Broncos Super Bowl History

The perseverance of the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl proves that it's never too late to turn things around and that redemption can come if you work for it. For decades, they ranked among the NFL's premiere also-rans--sharing a dubious 0-4 Super Bowl record along with the Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills. That changed in the late 1990s, cementing not only the team's status as champions but erasing the wounds of the past in one fell swoop.

  1. The First Loss

    • The Broncos struggled throughout their first decades of existence, but began to establish a winning tradition in 1976. The vaunted "Orange Crush" defense (a reference to their orange jerseys) propelled them into the playoffs in 1977, and eventually into Super Bowl XII. They proved no match for Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys in that game, however: held scoreless in the first half on the way to an eventual defeat, 27-10. It wouldn't be the last time.

    John Elway

    • The Broncos' fortunes were bolstered by the arrival of quarterback John Elway in 1983. He quickly proved to be one of the best quarterbacks the NFL had ever seen, and under his leadership, the Broncos rebounded from a miserable 2-7 season in 1982 to become perennial playoff contenders. For all his skills, however, Elway found himself incapable of securing that elusive Super Bowl Trophy, at least initially.

    0 and 4

    • The Elway-led Broncos first reached the Super Bowl in 1986, only to be pounded by the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXI, 39-20. A year later, they again reached the championship game. This time, it was the Washington Redskins who served as their tormentors, shelling them by a score of 42-10 in Super Bowl XXII. The final blow came two years later in Super Bowl XXIV. The San Francisco 49ers, led by Joe Montana, hung a Super Bowl record 55 points on them, while Elway's offense could only score 10. As of 2009, that final score remains the most lopsided in Super Bowl history, and when coupled with the Broncos' other championship defeats, seemingly marked them as a good team which would never win the big one.

    Redemption

    • Elway, however, never gave in. He continued to lead the Broncos as quarterback for another decade and, though the teams weren't always contenders, they remained exceedingly dangerous. In 1997, another chance at a championship came, this time against the defending champion Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. The Broncos refused to lay down this time and--in a raucous and hard-fought match--finally emerged victorious by a score of 31-24.

    Repeat

    • As if to prove that their victory was no fluke, the Broncos returned to the Super Bowl a year later in 1998. This time, there was far less doubt in the air. The Atlanta Falcons proved no match for them, falling to Denver 34-19 and making the Broncos one of only a handful of teams ever to repeat as Super Bowl champions. Elway was named the game's MVP, and the mark of failure both he and the team had carried for so long vanished for good.