If you are wondering how the NFL played in 1997, you’re in luck. The Green Bay Packers beat the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl, the Pittsburgh Steelers upset the Indianapolis Colts, and the Denver Broncos won their second Super Bowl in a row. Continue reading for details about the 1997 postseason, including how the teams won their games. This article is full of interesting facts and trivia.
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Green Bay Packers beat San Francisco 49ers
In 1997’s NFC playoffs, the Packers defeated the San Francisco 49ers twice. This game was played in San Francisco, and temperatures were below zero. The 49ers were a Super Bowl champion and had a chance of repeating their victory. But the Packers won. Defensive end Keith McKenzie led the Packers, forcing a fumble. Other notable players were Reggie White, LeRoy Butler, and Reggie White. LeRoy Butler led the ground attack, running for 114 yards.
The Green Bay Packers defeated the San Francisco Niners 22-10 in the 1997 playoffs. This game was one of the most memorable in the history of the NFC. Despite struggling in the regular season, the Packers won five straight games to win the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Green Bay beat Tampa Bay in the division playoffs, and defeated the 49ers in the NFC Championship game, 23-10.
The 49ers lost only one more postseason series after the 1994 NFC Championship Game. Only once in their history did they lose to the Green Bay Packers during the Divisional round. From 1990 to 2000, only one team lost in the Divisional round. This means that the 49ers haven’t had a good season to end the season. And the Packers, despite their recent struggles, are still one of the best teams in the league.
The Packers started off the game strong and quickly took the lead, but the 49ers rallied and scored the first touchdown. A few plays later, they made it 21-14. The Packers fell behind by 35-14 and had no choice but to accept a loss. Green Bay was unable to make it this far. But it did, and this is how it went down.
The second half of the game was the most memorable in Packers history. A dual-threat quarterback, Kaepernick, threw for 263 yards and ran for 181 yards and scored two touchdowns against the 49ers. But, the 49ers’ defense was no match for Kaepernick’s dual-threat ability. Kaepernick’s performance was outstanding, but the Packers defense was able stop Colin Kapernick’s explosiveness.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers fail to score in 1997 playoffs
Despite a 63.7% completion percentage by quarterback Brad Johnson, the Buccaneers failed to score a single touchdown. In the third quarter, Johnson returned a Landeta punt 23 yards to the Bucs’ 24. Murrell slid in for a seven-yard touchdown. Halftime saw the Bucs trailing 10-0. The Bucs had their chances to tie the game, but were unable to convert.
The Bucs blew a golden opportunity to score on their first drive of the game. The defense held the Lions down to one field goal. They drove 80 yards on 18 plays, a stretch of nine minutes. The Buccaneers managed to gain only four yards on three of those drives. Nevertheless, the Buccaneers’ offense had a good day, but the defense held them back.
The Buccaneers fell seven-0 in the next series. They were on 3rd down and twenty-three at the time. But a touchdown from Mike Alstott would seal the game. Alstott bounced off of a pile, evaded three tacklers and powered into the endzone backwards. Despite the blown lead, the Buccaneers were able to score a touchdown on their next drive and still mathematically qualified for the playoffs.
The 1996 season was the first time the Bucs reached the postseason since the NFC title game. In 1981 and 1982, the Buccaneers won their playoff games, but then fell to the Cowboys in the road game. The next year, the Buccaneers made it to the NFC Championship game, but failed to score. After a rare skin-muscle disorder, their quarterback lost the Super Bowl to the Eagles.
The 1997 season was the last season the Bucs played in Houlihan’s Stadium. The new Raymond James Stadium was under construction and was expected to open for the next season. In addition to the Bucs’ 71,402 fans, Ronde Barber was named as the team’s first-generation inside linebacker. The conference title would have been won if the Bucs had won the game.
Pittsburgh Steelers defeat Indianapolis Colts
The Steelers’ dominance of the playoffs is one that has stood the test of time. Despite the fact that they trailed by thirteen points at halftime, they played a dogfight in the second half and pulled out a win. Steelers ran for 407 yards total offense, with 236 coming on the ground.
The Colts started the game with four consecutive punts and managed only one first down, and 25 total yards in the first half. The Colts struggled against the Steelers’ pressure, and they were hit hard with two false starts by quarterback Tarik Glenn. This led to a touchdown for the Steelers, but a blown interception cost the Colts a point. Meanwhile, Oakville, Ont. native Mike Vanderjagt missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt.
The Steelers won the game on the road seven times in a row after the Colts scored. The Steelers would then face the Denver Broncos, who were the second-best AFC team, and the New England Patriots. They had reached the Super Bowl in 1996. Pittsburgh’s victory over the Colts put them back in the playoff picture.
In the first quarter, the Steelers were favored to win, but a blown game at Tennessee would put them in a funk. They would not score again. Although the referee declared a touchdown prematurely, a replay of this play was required. The officials were right – the ball trickled off Bailey and hit the ground. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, the Steelers had no more injury concerns and would advance to the Super Bowl.
The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 24-22, in the first round of the 1997 NFL playoffs. In their previous game, they lost to the Cincinnati Bengals, a team that finished 0-5 the year before. They were however favored by the fans and were able defeat their division rivals in Super Bowl. Their championship run was short-lived.
Broncos win second consecutive Super Bowl
The 1997 playoffs saw the Denver Broncos defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars for their second consecutive Super Bowl title. After losing to Green Bay in the divisional round, the Broncos used their two wild-card victories in the playoffs to make the Super Bowl. This was their first win since the division title was awarded to the top seed in the AFC. The Broncos won the Super Bowl and became the first team since 1969 to win back-toback Super Bowls.
The Denver Broncos’ success in the 1997 playoffs came with great performances from their star players on both sides of the field. John Elway, the Broncos’ starting quarterback led the team to victory, a perfect 12-0 record. Another key to the team’s success was the offensive line of the Broncos, which was led by All-Pro John Mobley. And the defense was anchored by Bill Romanowski and Steve Atwater.
Von Miller, who had rushed for 366 yards on 53 carries, helped the Broncos to win the 1997 postseason. Denver’s defense held the Steelers to just three points in the second quarter and forced three interceptions. The Broncos also held the Steelers scoreless in the third quarter and the fourth quarter. Denver won the game by a score of 34-19.
The team won their second Super Bowl in seven seasons, and three of six playoffs. During this period, Joe Ellis was promoted to team president and John Elway returned to the organization as EVP of Football Operations. The team also hired John Fox, a former Carolina Panther head coach. In the 1997 playoffs, the Broncos won their second Super Bowl in the postseason for the first time in franchise history.
In the first quarter, the Broncos took a 21-point advantage over the Jacksonville Jaguars. A Davis touchdown run and an Elway-to-Smith pass gave the Broncos a 21-point lead. Jacksonville answered with 17 points in the fourth quarter. The Broncos responded with three unanswered touchdowns on the ground, and won the game by 25 points. In addition, two Broncos rushed for over 100 yards, and the defense held the Jaguars to 50 yards.