Part 2 is a continuation of the Denver Broncos
article that was posted on March 21, 2025
The Griese Era
Brian Griese, son of former Miami Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese, took over as quarterback upon Elway’s retirement. Griese led the team from 1999 – 2002, compiling a record of 34 – 30. Though the team made the playoffs under Griese, he never took a snap in the postseason for the Broncos. A shoulder injury he suffered during a gutty Monday Night performance against the arch-rival Raiders (in what would be, ironically, the Final Monday Night affair at Mile High Stadium), shelved him for most of the remainder of the season. Thus, Gus Frerotte started the playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens, a 21 – 3 defeat(6). The Broncos would finish with winning records under Griese but miss the playoffs in 2001 and 2002.
The Plummer Era Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer replaced Griese as quarterback before the 2003 season. He would lead the team to a 49 – 26 record and a 1 – 3 playoff record from 2003 to 2006(60). Before the 2005 season, the Broncos were plagued by early-season success followed by late-season flops. In both 2003 and 2004, they started the season 5 – 1 and ended 10 – 6. (61)(62)
After losing the 2005 season opener, the Broncos won five straight games, defeating the Chargers 20 – 17, Chiefs 30 – 10, Jaguars 20 – 7, Redskins 21 – 19, and the two-time defending champion Patriots 28 – 20, on October 16th. Denver lost the next game to the Giants on October 23rd by a final score of 24 – 23, in the game’s final minute. The following week, the Broncos routed the defending NFC champion Eagles, 49 – 21, on October 30th. In that game, the Broncos became the first team in NFL history to have two players, Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell, rush for over 100 yards and another player, Jake Plummer, pass for over 300 yards in a single game. Denver then defeated the Raiders on November 13th, 31 – 17. The next game, the Broncos shut out the Jets 27 – 0 in Denver on November 20th. It was the Broncos’ first shutout win since 1997 (when the team blanked the Panthers that season). Denver then went on to defeat the Cowboys on November 24th, Thanksgiving Day, winning in overtime, 24 – 21, on a Jason Elam 24-yard game-winning field goal. One of the key plays prior to the field goal was a 55-yard run by Ron Dayne, who filled in for the injured Tatum Bell. Denver lost to the Chiefs in the next game, 31 – 27, on December 4th, but won against the Ravens the following week, 12 – 10. On December 17th, the Broncos defeated the Bills, 28 – 17. On Christmas Eve 2005, the Broncos clinched the AFC West division title, as they finished with an 8 – 0 record at INVESCO Field at Mile High by defeating the Raiders, 22 – 3. On December 31st, 2005, the Broncos got season-win number 13 in a season-sweeping on the road against their division rivals, the Chargers, with a final score of 23 – 7.
The Broncos entered the playoffs for the third consecutive year with the momentum of a four-game winning streak. Denver finished the regular season with a record of 13 – 3, tying them with the Seattle Seahawks for the second-best overall record in the league, behind the 14 – 2 Indianapolis Colts. Denver was seeded number two in the AFC behind the Colts. On January 14th, 2006, the Broncos defeated the two-time defending champion New England Patriots, 27 – 13, in the divisional round – denying the Patriots of becoming the first NFL team to ever win three consecutive Super Bowl championships. The last team with an opportunity of winning three consecutive Super Bowls before the Patriots were the Broncos themselves. The Broncos’ playoff run came to an end after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship, 34 – 17, on January 22nd, 2006. Denver turned the ball over four times and was outscored in the first half, 24 – 3. The Steelers went on to win Super Bowl XL.
The Cutler Era The Broncos surprisingly drafted a quarterback, Jay Cutler,(63) following the season in which Plummer nearly led them to the Super Bowl. Plummer’s erratic 2006 performance led to his benching in favor of Cutler 12 games into the season(64). Cutler would go on to lead the Broncos to a 2 – 3 record in the team’s last five games. The Broncos finished the 2006 season tied for the last Wild Card spot with the Chiefs, with a 9 – 7 record, but lost the tiebreaker due to the Chiefs owning the better AFC West record (4 – 2 to the Broncos 3 – 3).
The 2006 season marked longtime wide receiver Rod Smith’s last season as a Bronco after 13 seasons. A hip injury that required two hip replacement surgeries effectively ended Smith’s career before the 2007 season, and Smith officially retired in 2008. (65)
2007 marked Jay Cutler’s first full season as the Broncos’ starting quarterback. However, the team suffered through several injuries to key players, including Rod Smith, Tom Nalen, Ben Hamilton, Javon Walker, Jarvis Moss, and Ebenezer Ekuban, and finished the season with a 7 – 9 record, the team’s first losing season since 1999. Perhaps the most notable event was a Monday Night Football home loss to the Green Bay Packers, in which the team set a franchise record for tickets distributed for the game, with 77,160 tickets (76,645 fans attended the game)(66)(67). 2007 also marked longtime placekicker Jason Elam’s last season in a Broncos uniform after 15 seasons. Elam played for the Atlanta Falcons from 2008 – 2009, before retiring as a Bronco in March 2010. (68)
In 2008, Cutler passed for 4,526 yards, breaking Plummer’s Broncos record for passing yardage in a single season(69). However, 2008 was the third consecutive year the Broncos failed to make the playoffs, this time despite holding a three-game lead over the Chargers with three games left to play.
In 2008, the Broncos got off to a 4 – 1 start, which included a controversial home win against the division rival San Diego Chargers, but struggled through a mediocre stretch in the middle of the season. After 13 games, the team was sitting in first place in the AFC West, with an 8 – 5 record, three games ahead of the Chargers, who were 5 – 8. However, in the next two weeks, the Broncos suffered back-to-back losses to the Panthers and Bills, while the Chargers won two straight games. This set the stage for the 2008 season finale when the Broncos and Chargers met at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium to decide the AFC West division title. The Broncos were blown out 52 – 21 by the Chargers and would become the first team in NFL history to enter the final quarter of a regular season with a three-game lead and squander the division lead. The Broncos and Chargers finished the season tied at 8 – 8, but the Chargers won the AFC West based on a better division record (5 – 1 to the Broncos 3 – 3). The Broncos missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season.
On December 30th, 2008, two days after the disastrous season-ending collapse in San Diego, Mike Shanahan, the longest-tenured and winningest coach in the Broncos’ franchise history, was fired after 14 seasons(70). Two weeks later, on January 11th, 2009, the Broncos hired former New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as the team’s new head coach(71). Three months later, following a turbulent transition from the Mike Shanahan era to Josh McDaniels, the team traded Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears for quarterback Kyle Orton. (72)
The Orton Era With their new quarterback, Denver began 2009 well by winning the first six games. The first three wins included a rally over the Bengals, 12 – 7, as well as a relatively easy win versus the Browns, 27 – 6, and the Raiders, 23 – 3. The next three wins came against a tougher stretch of opponents, versus the Cowboys, 17 – 10, the Patriots, 20 – 17 in overtime, and the Chargers, 34 – 23. The Broncos’ revamped defense played a huge role in each of the six wins.
But after the bye week, the team suddenly collapsed, losing four in a row. They managed to break their losing streak, with back-to-back routs of the Giants and Chiefs. Those would be the Broncos’ last wins, as they dropped their remaining four matches, including a one-point loss to the Raiders at home followed by a close loss of 30 - 27 to the Eagles. Denver’s last hope of getting into the playoffs ended with a 44 – 24 home loss to Kansas City. Ending the season with an 8 – 8 team record, Kyle Orton had 21 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 3,802 yards, and a quarterback rating of 86.8. (73)
While starting out with a 6 – 0 record, an ankle injury against the Washington Redskins and injuries to the offensive line caused Orton to struggle late in the season. Despite putting up 431 yards in the regular season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs, it was two interceptions from Orton that brought the Broncos’ season to a close and ended Denver’s chance at a playoff appearance.
With a potentially uncapped 2010 NFL season, Orton became a restricted free agent but later signed a tender on April 16th, 2010. (74)
Notable offseason roster moves included the trades of fullback Peyton Hillis (to the Cleveland Browns for quarterback Brady Quinn),(75) and tight end Tony Scheffler (a three-team trade with the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles),(77) as well as the draft selections of Georgia Tech wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and All-American Florida quarterback Tim Tebow(78). Tebow was a heavily hyped draft pick, partly because Denver traded three draft picks to select him.
On August 4th, shortly after the start of training camp, the Broncos suffered a devasting blow to their defense, when outside linebacker/defensive end Elvis Dumervil suffered a torn pectoral muscle in practice. Though there was speculation that Dumervil would be able to return as early as November,(79) he was placed on the Injured Reserve list on September 3rd and missed the entire 2010 season(80). Also on August 4th, the Broncos added free-agent running back and Denver native LenDale White to their roster. However, on September 2nd, during the team’s last preseason game (at the Vikings), White suffered a torn Achilles tendon and missed the entire 2010 season(81). On September 4th, wide receiver Brandon Stokley was placed on injured reserve and later released. (82)
The Broncos opened the 2010 season with a 24 – 17 loss to the Jaguars, in which the team alternated scores, but the Broncos never led in the game. On September 14th, two days after the loss to the Jaguars, the Broncos acquired running back Laurence Maroney in a trade from the New England Patriots (for a 2011 fourth-round selection(83). In week 2, the Broncos cruised to a relatively easy 31 – 14 victory against the Seattle Seahawks, in the team’s home opener. On September 20th, just a day after the win over the Seahawks, tragedy struck the Broncos organization, wide receiver Kenny McKinley was found dead in his Centennial, Colorado home of an apparent suicide, at the age of 23(84). In week 3, the Broncos lost 27 – 13 at home to the Indianapolis Colts. Kyle Orton threw for a career-high 476 yards, but the Broncos were plagued by red-zone miscues. In week 4, the Broncos rallied for a 26 – 20 win at the Tennessee Titans. In week 5, the Broncos lost 31 – 17 to the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, a venue that has been none too kind to the Broncos. In week 6, the Broncos suffered a heartbreaking 24 – 20 loss at home to the Jets, aided by a costly pass interference penalty on safety Renaldo Hill that enabled the Jets to rally for the win in the game’s final two minutes. In week 7, the Broncos were annihilated 59 – 14 at home by the Raiders for their worst loss since 1963. In week 8, the Broncos lost 24 – 16 to the 49ers. The game was played at Wembley Stadium in London, as part of the International Series.
Following the team’s week 9 bye, the Broncos cruised to a relatively easy 49 – 29 win over the Chiefs in week 10. Kyle Orton had a career-high four touchdown passes and threw for 296 yards. His passer rating was 131.5 earning him the title of AFC Offensive Player of the Week. In week 11, the Broncos were no match for the Chargers on Monday Night Football, losing 35 – 14 at Qualcomm Stadium.
On November 27th, 2010, just a day before the team’s 36 – 33 home loss to the St. Louis Rams in week 12, the Broncos and head coach Josh McDaniels were fined $50,000 each as a result of a videotaping scandal, during the team’s aforementioned week 8 game against the 49ers in London. In week 13, the Broncos fell 10 – 6 to the Chiefs, clinching the team’s third losing season since 1999 and removing them from playoff contention. Afterward, Jeff McDaniels was fired, and running backs coach Eric Studesville took his place for the remainder of the season. McDaniel’s tenure as a head coach, which had gotten off to a good beginning with the team’s 6 – 0 start to the 2009 season, ultimately turned into a total fiasco with a win-loss record of 11 – 17 before his firing, combined with the Raiders disaster, the expenditure of first-round draft picks on Tim Tebow (who could have been taken in the second or third round), the videotaping episode, and the trading away of key players such as Brandon Marshall. In week 14, the Broncos were crushed 43 – 13 by the Arizona Cardinals. In week 15, the Broncos lost 39 – 23 to the Raiders, in Tim Tebow’s first career start. In week 16, the Broncos rallied for a 24 – 23 win over the Houston Texans, on the strength of Tim Tebow throwing for 308 yards and a touchdown, as well as rushing for another touchdown. In week 17, the Broncos fell 33 – 28 at home to the Chargers to finish 4 – 12.
Tebow Time In 2011, for the first time in 12 years, former Broncos quarterback John Elway returned to his old team, as general manager, a position he would maintain until 2020. McDaniels’ replacement as head coach was (surprisingly enough) John Fox, who wasn’t resigned by the Carolina Panthers after that team finished 2 – 14. After taking linebacker Von Miller from Texas A&M with the 2nd pick in the 2011 draft, the Broncos’ offseason was marked by waffling over the fate of Kyle Orton. It was widely expected that he would be traded to the Miami Dolphins, where he could be reunited with Brandon Marshall, but negotiations broke down and he remained a Bronco.
Tim Tebow was relegated to 3rd string quarterback behind Orton and Brady Quinn as the Broncos opened on Monday Night Football against their rival, the Oakland Raiders. There was no repeat of the 59 – 14 blowout, but an extraordinarily sloppy game ensued as both teams racked up penalties. In the third quarter, Orton threw an interception that the Raiders used to set a 63–yard field goal by Sebastian Janikowski (only the third of this length in league history) and eventually won 23 – 20.
Kyle Orton’s playing suffered under repeated fan calls to switch to Tim Tebow as their starter and the Broncos entered their bye week at 1 – 4. Tebow was then installed as starting quarterback and Orton was cut loose as a free agent. At this point, the Broncos’ fortunes quickly turned around. They beat the struggling Dolphins in what was described as Tebow’s triumphant return to his hometown of Miami. The Broncos won their next six games all despite numerous controversies over Tebow’s playing style (an overwhelmingly run-based quarterback in a season where quarterbacks like Drew Brees set record passing stats). In week 15, the Patriots arrived in Denver and rolled over the Broncos. They lost their two remaining games to Buffalo and Kansas City but were still able to clinch the AFC West title and host a playoff game. For the second time in four seasons, the AFC Western Division was a tie among teams with an 8 – 8 record, the title being decided by tie-breakers.
Hosting their first playoff game since 2005, the Broncos battled the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round. The game went into overtime and on the opening drive, Tebow threw Demaryius Thomas a 20-yard pass and Thomas took it 80 yards to the house winning 29 – 23. Denver’s improbable season came to an end when they headed to New England and were again buried by the Patriots 45 – 10.
2012 – 2015: Arrival of Peyton Manning Most football analysts dismissed the Broncos’ playoff run as a fluke resulting in bad luck and a weak AFC West division. Thus, on March 20th, the Broncos signed Peyton Manning, who had just been released by the Indianapolis Colts. The following day, Tebow, despite being extremely popular with most of the Bronco fanbase, was traded to the New York Jets in exchange for a fourth-round draft selection(85).
2012 Despite widespread skepticism about Manning’s age, injuries, and rustiness, he delivered an impressive performance in the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers (a rematch of the previous season’s wild-card game), throwing for 253 yards and two touchdown passes in a 31 – 19 Broncos’ victory. Manning also threw his 400th touchdown pass in that game, the third quarterback to do so after Dan Marino and Brett Favre (Manning did it faster than either, however). Knowshon Moreno ran for another touchdown and cornerback Tracy Porter intercepted Ben Roethlisberger in a mirror image of his celebrated interception returns during the 2009 postseason.
Following that however, the Broncos lost two straight, to the Atlanta Falcons (27 – 21), and the Houston Texans (31 – 25). In Week 4, the Denver Broncos faced their most hated rival, the Oakland Raiders; the Broncos dominated the game from the start and won 37 – 6. In Week 5, they traveled to New England, rekindling the Brady – Manning rivalry of seasons prior. Despite being blown out twice last year, Manning and the Broncos managed to keep it close but ultimately lost 31 – 21. In Week 6, the Broncos faced another division rival, the San Diego Chargers; the Broncos were 2 – 3 at the time while the Chargers were 3 – 2. At half-time, the Broncos were being blown out 24 – 0. However, in the second half, Manning threw three touchdown passes, cornerbacks Tony Carter and Chris Harris intercepted Philip Rivers, and the Chargers were held scoreless. In a comeback victory, the Broncos topped the Chargers 35 – 24 and tied for first in the AFC West.
What the Broncos did not know at the time, however, was that their victory over the Chargers would be the start of a complete turnaround. Following a week 7 bye, the Broncos won their final ten games to compile an 11-game win streak. Throughout all of this, Manning silenced his critics by playing at an MVP-caliber level and the Broncos’ offensive and defensive numbers rose in the rankings along with him. The Broncos ended the season at 13 – 3, clinching both the AFC West (their first consecutive title since 1986 – 1987) and the AFC’s #1 seed. On January 12th, 2013, the Broncos made their 2013 playoff debut against the Baltimore Ravens in Denver, only to lose 38 - 35 in double overtime. Baltimore went on to win Super Bowl XLVII.
2013: the record-breaking offense In 2013, the Broncos went 13 – 3 and scored a record 606 points the season, including an NFL-record 55 touchdown passes from Manning, in completing the first division title three-peat in their history. This time, they lived up to preseason expectations, defeating San Diego 24 – 17 (after leading 17 – 0) in the AFC Divisional Game, and New England 26 – 16 (after leading 20 – 3) in the AFC Championship Game to advance to face the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Coming into the game, the team was a 2.5-point favorite, but on the opening play, Manning missed an errant snap, resulting in a Seahawk’s safety. This was the start of a miserable game for the Broncos, as they were drilled 43 – 8 by the Seahawks, the third-largest blowout in Super Bowl history (the largest, ironically, was the 1989 Broncos’ losing Super Bowl XXIV 55 – 10). The game was never in doubt, as the Seahawks led 36 – 0 at one point. The Broncos were one of the few teams ever to attempt (and complete) a 2-point conversion in the Super Bowl. The 8-point play was scored when the game was already out of reach. The Broncos’ team that scored an NFL-record 606 points in the regular season, along with another 50 in the playoffs, was held to just 8 points in the game by the No. 1-ranked Seahawks defense.
2014 – 2015: Manning’s final years and Super Bowl victory In 2014, the Broncos attempted to return to the Super Bowl and win. They beat Manning’s previous team, the Indianapolis Colts, and then defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. Their week 3 game was billed as a Super Bowl rematch against the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks seemed to have the game won in the fourth quarter, however, Manning led the Broncos on a late-game comeback to tie the game 20 – 20. Ultimately, however, the Seahawks were the victors with a 26 – 20 win. Later on in the season, Manning threw for his 509th touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers, the most by any NFL quarterback in NFL history. Denver finished the season at 12 – 4 and in first place in the AFC West, but lost the divisional round of the playoffs in a rematch against the Colts, who would go on to be defeated by the Patriots in the AFC Championship game(86). The Broncos and head coach John Fox mutually decided to part ways following this season,(87) and Gary Kubiak was hired to replace him. (88)
In 2015, the Broncos, sporting the NFL’s top-ranked defense (including the vaunted “No Fly Zone” defensive secondary), completed a 12 – 4 regular season en route to the franchise’s NFL-record-tying eighth Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The season began with a seven-game winning streak interrupted by a road loss to Manning’s old team. Peyton Manning broke the all-time passing yardage record previously held by Brett Farve in a week nine home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. However, the day’s celebration was hollow as Manning was intercepted four times and ultimately benched during the game in favor of backup quarterback Brock Osweiler due to injury and a decline in performance. Osweiler helped the Broncos to five wins in seven starts in relief of the injured Manning, including overtime triumphs over eventual playoff teams Cincinnati and New England. Manning returned to the lineup during the final week of the regular season, helping the Broncos rally to a victory over the San Diego Chargers. A Patriots loss to Miami coupled with the Broncos’ win, allowed Denver to enjoy the AFC’s top seed and home-field advantage for the playoffs.
Denver defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 23 – 16 in the divisional round and got a second victory over the Patriots in the AFC Championship game by a score of 20 – 18. The Broncos’ victory was sealed when cornerback Bradley Roby intercepted a two-point conversion attempt with less than a minute to go in the game. Super Bowl 50 pitted the Broncos against the favored Carolina Panthers. The Broncos’ defense created three lost fumbles and an interception and scored a defensive touchdown to power the team to a 24 – 10 victory, the third NFL title for the franchise. Von Miller, who had 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles, was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Peyton Manning made history as the first quarterback to start and win a Super Bowl for two teams. Gary Kubiak became the fourth coach to win a Super Bowl in his first year with a new team. The Broncos’ third championship tied them for seventh-most Super Bowl wins all-time, along with the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders.
2016 – 2021: post-Peyton Manning struggles
(Quarterback Carousel and Vance Joseph)One month after the Super Bowl win, Manning announced his retirement from professional football after 18 seasons,(89) and Brock Osweiler left the Broncos for the Houston Texans in free agency, signing a lucrative 4-year deal worth up to $72 million(90). This left a wide-open competition for the quarterback position, with former third-string quarterback Trevor Siemian beating out trade acquisition Mark Sanchez and rookie Paxton Lynch(91). Siemian led the Broncos to a 9 – 7 record in 2016, their fifth straight winning season and sixth over .500, but the Broncos barely missed out on the playoffs, ending their string of five consecutive division titles. Following the season, Gary Kubiak stepped down as head coach due to health issues, and he was replaced by Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. (92)
The 2017 season saw the Broncos fall to 5 – 11, their first losing season since 2010. Siemian began struggling with poor play and injury, allowing Lynch and Osweiler, who returned to the Broncos after brief stints with the Texans and Cleveland Browns, to see playing time. A notable incident occurred during a week 12 game against the Oakland Raiders, when cornerback Aqib Talib got into a fight with Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree for the second year in a row, resulting in both players getting suspended(93). The following season, the Broncos signed quarterback Case Keenum, who had helped the Minnesota Vikings reach the NFC Championship game. Keenum won the starting job over Lynch, who was subsequently waived, and the Broncos saw the emergence of two rookies: running back Phillip Lindsay and linebacker Bradley Chubb. However, the Broncos finished at 6 – 10, marking only the second time they had back-to-back losing seasons since the 1971 – 1972 seasons, leading to the firing of Vance Joseph after only two seasons. (94)
The references for the entire article
will be at the end of Part 3
