Denver Broncos

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Lore & Background

The team began play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) and joined the NFL as part of the merger in 1970. The Broncos are currently owned by a syndicate headed by former Walmart chairman Rob Walton and current Walmart chairman Greg Penner. Since 2001, the Broncos have played their regular season home games at Empower Field at Mile High; Denver previously played its home games at Mile High Stadium from its inception in 1960 through the 2000 season. The Broncos were barely competitive during their 10-year run in the AFL and their first three years in the NFL. They did not have a winning season until 1973 and qualified for their first playoffs in 1977, eventually advancing to Super Bowl XII that season. From 1973 to 2016, the Broncos suffered only eleven losing seasons and won 3 Super Bowls, becoming one of the NFL's most successful teams. They have won eight AFC Championships and three Super Bowl championships (XXXII, XXXIII, 50). The Broncos have nine primary members enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: John Elway, Floyd Little, Shannon Sharpe, Gary Zimmerman, Terrell Davis, Champ Bailey, Steve Atwater, and Randy Gradishar, along with late club owner Pat Bowlen. According to Forbes, the Broncos are valued at $6.8 billion in September 2025 making them the thirteenth most-valuable team in the NFL.

In Their Own Story

September 14, 2008, remains etched in memory for its dramatic finish. Trailing 38–31 with 52 seconds left, the Broncos faced 2nd-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Jay Cutler fumbled while rolling out, but referee Ed Hochuli ruled it an incomplete pass, placing the ball at the 10-yard line instead of the spot of the fumble. Two plays later, Cutler connected with Eddie Royal for a touchdown and then completed a two-point conversion to win 39–38. Three months later on December 28, the Chargers exacted revenge in the season finale. With both teams at 8–8, San Diego won 52–21 to claim the AFC West title based on tiebreakers. This collapse ended Mike Shanahan's 14-year tenure as head coach. Another memorable comeback occurred on October 15, 2012, when Peyton Manning led Denver from a 24–0 halftime deficit to a 35–24 victory, throwing three second-half touchdowns and capitalizing on four Philip Rivers turnovers.

Reader's Guide

The Denver Broncos were founded on August 14, 1959, when minor league baseball owner Bob Howsam was awarded an American Football League (AFL) charter franchise. The Broncos won the first-ever AFL game over the Boston Patriots 13–10, on September 9, 1960. Seven years later on August 5, 1967, they became the first-ever AFL team to defeat an NFL team, with a 13–7 win over the Detroit Lions in a preseason game. However, the Broncos were not successful in the 1960s, winning more than five games only once (7–7, 1962), compiling a record during the ten seasons of the AFL. Denver came close to losing its franchise in 1965, until a local ownership group took control, and rebuilt the team. The team's first superstar, 'Franchise' Floyd Little, was instrumental in keeping the team in Denver, due to his signing in 1967 as well as his Pro Bowl efforts on and off the field. The Broncos were the only original AFL team that never played in the title game, as well as the only original AFL team never to have a winning season while a member of the AFL during the upstart league's 10-year history. In 1972, the Broncos hired former Stanford University coach John Ralston as their head coach. In 1973, he was the UPI's AFC Coach of the Year, after Denver achieved its first winning season at 7–5–2. In five seasons with the Broncos, Ralston guided the team to three winning seasons. Though Ralston finished the 1976 season with a 9–5 record, the team, as was the case in Ralston's previous winning seasons, still missed the playoffs. Following the season, several prominent players publicly voiced their discontent with Ralston, which soon led to his resignation. Red Miller, a long-time assistant coach, was hired and along with the Orange Crush Defense (a nickname originated in 1977, also the brand of the popular orange-flavored soft drink) and aging Denver Broncos starting quarterback Craig Morton, took the Broncos to what was then a record-setting 12–2 regular-season record and their first playoff appearance in 1977, and ultimately made their first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XII, in which they were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys (Morton's former team), 27–10. In 1981, Broncos' owner Gerald Phipps, who had purchased the team in May 1961 from the original owner Bob Howsam, sold the team to Canadian financier Edgar Kaiser Jr., grandson of shipbuilding industrialist Henry J. Kaiser. I

Did You Know?

• The Broncos won the first-ever AFL game over the Boston Patriots 13–10 on September 9, 1960.
• The Broncos were the only original AFL team that never played in the AFL title game.
• John Elway was originally drafted by the Baltimore Colts as the first pick of the 1983 draft but forced a trade to the Broncos.
• Terrell Davis rushed for 157 yards and a Super Bowl-record three touchdowns in Super Bowl XXXII despite a severe migraine.

Historical Divisional Rivalry

The Broncos and Chargers have shared a division since the AFL's founding in 1960, first in the Western Conference and later in the AFC West. This continuous pairing has created a deep-seated competitive history. Denver leads the all-time series 74–58–1. Their single playoff meeting occurred on January 12, 2014, when the Broncos defeated the Chargers 24–17 in the AFC Divisional Round. This victory marked Peyton Manning's first career playoff win outside Indianapolis and sent Denver to the AFC Championship Game, where they eventually reached Super Bowl XLVIII.

Defining Moments of Drama and Error

Key moments often hinge on single plays. In 1985, Dennis Smith's blocked kicks led to a 60-yard return touchdown by Louis Wright for an overtime win. In 2003, a uniform error cost the Broncos $25,000 and forced them into white jerseys at home. On September 14, 2008, a referee's incorrect ruling on a fumble allowed Denver to convert a game-winning two-point play. Conversely, the Chargers have sealed wins with critical turnovers, such as Junior Seau recovering an Elway fumble in 1994. In 2017, Younghoe Koo's field goal was blocked by Shelby Harris after a timeout call by Vance Joseph, securing a 24–21 Broncos win.

The Era of Comebacks and Collapse

The rivalry has seen extreme momentum swings. On October 15, 2012, Peyton Manning led the Broncos from a 24–0 halftime deficit to a 35–24 win, throwing three touchdowns in the second half while Philip Rivers threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles. In contrast, the 2008 season ended with a devastating collapse for Denver; after leading the division, they lost their final two games to San Diego, including a 52–21 rout that cost them the AFC West title and Mike Shanahan's job. On November 1, 2020, the Broncos trailed 30–24 with 2:34 remaining after Phillip Lindsay led a rally, but the game details end there in the source.

Legacy and Playoff Dominance

Denver holds a 1–0 record in playoff meetings against Los Angeles. Their sole victory came on January 12, 2014, in the AFC Divisional Round, advancing to their first AFC Championship since 2005. The series features legendary players like John Elway, Peyton Manning, and LaDainian Tomlinson. Recent years have seen dramatic finishes, such as Drew Lock's debut on December 1, 2019, where a pass interference penalty set up a game-winning 53-yard field goal by Brandon McManus against the Chargers in the final seconds.