In 1998, division winners in the AFC were New York, Jacksonville, and Denver, with the Wild-Cards going to Miami, Buffalo, and New England. In the NFC, it was Dallas in the East, Minnesota in the Central, and Atlanta in the West, with the Wild-Cards going to Arizona, Green Bay, and San Francisco. In the AFC Wild-Card Playoffs, the Jaguars took care of the Patriots 25-10, while the Dolphins took care of the Bills 24-17. In the NFC, the 49ers would outlast the Packers in a classic showdown of the NFC's top two teams 30-27, while the Cardinals took care of the Cowboys 20-7. In the AFC Divisional Playoffs, the Jets defeated teh Jaguars 34-24, while the Broncos destroyed the Dolphins 38-3. In the NFC, the Falcons would hold on for a 20-18 victory over the 49ers, while the Vikings blew out the Cardinals 41-21. In the conference championship games, the Broncos would shut down the Jets 23-10, while the Falcons would have to go to overtime to beat the Vikings 30-27, setting up the match-ups for Super Bowl XXXIII. The Broncos defeated the Falcons
by the score of 34–19, winning their second consecutive Super Bowl. The game was played on January 31, 1999 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami, Florida. Aided by quarterback John Elway's 80-yard touchdown pass to receiver Rod Smith, Denver scored 17 consecutive points to build a 17–3 lead in the 2nd quarter from which Atlanta could not recover. At 38 years old, Elway became the oldest player ever to be named Super Bowl MVP. In the final game of his career, he completed 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards with one touchdown and one interception, and also scored a 3-yard rushing touchdown. Elway retired on May 2, 1999 before the following season.