1997 – 98 NFL playoffs The NFL playoffs following the 1997 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XXXII . Wild Card playoffs . December 27 , 1997 . NFC : Minnesota Vikings 23 , New York Giants 22 . The Vikings scored 10 points ( a Jake Reed 30 - yard touchdown pass from Randall Cunningham and a field goal ) in the final 90 seconds of the game to stun the Giants . AFC : Denver Broncos 42 , Jacksonville Jaguars 17 . Denver ran over the Jaguars with 310 rushing yards and 511 total yards of offense . Denver running back Terrell Davis rushed for 184 yards and 2 touchdowns , while running back Derek Loville racked up 103 yards and 2 scores on just 11 carries . Broncos quarterback John Elway completed 16 of 24 passes for 223 yards and a touchdown as the Broncos avenged their playoff loss to the Jaguars the year before . December 28 , 1997 . AFC : New England Patriots 17 , Miami Dolphins 3 . The Patriot defense held Miami to 162 total yards of offense , 42 rushing yards and forced three Dolphins turnovers . Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino was held to just 17 of 43 completions for 141 yards and was intercepted twice . NFC : Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20 , Detroit Lions 10 . Tampa Bay won their first playoff game since 1979 with quarterback Trent Dilfer ' s 9 - yard touchdown pass to receiver Horace Copeland , running back Mike Alstott ' s 31 - yard touchdown run , and two field goals . Their defense limited Lions quarterback Scott Mitchell to just 10 of 25 completions for 78 yards . Divisional playoffs . January 3 , 1998 . AFC : Pittsburgh Steelers 7 , New England Patriots 6 . Quarterback Kordell Stewart ' s 40 - yard touchdown run made the difference in a defense - dominated game , and rookie lineman / linebacker Mike Vrabel ' s late sack and forced fumble on quarterback Drew Bledsoe sealed the victory for the Steelers . For the 3rd time in 4 years , Pittsburgh would play and host the AFC championship game NFC : San Francisco 49ers 38 , Minnesota Vikings 22 . 49ers running back Terry Kirby ran for a career - high 120 yards and two touchdowns and 49ers receiver J . J . Stokes caught a career - high nine passes for 101 yards . Steve Young threw for 220 yards and a touchdown , while also rushing for 37 . January 4 , 1998 . NFC : Green Bay Packers 21 , Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7 . Packers running back Dorsey Levens rushed for a team playoff record of 112 yards and a touchdown while also catching 4 passes for 29 yards as the Green Bay defense held Tampa Bay to 90 rushing yards and intercepted 2 passes from Trent Dilfer , who finished the game with only 11 of 36 completions for 200 yards . Early in the game , Tampa Bay had a chance to score first , but Packers defensive tackle Bob Kuberski blocked Michael Husted ' s 43 - yard field goal attempt . Green Bay then drove for the first touchdown of the game with Brett Favre ' s 3 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Mark Chmura . Early in the second quarter , Packers receiver Robert Brooks ' 28 - yard punt return and his 21 - yard reception set up a field goal by Ryan Longwell . And later on , defensive back Tyrone Williams intercepted a pass from Dilfer and returned it 14 yards , setting up Longwell ' s second field goal with six seconds left in the half , making the score 13 - 0 . Green Bay receiver Antonio Freeman returned the second half kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown , but a holding penalty on Darren Sharper eliminated the score and moved the ball all the way back to their own 11 - yard line . Green Bay still managed to drive into scoring range , but on the eighth play of the drive , Bucs defensive back Donnie Abraham intercepted a pass from Favre on the Tampa Bay 6 - yard line . Dilfer subsequently led the Bucs offense 94 yards in 8 plays to score on fullback Mike Alstott ' s 6 - yard touchdown run , cutting the score to 13 - 7 . But two possessions later , the Packers drove 54 yards and scored with a 2 - yard touchdown run by Levens . Then , Favre closed out the scoring by running in the 2 - point conversion on a quarterback draw . AFC : Denver Broncos 14 , Kansas City Chiefs 10 . For the third consecutive year the AFC ' s top seed fell in the divisional playoffs , as the Chiefs fell to the Broncos . Denver running back Terrell Davis ran for 101 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Broncos to victory . Chiefs quarterback Elvis Grbac threw for 260 yards , but his team could only score 10 points . Receiver Andre Rison caught 8 passes for 110 yards . The Chiefs had an opportunity to go ahead near the end of the game , but with the clock at 19 seconds and running down a confused Chiefs offense hurried an Elvis Grbac incompletion into the end zone intended for Lake Dawson on fourth down . For the second time in 3 years , Kansas City was eliminated as a # 1 seed Conference championships . January 11 , 1998 . AFC Championship : Denver Broncos 24 , Pittsburgh Steelers 21 . Denver forced three interceptions and a fumble from Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart . After Pittsburgh cut the lead to 24 - 21 with 2 : 46 left in the game , the Broncos were able to run out the clock after a key third - down conversion from John Elway to Shannon Sharpe . Sharpe said that Elway made up the converting play in the huddle , seconds before the snap . Terrell Davis rushed for 139 yards and a touchdown . Jerome Bettis rushed for 105 yards and a score . NFC Championship : Green Bay Packers 23 , San Francisco 49ers 10 . Green Bay opened the game by driving to the 3 - yard line before a pass was deflected falling short of a wide open fullback William Henderson , forcing the Packers to settle for a field goal . Later in the first half , Packers safety Eugene Robinson intercepted Steve Young ' s pass and returned it 58 yards in what turned out to be a crucial play . Quarterback Brett Favre would then find wide receiver Antonio Freeman slicing across the middle on a slant for a 29 - yard touchdown to give the Packers a 10 - 0 lead . The Packers led 13 - 3 at the half and although the 49ers would manage a field goal in the second quarter , they would not manage a touchdown until the closing minutes of the game on a kickoff return by Chuck Levy . Favre finished the game with 16 of 27 pass completions for 222 yards , while the Green Bay defense held the 49ers to 33 rushing yards and forced two turnovers . Running back Dorsey Levens recorded a then - playoff team record of 116 rushing yards and a touchdown , while also catching 6 passes for 37 yards . And in addition to his touchdown reception , Freeman caught 4 passes for 107 yards . This was the third year in a row the Packers defeated the 49ers in the playoffs , twice in San Francisco .