MIAMI – The verdict is in: The Broncos will win Super Bowl XXXIII in a thrilling photo finish – by a field goal in the first Super Bowl overtime.
The Broncos will become the first team to repeat as NFL champions since the 1993-94 Cowboys and raise the ‘D’ question, dynasty?
The Falcons are formidable, they believe in themselves and their 16-2 record is testimony to that. But across the board, the Broncos have slight advantages in the key areas that make the difference in big games like this.
*Start with the running-back position, where Terrell Davis, who gained 2,008 rushing yards in the regular season and another 366 in two playoff games, is second to no one in the NFL. He’s the MVP of the NFL for good reason.
Teams with terrific team defense can slow Davis, but they cannot completely shut him down. That happened once in 18 games this season when the Giants stopped the Broncos’ unbeaten season at 13-0. But the entire Broncos’ team was in a funk that day.
As much as the Jets’ six turnovers in the AFC Championship Game sent them home two weeks ago, Davis punched their bus ticket.
Atlanta’s Jamal Anderson, a bigger back with cutback moves similar to Davis’, is a wonderful back. He gained 1,846 yards on the ground and scored 14 touchdowns.
Bottom line in this matchup is this: Davis, last year’s Super Bowl MVP, is a slightly more talented and polished back compared to Anderson.
*Denver has a slight edge at quarterback, where John Elway is a regular in championship-atmosphere games, not only having won the Super Bowl last year, but having played in three others and winning a number of huge playoff games.
Chris Chandler has had a magical season for the Falcons, throwing 25 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions, but the veteran Chandler is essentially a rookie in these circumstances, having never played in a game of this magnitude.
Chandler, too, is one hit away from being knocked out of the game. And, if he’s knocked out, the Broncos could roll.
Remember what the Jets did to the Falcons with Steve DeBerg at quarterback earlier this season, winning 28-3 and never being challenged? They stacked the box and stuffed Anderson with run blitzes and dared DeBerg to beat them. He couldn’t. In fact, he looked like a 45-year-old plumber playing in a weekend parks league.
Keeping Chandler healthy is the single most important thing the Falcons must do to win the game, because they not only cannot win the game without him, they can’t even keep the game close.
*The Broncos’ receiving corps, as a whole, is more dangerous than Atlanta’s. The Falcons’ Terance Mathis and Tony Martin are a terrific duo, and tight end O.J. Santiago is a difficult matchup.
But Ed McCaffrey, Rod Smith and tight end Shannon Sharpe, all of whom combined for 26 TD receptions this season, are a more seasoned group.
*Denver’s defense is very linebacker-active, with John Mobley (132 tackles), Glenn Cadrez (105 tackles) and Bill Romanowski (7 sacks) leading the way.
The Falcons rely more on their defensive line. The Broncos’ offensive line, though, has allowed Elway to be sacked only 18 times.
In the end, the Broncos’ versatile and active linebackers are likely to do a better job on Anderson than the Falcons will do against Davis.
*There is really no distinct coaching advantage here, except for the fact that Denver’s Mike Shanahan is coming off a victory in last year’s Super Bowl while Dan Reeves, 0-for-3 in Supes as a coach, is still searching for his first win, he wants it badly and knows he needs it to cap his brilliant coaching career.
Unfortunately for Reeves, who’s the class of his profession and as deserving of a Super Bowl ring as anyone in the business, he’ll be denied yet again.
PREDICTION: Broncos 24, Falcons 21 (overtime).
