cross" title="Randy Cross">Randy Cross</a> (color commentator)</li> </ul> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%"> <tbody><tr> <th>Game information </th></tr> <tr> <td style="padding-left: 0.5em;"> <ul><li><b>Scoring</b> <ul><li>PIT – Stewart 40 run (Johnson kick) <b>PIT 7–0</b></li> <li>NE – field goal Vinatieri 31 <b>PIT 7–3</b></li> <li>NE – field goal Vinatieri 46 <b>PIT 7–6</b></li></ul></li></ul> <p><sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> </td></tr></tbody></table> </div> <p>Quarterback <a href="/wiki/Kordell_Stewart" title="Kordell Stewart">Kordell Stewart</a>'s 40-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was the difference in a defense-dominated game. </p><p>The Patriots were severely depleted by injuries, playing without star running back <a href="/wiki/Curtis_Martin" title="Curtis Martin">Curtis Martin</a>. <a href="/wiki/Pro_Bowl" title="Pro Bowl">Pro Bowl</a> tight end <a href="/wiki/Ben_Coates" title="Ben Coates">Ben Coates</a> was limited to just a few plays, while receiver <a href="/wiki/Terry_Glenn" title="Terry Glenn">Terry Glenn</a> was out of the game a few minutes into the fourth quarter. On the third play of the game, rookie safety <a href="/wiki/Chad_Scott" title="Chad Scott">Chad Scott</a> intercepted a pass from New England quarterback <a href="/wiki/Drew_Bledsoe" title="Drew Bledsoe">Drew Bledsoe</a> and returned it 27 yards to the Steelers 38. Stewart then got the team to the Patriots 40-yard line, converting two third downs with 10-yard completions to <a href="/wiki/Charles_Johnson_(wide_receiver,_born_1972)" title="Charles Johnson (wide receiver, born 1972)">Charles Johnson</a> before taking the ball the rest of the way to the end zone on a 40-yard score, the longest touchdown run in Steelers playoff history at the time. </p><p>In the second quarter, Bledsoe completed two passes to <a href="/wiki/Shawn_Jefferson" title="Shawn Jefferson">Shawn Jefferson</a> for 29 yards and a 36-yard throw to Glenn on a 65-yard drive that ended with <a href="/wiki/Adam_Vinatieri" title="Adam Vinatieri">Adam Vinatieri</a>'s 31-yard field goal, making the score 7–3. Later on, Pittsburgh drove to the New England 33-yard line, but cornerback <a href="/wiki/Steve_Israel_(American_football)" title="Steve Israel (American football)">Steve Israel</a> intercepted a pass from Stewart. The only remaining highlight of the quarter would be Steelers receiver <a href="/wiki/Will_Blackwell" title="Will Blackwell">Will Blackwell</a>'s 58-yard punt return on the last play of the half.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On the last play of the third quarter, Bledsoe's 39-yard completion to Glenn led to a 46-yard field goal from Vinatieri, cutting their deficit to 7–6. After a punt from each team, the Steelers had a chance to put the game away with a drive to the Patriots 1-yard line. On fourth down, coach <a href="/wiki/Bill_Cowher" title="Bill Cowher">Bill Cowher</a> tried to ice the game with a conversion attempt, but Stewart was stuffed for no gain with 3:24 left in regulation. This gave New England one last chance to drive for a winning field goal and they managed to reach their own 42, but rookie linebacker <a href="/wiki/Mike_Vrabel" title="Mike Vrabel">Mike Vrabel</a> stripped the ball from Bledsoe, and fellow linebacker <a href="/wiki/Jason_Gildon" title="Jason Gildon">Jason Gildon</a> recovered it. The Patriots managed to get it back with 34 seconds left, but linebacker <a href="/wiki/Levon_Kirkland" title="Levon Kirkland">Levon Kirkland</a> intercepted Bledsoe's <a href="/wiki/Hail_Mary_pass" title="Hail Mary pass">Hail Mary pass</a> on the game's final play.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>For the third time in four years, Pittsburgh would play and host the AFC Championship Game. Jefferson was the sole offensive star of the game with nine receptions for 106 yards. <a href="/wiki/Jerome_Bettis" title="Jerome Bettis">Jerome Bettis</a> led the Steelers with 74 yards from scrimmage but was held in check by New England's defense. Blackwell had four punt returns for 78 yards and three kickoff returns for 36. Gildon had a sack and two fumble recoveries. </p><p>This was the second postseason meeting between the Patriots and Steelers. New England won the only previous meeting.<sup id="cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NFL_playoff_games-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <table class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"> <caption><span class="nowrap">Previous playoff games</span> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th>New England leads 1–0 in all-time playoff games </th></tr> <tr> <td> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: #fff"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1996</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none">Pittsburgh Steelers 3 @ <b>New England Patriots</b> 28 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1996%E2%80%9397_NFL_playoffs" title="1996–97 NFL playoffs">1996 AFC Divisional playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="NFC:_San_Francisco_49ers_38,_Minnesota_Vikings_22"><span id="NFC:_San_Francisco_49ers_38.2C_Minnesota_Vikings_22"></span>NFC: San Francisco 49ers 38, Minnesota Vikings 22</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: NFC: San Francisco 49ers 38, Minnesota Vikings 22"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div style="border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px; font-size: 95%; margin:auto;"> <div style="width: 100%;"> <div style="text-align:center; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;"><b>Minnesota Vikings vs. San Francisco 49ers – Game summary</b></div> <table class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; margin-left:1em; float:right"> <tbody><tr style="text-align:center;"> <th>Quarter</th> <th width="25">1</th> <th width="25">2</th> <th width="25">3</th><th width="25">4</th><th width="25">Total</th> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left">Vikings</td> <td>7</td> <td>0</td> <td>7</td><td>8</td><td><b>22</b></td> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left"><b>49ers</b></td> <td>7</td> <td>14</td> <td>10</td><td>7</td><td><b>38</b></td> </tr></tbody></table> <p><i>at <a href="/wiki/Candlestick_Park" title="Candlestick Park">3Com Park</a>, <a href="/wiki/San_Francisco" title="San Francisco">San Francisco</a>, <a href="/wiki/California" title="California">California</a></i> </p> <ul><li><b>Game time</b>: 4:00 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone" title="Eastern Time Zone">EST</a>/1:00 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Pacific_Time_Zone" title="Pacific Time Zone">PST</a></li><li><b>Game weather</b>: 57 °F (14 °C), partly cloudy</li><li><b>Game attendance</b>: 65,018</li><li><b>Referee</b>: <a href="/wiki/Bob_McElwee" title="Bob McElwee">Bob McElwee</a></li><li><b>TV announcers (<a href="/wiki/Fox_NFL" class="mw-redirect" title="Fox NFL">Fox</a>)</b>: <a href="/wiki/Dick_Stockton" title="Dick Stockton">Dick Stockton</a> (play-by-play) and <a href="/wiki/Matt_Millen" title="Matt Millen">Matt Millen</a> (color commentator)</li> </ul> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%"> <tbody><tr> <th>Game information </th></tr> <tr> <td style="padding-left: 0.5em;"> <ul><li><b>Scoring</b> <ul><li>SF – Floyd 1 run (Anderson kick) <b>SF 7–0</b></li> <li>MIN – Carter 66 pass from Cunningham (Murray kick) <b>Tie 7–7</b></li> <li>SF – Kirby 1 run (Anderson kick) <b>SF 14–7</b></li> <li>SF – Norton 23 interception return (Anderson kick) <b>SF 21–7</b></li> <li>SF – field goal Anderson 34 <b>SF 24–7</b></li> <li>MIN – Carter 3 pass from Cunningham (Murray kick) <b>SF 24–14</b></li> <li>SF – Owens 15 pass from Young (Anderson kick) <b>SF 31–14</b></li> <li>SF – Kirby 1 run (Anderson kick) <b>SF 38–14</b></li> <li>MIN – Hatchette 13 pass from Cunningham (Walsh pass from Cunningham) <b>SF 38–22</b></li></ul></li></ul> </td></tr></tbody></table> </div> <p>Minnesota came into the playoffs with the second-to-last ranked defense during the regular season, something the 49ers proved more than capable of exploiting. By the end of the game, San Francisco racked up 394 yards without losing a single turnover and only giving up one sack. Filling in for the injured starter <a href="/wiki/Garrison_Hearst" title="Garrison Hearst">Garrison Hearst</a>, 49ers running back <a href="/wiki/Terry_Kirby" title="Terry Kirby">Terry Kirby</a> ran for a career-high 120 yards and two touchdowns, while receiver <a href="/wiki/J._J._Stokes" title="J. J. Stokes">J. J. Stokes</a> caught a career-high nine passes for 101 yards. <a href="/wiki/Steve_Young" title="Steve Young">Steve Young</a> threw for 220 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 37. Minnesota had 374 yards, but lost 91 of them with 12 penalties. Vikings quarterback <a href="/wiki/Randall_Cunningham" title="Randall Cunningham">Randall Cunningham</a> threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns, but also threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. His top target was <a href="/wiki/Jake_Reed_(American_football)" title="Jake Reed (American football)">Jake Reed</a>, who caught five passes for 114 yards. <a href="/wiki/Cris_Carter" title="Cris Carter">Cris Carter</a> added six receptions for 93 yards and two touchdowns. </p><p>Early in the first quarter, Vikings punter <a href="/wiki/Mitch_Berger" title="Mitch Berger">Mitch Berger</a> shanked a 12-yard punt that gave the 49ers a first down on the Minnesota 26-yard line, leading to fullback <a href="/wiki/William_Floyd_(American_football)" title="William Floyd (American football)">William Floyd</a>'s 1-yard touchdown run. It the start of a long day for Berger, who finished the game with a measly 29.9 yards per punt average on his seven kicks. Still, the Vikings responded on their first play after the ensuing kickoff with Cunningham's 66-yard touchdown pass to Carter. Late in the second quarter, a 28-yard pass interference penalty on Vikings safety <a href="/wiki/Torrian_Gray" title="Torrian Gray">Torrian Gray</a> and a personal foul call against linebacker <a href="/wiki/Dwayne_Rudd" title="Dwayne Rudd">Dwayne Rudd</a> for kicking the penalty flag gave the 49ers a first down on the Minnesota 2-yard line. On the next play, a penalty against linebacker <a href="/wiki/Dixon_Edwards" title="Dixon Edwards">Dixon Edwards</a> put the ball on the 1, and Kirby ran the ball into the end zone from there, giving the 49ers a 14–7 lead at the end of a 61-yard drive. Then on the Vikings ensuing drive, linebacker <a href="/wiki/Ken_Norton_Jr." title="Ken Norton Jr.">Ken Norton Jr.</a> intercepted a pass from Cunningham and returned it 23 yards for a touchdown, making the score 21–7 going into halftime. </p><p>San Francisco increased their lead to 24–7 early in the third quarter, driving 46 yards in 10 plays to score with <a href="/wiki/Gary_Anderson_(placekicker)" title="Gary Anderson (placekicker)">Gary Anderson</a>'s 34-yard field goal. But the Vikings responded with Cunningham's 53-yard completion to Reed setting up a 3-yard touchdown reception by Carter, narrowing the gap to 24–14. Replays showed the officials blew the call on Reed's reception because his second toe came down on the end line, but it didn't make much difference because the 49ers came back with a 75-yard touchdown drive with Kirby rushing for gains of 22 and 14 yards on the first two plays. Young's 15-yard pass to <a href="/wiki/Terrell_Owens" title="Terrell Owens">Terrell Owens</a> made the score 31–14.<sup id="cite_ref-12" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-12"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>In the fourth quarter, a 15-yard penalty against Vikings defensive tackle <a href="/wiki/John_Randle" title="John Randle">John Randle</a> and a 29-yard completion from Young to Stokes set up Kirby's second touchdown of the day to put the Niners up 38–14 before Cunningham led a desperate comeback attempt. After finishing a 73-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to <a href="/wiki/Matthew_Hatchette" title="Matthew Hatchette">Matthew Hatchette</a> that cut the score to 38–22, he led the team to the 49ers 16-yard line with about two minutes left in the game. But after spiking the ball on first down, he threw three consecutive incompletions, resulting in a turnover on downs that allowed San Francisco to run out the rest of the clock. </p><p>This was the fifth postseason meeting between the Vikings and 49ers. San Francisco won three of the prior four meetings.<sup id="cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NFL_playoff_games-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <table class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"> <caption><span class="nowrap">Previous playoff games</span> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th>San Francisco leads 3–1 in all-time playoff games </th></tr> <tr> <td> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: #fff"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1970</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none"><b>San Francisco 49ers</b> 17 @ Minnesota Vikings 14 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1970%E2%80%9371_NFL_playoffs" title="1970–71 NFL playoffs">1970 NFC Divisional playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: transparent"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1987</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none"><b>Minnesota Vikings</b> 36 @ San Francisco 49ers 24 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1987%E2%80%9388_NFL_playoffs" title="1987–88 NFL playoffs">1987 NFC Divisional playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: #fff"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1988</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none">Minnesota Vikings 9 @ <b>San Francisco 49ers</b> 34 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1988%E2%80%9389_NFL_playoffs" title="1988–89 NFL playoffs">1988 NFC Divisional playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: transparent"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1989</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none">Minnesota Vikings 13 @ <b>San Francisco 49ers</b> 41 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1989%E2%80%9390_NFL_playoffs" title="1989–90 NFL playoffs">1989 NFC Divisional playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Sunday,_January_4,_1998"><span id="Sunday.2C_January_4.2C_1998"></span>Sunday, January 4, 1998</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=15" title="Edit section: Sunday, January 4, 1998"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="NFC:_Green_Bay_Packers_21,_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_7"><span id="NFC:_Green_Bay_Packers_21.2C_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_7"></span>NFC: Green Bay Packers 21, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=16" title="Edit section: NFC: Green Bay Packers 21, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Buccaneers%E2%80%93Packers_rivalry" title="Buccaneers–Packers rivalry">Buccaneers–Packers rivalry</a></div> <div style="border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px; font-size: 95%; margin:auto;"> <div style="width: 100%;"> <div style="text-align:center; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;"><b>Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Green Bay Packers – Game summary</b></div> <table class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; margin-left:1em; float:right"> <tbody><tr style="text-align:center;"> <th>Quarter</th> <th width="25">1</th> <th width="25">2</th> <th width="25">3</th><th width="25">4</th><th width="25">Total</th> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left">Buccaneers</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>7</td><td>0</td><td><b>7</b></td> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left"><b>Packers</b></td> <td>7</td> <td>6</td> <td>0</td><td>8</td><td><b>21</b></td> </tr></tbody></table> <p><i>at <a href="/wiki/Lambeau_Field" title="Lambeau Field">Lambeau Field</a>, <a href="/wiki/Green_Bay,_Wisconsin" title="Green Bay, Wisconsin">Green Bay, Wisconsin</a></i> </p> <ul><li><b>Game time</b>: 12:30 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone" title="Eastern Time Zone">EST</a>/11:30 a.m. <a href="/wiki/Central_Time_Zone" title="Central Time Zone">CST</a></li><li><b>Game weather</b>: 32 °F (0 °C), cloudy</li><li><b>Game attendance</b>: 60,327</li><li><b>Referee</b>: <a href="/wiki/Johnny_Grier" title="Johnny Grier">Johnny Grier</a></li><li><b>TV announcers (<a href="/wiki/Fox_NFL" class="mw-redirect" title="Fox NFL">Fox</a>)</b>: <a href="/wiki/Pat_Summerall" title="Pat Summerall">Pat Summerall</a> (play-by-play) and <a href="/wiki/John_Madden" title="John Madden">John Madden</a> (color commentator)</li> </ul> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%"> <tbody><tr> <th>Game information </th></tr> <tr> <td style="padding-left: 0.5em;"> <ul><li><b>Scoring</b> <ul><li>GB – Chmura 3 pass from Favre (Longwell kick) <b>GB 7–0</b></li> <li>GB – field goal Longwell 21 <b>GB 10–0</b></li> <li>GB – field goal Longwell 32 <b>GB 13–0</b></li> <li>TB – Alstott 6 run (Husted kick) <b>GB 13–7</b></li> <li>GB – Levens 2 run (Favre run) <b>GB 21–7</b></li></ul></li></ul> </td></tr></tbody></table> </div> <p>Packers running back <a href="/wiki/Dorsey_Levens" title="Dorsey Levens">Dorsey Levens</a> rushed for a team playoff record 112 yards and a touchdown while also catching four passes for 29 yards as the Green Bay defense held Tampa Bay to 90 rushing yards and intercepted two passes from <a href="/wiki/Trent_Dilfer" title="Trent Dilfer">Trent Dilfer</a>, who completed only 11 of 36 passes for 200 yards. </p><p>Early in the game, Tampa Bay sent their field goal unit onto the field three times, but failed to get any points each time. After the game started with a punt from each team, the Bucs drove to the Green Bay 25-yard line, but Packers defensive tackle <a href="/wiki/Bob_Kuberski" title="Bob Kuberski">Bob Kuberski</a> blocked <a href="/wiki/Michael_Husted" title="Michael Husted">Michael Husted</a>'s 43-yard field goal attempt. Green Bay then drove 67 yards, including a 26-yard catch by <a href="/wiki/Antonio_Freeman" title="Antonio Freeman">Antonio Freeman</a>, to score on <a href="/wiki/Brett_Favre" title="Brett Favre">Brett Favre</a>'s 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end <a href="/wiki/Mark_Chmura" title="Mark Chmura">Mark Chmura</a>. Tampa Bay responded with a drive to the Packers 25-yard line, but came up empty again. On fourth and 2 they attempted a fake field goal with a pass by <a href="/wiki/Steve_Walsh_(American_football)" title="Steve Walsh (American football)">Steve Walsh</a>, but tight end <a href="/wiki/John_Davis_(tight_end)" title="John Davis (tight end)">John Davis</a> was tackled by <a href="/wiki/Keith_McKenzie_(American_football)" title="Keith McKenzie (American football)">Keith McKenzie</a> at the line of scrimmage for no gain. </p><p>Early in the second quarter, Tampa Bay got another scoring chance when <a href="/wiki/Warren_Sapp" title="Warren Sapp">Warren Sapp</a> forced and recovered a fumble from Levens on the Green Bay 30-yard line. The Bucs then moved the ball to the 12, only to come up empty again when Walsh fumbled a bad snap on their field goal attempt. Later on, Packers receiver <a href="/wiki/Robert_Brooks_(American_football)" title="Robert Brooks (American football)">Robert Brooks</a>' 28-yard punt return and 21-yard reception set up a field goal by <a href="/wiki/Ryan_Longwell" title="Ryan Longwell">Ryan Longwell</a>. Then on the first play of the Bucs ensuing drive, <a href="/wiki/Tyrone_Williams_(cornerback)" title="Tyrone Williams (cornerback)">Tyrone Williams</a> 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. </p><p>Green Bay receiver <a href="/wiki/Antonio_Freeman" title="Antonio Freeman">Antonio Freeman</a> returned the second half kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, but a holding penalty on <a href="/wiki/Darren_Sharper" title="Darren Sharper">Darren Sharper</a> 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 cornerback <a href="/wiki/Donnie_Abraham" title="Donnie Abraham">Donnie Abraham</a> intercepted a pass from Favre on the Tampa Bay 6-yard line. Dilfer subsequently led the Bucs offense 94 yards in eight plays, completing a 54-yard pass to <a href="/wiki/Reidel_Anthony" title="Reidel Anthony">Reidel Anthony</a> and a 28-yard pass to <a href="/wiki/Dave_Moore_(tight_end)" title="Dave Moore (tight end)">Dave Moore</a> along the way, to score on fullback <a href="/wiki/Mike_Alstott" title="Mike Alstott">Mike Alstott</a>'s 6-yard touchdown run, cutting the score to 13–7. But two possessions later, Brooks' 14-yard punt return gave the Packers the ball on their 46-yard line, where they proceeded to drive 54 yards and score with a 2-yard touchdown run by Levens. Then, Favre closed out the scoring by running in the two-point conversion on a quarterback draw. Tampa Bay's final three possessions would result in two turnovers on downs and an interception by Packers safety<a href="/wiki/Mike_Prior" title="Mike Prior">Mike Prior</a>. </p><p>Favre had a rough day, completing only 15 of 28 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. Anthony finished the game with 141 all-purpose yards (one reception for 52 yards, four kick returns for 68 yards, and one punt return for 21 yards). </p><p>This was the first postseason meeting between the Buccaneers and Packers.<sup id="cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NFL_playoff_games-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="AFC:_Denver_Broncos_14,_Kansas_City_Chiefs_10"><span id="AFC:_Denver_Broncos_14.2C_Kansas_City_Chiefs_10"></span>AFC: Denver Broncos 14, Kansas City Chiefs 10</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=17" title="Edit section: AFC: Denver Broncos 14, Kansas City Chiefs 10"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Broncos%E2%80%93Chiefs_rivalry" title="Broncos–Chiefs rivalry">Broncos–Chiefs rivalry</a></div> <div style="border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px; font-size: 95%; margin:auto;"> <div style="width: 100%;"> <div style="text-align:center; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;"><b>Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary</b></div> <table class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; margin-left:1em; float:right"> <tbody><tr style="text-align:center;"> <th>Quarter</th> <th width="25">1</th> <th width="25">2</th> <th width="25">3</th><th width="25">4</th><th width="25">Total</th> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left"><b>Broncos</b></td> <td>0</td> <td>7</td> <td>0</td><td>7</td><td><b>14</b></td> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left">Chiefs</td> <td>0</td> <td>0</td> <td>10</td><td>0</td><td><b>10</b></td> </tr></tbody></table> <p><i>at <a href="/wiki/Arrowhead_Stadium" title="Arrowhead Stadium">Arrowhead Stadium</a>, <a href="/wiki/Kansas_City,_Missouri" title="Kansas City, Missouri">Kansas City, Missouri</a></i> </p> <ul><li><b>Game time</b>: 4:00 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone" title="Eastern Time Zone">EST</a>/3:00 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Central_Time_Zone" title="Central Time Zone">CST</a></li><li><b>Game weather</b>: 32 °F (0 °C), light fog</li><li><b>Game attendance</b>: 76,965</li><li><b>Referee</b>: <a href="/wiki/Jerry_Markbreit" title="Jerry Markbreit">Jerry Markbreit</a></li><li><b>TV announcers (<a href="/wiki/NFL_on_NBC" title="NFL on NBC">NBC</a>)</b>: <a href="/wiki/Dick_Enberg" title="Dick Enberg">Dick Enberg</a> (play-by-play), <a href="/wiki/Phil_Simms" title="Phil Simms">Phil Simms</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Paul_Maguire" title="Paul Maguire">Paul Maguire</a> (color commentators)</li> </ul> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%"> <tbody><tr> <th>Game information </th></tr> <tr> <td style="padding-left: 0.5em;"> <ul><li><b>Scoring</b> <ul><li>DEN – Davis 1 run (Elam kick) <b>DEN 7–0</b></li> <li>KC – field goal Stoyanovich 20 <b>DEN 7–3</b></li> <li>KC – Gonzalez 12 pass from Grbac (Stoyanovich kick) <b>KC 10–7</b></li> <li>DEN – Davis 1 run (Elam kick) <b>DEN 14–10</b></li></ul></li></ul> </td></tr></tbody></table> </div> <p>For the third consecutive year the AFC's No. 1 seed fell in the divisional playoffs. One week after avenging the previous year's playoff loss against Jacksonville, the Broncos avenged their 24–22 regular season loss in Kansas City by knocking the Chiefs out of the playoffs. Denver running back <a href="/wiki/Terrell_Davis" title="Terrell Davis">Terrell Davis</a> ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Broncos to victory. Chiefs quarterback <a href="/wiki/Elvis_Grbac" title="Elvis Grbac">Elvis Grbac</a> threw for 260 yards, but his team could only score 10 points. Receiver <a href="/wiki/Andre_Rison" title="Andre Rison">Andre Rison</a> caught eight passes for 110 yards. </p><p>Midway through the second quarter, Chiefs kicker <a href="/wiki/Pete_Stoyanovich" title="Pete Stoyanovich">Pete Stoyanovich</a> appeared to open the scoring with a 34-yard field goal, but it was eliminated by a holding penalty and his second attempt hit the upright from 44 yards. Denver then went on an 8-play, 65-yard drive on the way to a 1-yard touchdown run by Davis on the first play after the two-minute warning, including <a href="/wiki/John_Elway" title="John Elway">John Elway</a>'s 27-yard completion to tight end <a href="/wiki/Dwayne_Carswell" title="Dwayne Carswell">Dwayne Carswell</a> and a critical third and 7 completion to <a href="/wiki/Rod_Smith_(wide_receiver)" title="Rod Smith (wide receiver)">Rod Smith</a> for 17 yards on the Chiefs 4-yard line to keep the drive going. This was the first rushing touchdown surrendered by Kansas City at home since the 1996 season, a string of 42 quarters. </p><p>In the second half, Kansas City drove 67 yards to the Broncos 3-yard line, starting with Grbac's 34-yard pass to Rison on the first play. But on third and goal, rookie tight end <a href="/wiki/Tony_Gonzalez" title="Tony Gonzalez">Tony Gonzalez</a> was unable to keep both feet in bounds while making a catch, so they had to settle for Stoyanovich's 20-yard field goal that made the score 7–3. Denver had a big opportunity to respond on their next drive when Davis ran for a 41-yard gain to the Chiefs 11-yard line. But <a href="/wiki/Derek_Loville" title="Derek Loville">Derek Loville</a> ended up losing a fumble that safety <a href="/wiki/Reggie_Tongue" title="Reggie Tongue">Reggie Tongue</a> recovered. Following an exchange of punts, Grbac's 50-yard completion to receiver <a href="/wiki/Joe_Horn" title="Joe Horn">Joe Horn</a> advanced the ball to the Broncos 15-yard line, and Gonzalez eventually caught a 12-yard touchdown pass to give Kansas City their first lead of the game, 10–7, going into the fourth quarter. </p><p>Early in the final quarter, Elway completed a 43-yard pass to <a href="/wiki/Ed_McCaffrey" title="Ed McCaffrey">Ed McCaffrey</a> that set up Davis' second 1-yard touchdown run, giving the lead back to Denver, 14–10. Kansas City responded with a drive to the Denver 32-yard line. On fourth and six, they attempted to fool the Broncos with a fake field goal attempt, but holder <a href="/wiki/Louie_Aguiar" title="Louie Aguiar">Louie Aguiar</a> was tackled by <a href="/wiki/Darrien_Gordon" title="Darrien Gordon">Darrien Gordon</a> after picking up just three yards. </p><p>The Chiefs had one last opportunity to go ahead near the end of the game, moving the ball to the Broncos 20-yard line on a drive that included a 29-yard pass interference penalty against Denver and Grbac's 12-yard completion to <a href="/wiki/Lake_Dawson" title="Lake Dawson">Lake Dawson</a> on fourth down and 9. Grbac later completed a 23-yard pass to Rison at the Broncos 28, but after the next three plays netted eight yards, Gordon deflected Grbac's fourth down pass in the end zone with 12 seconds left. </p><p>For the second time in three years, Kansas City was eliminated as a No. 1 seed. The Chiefs lost despite outgaining Denver in total yards (303 to 272), first downs (18 to 16) and time of possession (31:06 to 28:54). Elway completed 10 of 19 passes for 170 yards. Denver linemen <a href="/wiki/Alfred_Williams" title="Alfred Williams">Alfred Williams</a> and <a href="/wiki/Neil_Smith_(American_football)" title="Neil Smith (American football)">Neil Smith</a> (a former Chief) each had two sacks. This was the last game in the <a href="/wiki/Pro_Football_Hall_of_Fame" title="Pro Football Hall of Fame">Hall of Fame</a> career of Chiefs running back <a href="/wiki/Marcus_Allen" title="Marcus Allen">Marcus Allen</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-13" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-13"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-14" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-14"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> as well as the final post-season meeting between John Elway and Kansas City Chiefs head coach <a href="/wiki/Marty_Schottenheimer" title="Marty Schottenheimer">Marty Schottenheimer</a>. </p><p>This was the first postseason meeting between the Broncos and Chiefs.<sup id="cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NFL_playoff_games-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Conference_Championships">Conference Championships</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=18" title="Edit section: Conference Championships"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Sunday,_January_11,_1998"><span id="Sunday.2C_January_11.2C_1998"></span>Sunday, January 11, 1998</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=19" title="Edit section: Sunday, January 11, 1998"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="AFC:_Denver_Broncos_24,_Pittsburgh_Steelers_21"><span id="AFC:_Denver_Broncos_24.2C_Pittsburgh_Steelers_21"></span>AFC: Denver Broncos 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 21</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=20" title="Edit section: AFC: Denver Broncos 24, Pittsburgh Steelers 21"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/Broncos%E2%80%93Steelers_rivalry" title="Broncos–Steelers rivalry">Broncos–Steelers rivalry</a></div> <div style="border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px; font-size: 95%; margin:auto;"> <div style="width: 100%;"> <div style="text-align:center; background-color: #D50A0A !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;"><b>Denver Broncos vs. Pittsburgh Steelers – Game summary</b></div> <table class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; margin-left:1em; float:right"> <tbody><tr style="text-align:center;"> <th>Quarter</th> <th width="25">1</th> <th width="25">2</th> <th width="25">3</th><th width="25">4</th><th width="25">Total</th> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left"><b>Broncos</b></td> <td>7</td> <td>17</td> <td>0</td><td>0</td><td><b>24</b></td> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left">Steelers</td> <td>7</td> <td>7</td> <td>0</td><td>7</td><td><b>21</b></td> </tr></tbody></table> <p><i>at <a href="/wiki/Three_Rivers_Stadium" title="Three Rivers Stadium">Three Rivers Stadium</a>, <a href="/wiki/Pittsburgh" title="Pittsburgh">Pittsburgh</a>, <a href="/wiki/Pennsylvania" title="Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania</a></i> </p> <ul><li><b>Game time</b>: 12:30 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone" title="Eastern Time Zone">EST</a></li><li><b>Game weather</b>: 39 °F (4 °C), clear</li><li><b>Game attendance</b>: 61,382</li><li><b>Referee</b>: <a href="/wiki/Ron_Blum" title="Ron Blum">Ron Blum</a></li><li><b>TV announcers (<a href="/wiki/NFL_on_NBC" title="NFL on NBC">NBC</a>)</b>: <a href="/wiki/Dick_Enberg" title="Dick Enberg">Dick Enberg</a> (play-by-play), <a href="/wiki/Phil_Simms" title="Phil Simms">Phil Simms</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Paul_Maguire" title="Paul Maguire">Paul Maguire</a> (color commentators)</li> </ul> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%"> <tbody><tr> <th>Game information </th></tr> <tr> <td style="padding-left: 0.5em;"> <ul><li><b>Scoring</b> <ul><li>DEN – Davis 8 run (Elam kick) <b>DEN 7–0</b></li> <li>PIT – Stewart 33 run (N. Johnson kick) <b>Tie 7–7</b></li> <li>PIT – Bettis 1 run (N. Johnson kick) <b>PIT 14–7</b></li> <li>DEN – field goal Elam 43 <b>PIT 14–10</b></li> <li>DEN – Griffith 15 pass from Elway (Elam kick) <b>DEN 17–14</b></li> <li>DEN – McCaffrey 1 pass from Elway (Elam kick) <b>DEN 24–14</b></li> <li>PIT – C. Johnson 14 pass from Stewart (N. Johnson kick) <b>DEN 24–21</b></li></ul></li></ul> </td></tr></tbody></table> </div> <p>For the second week in a row, Denver eliminated a team on the road who had beat them in the regular season. In Week 15, Pittsburgh had defeated the Broncos 35–24, with quarterback <a href="/wiki/Kordell_Stewart" title="Kordell Stewart">Kordell Stewart</a> throwing for 303 yards and three touchdowns, while running for two more. But this time, Denver intercepted three of his passes and recovered a fumble, while also sacking him three times. </p><p>Most of the scoring came in the first half. Pittsburgh got an early scoring opportunity when <a href="/wiki/Levon_Kirkland" title="Levon Kirkland">Levon Kirkland</a> intercepted a pass from Denver quarterback <a href="/wiki/John_Elway" title="John Elway">John Elway</a> on the Broncos 43-yard line. The Steelers then moved the ball to the 20, only to have <a href="/wiki/Norm_Johnson" title="Norm Johnson">Norm Johnson</a> miss a 38-yard field goal attempt. On the next play Denver running back <a href="/wiki/Terrell_Davis" title="Terrell Davis">Terrell Davis</a> took off for a 43-yard run to the Steelers 29-yard line, and the team went on to score on Davis' 8-yard touchdown run. <a href="/wiki/Will_Blackwell" title="Will Blackwell">Will Blackwell</a> returned the ensuing kickoff 18 yards to the 35-yard line, where Pittsburgh went on to move the ball 65 yards to tie the game. On the final two plays, Stewart completed a 20-yard pass to <a href="/wiki/Yancey_Thigpen" title="Yancey Thigpen">Yancey Thigpen</a> and then ran the ball the final 33 yards to the end zone. Steelers safety <a href="/wiki/Darren_Perry" title="Darren Perry">Darren Perry</a> ended Denver's next drive by forcing and recovering a fumble from Davis on the Pittsburgh 32-yard line. Pittsburgh then drove 68 yards in 11 plays to go up 14–7 on <a href="/wiki/Jerome_Bettis" title="Jerome Bettis">Jerome Bettis</a>' 1-yard touchdown run a few minutes into the second quarter. </p><p>The Broncos took the ball back and went on a 10-play, 45-yard drive to score on kicker <a href="/wiki/Jason_Elam" title="Jason Elam">Jason Elam</a>'s 43-yard field goal. Both teams had to punt on their next drives, and Blackwell's 19-yard return gave the Steelers a first down on the Broncos 43-yard line. But two plays later, Stewart forced a throw into double coverage and safety <a href="/wiki/Ray_Crockett" title="Ray Crockett">Ray Crockett</a> intercepted his pass in the end zone. After the turnover, Elway led the Broncos 80 yards to score on his 15-yard touchdown pass to fullback <a href="/wiki/Howard_Griffith" title="Howard Griffith">Howard Griffith</a>, giving the Broncos the lead, 17–14. The Steelers had to punt on their next drive, and <a href="/wiki/Darrien_Gordon" title="Darrien Gordon">Darrien Gordon</a> returned the ball 19 yards to the Broncos 46, setting up a 54-yard drive that ended on Elway's 1-yard touchdown pass to <a href="/wiki/Ed_McCaffrey" title="Ed McCaffrey">Ed McCaffrey</a> that gave Denver a 24–14 lead with 13 seconds left in the half. 34 of their 54 yards came from a pass interference penalty on Steelers cornerback <a href="/wiki/Carnell_Lake" title="Carnell Lake">Carnell Lake</a> on the first play of the drive.<sup id="cite_ref-15" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-15"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-17" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-17"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Both defenses controlled most of the second half. The Steelers took the opening drive of the second half and moved the ball methodically down the field and had a great scoring chance at the Broncos 5-yard line. But linebacker <a href="/wiki/Allen_Aldridge" title="Allen Aldridge">Allen Aldridge</a> ended the possession with an interception in the end zone. The next time the Steelers got the ball, they moved it to the Broncos 32, only to lose it again when <a href="/wiki/Neil_Smith_(American_football)" title="Neil Smith (American football)">Neil Smith</a> forced a fumble while sacking Stewart and Denver's <a href="/wiki/Mike_Lodish" title="Mike Lodish">Mike Lodish</a> made the recovery. </p><p>Late in the fourth quarter, Stewart completed seven of eight passes for 68 yards and rushed twice for 11 yards on a 79-yard drive that ended with his 14-yard touchdown pass to <a href="/wiki/Charles_Johnson_(wide_receiver,_born_1972)" title="Charles Johnson (wide receiver, born 1972)">Charles Johnson</a>, cutting the score to 24–21 with 2:46 left in regulation. At the two-minute warning, facing third down and 5 on their own 15-yard line on their ensuing drive, Elway connected on an 18-yard completion to <a href="/wiki/Shannon_Sharpe" title="Shannon Sharpe">Shannon Sharpe</a> for a first down. Then on the next play, he completed a 10-yard pass to McCaffrey for another first down, enabling his team to run out the rest of the clock. Sharpe later said that Elway made up the converting play in the huddle, seconds before the snap. </p><p>Davis rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown. Bettis rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown. This would turn out to be the final playoff game at <a href="/wiki/Three_Rivers_Stadium" title="Three Rivers Stadium">Three Rivers Stadium</a>. The next time the Steelers advanced to the playoffs would be in <a href="/wiki/2001_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season" title="2001 Pittsburgh Steelers season">2001</a> in brand new Heinz Field (now <a href="/wiki/Acrisure_Stadium" title="Acrisure Stadium">Acrisure Stadium</a>). This was the first time since playoff seeding was established in <a href="/wiki/1975%E2%80%9376_NFL_playoffs" title="1975–76 NFL playoffs">1975</a> that the team who finished with a better regular season record had to play a Conference Championship Game on the road. </p><p>This was the fifth postseason meeting between the Broncos and Steelers. Both teams previously split the four prior meetings.<sup id="cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NFL_playoff_games-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <table class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"> <caption><span class="nowrap">Previous playoff games</span> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th>Tied 2–2 in all-time playoff games </th></tr> <tr> <td> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: #fff"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1977</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none">Pittsburgh Steelers 21 @ <b>Denver Broncos</b> 34 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1977%E2%80%9378_NFL_playoffs" title="1977–78 NFL playoffs">1977 AFC Divisional playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: transparent"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1978</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none">Denver Broncos 10 @ <b>Pittsburgh Steelers</b> 33 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1978%E2%80%9379_NFL_playoffs" title="1978–79 NFL playoffs">1978 AFC Divisional playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: #fff"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1984</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none"><b>Pittsburgh Steelers</b> 24 @ Denver Broncos 17 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1984%E2%80%9385_NFL_playoffs" title="1984–85 NFL playoffs">1984 AFC Divisional playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: transparent"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1989</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none">Pittsburgh Steelers 23 @ <b>Denver Broncos</b> 24 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1989%E2%80%9390_NFL_playoffs" title="1989–90 NFL playoffs">1989 AFC Divisional playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="NFC:_Green_Bay_Packers_23,_San_Francisco_49ers_10"><span id="NFC:_Green_Bay_Packers_23.2C_San_Francisco_49ers_10"></span>NFC: Green Bay Packers 23, San Francisco 49ers 10</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=21" title="Edit section: NFC: Green Bay Packers 23, San Francisco 49ers 10"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">See also: <a href="/wiki/49ers%E2%80%93Packers_rivalry" title="49ers–Packers rivalry">49ers–Packers rivalry</a></div> <div style="border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px; font-size: 95%; margin:auto;"> <div style="width: 100%;"> <div style="text-align:center; background-color: #013369 !important; color: #FFFFFF !important;"><b>Green Bay Packers vs. San Francisco 49ers – Game summary</b></div> <table class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; margin-left:1em; float:right"> <tbody><tr style="text-align:center;"> <th>Quarter</th> <th width="25">1</th> <th width="25">2</th> <th width="25">3</th><th width="25">4</th><th width="25">Total</th> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left"><b>Packers</b></td> <td>3</td> <td>10</td> <td>0</td><td>10</td><td><b>23</b></td> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left">49ers</td> <td>0</td> <td>3</td> <td>0</td><td>7</td><td><b>10</b></td> </tr></tbody></table> <p><i>at <a href="/wiki/Candlestick_Park" title="Candlestick Park">3Com Park</a>, <a href="/wiki/San_Francisco" title="San Francisco">San Francisco</a>, <a href="/wiki/California" title="California">California</a></i> </p> <ul><li><b>Game time</b>: 4:00 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Eastern_Time_Zone" title="Eastern Time Zone">EST</a>/1:00 p.m. <a href="/wiki/Pacific_Time_Zone" title="Pacific Time Zone">PST</a></li><li><b>Game weather</b>: 57 °F (14 °C), rain</li><li><b>Game attendance</b>: 68,987</li><li><b>Referee</b>: <a href="/wiki/Dick_Hantak" title="Dick Hantak">Dick Hantak</a></li><li><b>TV announcers (<a href="/wiki/Fox_NFL" class="mw-redirect" title="Fox NFL">Fox</a>)</b>: <a href="/wiki/Pat_Summerall" title="Pat Summerall">Pat Summerall</a> (play-by-play) and <a href="/wiki/John_Madden" title="John Madden">John Madden</a> (color commentator)</li> </ul> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <table class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="width: 100%"> <tbody><tr> <th>Game information </th></tr> <tr> <td style="padding-left: 0.5em;"> <ul><li><b>Scoring</b> <ul><li>GB – field goal Longwell 19 <b>GB 3–0</b></li> <li>GB – Freeman 27 pass from Favre (Longwell kick) <b>GB 10–0</b></li> <li>SF – field goal Anderson 28 <b>GB 10–3</b></li> <li>GB – field goal Longwell 43 <b>GB 13–3</b></li> <li>GB – field goal Longwell 25 <b>GB 16–3</b></li> <li>GB – Levens 5 run (Longwell kick) <b>GB 23–3</b></li> <li>SF – Levy 95 kickoff return (Anderson kick) <b>GB 23–10</b></li></ul></li></ul> </td></tr></tbody></table> </div> <p>For the third year in a row, Green Bay easily trounced the 49ers in the playoffs, holding them to just 257 total yards while forcing four fumbles and five sacks. The 49ers gained just 33 rushing yards and running back <a href="/wiki/Garrison_Hearst" title="Garrison Hearst">Garrison Hearst</a>, who rushed for over 1,000 yards during the season, had only 12 yards on eight carries. The average starting field position for the 49ers was from their own 17-yard line. </p><p>On its opening possession, Green Bay moved the ball 76 yards in 10 plays, with <a href="/wiki/Brett_Favre" title="Brett Favre">Brett Favre</a> completing an 18-yard pass to <a href="/wiki/Robert_Brooks_(American_football)" title="Robert Brooks (American football)">Robert Brooks</a>. On the next play, 49ers safety <a href="/wiki/Rod_Woodson" title="Rod Woodson">Rod Woodson</a> was called for a 24-yard pass interference penalty, moving the ball to the 49ers 35. Green Bay eventually reached the 2-yard line before a pass was deflected falling short of the wide open fullback <a href="/wiki/William_Henderson_(American_football)" title="William Henderson (American football)">William Henderson</a>, forcing the Packers to settle for a field goal from <a href="/wiki/Ryan_Longwell" title="Ryan Longwell">Ryan Longwell</a>. </p><p>In the second quarter, San Francisco drove 60 yards from their own 12 to the Green Bay 28, where they faced third down and 8. On the next play, <a href="/wiki/Steve_Young" title="Steve Young">Steve Young</a>'s pass was intercepted by Packers safety <a href="/wiki/Eugene_Robinson_(American_football)" title="Eugene Robinson (American football)">Eugene Robinson</a> and returned 58 yards to the 49ers 28 in what turned out to be a crucial play. Favre then found wide receiver <a href="/wiki/Antonio_Freeman" title="Antonio Freeman">Antonio Freeman</a> slicing across the middle on a slant for a 27-yard touchdown pass to give the Packers a 10–0 lead. </p><p>Later on, Green Bay managed a drive deep into San Francisco territory, but Favre committed a 15-yard intentional grounding penalty on third and 14, and Longwell missed a 47-yard field goal attempt on the next play. On the 49ers ensuing drive, they drove 52 yards in nine plays, including Young's 48-yard completion to <a href="/wiki/Terrell_Owens" title="Terrell Owens">Terrell Owens</a> on third down and 26, to reach the Packers 10-yard line. Young nearly completed a touchdown pass to <a href="/wiki/J._J._Stokes" title="J. J. Stokes">J. J. Stokes</a>, but Stokes landed with one foot out of bounds in the end zone and the 49ers settled for a <a href="/wiki/Gary_Anderson_(placekicker)" title="Gary Anderson (placekicker)">Gary Anderson</a> field goal, cutting the score to 10–3 with less than a minute left in the half. Only 51 seconds remained after Green Bay got the ball back, but Favre got his team into scoring range with a 40-yard completion to Freeman, and Longwell capitalized with a 43-yard field goal as time expired, giving the Packers a 13–3 halftime lead. </p><p>On the first play of the second half, Favre threw a pass to Henderson, who held it briefly before dropping it. The 49ers defense believed his drop was a fumble and returned it for a touchdown, but officials ruled it to be an incomplete pass, something replays seemed to contradict.<sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Both offenses were nearly shut down for the rest of the game, as neither team was able to mount a sustained drive. Late in the fourth quarter, Young threw an incomplete pass intended for tight end <a href="/wiki/Brent_Jones" title="Brent Jones">Brent Jones</a> (playing in what would be his final game) on third and 18 from his own 7-yard line. Jones argued vehemently after the play that he was held by <a href="/wiki/LeRoy_Butler" title="LeRoy Butler">LeRoy Butler</a>. No flag was thrown, however, and <a href="/wiki/Tommy_Thompson_(punter)" title="Tommy Thompson (punter)">Tommy Thompson</a>'s ensuing punt went just 28 yards to the 49ers 35. Green Bay then drove 28 yards and increased their lead to 16–3 with Longwell's 25-yard field goal with 5:02 left in the game. </p><p>Now in a desperate situation, San Francisco tried to convert a fourth down from their own 22 on the next drive, but linebacker <a href="/wiki/Keith_McKenzie_(American_football)" title="Keith McKenzie (American football)">Keith McKenzie</a> sacked Young for an 11-yard loss on the play, setting up <a href="/wiki/Dorsey_Levens" title="Dorsey Levens">Dorsey Levens</a>' 5-yard touchdown run that made the score 23–3. <a href="/wiki/Chuck_Levy" title="Chuck Levy">Chuck Levy</a> returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, but the 49ers could do nothing else with the final 2:52 remaining on the clock. </p><p>Favre finished the game completing 16 of 27 attempts for 222 yards and a touchdown. Levens recorded a then-playoff team record 116 rushing yards and a touchdown, while also catching six passes for 37 yards. Freeman caught four passes for 107 yards and a touchdown. Owens was the sole offensive star for his team, catching six passes for 100 yards. Levy returned three kickoffs for 127 yards and a touchdown. </p><p>This was the third year in a row the Packers defeated the 49ers in the playoffs, twice in San Francisco.<sup id="cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NFL_playoff_games-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <table class="wikitable collapsible collapsed"> <caption><span class="nowrap">Previous playoff games</span> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th>Green Bay leads 2–0 in all-time playoff games </th></tr> <tr> <td> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: #fff"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1995</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none"><b>Green Bay Packers</b> 27 @ San Francisco 49ers 17 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1995%E2%80%9396_NFL_playoffs" title="1995–96 NFL playoffs">1995 NFC Divisional playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> <div style="width: 100%; background-color: transparent"> <table style="float:left; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="text-align:center">1996</div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="float:left; width:60%; text-align:center"> <tbody><tr style="vertical-align:top"> <td colspan="2" style="text-align:center; border-style:none">San Francisco 49ers 14 @ <b>Green Bay Packers</b> 35 </td></tr> </tbody></table> <table style="float:right; width:20%; table-layout:fixed"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border-style:none"><div style="font-size:85%"><a href="/wiki/1996%E2%80%9397_NFL_playoffs" title="1996–97 NFL playoffs">1996 NFC Divisional playoffs</a></div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Super_Bowl_XXXII:_Denver_Broncos_31,_Green_Bay_Packers_24"><span id="Super_Bowl_XXXII:_Denver_Broncos_31.2C_Green_Bay_Packers_24"></span>Super Bowl XXXII: Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=22" title="Edit section: Super Bowl XXXII: Denver Broncos 31, Green Bay Packers 24"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236090951"><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">Further information: <a href="/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXXII" title="Super Bowl XXXII">Super Bowl XXXII</a></div> <div style="border: 1px solid #aaa; padding: 5px; font-size: 95%; margin:auto;"> <div style="width: 100%;"> <div style="text-align:center; background:#eee"><b>Super Bowl XXXII – Green Bay Packers vs. Denver Broncos – Game summary</b></div> <table class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%; margin-left:1em; float:right"> <tbody><tr style="text-align:center;"> <th>Quarter</th> <th width="25">1</th> <th width="25">2</th> <th width="25">3</th><th width="25">4</th><th width="25">Total</th> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left">Packers (NFC)</td> <td>7</td> <td>7</td> <td>3</td><td>7</td><td><b>24</b></td> </tr><tr style="text-align:center;"> <td style="text-align:left"><b>Broncos (AFC)</b></td> <td>7</td> <td>10</td> <td>7</td><td>7</td><td><b>31</b></td> </tr></tbody></table> <p><i>at <a href="/wiki/Qualcomm_Stadium" class="mw-redirect" title="Qualcomm Stadium">Qualcomm Stadium</a>, <a href="/wiki/San_Diego" title="San Diego">San Diego</a>, <a href="/wiki/California" title="California">California</a></i> </p> <ul><li><b>Date</b>: January 25, 1998</li><li><b>Game attendance</b>: 68,912</li><li><b>Referee</b>: <a href="/wiki/Ed_Hochuli" title="Ed Hochuli">Ed Hochuli</a></li><li><b>TV announcers (<a href="/wiki/NFL_on_NBC" title="NFL on NBC">NBC</a>)</b>: <a href="/wiki/Dick_Enberg" title="Dick Enberg">Dick Enberg</a> (play-by-play), <a href="/wiki/Phil_Simms" title="Phil Simms">Phil Simms</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Paul_Maguire" title="Paul Maguire">Paul Maguire</a> (color commentators)</li> </ul> <div style="clear:both;" class=""></div> </div> </div> <p>This was the first Super Bowl meeting between the Packers and Broncos.<sup id="cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NFL_playoff_games-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=23" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap mw-references-columns"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-1">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/1997/12/28/vikings-23-giants-22/">"Vikings 23, Giants 22 - Chicago Tribune"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140408215306/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-12-28/sports/9712280390_1_vikings-chris-walsh-giants-cornerback-phillippi-sparks-vikings-coach-dennis-green">Archived</a> from the original on April 8, 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 7,</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Vikings+23%2C+Giants+22+-+Chicago+Tribune&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagotribune.com%2F1997%2F12%2F28%2Fvikings-23-giants-22%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFYowell2012" class="citation web cs1">Yowell, Keith (December 27, 2012). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://fs64sports.blogspot.com/2012/12/1997-vikings-rally-to-edge-giants-in.html">"Today in Pro Football History: 1997: Vikings Rally to Edge Giants in Wild Card Playoff Game"</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Today+in+Pro+Football+History%3A+1997%3A+Vikings+Rally+to+Edge+Giants+in+Wild+Card+Playoff+Game&rft.date=2012-12-27&rft.aulast=Yowell&rft.aufirst=Keith&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Ffs64sports.blogspot.com%2F2012%2F12%2F1997-vikings-rally-to-edge-giants-in.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-NFL_playoff_games-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-6"><sup><i><b>g</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-7"><sup><i><b>h</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-8"><sup><i><b>i</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-9"><sup><i><b>j</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-NFL_playoff_games_3-10"><sup><i><b>k</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation news cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.footballdb.com/games/matchups.html/">"Team Matchup History"</a>. <i>Footballdb.com</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.jtitle=Footballdb.com&rft.atitle=Team+Matchup+History&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.footballdb.com%2Fgames%2Fmatchups.html%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140407095429/http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Flashback-Broncos-Jaguars-Dec-27-1997/f3206203-7892-11df-ba56-acc8e62813e9">"Flashback: Broncos-Jaguars, Dec. 27, 1997"</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Flashback-Broncos-Jaguars-Dec-27-1997/f3206203-7892-11df-ba56-acc8e62813e9">the original</a> on April 7, 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 3,</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Flashback%3A+Broncos-Jaguars%2C+Dec.+27%2C+1997&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.denverbroncos.com%2Fnews-and-blogs%2Farticle-1%2FFlashback-Broncos-Jaguars-Dec-27-1997%2Ff3206203-7892-11df-ba56-acc8e62813e9&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140407072703/http://thecabin.net/stories/122797/spo_broncos.html">"Log Cabin Democrat Sports: Broncos stumble some, hammer Jags in rematch 12/28/97 | TheCabin.net"</a>. 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Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/scoreboards/1997/12/28/recap.tampa_bay.detroit.html">the original</a> on January 2, 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">January 2,</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=CNN%2FSI+-+Football+-+NFL+Playoff+Recap+%28Detroit-Tampa+Bay%29+-+December+28%2C+1997&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fsportsillustrated.cnn.com%2Ffootball%2Fnfl%2Fscoreboards%2F1997%2F12%2F28%2Frecap.tampa_bay.detroit.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/2013/11/22/5132462/lions-buccaneers-one-for-the-road">"One for the road: Lions vs. Buccaneers"</a>. <i>Pride Of Detroit</i>. November 22, 2013.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Pride+Of+Detroit&rft.atitle=One+for+the+road%3A+Lions+vs.+Buccaneers&rft.date=2013-11-22&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.prideofdetroit.com%2F2013%2F11%2F22%2F5132462%2Flions-buccaneers-one-for-the-road&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199801030pit.htm">"Divisional Round - New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers - January 3rd, 1998"</a>. <i>Pro-Football-Reference.com</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Pro-Football-Reference.com&rft.atitle=Divisional+Round+-+New+England+Patriots+at+Pittsburgh+Steelers+-+January+3rd%2C+1998&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pro-football-reference.com%2Fboxscores%2F199801030pit.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-10">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.chicagotribune.com/1998/01/04/steelers-7-patriots-6/">"Steelers 7, Patriots 6 - Chicago Tribune"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140502033344/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-01-04/sports/9801040357_1_defensive-end-mike-vrabel-tight-end-ben-coates-wide-receiver-terry-glenn">Archived</a> from the original on May 2, 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">May 1,</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Steelers+7%2C+Patriots+6+-+Chicago+Tribune&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chicagotribune.com%2F1998%2F01%2F04%2Fsteelers-7-patriots-6%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1998/jan/04/steelers-bring-down-curtain-pittsburgh-defense/">"Steelers Bring Down Curtain Pittsburgh Defense Has Look Of Champion Against New England | The Spokesman-Review"</a>. <i>Spokesman.com</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Spokesman.com&rft.atitle=Steelers+Bring+Down+Curtain+Pittsburgh+Defense+Has+Look+Of+Champion+Against+New+England+%26%23124%3B+The+Spokesman-Review&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.spokesman.com%2Fstories%2F1998%2Fjan%2F04%2Fsteelers-bring-down-curtain-pittsburgh-defense%2F&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-12">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1998-01-04-1998004112-story.html">"49ers power past outmanned Vikings LB Norton delivers telling punch, 38-22 - Page 2 - Baltimore Sun"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140408213928/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1998-01-04/sports/1998004112_1_49ers-packers-steve-young/2">Archived</a> from the original on April 8, 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 7,</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=49ers+power+past+outmanned+Vikings+LB+Norton+delivers+telling+punch%2C+38-22+-+Page+2+-+Baltimore+Sun&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.baltimoresun.com%2Fnews%2Fbs-xpm-1998-01-04-1998004112-story.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-13">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFYowell2012" class="citation web cs1">Yowell, Keith (January 4, 2012). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://fs64sports.blogspot.com/2012_01_04_archive.html">"1998: Broncos Beat Chiefs in Hard-Fought Divisional Playoff"</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=1998%3A+Broncos+Beat+Chiefs+in+Hard-Fought+Divisional+Playoff&rft.date=2012-01-04&rft.aulast=Yowell&rft.aufirst=Keith&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Ffs64sports.blogspot.com%2F2012_01_04_archive.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-14">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199801040kan.htm">"Divisional Round - Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs - January 4th, 1998"</a>. <i>Pro-Football-Reference.com</i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=Pro-Football-Reference.com&rft.atitle=Divisional+Round+-+Denver+Broncos+at+Kansas+City+Chiefs+-+January+4th%2C+1998&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pro-football-reference.com%2Fboxscores%2F199801040kan.htm&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-15">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140502050931/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1998-01-12/sports/9801110115_1_super-bowl-xxxii-broncos-steelers/2">"Broncos Back (so's Pack) - Page 2 - Sun Sentinel"</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1998-01-12/sports/9801110115_1_super-bowl-xxxii-broncos-steelers/2">the original</a> on May 2, 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">May 2,</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Broncos+Back+%28so%27s+Pack%29+-+Page+2+-+Sun+Sentinel&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Farticles.sun-sentinel.com%2F1998-01-12%2Fsports%2F9801110115_1_super-bowl-xxxii-broncos-steelers%2F2&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1998-01-12-1998012058-story.html">"Broncos Revenge Tour"</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140502033601/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1998-01-12/sports/1998012058_1_denver-broncos-steelers-broncos-won">Archived</a> from the original on May 2, 2014<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">May 2,</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=Broncos+Revenge+Tour&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.baltimoresun.com%2Fnews%2Fbs-xpm-1998-01-12-1998012058-story.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-17">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSmith1998" class="citation web cs1">Smith, Timothy W. (January 12, 1998). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/12/sports/pro-football-stewart-s-magic-runs-out-this-time.html">"PRO FOOTBALL; Stewart's Magic Runs Out This Time"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_New_York_Times" title="The New York Times">The New York Times</a></i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=unknown&rft.jtitle=The+New+York+Times&rft.atitle=PRO+FOOTBALL%3B+Stewart%27s+Magic+Runs+Out+This+Time&rft.date=1998-01-12&rft.aulast=Smith&rft.aufirst=Timothy+W.&rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2F1998%2F01%2F12%2Fsports%2Fpro-football-stewart-s-magic-runs-out-this-time.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20091008033741/http://www3.jsonline.com/packer/sbxxxii/rev/summ/gbsf11198.html">"NFC Championship Game: Green Bay at San Francisco"</a>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www3.jsonline.com/packer/sbxxxii/rev/summ/gbsf11198.html">the original</a> on October 8, 2009<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">April 3,</span> 2014</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=unknown&rft.btitle=NFC+Championship+Game%3A+Green+Bay+at+San+Francisco&rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww3.jsonline.com%2Fpacker%2Fsbxxxii%2Frev%2Fsumm%2Fgbsf11198.html&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3A1997%E2%80%9398+NFL+playoffs" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Bibliography">Bibliography</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=1997%E2%80%9398_NFL_playoffs&action=edit&section=24" title="Edit section: Bibliography"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><i>Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League</i> (<link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a> <a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-06-270174-6" title="Special:BookSources/0-06-270174-6">0-06-270174-6</a>)</li></ul> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236075235">.mw-parser-output .navbox{box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:100%;clear:both;font-size:88%;text-align:center;padding:1px;margin:1em auto 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbox{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox-styles+.navbox{margin-top:-1px}.mw-parser-output .navbox-inner,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{width:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-title,.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow{padding:0.25em 1em;line-height:1.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group{white-space:nowrap;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{background-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list{line-height:1.5em;border-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list-with-group{text-align:left;border-left-width:2px;border-left-style:solid}.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-group,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-image,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-list{border-top:2px solid #fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title{background-color:#ccf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-title{background-color:#ddf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-abovebelow{background-color:#e6e6ff}.mw-parser-output .navbox-even{background-color:#f7f7f7}.mw-parser-output .navbox-odd{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ul,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ul{padding:0.125em 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbar{display:block;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title .navbar{float:left;text-align:left;margin-right:0.5em}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .navbox-image img{max-width:none!important}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .navbox{display:none!important}}</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="1997_NFL_season" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2" style="background-color:#FFE6BD"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:1997_NFL_season_by_team" title="Template:1997 NFL season by team"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:1997_NFL_season_by_team" title="Template talk:1997 NFL season by team"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:1997_NFL_season_by_team" title="Special:EditPage/Template:1997 NFL season by team"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="1997_NFL_season" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/1997_NFL_season" title="1997 NFL season">1997 NFL season</a></div></th></tr><tr><td colspan="2" class="navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0;font-size:110%;"><div style="padding:0"><table style="text-align:center; margin:0; width:100%"> <tbody><tr> <th rowspan="6" style="background:#FFCCCC; width:auto;"><a href="/wiki/American_Football_Conference" title="American Football Conference">AFC</a></th><th style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/AFC_East" title="AFC East">East</a></th> <th style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/AFC_North" title="AFC North">Central</a></th><th style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/AFC_West" title="AFC West">West</a></th><th style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/NFC_East" title="NFC East">East</a></th><th style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/NFC_North" title="NFC North">Central</a></th><th style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/NFC_West" title="NFC West">West</a></th> <th rowspan="6" style="background:#D0E7FF; width:auto;"><a href="/wiki/National_Football_Conference" title="National Football Conference">NFC</a></th></tr><tr> <td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Buffalo_Bills_season" title="1997 Buffalo Bills season">Buffalo</a></td> <td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Baltimore_Ravens_season" title="1997 Baltimore Ravens season">Baltimore</a></td><td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><b><a href="/wiki/1997_Denver_Broncos_season" title="1997 Denver Broncos season">Denver</a></b></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Arizona_Cardinals_season" title="1997 Arizona Cardinals season">Arizona</a></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Chicago_Bears_season" title="1997 Chicago Bears season">Chicago</a></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Atlanta_Falcons_season" title="1997 Atlanta Falcons season">Atlanta</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Indianapolis_Colts_season" title="1997 Indianapolis Colts season">Indianapolis</a></td> <td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Cincinnati_Bengals_season" title="1997 Cincinnati Bengals season">Cincinnati</a></td><td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Kansas_City_Chiefs_season" title="1997 Kansas City Chiefs season">Kansas City</a></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Dallas_Cowboys_season" title="1997 Dallas Cowboys season">Dallas</a></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Detroit_Lions_season" title="1997 Detroit Lions season">Detroit</a></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Carolina_Panthers_season" title="1997 Carolina Panthers season">Carolina</a></td> </tr><tr> <td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Miami_Dolphins_season" title="1997 Miami Dolphins season">Miami</a></td> <td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Jacksonville_Jaguars_season" title="1997 Jacksonville Jaguars season">Jacksonville</a></td><td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Oakland_Raiders_season" title="1997 Oakland Raiders season">Oakland</a></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_New_York_Giants_season" title="1997 New York Giants season">NY Giants</a></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><i><a href="/wiki/1997_Green_Bay_Packers_season" title="1997 Green Bay Packers season">Green Bay</a></i></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_New_Orleans_Saints_season" title="1997 New Orleans Saints season">New Orleans</a></td> </tr><tr> <td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_New_England_Patriots_season" title="1997 New England Patriots season">New England</a></td> <td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Pittsburgh_Steelers_season" title="1997 Pittsburgh Steelers season">Pittsburgh</a></td><td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_San_Diego_Chargers_season" title="1997 San Diego Chargers season">San Diego</a></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Philadelphia_Eagles_season" title="1997 Philadelphia Eagles season">Philadelphia</a></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Minnesota_Vikings_season" title="1997 Minnesota Vikings season">Minnesota</a></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_St._Louis_Rams_season" title="1997 St. Louis Rams season">St. Louis</a></td> </tr><tr> <td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_New_York_Jets_season" title="1997 New York Jets season">NY Jets</a></td> <td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Tennessee_Oilers_season" title="1997 Tennessee Oilers season">Tennessee</a></td><td style="background:#FFCCCC;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Seattle_Seahawks_season" title="1997 Seattle Seahawks season">Seattle</a></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Washington_Redskins_season" title="1997 Washington Redskins season">Washington</a></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_Tampa_Bay_Buccaneers_season" title="1997 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season">Tampa Bay</a></td><td style="background:#D0E7FF;"><a href="/wiki/1997_San_Francisco_49ers_season" title="1997 San Francisco 49ers season">San Francisco</a></td> </tr> </tbody></table></div></td></tr><tr><td class="navbox-abovebelow" colspan="2" style="background-color:#FFE6BD"><div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/1997_NFL_Draft" class="mw-redirect" title="1997 NFL Draft">1997 NFL Draft</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">NFL playoffs</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1998_Pro_Bowl" title="1998 Pro Bowl">Pro Bowl</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Super_Bowl_XXXII" title="Super Bowl XXXII">Super Bowl XXXII</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <div class="navbox-styles"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1236075235"></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox" aria-labelledby="NFL_playoffs" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239400231"><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Template:NFL_playoffs" title="Template:NFL playoffs"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Template_talk:NFL_playoffs" title="Template talk:NFL playoffs"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Template:NFL_playoffs" title="Special:EditPage/Template:NFL playoffs"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div><div id="NFL_playoffs" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em"><a href="/wiki/NFL_playoffs" title="NFL playoffs">NFL playoffs</a></div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Overview</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NFL_playoff_games" title="List of NFL playoff games">NFL playoff games</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NFL_playoff_results" title="NFL playoff results">NFL playoff results</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/AFL_Championship_Game" class="mw-redirect" title="AFL Championship Game">AFL Championship Game</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NFL_Championship_Game" class="mw-redirect" title="NFL Championship Game">NFL Championship Game</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Playoff_Bowl" title="Playoff Bowl">Playoff Bowl</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/AFC_Championship_Game" title="AFC Championship Game">AFC Championship Game</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/NFC_Championship_Game" title="NFC Championship Game">NFC Championship Game</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Super_Bowl" title="Super Bowl">Super Bowl</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Super_Bowl_champions" title="List of Super Bowl champions">champions</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Super_Bowl_records" title="List of Super Bowl records">records</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Vince_Lombardi_Trophy" title="Vince Lombardi Trophy">Vince Lombardi Trophy</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NFL_franchise_post-season_streaks" title="List of NFL franchise post-season streaks">Post-season streaks</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NFL_franchise_post-season_droughts" title="List of NFL franchise post-season droughts">Post-season droughts</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_National_Football_League_quarterback_playoff_records" class="mw-redirect" title="List of National Football League quarterback playoff records">Quarterback playoff records</a> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_National_Football_League_playoffs_career_passing_touchdowns_leaders" class="mw-redirect" title="List of National Football League playoffs career passing touchdowns leaders">career passing touchdowns leaders</a></li></ul></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_National_Football_League_head_coaches_by_playoff_record" class="mw-redirect" title="List of National Football League head coaches by playoff record">Head coaches by playoff record</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Playoff/conference <br /> tiebreaker games</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/1932_NFL_Playoff_Game" title="1932 NFL Playoff Game">1932</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1941_NFL_playoffs" title="1941 NFL playoffs">1941</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1943_NFL_playoffs" title="1943 NFL playoffs">1943</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1947_NFL_playoffs" title="1947 NFL playoffs">1947</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1950_NFL_playoffs" title="1950 NFL playoffs">1950</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1952_NFL_playoffs" title="1952 NFL playoffs">1952</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1957_NFL_playoffs" title="1957 NFL playoffs">1957</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1958_NFL_playoffs" title="1958 NFL playoffs">1958</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1965_NFL_playoffs" title="1965 NFL playoffs">1965</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">NFL playoff system</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/1967%E2%80%9368_NFL_playoffs" title="1967–68 NFL playoffs">1967–68</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1968%E2%80%9369_NFL_playoffs" title="1968–69 NFL playoffs">1968–69</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1969%E2%80%9370_NFL_playoffs" title="1969–70 NFL playoffs">1969–70</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1970%E2%80%9371_NFL_playoffs" title="1970–71 NFL playoffs">1970–71</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1971%E2%80%9372_NFL_playoffs" title="1971–72 NFL playoffs">1971–72</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1972%E2%80%9373_NFL_playoffs" title="1972–73 NFL playoffs">1972–73</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1973%E2%80%9374_NFL_playoffs" title="1973–74 NFL playoffs">1973–74</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1974%E2%80%9375_NFL_playoffs" title="1974–75 NFL playoffs">1974–75</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1975%E2%80%9376_NFL_playoffs" title="1975–76 NFL playoffs">1975–76</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1976%E2%80%9377_NFL_playoffs" title="1976–77 NFL playoffs">1976–77</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1977%E2%80%9378_NFL_playoffs" title="1977–78 NFL playoffs">1977–78</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1978%E2%80%9379_NFL_playoffs" title="1978–79 NFL playoffs">1978–79</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1979%E2%80%9380_NFL_playoffs" title="1979–80 NFL playoffs">1979–80</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1980%E2%80%9381_NFL_playoffs" title="1980–81 NFL playoffs">1980–81</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1981%E2%80%9382_NFL_playoffs" title="1981–82 NFL playoffs">1981–82</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1982%E2%80%9383_NFL_playoffs" title="1982–83 NFL playoffs">1982–83</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1983%E2%80%9384_NFL_playoffs" title="1983–84 NFL playoffs">1983–84</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1984%E2%80%9385_NFL_playoffs" title="1984–85 NFL playoffs">1984–85</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1985%E2%80%9386_NFL_playoffs" title="1985–86 NFL playoffs">1985–86</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1986%E2%80%9387_NFL_playoffs" title="1986–87 NFL playoffs">1986–87</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1987%E2%80%9388_NFL_playoffs" title="1987–88 NFL playoffs">1987–88</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1988%E2%80%9389_NFL_playoffs" title="1988–89 NFL playoffs">1988–89</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1989%E2%80%9390_NFL_playoffs" title="1989–90 NFL playoffs">1989–90</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1990%E2%80%9391_NFL_playoffs" title="1990–91 NFL playoffs">1990–91</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1991%E2%80%9392_NFL_playoffs" title="1991–92 NFL playoffs">1991–92</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1992%E2%80%9393_NFL_playoffs" title="1992–93 NFL playoffs">1992–93</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1993%E2%80%9394_NFL_playoffs" title="1993–94 NFL playoffs">1993–94</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1994%E2%80%9395_NFL_playoffs" title="1994–95 NFL playoffs">1994–95</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1995%E2%80%9396_NFL_playoffs" title="1995–96 NFL playoffs">1995–96</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1996%E2%80%9397_NFL_playoffs" title="1996–97 NFL playoffs">1996–97</a></li> <li><a class="mw-selflink selflink">1997–98</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1998%E2%80%9399_NFL_playoffs" title="1998–99 NFL playoffs">1998–99</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/1999%E2%80%932000_NFL_playoffs" title="1999–2000 NFL playoffs">1999–00</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2000%E2%80%9301_NFL_playoffs" title="2000–01 NFL playoffs">2000–01</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2001%E2%80%9302_NFL_playoffs" title="2001–02 NFL playoffs">2001–02</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2002%E2%80%9303_NFL_playoffs" title="2002–03 NFL playoffs">2002–03</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2003%E2%80%9304_NFL_playoffs" title="2003–04 NFL playoffs">2003–04</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2004%E2%80%9305_NFL_playoffs" title="2004–05 NFL playoffs">2004–05</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2005%E2%80%9306_NFL_playoffs" title="2005–06 NFL playoffs">2005–06</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2006%E2%80%9307_NFL_playoffs" title="2006–07 NFL playoffs">2006–07</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2007%E2%80%9308_NFL_playoffs" title="2007–08 NFL playoffs">2007–08</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2008%E2%80%9309_NFL_playoffs" title="2008–09 NFL playoffs">2008–09</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2009%E2%80%9310_NFL_playoffs" title="2009–10 NFL playoffs">2009–10</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2010%E2%80%9311_NFL_playoffs" title="2010–11 NFL playoffs">2010–11</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2011%E2%80%9312_NFL_playoffs" title="2011–12 NFL playoffs">2011–12</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2012%E2%80%9313_NFL_playoffs" title="2012–13 NFL playoffs">2012–13</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2013%E2%80%9314_NFL_playoffs" title="2013–14 NFL playoffs">2013–14</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2014%E2%80%9315_NFL_playoffs" title="2014–15 NFL playoffs">2014–15</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2015%E2%80%9316_NFL_playoffs" title="2015–16 NFL playoffs">2015–16</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2016%E2%80%9317_NFL_playoffs" title="2016–17 NFL playoffs">2016–17</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2017%E2%80%9318_NFL_playoffs" title="2017–18 NFL playoffs">2017–18</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2018%E2%80%9319_NFL_playoffs" title="2018–19 NFL playoffs">2018–19</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2019%E2%80%9320_NFL_playoffs" title="2019–20 NFL playoffs">2019–20</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2020%E2%80%9321_NFL_playoffs" title="2020–21 NFL playoffs">2020–21</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2021%E2%80%9322_NFL_playoffs" title="2021–22 NFL playoffs">2021–22</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2022%E2%80%9323_NFL_playoffs" title="2022–23 NFL playoffs">2022–23</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/2023%E2%80%9324_NFL_playoffs" title="2023–24 NFL playoffs">2023–24</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">AFL</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/American_Football_League_playoffs" title="American Football League playoffs">American Football League playoffs</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">Broadcasters</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/List_of_NFL_Championship_Game_broadcasters" title="List of NFL Championship Game broadcasters">NFL Championship Game</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Playoff_Bowl_broadcasters" class="mw-redirect" title="List of Playoff Bowl broadcasters">Playoff Bowl</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/List_of_Super_Bowl_broadcasters" title="List of Super Bowl broadcasters">Super Bowl</a></li></ul> </div></td></tr></tbody></table></div>    </div><noscript><img src="https://login.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border: none; position: absolute;"></noscript> <div class="printfooter" data-nosnippet="">Retrieved from "<a dir="ltr" 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