1991 Denver Broncos season

NFL team season

1991 Denver Broncos season

Owner| Pat Bowlen
General manager| John Beake
Head coach| Dan Reeves
Home field| Mile High Stadium
Results
Record| 12–4
Division place| 1st AFC West
Playoff finish| Won Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Oilers) 26–24
Lost AFC Championship
(at Bills) 7–10
Pro Bowlers| QB John Elway
RB Gaston Green
LB Karl Mecklenburg
S Steve Atwater
S Dennis Smith
Uniform

* <- 1990
* Broncos seasons
* 1992 ->

The 1991 Denver Broncos season was the team's 32nd year in professional football and its 22nd as a member club in the National Football League (NFL). The team improved on its 5–11 from 1990, winning their third AFC West title in five years, and advanced to the AFC Championship game where it fell to the Buffalo Bills 10 –7. Overall, the Denver Broncos had five players who were selected to participate in the Pro Bowl. This season also brought The Drive II. In the divisional round of the playoffs, versus the Houston Oilers, the Broncos started the game winning drive at their own 2 yard line and ended with a game winning field goal for a 26–24 victory.

## Offseason

[edit]

### NFL Draft

[edit]

1991 Denver Broncos draft

Round  | Pick  | Player  | Position  | College  | Notes
1  | 4  | Mike Croel | DE | Nebraska |
2  | 30  | Reggie Johnson | TE | Florida State |
3  | 61  | Keith Traylor | DT | Central State (OK) |
4  | 89  | Derek Russell | WR | Arkansas |
5  | 115  | Greg Lewis | RB | Washington |
6  | 142  | Nick Subis | OT | San Diego State |
8  | 200  | Kenny Walker | DE | Nebraska |
9  | 227  | Don Gibson | Defensive tackle  | USC |
10  | 253  | Curtis Mayfield | Wide receiver  | Oklahoma State |
11  | 284  | Shawn Moore | Quarterback  | Virginia |
Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1]

### Undrafted free agents

[edit]

1991 Undrafted Free Agents of note  Player  | Position  | College

|
|

John Story  | Wide Receiver  | Indiana State

## Personnel

[edit]

### Staff

[edit]

1991 Denver Broncos staff |

Front office

* President and Chief Executive Officer – Pat Bowlen
* General Manager – John Beake
* Director of Football Operations – Lide Huggins
* Director of Player Personnel – Reed Johnson

Head coaches

* Vice President/Head Coach – Dan Reeves
* Special Assistant – Marvin Bass

Offensive coaches

* Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Mike Shanahan
* Running Backs – Mo Forte
* Wide Receivers – George Henshaw
* Offensive Line – Pete Mangurian

|  |  | Defensive coaches

* Defensive Coordinator – Wade Phillips
* Defensive Line – Ernie Stautner
* Linebackers – Mike Nolan
* Defensive Backs – Charlie Waters
* Defensive Assistant – Barney Chavous
* Defensive Quality Control – Joe DeCamillis

Special teams coaches

* Tight Ends/Special Teams – Harold Richardson

Strength and conditioning

* Strength/Conditioning – Al Miller

|
|
|
|

[2] [3]

### Roster

[edit]

1991 Denver Broncos roster Quarterbacks (QB)

* 7 John Elway

* 8 Gary Kubiak

* 12 Shawn Moore

Running backs (RB)

* 28 Gaston Green

* 26 Bobby Humphrey

* 41 Greg Lewis

* 38 Reggie Rivers

* 30 Steve Sewell

Wide receivers (WR)

* 82 Vance Johnson PR

* 84 Ricky Nattiel PR

* 85 Derek Russell KR

* 83 Mike Young

Tight ends (TE)

* 89 Reggie Johnson

* 88 Clarence Kay

* 81 Shannon Sharpe

|  | Offensive linemen (OL)

* 62 Jeff Davidson T

* 63 Sean Farrell G

* 72 Keith Kartz C

* 68 Crawford Ker G

* 76 Ken Lanier T

* 74 Harvey Salem T

* 60 Nick Subis

* 79 Dave Widell

* 67 Doug Widell G

Defensive linemen (DL)

* 90 Ron Holmes DE

* 71 Greg Kragen NT

* 91 Warren Powers DE

* 70 Brian Sochia

* 96 Kenny Walker DE

|  | Linebackers (LB)

* 56 Michael Brooks ILB

* 51 Mike Croel OLB

* 73 Simon Fletcher OLB

* 59 Tim Lucas OLB

* 77 Karl Mecklenburg ILB

* 52 Jeff Mills OLB

* 57 Mark Murray ILB

* 54 Keith Traylor ILB

Defensive backs (DB)

* 27 Steve Atwater FS

* 34 Tyrone Braxton CB

* 29 Charles Dimry CB

* 24 Wymon Henderson CB

* 21 Le-Lo Lang CB

* 22 Alton Montgomery

* 48 Randy Robbins SS

* 49 Dennis Smith SS

Special teams

* 2 Mike Horan P

* 9 David Treadwell K

|  |  |  | Practice squad

* \-- Don Gibson NT

* 86 Barry Johnson WR

47 active, 4 inactive, 2 practice squad Reserve

* 93 Ronnie Haliburton LB (IR)

* 80 Mark Jackson WR (IR)

* 66 Jim Juriga G/T (IR)

* 33 Bob Perryman FB (IR)

Rookies in italics

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

[4]

## Preseason

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | August 27 | vs. Detroit Lions | L 3–14  | 0–1  | Fawcett Stadium | 23,815
2  | August 2 | Indianapolis Colts | W 10–3  | 1–1  | Mile High Stadium | 75,375
3  | August 7 | at San Francisco 49ers | L 6–24  | 1–2  | Candlestick Park | 54,170
4  | August 19 | Miami Dolphins | W 21–13  | 2–2  | Candlestick Park | 54,170
5  | August 23 | at Phoenix Cardinals | L 10–34  | 2–3  | Sun Devil Stadium | 38,372

[5]

## Regular season

[edit]

### Schedule

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | September 1  | Cincinnati Bengals | W 45–14  | 1–0  | Mile High Stadium | 72,855  | Recap
2  | September 8  | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 13–16  | 1–1  | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 48,569  | Recap
3  | September 15  | Seattle Seahawks | W 16–10  | 2–1  | Mile High Stadium  | 74,152  | Recap
4  | September 22  | San Diego Chargers | W 27–19  | 3–1  | Mile High Stadium  | 73,258  | Recap
5  | September 29  | at Minnesota Vikings | W 13–6  | 4–1  | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 55,031  | Recap
6  | October 6  | at Houston Oilers | L 14–42  | 4–2  | Houston Astrodome | 59,145  | Recap
7  | Bye
8  | October 20  | Kansas City Chiefs | W 19–16  | 5–2  | Mile High Stadium  | 75,866  | Recap
9  | October 27  | at New England Patriots | W 9–6  | 6–2  | Foxboro Stadium | 43,994  | Recap
10  | November 3  | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 20–13  | 7–2  | Mile High Stadium  | 70,973  | Recap
11  | November 10  | Los Angeles Raiders | L 16–17  | 7–3  | Mile High Stadium  | 75,896  | Recap
12  | November 17  | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 24–20  | 8–3  | Arrowhead Stadium | 74,661  | Recap
13  | November 24  | at Seattle Seahawks | L 10–13  | 8–4  | Kingdome | 60,430  | Recap
14  | December 1  | New England Patriots | W 20–3  | 9–4  | Mile High Stadium | 67,116  | Recap
15  | December 8  | at Cleveland Browns | W 17–7  | 10–4  | Cleveland Municipal Stadium | 73,539  | Recap
16  | December 15  | Phoenix Cardinals | W 24–19  | 11–4  | Mile High Stadium  | 74,098  | Recap
17  | December 22  | at San Diego Chargers | W 17–14  | 12–4  | Jack Murphy Stadium | 51,449  | Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Postseason

[edit]

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

|
|
|
|
|
|

Wild Card  | First-round bye
Divisional | January 4, 1992 | Houston Oilers (3)  | W 26–24  | 1–0  | Mile High Stadium | Recap
Championship | January 12, 1992 | Buffalo Bills (1)  | L 7–10  | 1–1  | Rich Stadium | Recap

### Season summary

[edit]

#### Week 1 vs Bengals

[edit]

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (October 2022)

|

#### Week 2 at Raiders

[edit]

Week Two: Denver Broncos (1–0) at Los Angeles Raiders (0–1)

Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

|
|
|
|
|

Broncos | 3 | 3 | 0| 7| 13
Raiders | 0 | 3 | 7| 6| 16

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

* Date: September 8
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 65 °F (18 °C)
* Game attendance: 48,569
* Box Score, Box Score

Game information

First quarter

* DEN – David Treadwell 22-yard field goal, 2:29. Broncos 3–0.

Second quarter

* DEN – David Treadwell 47-yard field goal, 13:11. Broncos 6–0.
* LA – Jeff Jaeger 29-yard field goal, 6:23. Broncos 6–3.

Third quarter

* LA – Willie Gault 16-yard pass from Jay Schroeder (Jeff Jaeger kick), 5:47. Raiders 10–6.

Fourth quarter

* LA – Jeff Jaeger 23-yard field goal, 9:17. Raiders 13–6.
* LA – Jeff Jaeger 34-yard field goal, 2:48. Raiders 16–6.
* DEN – Steve Sewell 3-yard pass from John Elway (David Treadwell kick), 0:25. Raiders 16–10.

Top passers

* DEN – John Elway – 15/29, 240 yards, TD
* LA – Jay Schroeder – 12/19, 168 yards, TD

Top rushers

* DEN – Gaston Green – 11 rushes, 25 yards
* LA – Roger Craig – 27 rushes, 99 yards

Top receivers

* DEN – Steve Sewell – 3 receptions, 50 yards, TD
* LA – Willie Gault – 3 receptions, 69 yards, TD

|

#### Week 10

[edit]

|  | 1 | 2| 3| 4| Total

|
|
|
|
|

Steelers | 3 | 7| 0| 3 | 13
• Broncos | 0 | 17| 3| 0 | 20

* Date: November 3
* Location: Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado
* Game start: 6:00 p.m. MST
* Game weather: 16 °F (−9 °C), wind 8 mph (13 km/h)
* Referee: Dick Hantak
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick & Joe Theismann

| Scoring summary

1| | PIT| Gary Anderson 26-yard field goal| Steelers 3–0
2| | PIT| Eric Green 23-yard pass from Neil O'Donnell (Gary Anderson kick)| Steelers 10–0
2| | DEN| Greg Lewis 1-yard run (David Treadwell kick)| Steelers 10–7
2| | DEN| John Elway 4-yard run (David Treadwell kick)| Broncos 14–10
2| | DEN| David Treadwell 28-yard field goal| Broncos 17–10
3| | DEN| David Treadwell 21-yard field goal| Broncos 20–10
4| | PIT| Gary Anderson 39-yard field goal| Broncos 20–13

[6]

### Standings

[edit]

AFC West

* view
* talk
* edit

| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK
(2) Denver Broncos | 12  | 4  | 0  | .750  | 5–3  | 10–4  | 304  | 235  | W4
(4) Kansas City Chiefs | 10  | 6  | 0  | .625  | 6–2  | 8–4  | 316  | 252  | W1
(5) Los Angeles Raiders | 9  | 7  | 0  | .563  | 5–3  | 7–5  | 298  | 297  | L3
Seattle Seahawks | 7  | 9  | 0  | .438  | 2–6  | 6–6  | 276  | 261  | W1
San Diego Chargers | 4  | 12  | 0  | .250  | 2–6  | 3–9  | 274  | 342  | L1

## Playoffs

[edit]

### AFC Divisional Playoff

[edit]

Denver Broncos 26, Houston Oilers 24

Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

|
|
|
|
|

Oilers | 14 | 7 | 0| 3| 24
Broncos | 6 | 7 | 3| 10| 26

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST/2:00 p.m. MST
* Game weather: 30 °F (−1 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 75,301
* Referee: Johnny Grier
* TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Todd Christensen

Trailing 24–23 with 2:07 left in the game, quarterback John Elway led the Broncos from their own 2-yard line to the winning 28-yard field goal with 16 seconds remaining. On the drive, he converted on two fourth downs. On fourth down and 6 from the Denver 28, he rushed for 7 yards. Then on fourth down and 10, he completed a 44-yard pass to wide receiver Vance Johnson.

The Oilers jumped to a 14–0 lead with quarterback Warren Moon's two touchdown passes to wide receivers Haywood Jeffires and Drew Hill for 15 and 9 yards, respectively. Elway then completed a 10-yard touchdown to Johnson, but kicker David Treadwell missed the extra point. Moon responded by throwing a 6-yard touchdown to wide receiver Curtis Duncan to give Houston a 21–6 lead, but Denver running back Greg Lewis scored a 1-yard touchdown before halftime. In the second half, the Oilers were limited to only a 25-yard field goal by kicker Al Del Greco, which gave Houston a 24–16 lead in the fourth quarter. The Broncos then marched 80 yards to score on Lewis' 1-yard touchdown run to cut the deficit to 24–23.

Elway's comeback is now known solely as The Drive II.

### AFC Championship Game

[edit]

Buffalo Bills 10, Denver Broncos 7

Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3| 4| Total

|
|
|
|
|

Broncos | 0 | 0 | 0| 7| 7
Bills | 0 | 0 | 7| 3| 10

at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York

* Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C), clear
* Game attendance: 80,272
* Referee: Dale Hamer
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh

Buffalo relied on missed field goals by Denver and some key plays from their defense to narrowly defeat the Broncos in a tough defensive struggle. Although the first half was scoreless, the Broncos advanced into Buffalo territory on all five of their possessions in the first half. However, Denver kicker David Treadwell missed 3 field goals, hitting the goal posts twice and driving the other attempt wide right.

Late in the third quarter, the Broncos faced second down and 10 at their own 19-yard line. Quarterback John Elway threw a middle screen pass intended for running back Steve Sewell, but it was tipped by Bills defensive lineman Jeff Wright into the arms of linebacker Carlton Bailey, who returned the ball 11 yards for Buffalo's only touchdown of the game. Elway was then knocked out of the game after suffering a deep thigh bruise, and was replaced by backup Gary Kubiak. With 4:18 left in the game, Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood made a 44-yard field goal to increase the lead, 10–0. Kubiak, who was playing in his last NFL game before retiring, led the Broncos 85 yards in eight plays and scored a 3-yard touchdown run with 1:43 left. Denver then recovered the ensuing onside kick, but the Bills clinched the victory after defensive back Kirby Jackson forced and recovered a fumble from running back Steve Sewell.

Broncos receiver Vance Johnson finished the game with 8 receptions for 104 yards. Kubiak completed 11 of 12 passes for 136 yards and rushed for 22.

Scoring
BUF – Bailey 11 interception return (Norwood kick) BUF 7–0
BUF – field goal Norwood 44 BUF 10–0
DEN – Kubiak 3 run (Treadwell kick) BUF 10–7

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "1991 Denver Broncos Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
2. ^ 1991 Denver Broncos Media Guide. pp. 5–19.
3. ^ 2010 Denver Broncos Media Guide. pp. 603–606. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
4. ^ "1991 Denver Broncos starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
5. ^ "1991 Denver Broncos (NFL)". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
6. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com

## External links

[edit]

* Denver Broncos – 1991 media guide
* 1991 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
* All-time roster
* Starting quarterbacks
* Coaches
* Seasons
* First-round draft picks

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
* Orange Crush Defense
* "Rocky Mountain Way"
* South Park
* "Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut"
* "Sarcastaball"
* Thunder
* "You Only Move Twice" (The Simpsons episode)

Lore|

* 1977 season (Broncomania)
* Snowball Game
* The Drive
* The Fumble
* Tebowmania
* 3:16 game
* Mile High Miracle
* No Fly Zone

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
* 2024

Bold indicates Super Bowl victory
Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance

* v
* t
* e

1991 NFL season

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

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

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| Phoenix| Minnesota| San Francisco
NY Jets | | Seattle| Washington| Tampa Bay|

* 1991 NFL Draft
* NFL playoffs
* Pro Bowl
* Super Bowl XXVI

*[PR]: Punt returner
*[KR]: Kick returner
*[T]: Ties
*[G]: Offensive guard
*[C]: Center
*[DE]: Defensive end
*[NT]: Nose tackle
*[ILB]: Inside linebacker
*[OLB]: Outside linebacker
*[FS]: Free safety
*[CB]: Cornerback
*[SS]: Strong safety
*[P]: Punter
*[K]: Kicker
*[WR]: Wide receiver
*[LB]: Linebacker
*[G/T]: Offensive guard / tackle
*[FB]: Fullback
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[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