Quiet run to glory

Davis' Super versatility nets Broncos another title

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Posted: Sunday January 31, 1999 11:42 PM

Terrell Davis rushed 25 times for 102 yards and had two catches for 50 yards AP

MIAMI (AP) -- One Super Bowl MVP award was enough for Terrell Davis. He was perfectly content to let John Elway get all the glory Sunday.

Davis, last year's MVP in the NFL's championship game, fought off leg cramps and an initially unyielding Atlanta defense to turn in a fine all-around performance that, in other years, might have been worthy of the most valuable honor.

But with the 38-year-old Elway capturing that award, Davis starred in a supporting role in the Denver Broncos' 34-19 victory.

The Broncos, as expected, ran Davis -- 25 carries for 102 yards. They also had him catch passes -- two for 50 yards.

And, in a move that caught the Falcons off guard on more than one occasion, they even used him as a decoy.

In fact, the biggest play of the game came when Elway and Davis pulled off a perfect run fake on a play-action pass. The trickery froze the Atlanta secondary, who devoted their defensive game plan to stopping Davis, and Elway threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to Rod Smith to put the Broncos ahead 17-3 in the third quarter.

"I don't mind being a decoy at all," Davis said. "It doesn't matter. I'll do what I need to do to help this team win championships."

Davis was the league's MVP during the regular season after rushing for 2,008 yards.

"We have a lot of key people on this team," Davis said. "When you stop our running game, you have to deal with our passing game. John was really on today."

Referring to expectations that Elway might retire, Davis said, "This was a storybook ending for him if he decides to leave the game."

It was Davis' seventh straight 100-yard rushing game in the postseason, an NFL record. He and Washington's John Riggins had been tied with six in a row.

"He had a heck of a game," Atlanta coach Dan Reeves said of Davis. "I've never seen anybody break so many tackles. They can really spread the ball around."

Davis said the Broncos' second straight Super Bowl title "was a lot better than the first. At least to me, this one was sweeter. It is so tough to repeat, especially having a target on your back all season like we did."

Davis, who ran for 157 yards and three touchdowns in last year's 31-24 win over Green Bay, had only 18 yards on six carries in the first quarter against the stubborn Falcons.

But he cranked it up on a drive that led to a field goal and a 10-3 lead early in the second quarter. He had runs of 8 and 13 yards, and then added 6 yards with a nifty spin move to elude Falcons end Chuck Smith.

He had a 15-yard gain late in the half as the Broncos took a 17-6 lead at intermission.

In a scoreless third quarter, Davis, a secondary receiver, caught a short pass from Elway and turned it into an 11-yard gain.

Later in the quarter, he broke an attempted tackle by linebacker Jessie Tuggle and reversed his field for an 11-yard gain.

Early in the final period, Davis caught a short pass off the left side. Breaking tackles and maintaining his balance along the sideline, he turned it into a 39-yard gain to the Atlanta 9-yard line. Two plays later, Elway's 3-yard run on a quarterback draw put the Broncos ahead 31-6 with 11:20 remaining.

 

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