Wanting again on the best AFC Championship recreation ever — ‘The Drive’

The AFC Championship is upon us and no Broncos fan desires to see the Chiefs in one other Tremendous Bowl.

So Broncos Nation, you’ve one job…

However this time of yr can be the time to recollect The. Biggest. AFC. Championship. Sport. Ever.

“The Drive.”

Any Broncos fan alive within the 80s is aware of precisely the place they had been once they watched that unbelievable end for the Broncos to get to their first Tremendous Bowl within the John Elway Period.

I nonetheless have recollections of leaping up and down with 5 of my buddies on a huge sectional sofa screaming with pure pleasure.

That 5:32 left within the recreation was the longest “five-and-a-half minutes” of recreation time I’ve ever watched. To not point out the extra time to comply with.

However remembering — and rewatching — that recreation at all times brings again the identical pleasure.

The Drive

After a muffed punt, John Elway began on the two-yard for the insurmountable problem.

Besides it wasn’t insurmountable as a result of it was No. 7, the king of comeback drives.

And in response to Broncos’ lore, Keith Bishop instructed the huddle, “We’ve got them right where we want them.” In interviews later, Elway would say that they knew it was a “do or die situation” and the selection was both to go house or go to the Tremendous Bowl.

They selected Tremendous Bowl.

Sammy Winder would get the decision first, catching a move for 5 yards. He would run two extra performs, getting simply sufficient for a primary down Third-and-2.

On the subsequent set of downs on 2nd-and-7, Elway would scramble for 11 yards and a primary all the way down to Denver’s 26.

Elway would transfer the ball downfield on the subsequent two performs with key completions – first to Steve Sewell for a 22-yard achieve adopted by a 12-yard catch from Steve Watson, placing the Broncos on the Browns’ 40 simply because the two-minute warning sounded.

The following two performs would give Broncos’ followers consecutive coronary heart assaults – an incomplete move to Vance Johnson adopted by a sack and 8-yard loss.

Elway missed to Watson on 1st-and-10, however on second down he was flushed out of the pocket and scramble 9 yards to the five-yard-line.

On the fifteenth play of the drive with 39 seconds remaining, Elway would strike gold on Third-and-1 and hit Jackson for the game-tying landing. Wealthy Karlis would haven’t any hassle including the additional level.

Reminiscence is a humorous factor. Each time I rewatch The Drive, I’m reminded of what number of shut calls there have been lengthy earlier than truly tying the sport. And I nearly at all times neglect we had to enter a sudden loss of life extra time to truly win 23-20. The landing was so thrilling, my reminiscence appears to cease there.

However after I watch that OT drive, I bear in mind how nervous I used to be with each throw and relieved with each catch. And I completely love seeing once more how excessive Karlis and Gary Kubiak leap within the air after the kicker hits the 32-yard winner to ship the Broncos to the Tremendous Bowl.

And to commemorate this wonderful recreation, FOCO.com has a John Elway “The Drive” bobblehead that actually must be in your assortment when you’re into that kind of factor…

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