From the archives: AFC Championship, Jets vs. Broncos

This story was originally published in Newsday on January 18, 1999

You could feel it happening, if for no other reason than the silence.

You knew it was simply a matter of time before the Jets would take the next decisive step in this most unlikely journey.

From the instant Tom Rouen's punt caromed off Blake Spence's belly and offered this momentous opportunity, you knew the Jets were going to the Super Bowl.

So did the 75,482 at Mile High Stadium who watched in stunned and silent disbelief once Curtis Martin knifed into the end zone to convert Spence's blocked punt into a touchdown that gave the Jets a 10-0 third-quarter lead over the defending champions.

But then it came apart. All in a matter of five seconds.

Which was precisely how long it took for quarterback John Elway to create the play that would signal the beginning of the Jets downward spiral into playoff oblivion.

Suddenly their 10-0 lead was gone. So were the team's hopes of winning its first Super Bowl in 30 years.

Yet it all began so harmlessly, with Elway attempting to direct his confused receivers to line up at the correct positions when the Broncos took over at the Denver 36.

It ended with the calamitous undoing of the Jets.

As Elway walked to the line of scrimmage, desperate for a big play to shake an offense that had been smothered by the Jets brilliant defensive schemes, he noticed that receivers Ed McCaffrey and Rod Smith had lined up on the wrong sides. Elway wanted McCaffrey to line up to his right, and Smith on the left, but the receivers went in opposite directions.

"They came out of the huddle backward," Elway said. "I looked at Rod, and he shook his head like he knew what he was supposed to do."

But McCaffrey wasn't so sure, so he walked a few steps toward Elway, who started waving at him to switch sides. But Elway thought better of it, and told McCaffrey simply to stay where he was and run his pattern.

Elway could only hope that McCaffrey would run the correct route.

The original plan called for Smith to line up on the left and run a deep post, and for McCaffrey to line up on the right and run a crossing pattern to the left.

But with time running down on the 40-second clock and the Broncos in danger of being penalized for delay of game, Elway made a quick decision.

"You run the post!" Elway shouted to McCaffrey.

The Jets, meanwhile, weren't quite sure what to make of this. They had studied game tape all week but they knew that in this type of situation, Smith and McCaffrey had always lined up opposite what they were doing now.

"Rod was never at the 'Z position," said cornerback Ray Mickens, referring to the position of the receiver who lines up closer to the quarterback. "Basically, Rod Smith lines up at the 'X, or the guy off the line. But he was at 'Z, and McCaffrey was at the 'X. When they switched positions, I knew something was up."

So Mickens shouted over to strong safety Victor Green to be alert to the deep post.

But Green made a grievous error. Instead of staying with McCaffrey down the left side, and thus helping cornerback Otis Smith on the deep coverage, Green looked into Elway's eyes and saw him locked onto Rod Smith in the crossing pattern. So Green elected to stay with Smith and provide double coverage along with Mickens.

Big mistake.

Elway, rolling to his right, noticed just before releasing his pass to Smith that Green was closing on the play. This signaled to Elway that McCaffrey would be open deep down the middle of the field, so he quickly launched a long pass.

Otis Smith attempted to catch up to McCaffrey, but it was too late. McCaffrey made the catch, a 47-yard reception at the Jets 17-yard line. Two plays later, Elway threw a touchdown pass to fullback Howard Griffith to bring the Broncos to within three points, 10-7.

The avalanche continued relentlessly, as the Broncos scored on their next three possessions to build a 20-10 lead on the way to a 23-10 victory and a chance at a Super Bowl repeat.

"Up until that play, we really weren't happy with the way things were going," McCaffrey said. "It wasn't that we lost confidence or anything, and we weren't frustrated, but we knew we had to keep plugging away."

Little did McCaffrey know that his play would trigger the sequence of events that would send the Jets home. Jason Elam's ensuing kickoff was short, and David Meggett couldn't race up in time to catch it. The ball glanced off James Farrior, the Broncos recovered and went on to kick the tying field goal. Next drive, the Broncos took the lead on another Elam field goal. After that, it was Terrell Davis churning through the Jets defense for a 31-yard touchdown and a 20-10 lead.

The Jets talked afterward about how their turnovers had been their ruin, and in many respects, they were correct. After all, you don't give the ball away six times and expect to win.

But even with all the turnovers, even with all the mistakes, the Jets still had a chance, still had hope when it was 10-0. Who knows what would have happened if Green had not made the mistake of biting on Smith's route, and the Jets had once again stuffed a Broncos offense that hadn't played this poorly all season? Who knows if destiny wouldn't have taken a different course?

For 33 minutes, 4 seconds, it all seemed so right for the Jets.

Seconds later, it would all be over.