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Ed McCaffrey believes the wind affected the game.
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DENVER -- Ed McCaffrey and Rod Smith left the huddle and headed in the wrong direction. It turned out to be one of the best mistakes they've ever made.

With Denver in dire need of a spark, McCaffrey turned potential trouble into a game-turning, 47-yard catch that helped propel the Broncos to a 23-10 win over the New York Jets in Sunday's AFC championship game.

	Ed McCaffrey Wide Receiver Denver Broncos Profile
	1998 SEASON STATISTICS REC YDS YDS/R TD LNG FUM 64 1053 16.5 10 48 0 Final regular season stats

McCaffrey, named to his first Pro Bowl this season, was supposed to line up on the right side of the field and run a deep crossing pattern. Smith was supposed to line up on the left and run a post.

When McCaffrey tried to switch at the line of scrimmage, quarterback John Elway gave him a nudge back to the right and then connected for a long pass that set up Denver's first points of the game.

"They probably don't realize that was a busted play," Smith said. "It wasn't really busted because we ended up running the right play, but the personnel and all that was messed up. It was a huge momentum swing for us. Everybody just got fired up after that."

McCaffrey's catch doubled Elway's passing yardage to that point, and Howard Griffith's 11-yard touchdown reception 77 seconds later served as a sign of things to come for the frazzled Jets.

"I'm glad I got to make a play because we were having a rough time up until then," McCaffrey said. "It helped us get things going and then we were really on a roll from there."

Trailing by only three points and with the Mile High Stadium crowd back in the game, the Broncos got the ball back after Jason Elam inadvertently sent a wobbly kickoff into the swirling wind.

Caught off guard by the fluttering kick, the Jets scrambled to secure the ball, which eluded New York's James Farrior and ended up in the hands of Denver's Keith Burns.

"It was just one of those plays," Burns said. "The ball got caught up in the air, and the wind caught it, and it took one of those Bronco bounces. Once I got on it, I knew I had the most prized possession on the football field, so I tried to hold onto it for dear life."

The sudden turn of events took plenty of life out of the Jets, who saw their lead evaporate when Elam made a 44-yard field goal.

In less than two minutes, New York's 10-0 lead had turned into an irreversible debacle.

"They just exploded in the third quarter," Jets cornerback Aaron Glenn said. "Once they hit that pass, they just kept pressing."

Despite their misfortune, the Jets still had a chance to spoil what could turn out to be Elway's final game at Mile High Stadium and prevent the Broncos from earning their second straight Super Bowl trip.

But the offense bogged down, forcing two punts and committing three turnovers that Denver converted into 13 more points to improve to 6-1 in AFC championship games.

The Jets, who haven't been to the Super Bowl since 1969, never had another good scoring chance after Terrell Davis' 31-yard touchdown run capped a 20-point third quarter.

Alex Van Dyke fumbled after a reception inside Denver territory, and Vinny Testaverde threw two late interceptions that gave New York six turnovers for the game.

Denver, meanwhile, overcame a blocked punt, a failed fourth-and-goal at the New York 1 and a poor performance (4-for-14) by Elway in the first half.

As he has all season, Davis proved to be the X-factor for Denver, running for 167 yards and a touchdown.

"We knew three points was not going to beat this football team," tight end Shannon Sharpe said. "Ed and Rod started making some big catches and Terrell started taking the ball game over. ... We stayed on course and now we're going to Miami."