ELWAY LEADS ANOTHER DENVER RALLY ---; TEAMMATES GLAD TO HELP HIM GET ANOTHER CHANCE : DENVER 24, PITTSBURGH 21.

Byline: Adam Teicher Kansas City Star

Despite the Denver Broncos' tough talk about avenging last season's playoff disappointment and settling scores with old rivals, their real postseason motivation was warm and cuddly.

They wanted one last Super Bowl for old No. 7, quarterback John Elway.

The Broncos gave Elway that gift Sunday with a 24-21 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC championship game at Three Rivers Stadium. Elway had no small hand in the matter. He threw two touchdown passes and a big third-down completion to tight end Shannon Sharpe, which kept the ball away from the Steelers late in the fourth quarter.

``I joined this ballclub for one simple reason,'' said Broncos defensive end Neil Smith, who will play in his first Super Bowl after nine seasons of disappointment with the Chiefs. ``I wanted to give No. 7 another chance at it.''

It's not as if Elway doesn't appreciate the sentiment, but merely reaching the NFL's championship game on Jan. 25 isn't what Elway, a three-time Super Bowl loser, really wants.

``I'm not happy about getting there,'' said Elway, who was much more stoic after the game than many of his teammates. ``I want to win it.''

Elway, 37 and in his 15th NFL season, has not come close to winning once his teams made the Super Bowl. But his previous Super Bowl teams weren't as good as this one.

The Broncos have a stout running game. Terrell Davis ran for 139 yards Sunday against the Steelers, who had the NFL's best rushing defense this season.

The Broncos are strong defensively. They intercepted Pittsburgh quarterback Kordell Stewart three times, twice in the end zone, and made him fumble once.

Nevertheless, as good as the Broncos are elsewhere, they are what they are because of Elway.

``Over the last 15 years, John has been the Denver Broncos,'' Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. ``What he does in the off-season, what he does through camp with all of the bumps and bruises that he goes through at his age . . . he just amazes me year in and year out.''

Elway's third-down pass to Sharpe was a perfect example.

The Broncos needed 6 yards from their 15 with 2 minutes remaining. Otherwise, they would have punted the ball back to the Steelers, who had three timeouts left.

Elway threw a dart to Sharpe, who was covered well by linebacker Jason Gildon. Sharpe hung on and wound up gaining 18 yards. The Steelers never got the ball back.

Elway said the play was as big as any he has made in his career. That includes The Drive, a 98-yard touchdown march that sent the 1986 AFC title game against Cleveland into overtime. Denver won that game on a field goal.

``It's not as dramatic, but it has the same effect,'' Elway said. ``It was harder than The Drive. We were struggling on offense, especially in the second half. We needed to get a couple of first downs. Sometimes, that's a lot tougher than getting points when you're behind.''

Pittsburgh led 14-10 midway through the second quarter and seemed poised for more at the Denver 35. That's when Stewart threw his first interception, on a pass he tried to force a pass into double coverage. It was intercepted by Denver cornerback Ray Crockett.

Stewart threw another pass into triple coverage from the Denver 5 early in the second half, and Denver linebacker Allen Aldridge picked it off.

In a December game, Stewart had toyed with the Broncos by throwing for 303 yards and three touchdowns.

``The last time we played them, if it was man-to-man coverage, we showed them man-to-man,'' Broncos safety Steve Atwater said. ``If it was zone, we showed zone. We didn't do that this time. If we lined up zone, we played man-to-man. If we lined up man-to-man, we played zone. We confused him.''

Elway quickly turned that 14-10 second-quarter deficit into a 24-14 halftime lead. Both touchdown drives were aided by long pass-interference penalties. A 22-yard penalty against Steelers cornerback Chad Scott appeared particularly generous to Elway and the Broncos.

WILD WINNERS

Denver became only the fourth wild-card team to reach the Super Bowl since the NFL changed to the wild-card format in 1978. A look at the teams and how they fared in the big game.

Year Team Super Bowl

1980 Oakland Def. Philadelphia (x)

1985 New England Lost to Chicago

1992 Buffalo Lost to Dallas

1997 Denver ?????

(x) The Raiders are the only wild-card team to win a Super Bowl.

AFC Champions

1960 Houston 24, Los Angeles 16

1961 Houston 10, San Diego 3

1962 Dallas 20, Houston 17, OT

1963 San Diego 51, Boston 10

1964 Buffalo 20, San Diego 7

1965 Buffalo 23, San Diego 0

1966 Kansas City 31, Buffalo 7

1967 Oakland 40, Houston 7

1968 New York 27, Oakland 23

1969 Kansas City 17, Oakland 7

1970 Baltimore 27, Oakland 17

1971 Miami 21, Baltimore 0

1972 Miami 21, Pittsburgh 17

1973 Miami 27, Oakland 10

1974 Pittsburgh 24, Oakland 13

1975 Pittsburgh 16, Oakland 10

1976 Oakland 24, Pittsburgh 7

1977 Denver 20, Oakland 17

1978 Pittsburgh 34, Houston 5

1979 Pittsburgh 27, Houston 13

1980 Oakland 34, San Diego 27

1981 Cincinnati 27, San Diego 7

1982 Miami 14, New York 0

1983 L.A. Raiders 30, Seattle 14

1984 Miami 45, Pittsburgh 28

1985 New England 31, Miami 14

1986 Denver 23, Cleveland 20, OT

1987 Denver 38, Cleveland 33

1988 Cincinnati 21, Buffalo 10

1989 Denver 37, Cleveland 21

1990 Buffalo 51, L.A. Raiders 3

1991 Buffalo 10, Denver 7

1992 Buffalo 29, Miami 10

1993 Buffalo 30, Kansas City 13

1994 San Diego 17, Pittsburgh 13

1995 Pittsburgh 20, Indianapolis 16

1996 New England 20, Jacksonville 6

1997 Denver 24, Pittsburgh 21

Note: List includes AFL title games from 1960 to 1969.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos, 2 Boxes

PHOTO (1--2) Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher, left, couldn't coax the Steelers past Denver. At right, linemen from both sides watch a deflected John Elway pass fall to the ground.

(3) Denver's Terrell Davis ran for 139 yards in the Broncos' win over the Steelers, who had the NFL's best rushing defense this season.

Associated Press

BOX: (1) WILD WINNERS (see text)

(2) AFC Champions (see text)