Tag Archives: Denver Broncos

1997 Game 225 (Week 16) Denver at San Francisco

Posted on by
Reply

49ers clinch the West with win on Monday Night

Two NFL superheavyweights collided Monday Night at 3 Comm Park as the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Denver Broncos. The 49ers clinched the #2 seed in the NFC and the NFC West Championship with a 23-10 victory.

The 49ers’ defense, which has been the NFL’s best all season, showed up again. They shut down the high-powered Broncos offense holding them to 223 total yards and 10 points. Bronco RB Terrell Davis was the AFC’s leading rusher, but he was held to just 60 yards on 17 carries. Bronco QB John Elway threw for just 144 yards, was sacked three times, and was intercepted once.

As for the Niners’ offense, they didn’t have a great day, but did just enough to hold off the Broncos. Steve Young threw for 167 yards on 18 of 28 passing with a TD and an INT. Without starting running back Garrison Hearst, the Niners were paced on the ground by Terry Kirby, who rushed for 70 yards and a touchdown.

Next week, the 49ers (11-4) will end their season on Sunday Night Football as they travel to Seattle. As for the Broncos, they secured the fourth seed in the AFC playoffs and will host a first round Wildcard game. They will end their season at home against San Diego.

1997 Game 225 Stats

1997 Game 198 (Week 15) Denver at Pittsburgh

Posted on by
Reply

Defenses dominate the day in Broncos/Steelers matchup

With talent like John Elway, Kordell Stewart, Jerome Bettis, Terrell Davis, Rod Smith and Yancy Thigpen on the field on Sunday at Three Rivers Stadium, many predicted a high-scoring game as the 11-2 Denver Broncos took on the 9-4 Pittsburgh Steelers; however, that wasn’t the story. The two defenses showed up and the Game of the Day turned into a defensive war with the Steelers winning 13-3.

The top two running backs in the AFC coming into the game were Terrell Davis and Jerome Bettis. With the defenses focusing on the superstars, they both had their lowest outputs of the season. Davis was held to just 30 yards rushing on 16 carries. Bettis didn’t fare any better as he was held to 21 yards on 16 carries.

The backup running backs proved to be the difference in the game. Steeler running back George Jones had 51 yards on 10 carries, while Fred McAfee had the only TD in the game on the 4-yard plunge.

Bronco QB John Elway was pummeled all day long. He was sacked twice but the constant pressure forced him to throw three interceptions. One of the interceptions was costly as it occurred deep in Steeler territory. Elway was limited to just 183 yards on 14 of 38 passing.

The Steelers did get some big plays from QB Kordell Stewart who threw for 217 yards, but he was sacked four times, had a fumbled lost and intercepted once. Yancy Thigpen did have five catches for 110 yards to continue his awesome season.

The Broncos are now 11-3 on the season and travel to San Francisco next Monday to take on the 49ers in another heavyweight fight. The Steelers retook the AFC Central lead as the Bengals lost on Thursday night. The Steelers are now 10-4 and will travel to New England for a big-time showdown with the Patriots.

1997 Game 198 Stats

1997 Game 194 (Week 14) Denver at San Diego

Posted on by
Reply

Broncos gallop past the Chargers

The Denver Broncos are an elite team in the NFL. They proved that on Sunday Night Football as they blew out the San Diego Chargers, 31-7, at Qualcomm Stadium. The Broncos rolled up 434 total yards and had big games from RB Terrell Davis and WR Rod Smith.

Davis rushed for 159 yards on 36 carries and scored three touchdowns. On the season, Davis only trails Barry Sanders in rushing this season. He has rushed for 1,532 yards on 307 carries with 13 touchdowns.

Rod Smith is having his best season of his career. He caught eight passes on Sunday for 135 yards and a touchdown. On the season, Smith is leading the Broncos in receiving with 62 receptions for 849 yards and seven touchdowns.

QB John Elway threw for 253 yards on 18 of 30 passing with a TD and an interception. On the season, Elway has thrown for 2,931 yards with 21 TDs and 18 INTs.

Defensively, the Broncos held the Chargers to 151 total yards and 50 yards rushing and 101 passing yards. The Broncos sacked QB Craig Whelihan five times and Ray Crockett intercepted him twice.

The Broncos are now 11-2 on the season and are a game and a half behind the Kansas City Chiefs for the top spot in the AFC. The Broncos have a tough schedule the next two weeks. They travel to Pittsburgh next week and then travel to San Francisco on Monday Night Football the week after. The Chargers are now 1-12 and they will host the Atlanta Falcons next week.

1997 Game 194 Stats