Time to play favorites


Elway rolls a strike for 300


Davis too grand in historic performance


Mile High gets Broncos back on winning stride

DENVER -- John Elway was able to flash his toothy smile once again, and everyone wanted a piece of Terrell Davis, the NFL's latest 2,000-yard man.

	John Elway and the Broncos gained a little confidence by beating the Seahawks in the season finale.

After a two-week span that saw the Denver Broncos fall from mesmerizing perfection to critical inspection, order officially has been restored in the Mile High City.

"This is where the season begins," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said Monday. "What we've worked for is to get in the position that we're in right now."

The Broncos (14-2) took a fascinating trip through the regular season, winning their first 13 games before losing two straight and then bouncing back to win their season finale Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.

The victory, highlighted by Elway's 300th career touchdown pass and Davis hitting the 2,000-yard rushing plateau, quieted talk of Denver's sudden vulnerability and eased pressure throughout the Broncos locker room.

"It was very important," tight end Shannon Sharpe said. "You always want to go into the playoffs on a winning note, and offensively we wanted to go back and be that same type team that we were in the first 13 weeks."

Denver has two weeks to prepare for its first playoff game, which will be at home Jan. 9 against New England (9-7), Miami (10-6) or Buffalo (10-6).

Sitting idle proved costly for the Broncos two years ago as Jacksonville pulled off a stunning 30-27 road victory to spoil Denver's 13-3 season. Without a bye in 1997, Denver beat Jacksonville at home and then won at Kansas City and at Pittsburgh before upsetting Green Bay in the Super Bowl.

"Our football team knows the feeling of when you have an opportunity and you don't take advantage of it and how it sticks with you," Shanahan said. "Believe me, we will be ready to play no matter who we play."

Shanahan's foremost concern will be Denver's defense, which has played well against the run (80 yards per game) but ranks 26th against the pass (228 yards per game).

The Broncos gave up 265 yards and two touchdowns through the air against the New York Giants -- the NFL's third-worst passing team -- on Dec. 13 and another 355 yards and four TDs against Miami last Monday.

Seattle's Jon Kitna threw for 242 yards Sunday, and the total could have been higher if not for a handful of dropped passes, including a potential 70-yarder that Joey Galloway could not hold onto in the fourth quarter.

"It's really how we play now," Shanahan said. "Last year, we had some (regular-season) lapses at Pittsburgh and San Francisco, but when it really mattered, we played our best football."

The Broncos should be near full strength as they prepare to defend their Super Bowl title. Defensive end Neil Smith (abdominal strain) is expected to practice Wednesday after missing two straight games, and rookie safety Eric Brown is slowly recovering from a groin strain that has sidelined him for four of the last five games.

Superstition also is on Denver's side after finishing with a franchise-record 14 wins. In the past three seasons, four teams -- Denver in 1996, Kansas City in 1995 and 1997 and San Francisco in 1997 -- have finished with 13 victories and failed to reach the Super Bowl.

"For some reason, the 13-3 jinx has existed," Shanahan said. "We're off that, so we have no excuses."