NFL Recap (Seattle-Denver)
Posted: Sun December 27, 1998 at 11:14 p.m. EST
DENVER 28, SEATTLE 21
DENVER (Ticker) -- Terrell Davis became the
fourth running back in NFL history to eclipse the 2,000-yard mark as the Denver Broncos got back
on the winning track with a 28-21 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in the
regular-season finale for both teams.
Davis, who needed 170 yards to reach 2,000, joined Eric Dickerson,
O.J. Simpson and Barry
Sanders in the exclusive club when he ripped off a 15-yard gain with
8:52 remaining in the fourth quarter.
"This is very special," Davis said. "I knew it was going to be hard to
get 170. It was tough, but I kept running hard, so I could get it."
The four-year veteran rushed for 178 yards on 29 carries, finishing
the year with 2,008 yards. Davis posted the third-best rushing season,
falling 97 yards short of Dickerson's all-time record of 2,105 set in 1984.
Sanders rushed for 2,053 yards last season.
Davis, taken out of the game after reaching the milestone, received
congratulatory handshakes on the sidelines from his teammates and was given
the game ball. He also became Denver's all-time leading rusher with 6,385
career yards, breaking Floyd Little's previous franchise record of 6,323.
"As the game was going on, the offensive line kept asking me how many
yards I had," said Davis. "When I got to the sidelines, the coaches were
telling me what I needed. The offensive line was more excited than I was.
From the first play, they were itching to get out there and they were
committed to getting 2,000 yards."
Davis gained 39 yards on four carries on the historic drive. He got
close by ripping off consecutive gains of 10 yards on his first two rushes
of the series.
"I got 10 and got really get excited," he related. "The next play, I
got 10 more and got even more excited. It was pretty wild in the huddle.
You should have been there."
"We had a countdown going in the huddle," added Denver quarterback John Elway. "He started off
with two big rushes and the fans were really into it. We were getting news
from the sidelines on how close he was."
Additionally, Davis became the first player other than Barry Sanders
or Emmitt Smith to win
the NFL rushing title since Christian Okoye in 1989 as the defending Super
Bowl champions snapped a two-game losing streak and closed out the regular
season with a franchise-record 14-2 record.
"He is the best back I've ever played with and he's the best back I've
seen since I've been playing," said Elway. "With his consistency and
toughness, there's no one better than him."
Elway rebounded from Monday night's dismal performance at Miami by
throwing four touchdown passes, one shy of his career high. He completed
26-of-36 for 338 yards, his 36th career 300-yard game.
"We ran into a buzzsaw today," said Seattle coach Dennis Erickson, who
may have coached his final game for the Seahawks. "They just seemed to do
anything they wanted. Denver was in snyc. They were on a mission after the
two losses."
Elway, who was just 13-of-36 for 151 yards and two interceptions
against the Dolphins, became the third quarterback to reach the the
300-mark in career TD passes when he tossed a one-yard scoring strike to Shannon Sharpe with 11:45
remaining.
"It's the first time a Broncos team has won 14 games and that was
really special," noted Denver coach Mike Shanahan. "To have John Elway
throw his 300th touchdown pass and see Terrell rush for 2,000 yards, that's
really a team accomplishment."
The Broncos started slowly as Seattle (8-8) jumped out to a 7-0 lead
on Ricky Watters'
four-yard TD run with 2:26 left in the first quarter, but Elway tossed TD
passes of 33 yards to Rod
Smith and 17 yards to Sharpe in the second quarter to give the Broncos
a 14-7 halftime lead.
The Broncos failed to add to their lead as Jason Elam hit the left
upright on an attempted 55-yard field goal as time expired in the first
half.
It was Elam's second miss of the game, but the Broncos drove 74 yards
on 11 plays on their first possession of the second half to take a 21-7
lead on Elway's two-yard TD toss to Davis 6:34 into the third quarter.
Following a Seattle punt, the Broncos put together a 16-play, 88-yard
march and took a 28-7 lead on Sharpe's second TD reception early in the
final period.
After a subpar performances in consecutive losses to the New York Giants and
Dolphins, the Broncos finally got their high-powered offense in gear,
totaling 511 yards and 31 first downs. Denver finished the season with 501
points, becoming the sixth team to surpass the 500-point mark.
"Any time you have over 500 yards and 30 first downs, that's where you
need to be," said Shanahan. "But by no means was it perfect, we stumbled a
little on some drives early. Then we missed a couple field goals."
"At the beginning of the week, we made it our goal to stop them from
getting 100 yards rushing and 200 yards passing," said Seattle cornerback
Shawn Springs. "But
today was just a slap in the face. It was embarrassing for the defense. I'm
embarrassed."
Smith had nine receptions for 158 yards, while Sharpe added six
receptions for 68 yards.
Seattle made it close with two touchdowns in the final six minutes. Jon Kitna, who was
22-of-37 for 242 yards, fired a seven-yard TD pass to Mike Pritchard before
Watters tossed a one-yard scoring strike to tight end Deems May on a halfback
option pass with 1:29 left.
But reserve running back Derek Loville recovered an
onside kick to end Seattle's hopes for a miracle comeback.
"We pretty much got outplayed the whole time," said Kitna. "We started
to move the ball late, but it just wasn't enough. I give credit to Denver.
They looked like a championship team today. They're the defending Super
Bowl champs for a reason."
Seattle had some success through the air, but generated little offense
on the ground, managing just 24 rushing yards. Watters was the Seahawks'
leading rusher, gaining a paltry 13 yards on 10 attempts.
The Broncos, who will have homefield advantage throughout the
playoffs, notched their 24th consecutive victory at Mile High Stadium and
finished 8-0 against AFC West opponents for the first time in franchise
history.
Erickson may be on his way out after failing to lead the team into the
playoffs in his four-year tenure. Seattle finished with an 8-8 record for
the second straight year and is 31-33 under Erickson.
The Seahawks dropped eight of their last 13 contests after opening the
season with three wins.
"I thanked them for the effort they gave all year," said Erickson. "We
had a chance, we had some good times and we had some bad times. I truly
appreciate how hard they worked."
© 1998 Sportsticker Enterprises, LP
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