In the aftermath of Denver's 33-19 win over Atlanta, we asked ESPN analysts Joe Theismann and Sean Salisbury a series of questions. Here's what they had to say:

Why Denver won

ESPN's Joe Theismann: They got ahead early. Denver executed their game plan pefectly. Once they got ahead, they took Jamal Anderson out of the game. I think Denver showed it was a balanced team on both sides of the ball. It wasn't the offense or the defense, just a combination of both. The timing of the Rod Smith TD was also critical. It was a devastating blow to Atlanta.

ESPN's Sean Salisbury: Denver's defense had a great plan. Their No. 1 priority was to stop Anderson and not let him kill you. If you stop him, you have a chance. If you let him run free, he'll kill you. I'm not surprised they shut him down, though. You need the pass to set up the run and Denver forced too many turnovers for that to happen. They stopped Anderson and forced Chandler into a bad game. If you stop them both, you beat the Falcons. The Broncos' offense will get the attention, but the defense was the key all through the playoffs. You need the pass to set up the run and Atlanta had too many turnovers for that to happen. They forced Atlanta into catchup mode early, and that helped take Anderson out of the game some, too.

ESPN's Merril Hoge: Denver came out and challenged the Falcons, spreading them out, finding the matchups that they like even without Shannon Sharpe. After the Broncos' first touchdown drive (with 4:00 to go in the first quarter), they were still able to create the matchups they liked with their passing game. The Denver offensive line did a perfect job protecting Elway, providing holes for Terrell Davis. Also, the Broncos were doing a nice job of switching coverages in the defensive backfield. Darrien Gordon is actually the corner but he was playing safety. They had Steve Atwater at the corner position. It's a different coverage the Broncos use so they get their best players playing in the best situations. Gordon was back there playing safety, but he has enough speed to drive on the ball and make plays, which he did.

Why Atlanta lost

ESPN's Joe Theismann:The problems they had were really not being able to get the ball in the end zone. I have stood on both sides and the Falcons have now become one of the many teams in the NFL that are not on top. The only thing that feels good is winning it all.

ESPN's Sean Salisbury: The Falcons kind of went into a lull, and when you get into the red zone and you're kicking field goals against the Denver Broncos, you won't win. If you throw three interceptions and you start chasing Denver, you're done. You need to capitalize when you get it down in the red zone early. You can't turn it over and you can't be in a chase mode with the Broncos. When you are behind early, they have to force the ball and they get out of their game plan.

ESPN's Merril Hoge: What obviously killed the Falcons was when they had opportunities to score touchdowns they were forced to kick field goals. The turnover situation you can never predict. John Elway gaves an interception away when Shannon Sharpe dropped it, and Atlanta got nothing from it. Whereas when the Broncos got turnovers, they got points for those turnovers, and that was ultimately one of the big differences in the game. I really felt the offensive lines would really make the difference in the game. One of the biggest plays of the game was actually when Bill Romanowski got the sack on Chris Chandler (a 7-yard loss at the Denver Broncos' 15 in the first quarter. The Falcons settled for a 32-yard field goal by Morten Andersen.) The Atlanta offensive line got confused again. Every now and then they have a shading problem where they miscommunicate. They miscommunicated on the sack because they should have picked Romanowski up. It was a big play in the game because it forced them into a field goal. That's a real momentum swing for Denver.

On Denver's future

ESPN's Joe Theismann: I think there are some real good teams out there and Denver showed at the end of the season that they got tired. When you go to the Super Bowl, you play about a month longer than everyone else which tires you out. Next year, they will be a physically tired team -- especially Terrell Davis. Denver, I don't think will be a three-peat team.

ESPN's Sean Salisbury: They should be the favorite going in. The defense has played well. They are still young, they have an offensive line that doesn't miss a beat. Smith and McCaffrey will continue to get better and they have the best blocking back in the league in Griffith. I think they are good enough to win with Brister, too. That's not taking anything away from John -- he's still the guy I would want in there with everything on the line. Now they need to relax and enjoy this. They have as good of chance as anyone to win. If Elway stays, they are the clearcut favorite. They have as good of chance to 3-peat as there has ever been.

ESPN's Merril Hoge: Any time you repeat, it's the hardest thing to do. I have no doubt the Broncos rank up as one of the best franchises in the history of the NFL. This team obviously has the equipment to go for a three-peat, which has never been done before.

On Atlanta's future

ESPN's Joe Theismann:I think they are a very solid football team. The most important thing for Atlanta is to keep Chris Chandler healthy. He is the key to their success. If he can stay healthy, yes -- there's a shot at them making it back.

ESPN's Sean Salisbury: I think Atlanta's success the past two years is no fluke. They have good players in house. They need to upgrade and get a little better up front and they need more depth, but for the most part they are solid. Tight end O.J. Santiago is a good player, but he'll need to step up some in the big games for them to be a factor. The Niners are no longer the team to beat.

Is Elway coming back?

ESPN's Joe Theismann:And I think John Elway will retire after this game. He has played his last professional football game. There is no reason for him to come back. None whatsoever.

ESPN's Sean Salisbury: I don't know. My heart tells me no. He's taken a lot of hits. If he had to make the decison tomorrow, I think he would hang it up. But he doesn't and the win throws a monkey wrench into the plans. My heart says please stay -- we need you. I think he will retire, but I'm hanging on to the hope that he'll come back for one more year.