1986 Denver Broncos season

NFL team season

1986 Denver Broncos season

Owner| Pat Bowlen
General manager| John Beake
Head coach| Dan Reeves
Home field| Mile High Stadium
Results
Record| 11–5
Division place| 1st AFC West
Playoff finish| Won Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Patriots) 22–17
Won AFC Championship
(at Browns) 23–20 (OT)
Lost Super Bowl XXI
(vs. Giants) 20–39
Pro Bowlers| QB John Elway
RB Sammy Winder
G Keith Bishop
DE Rulon Jones
LB Karl Mecklenburg
S Dennis Smith

* <- 1985
* Broncos seasons
* 1987 ->

The 1986 Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 27th year in professional football and its 17th with the National Football League (NFL). They finished the regular season with a record of 11–5, returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence, won the AFC Championship over the Cleveland Browns, and lost Super Bowl XXI to the New York Giants, the first of back to back Super Bowl losses for the team.

## Offseason[edit]

### NFL draft[edit]

Main article: 1986 NFL draft

1986 Denver Broncos draft

Round  | Pick  | Player  | Position  | College  | Notes
4  | 104  | Jim Juriga | Guard | Illinois |
5  | 134  | Tony Colorito | Nose Tackle | USC |
6  | 151  | Orson Mobley | Tight end | Salem |
6  | 161  | Mark Jackson | Wide receiver | Purdue |
7  | 188  | Raymond Phillips | Linebacker | North Carolina State |
8  | 217  | Bruce Klosterman | Linebacker | South Dakota State |
9  | 244  | Joe Thomas | Wide receiver | Mississippi Valley State |
10  | 271  | Victor Hall | Tight end | Jackson State |
11  | 301  | Thomas Dendy | Running back | South Carolina |
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

## Personnel[edit]

### Staff[edit]

1986 Denver Broncos staff

| Ownership

{{{ownership}}}

Front office

* President and Chief Executive Officer – Pat Bowlen
* General manager – John Beake
* Director of player personnel – Reed Johnson

Head coaches

* Vice president/head Coach – Dan Reeves
* Assistant head coach/defense – Joe Collier
* Special Assistant – Marvin Bass

Offensive coaches

* Offensive coordinator/Quarterbacks – Mike Shanahan
* Running Backs – Nick Nicolau
* Wide Receivers – Kay Dalton
* Offensive Line – Alex Gibbs

|  |  | Defensive coaches

* Defensive Line – Stan Jones
* Linebackers – Myrel Moore
* Defensive Backs – Charlie West

Special teams coaches

* Special Teams/Tight Ends – Chan Gailey

Strength and conditioning

* Strength/Conditioning – Al Miller

### Roster[edit]

1986 Denver Broncos roster

| Quarterbacks

* 7 John Elway
* 8 Gary Kubiak

Running backs

* 35 Ken Bell KR
* 24 Tony Boddie
* 33 Gene Lang FB
* 30 Steve Sewell
* 47 Gerald Willhite FB/PR
* 23 Sammy Winder

Wide receivers

* 80 Mark Jackson
* 82 Vance Johnson
* 84 Clint Sampson
* 81 Steve Watson

Tight ends

* 85 Joey Hackett
* 88 Clarence Kay
* 87 Bobby Micho
* 89 Orson Mobley

|  | Offensive linemen

* 54 Keith Bishop G
* 64 Billy Bryan C
* 63 Mark Cooper G
* 62 Mike Freeman G/C
* 78 Winford Hood G
* 60 Paul Howard G
* 76 Ken Lanier T
* 74 Dan Remsberg T
* 70 Dave Studdard T

Defensive linemen

* 68 Rubin Carter NT
* 69 Tony Colorito NT
* 73 Simon Fletcher DE
* 90 Freddie Gilbert DE
* 75 Rulon Jones DE
* 71 Greg Kragen NT
* 61 Andre Townsend DE

|  | Linebackers

* 59 Darren Comeaux OLB
* 55 Rick Dennison ILB
* 98 Ricky Hunley ILB
* 57 Tom Jackson OLB
* 77 Karl Mecklenburg ILB
* 50 Jim Ryan OLB
* 52 Ken Woodard OLB

Defensive backs

* 43 Steve Foley FS
* 31 Mike Harden CB
* 36 Mark Haynes CB
* 25 Daniel Hunter CB
* 22 Tony Lilly FS
* 48 Randy Robbins SS
* 49 Dennis Smith SS
* 45 Steve Wilson CB
* 20 Louis Wright CB

Special teams

* 2 Mike Horan P
* 3 Rich Karlis K
* 4 Chris Norman P
* 13 Jack Weil P

|  | Reserve lists

* 32 Joe Dudek RB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 66 Jim Juriga T (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 97 Bruce Klosterman ILB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
* 99 Ray Woodard DE (IRTooltip Injured reserve)

Practice squad

Rookies in italics

[1]

## Regular season[edit]

The Broncos won their first six games of the season, before being defeated by the then-5-1 New York Jets on Monday Night Football. They won two more games to improve to 8–1, tied with the Jets for the best record in the league. Although they would go 3–4 down the stretch, alternating wins and losses, Denver still finished ahead of the Seahawks and Chiefs in first place in the AFC West.

Week  | Date  | Opponent  | Result  | Record  | Venue  | Attendance

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|
|
|

1  | September 7  | Los Angeles Raiders | W 38–36  | 1–0  | Mile High Stadium | 75,695
2  | September 15  | at Pittsburgh Steelers | W 21–10  | 2–0  | Three Rivers Stadium | 57,305
3  | September 21  | at Philadelphia Eagles | W 33–7  | 3–0  | Veterans Stadium | 63,839
4  | September 28  | New England Patriots | W 27–20  | 4–0  | Mile High Stadium  | 75,804
5  | October 5  | Dallas Cowboys | W 29–14  | 5–0  | Mile High Stadium  | 76,082
6  | October 12  | at San Diego Chargers | W 31–14  | 6–0  | Jack Murphy Stadium | 55,662
7  | October 20  | at New York Jets | L 10–22  | 6–1  | Giants Stadium | 73,759
8  | October 26  | Seattle Seahawks | W 20–13  | 7–1  | Mile High Stadium  | 76,089
9  | November 2  | at Los Angeles Raiders | W 21–10  | 8–1  | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 90,153
10  | November 9  | San Diego Chargers | L 3–9  | 8–2  | Mile High Stadium  | 75,012
11  | November 16  | Kansas City Chiefs | W 38–17  | 9–2  | Mile High Stadium  | 75,745
12  | November 23  | at New York Giants | L 16–19  | 9–3  | Giants Stadium | 75,116
13  | November 30  | Cincinnati Bengals | W 34–28  | 10–3  | Mile High Stadium  | 58,705
14  | December 7  | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 10–37  | 10–4  | Arrowhead Stadium | 47,019
15  | December 13  | Washington Redskins | W 31–30  | 11–4  | Mile High Stadium  | 75,905
16  | December 20  | at Seattle Seahawks | L 16–41  | 11–5  | Kingdome | 63,697
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Game summaries[edit]

#### Week 1[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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Raiders | 16 | 6| 14| 0 | 36
• Broncos | 7 | 14| 7| 10 | 38

* Date: September 7
* Location: Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado
* Game start: 2:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C) • Wind 9 mph (14 km/h)
* Referee: Jim Tunney
* TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play-by-play), Bob Trumpy (color commentator)

| Scoring summary

1| | DEN| Steve Watson 35-yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick)| Broncos 7–0
1| | LA| Marcus Allen 24-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick)| Tie 7–7
1| | LA| Todd Christensen 16-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick)| Raiders 14–7
1| | DEN| Safety, John Elway tackled by Greg Townsend in end zone| Raiders 16–7
2| | LA| Chris Bahr 43-yard field goal| Raiders 19–7
2| | DEN| John Elway 23-yard pass from Steve Sewell (Rich Karlis kick)| Raiders 19–14
2| | LA| Chris Bahr 42-yard field goal| Raiders 22–14
2| | DEN| Gene Lang 1-yard run (Rich Karlis kick)| Raiders 22–21
3| | LA| Marcus Allen 2-yard run (Chris Bahr kick)| Raiders 29–21
3| | DEN| Ken Woodard 16-yard fumble return (Rich Karlis kick)| Raiders 29–28
3| | LA| Rod Barksdale 57-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick)| Raiders 36–28
4| | DEN| Rich Karlis 51-yard field goal| Raiders 36–31
4| | DEN| Gene Lang 7-yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick)| Broncos 38–36

[2]

#### Week 2[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

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• Broncos | 0 | 7| 7| 7 | 21
Steelers | 0 | 0| 3| 7 | 10

* Date: September 15
* Location: Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh
* Game start: 9:00 p.m. EST
* Game attendance: 57,305
* Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C); wind 7 mph (11 km/h)
* Referee: Bob McElwee
* TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford and Al Michaels

| Scoring summary

Q2| | DEN| Watson 21 yard pass from Elway (Karlis kick)| DEN 7–0
Q3| | PIT| Anderson 42 yard field goal| DEN 7–3
Q3| | DEN| Sewell 34 yard pass from Elway (Karlis kick)| DEN 14–3
Q4| | PIT| Erenberg 7 yard run (Anderson kick)| DEN 14–10
Q4| | DEN| Winder 13 yard pass from Elway (Karlis kick)| DEN 21–10

[3]

#### Week 12[edit]

Week 12: Denver Broncos at New York Giants

Period | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

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Broncos (9–3) | 3 | 3 | 3| 7| 16
Giants (10–2) | 0 | 10 | 3| 6| 19

at Giants Stadium

* Date: November 23, 1986
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. MST
* Game weather: 43 °F (6 °C), relative humidity 70%, wind 10 mph (16 km/h)
* Game attendance: 75,116
* Referee: Tom Dooley
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play-by-play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
* Box Score

Scoring summary

| Quarter  | Time  | Drive | Team  | Scoring information  | Score

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Plays | Yards  | TOP | Broncos  | Giants
1  | 6:46  |  |  |  | Broncos  | 40-yard field goal by Karlis | 3  | 0
2  | 14:57  |  |  |  | Giants  | 31-yard field goal by Allegre | 3  | 3
2  | 2:38  |  |  |  | Broncos  | 32-yard field goal by Karlis | 6  | 3
2  | 0:43  |  |  |  | Giants  | Interception returned 75 yards for touchdown by Martin, Allegre kick good  | 6  | 10
3  | 9:46  |  |  |  | Giants  | 45-yard field goal by Allegre | 6  | 13
3  | 1:53  |  |  |  | Broncos  | 42-yard field goal by Karlis | 9  | 13
4  | 10:07  |  |  |  | Giants  | 46-yard field goal by Allegre | 9  | 16
4  | 1:55  |  |  |  | Broncos  | Winder 4-yard touchdown run, Karlis kick good  | 16  | 16
4  | 0:06  |  |  |  | Giants  | 34-yard field goal by Allegre | 16  | 19
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 16  | 19

### Standings[edit]

AFC West

* view
* talk
* edit

| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK
Denver Broncos(2) | 11  | 5  | 0  | .688  | 5–3  | 8–4  | 378  | 327  | L1
Kansas City Chiefs(5) | 10  | 6  | 0  | .625  | 5–3  | 9–5  | 358  | 326  | W3
Seattle Seahawks | 10  | 6  | 0  | .625  | 5–3  | 7–5  | 366  | 293  | W5
Los Angeles Raiders | 8  | 8  | 0  | .500  | 4–4  | 7–5  | 323  | 346  | L4
San Diego Chargers | 4  | 12  | 0  | .250  | 1–7  | 4–8  | 335  | 396  | L2

## Playoffs[edit]

Main article: 1986–87 NFL playoffs

Round  | Date  | Opponent (seed)  | Result  | Record  | Venue  | Attendance

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Divisional | January 4, 1987  | New England Patriots (3)  | W 22–17  | 1–0  | Mile High Stadium | 76,105
AFC Championship | January 11, 1987  | at Cleveland Browns (1)  | W 23–20 (OT) | 2–0  | Cleveland Stadium | 79,915
Super Bowl XXI | January 25, 1987  | New York Giants (N1)  | L 20–39  | 2–1  | Rose Bowl | 101,063

They won their divisional playoff game against the Patriots at home 22–17. They then played the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland for the AFC Championship. The game culminated in the famous "Drive", where John Elway led a 98-yard drive for a touchdown pass to Mark Jackson to tie the game and send it to overtime, where they won by a field goal, 23–20.

### AFC Divisional Playoff[edit]

#### AFC: Denver Broncos 22, New England Patriots 17[edit]

Game summary

Period | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

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Patriots | 0 | 10 | 7| 0| 17
Broncos | 3 | 7 | 10| 2| 22

at Mile High Stadium, Denver

* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. MST
* Game attendance: 75,262
* Referee: Jerry Seeman
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

Game information

* Scoring
* DEN – FG R. Karlis 27 DEN 3–0
* NE – S. Morgan 19 pass from Eason (Franklin kick) NE 7–3
* DEN – J. Elway 22 run (Karlis kick) DEN 10–7
* NE – FG A. Franklin 38 10–10
* DEN – field goal Karlis 22 DEN 13–10
* NE – S. Morgan 45 pass from Eason (Franklin kick) NE 17–13
* DEN – V. Johnson 48 pass from Elway (Karlis kick) DEN 20–17
* DEN – Safety, Eason sacked by R. Jones in end zone DEN 22–17

### AFC Championship game[edit]

Period | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| OT| Total

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Broncos | 0 | 10 | 3| 7| 3| 23
Browns | 7 | 3 | 0| 10| 0| 20

at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland

* Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
* Game attendance: 79,973
* Referee: Chuck Heberling
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Merlin Olsen

This game is best remembered for The Drive when the Broncos drove 98 yards to tie the game with 37 seconds left in regulation, and Denver kicker Rich Karlis made the game-winning 33-yard field goal 5:38 into overtime.

The Browns scored first when quarterback Bernie Kosar threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Herman Fontenot at the end of an 86-yard drive. But the Broncos then scored 10 unanswered points: Karlis' 19-yard field goal and running back Gerald Willhite's 1-yard rushing touchdown. Cleveland kicker Mark Moseley's 29-yard field goal before halftime tied the score, 10–10. The teams exchanged punts before Kosar completed a 48-yard touchdown pass to Brian Brennan with 5:43 remaining in regulation. Elway then led his team from their own 2-yard line to tie the game on wide receiver Mark Jackson's 5-yard touchdown reception with 37 seconds left in regulation. Karlis' game-winning field goal in overtime capped a 60-yard drive after the Browns were forced to punt.

#### The Drive play-by-play[edit]

The Browns had jumped to a 20–13 lead and the Broncos had muffed the ensuing kickoff when Elway took over, first-and-10 on their own 2-yard line, with 5:32 to play in the game.

1\. – First down and 10, Denver 2-yard line. Sammy Winder 5-yard pass from Elway.

2\. – Second down and 5, Denver 7-yard line. Winder 3-yard run.

3\. – Third down and 2, Denver 10-yard line. Winder 2-yard run.

4\. – First down and 10, Denver 12-yard line. Winder 3-yard run.

5\. – Second down and 7, Denver 15-yard line. Elway 11-yard run.

6\. – First down and 10, Denver 26-yard line. Steve Sewell 22-yard pass from Elway.

7\. – First down and 10, Denver 48-yard line. S. Watson 12-yard pass from Elway.

Two-minute warning

8\. – First down and 10, Cleveland 40-yard line (1:59 remaining). Incomplete pass by Elway, intended for Vance Johnson.

9\. – Second down and 10, Cleveland 40-yard line (1:52 remaining). Dave Puzzilli sack of Elway, 8-yard loss.

10\. – Third down and 18, Cleveland 48-yard line (1:47 remaining). Mark Jackson 20-yard pass from Elway.

11\. – First down and 10, Cleveland 28-yard line (1:19 remaining). Incomplete pass by Elway, intended for Watson.

12\. – Second down and 10, Cleveland 28-yard line (1:10 remaining). Steve Sewell 14-yard pass from Elway.

13\. – First down and 10, Cleveland 14-yard line (:57 remaining). Incomplete pass by Elway, intended for Watson.

14\. – Second down and 10, Cleveland 14-yard line (:42 remaining). John Elway 9-yard run (scramble).

15\. – Third down and 1, Cleveland 5-yard line (:39 remaining). Mark Jackson 5-yard pass from Elway for the touchdown. Rich Karlis then adds the extra point to tie the game.

### Super Bowl XXI[edit]

They played the Giants in Super Bowl XXI, losing 20–39, the first of Elway's five Super Bowls and the first of his three losses. Despite leading 10–9 at halftime, the Broncos collapsed in the second half as the Giants scored 30 points to Denver's ten.

## Super Bowl XXI: New York Giants 39, Denver Broncos 20[edit]

Further information: Super Bowl XXI

Super Bowl XXI: Denver Broncos vs. New York Giants

Period | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

|
|
|
|
|

Broncos (13–6) | 10 | 0 | 0| 10| 20
Giants (17–2) | 7 | 2 | 17| 13| 39

at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

* Date: January 25, 1987
* Game time: 3:13 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 76 °F (24 °C), sunny, relative humidity 68%, wind 5 mph (8.0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 101,063
* Referee: Jerry Markbreit
* TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play-by-play), John Madden (color commentator), Will McDonough (sideline reporter)
* Box Score

Scoring summary

| Quarter  | Time  | Drive | Team  | Scoring information  | Score

|
|
|
|
|

Plays | Yards  | TOP | Broncos  | Giants
1  | 10:51  | 8  | 45  | 4:09  | Broncos  | 48-yard field goal by Karlis | 3  | 0
1  | 5:27  | 9  | 78  | 5:24  | Giants  | Mowatt 6-yard touchdown reception from Simms, Allegre kick good  | 3  | 7
1  | 2:06  | 6  | 58  | 3:21  | Broncos  | Elway 4-yard touchdown run, Karlis kick good  | 10  | 7
2  | 2:46  | 3  | -15  | 0:45  | Giants  | Elway tackled in end zone for a safety by Martin | 10  | 9
3  | 10:08  | 8  | 63  | 4:52  | Giants  | Bavaro 13-yard touchdown reception from Simms, Allegre kick good  | 10  | 16
3  | 3:54  | 9  | 32  | 5:07  | Giants  | 21-yard field goal by Allegre | 10  | 19
3  | 0:24  | 5  | 68  | 2:14  | Giants  | Morris 1-yard touchdown run, Allegre kick good  | 10  | 26
4  | 10:56  | 6  | 52  | 3:50  | Giants  | McConkey 6-yard touchdown reception from Simms, Allegre kick good  | 10  | 33
4  | 6:01  | 13  | 73  | 4:55  | Broncos  | 28-yard field goal by Karlis | 13  | 33
4  | 3:18  | 5  | 46  | 1:43  | Giants  | Anderson 2-yard touchdown run, Allegre kick no good  | 13  | 39
4  | 2:06  | 5  | 69  | 1:12  | Broncos  | Johnson 47-yard touchdown reception from Elway, Karlis kick good  | 20  | 39
"TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 20  | 39

## Statistics[edit]

### Team stats[edit]

Denver scored 378 points during the year, sixth in the NFL. They gave up 327 points, 15th in the league.

The Broncos were 17th in the league in total offense, with 5,489 yards. They had 3,811 passing yards and 1,678 rushing yards. They had 22 passing touchdowns and 17 rushing touchdowns.

They were 17th in the league with 3,755 passing yards given up and 15th with 1,891 rushing yards given up. They were 21st in overall defense with 5,646 yards given up.

The team's 11–5 record is their sixth-best 16-game season in franchise history.

### Player stats[edit]

* John Elway had 280 completions for 3,485 yards, 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He also had 52 rushes for 257 yards, third highest on the team, and one rushing touchdown. He was fifth in the league in completions, ninth in total yards, and tenth in touchdowns.
* Mark Jackson had 38 receptions for 738 yards and one touchdown. Steve Watson had 45 receptions for 699 yards and three touchdowns. Vance Johnson had 31 receptions for 363 yards and two touchdowns. Clint Sampson had 21 receptions for 259 yards. Orson Mobley had 22 reception for 332 yards and one touchdown.
* The primary running back Sammy Winder had 240 rushes for 789 yards and 9 touchdowns, seventh highest in the league. He also had five touchdown receptions, giving him 14 total touchdowns for the season, fourth in the league. Gerald Willhite had 85 rushes for 365 yards and five rushing touchdowns and 64 receptions for 529 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns.
* Rich Karlis kicked 20 field goals out of 28 attempted, including the game-winning field goal in the AFC Championship Game. He kicked 44 out of 45 extra points.

## Awards and honors[edit]

* Keith Bishop, AFC Pro Bowl selection
* John Elway, AFC Pro Bowl selection
* Rulon Jones, AFC Pro Bowl selection
* Karl Mecklenburg, AFC Pro Bowl selection
* Dennis Smith, AFC Pro Bowl selection
* Sammy Winder, AFC Pro Bowl selection

## References[edit]

1. ^ "1986 Denver Broncos starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
2. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com
3. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Sep-06.

## External links[edit]

* Denver Broncos – 1986 media guide
* 1986 Denver Broncos at Pro-Football-Reference.com

* v
* t
* e

Denver Broncos

* Founded in 1960
* Based in Denver, Colorado
* Headquartered in Dove Valley, Colorado

Franchise|

* History
* Players
* Starting quarterbacks
* Coaches
* Seasons
* First-round draft picks
* Broadcasters

Stadiums|

* Mile High Stadium
* Empower Field at Mile High

Key personnel|

Owners
Rob Walton
Greg Penner (CEO)
Carrie Walton Penner
Mellody Hobson
Condoleezza Rice
Lewis Hamilton
General manager
George Paton
Head coach
Sean Payton
Consultant
John Elway

Culture|

* A Few Seconds of Panic
* Alan Roach
* Barrel Man
* Bucky the Bronco
* Cheerleaders
* Elway to Marino
* Everybody's All-American
* Hold That Mork ("Mork & Mindy" episode)
* "Joy to the World"
* Miles
* No Fly Zone
* Orange Crush Defense
* "Rocky Mountain Way"
* South Park
* Thunder
* "You Only Move Twice" (The Simpsons episode)

Lore|

* Snowball Game
* The Drive
* The Fumble
* Tebowmania
* Mile High Miracle

Rivalries|

* Kansas City Chiefs
* Las Vegas Raiders
* Los Angeles Chargers
* New England Patriots
* Brady–Manning rivalry
* Pittsburgh Steelers
* Seattle Seahawks

Retired numbers|

* 7
* 18
* 44

Division championships (15)|

* 1977
* 1978
* 1984
* 1986
* 1987
* 1989
* 1991
* 1996
* 1998
* 2005
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015

Conference championships (8)|

* 1977
* 1986
* 1987
* 1989
* 1997
* 1998
* 2013
* 2015

League championships (3)|

* 1997 (XXXII)
* 1998 (XXXIII)
* 2015 (50)

Media|

* Radio network
* Dave Logan
* Brian Griese
* Scott Hastings
* Ed McCaffrey
* Alan Roach
* TV: KUSA 9News
* Radio: 850 KOA (AM)

Current league affiliations|

* League: National Football League (1970–present)
* Conference: American Football Conference
* Division: West Division

Former league affiliation|

* League: American Football League (1960–1969)

* v
* t
* e

Denver Broncos seasons

* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023

Bold indicates Super Bowl victory
Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance

* v
* t
* e

1986 NFL season

| AFC| East | Central| West| East| Central| West | NFC

|
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Buffalo | Cincinnati| Denver| Dallas| Chicago| Atlanta
Indianapolis | Cleveland| Kansas City| NY Giants| Detroit| LA Rams
Miami | Houston| LA Raiders| Philadelphia| Green Bay| New Orleans
New England | Pittsburgh| San Diego| St. Louis| Minnesota| San Francisco
NY Jets | | Seattle| Washington| Tampa Bay|

* 1986 NFL Draft
* NFL playoffs
* Pro Bowl
* Super Bowl XXI

*[IR]: Injured reserve
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[PCT]: Winning percentage
*[DIV]: Win–Loss record within their division
*[CONF]: Win–Loss record within their conference
*[PF]: Points For (Total points scored)
*[PA]: Points Against (Total points allowed)
*[STK]: Current Winning or Losing Streak
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template