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The Denver Broncos are blessed to have several great teams along with three Super Bowl titles. A few iconic players came through the franchise along the way, too.
Here are the five best teams in Broncos history.
5. 1989 Broncos
The Denver Broncos entered the 1989 season after missing the prior postseason following back-to-back Super Bowl appearances (both losses). The team, led by John Elway in his seventh NFL season, would finish 11-5 with five Pro Bowl players on the roster, including Elway, lifetime Denver linebacker Karl Mecklenburg, and safety Dennis Smith.
That year, the Broncos were eighth in the league in scoring while giving up the least number of points to opponents. The team had an extremely hot start, losing only one game through mid-October before going on a four-game winning streak. After narrowly defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the divisional round, the Broncos dispatched the Cleveland Browns by 16 points to make their third Super Bowl appearance in four years.
However, the Broncos were demolished in Super Bowl XXIV by Joe Montana and the San Francisco 49ers in one of the biggest beatdowns in Super Bowl history. So much for a great season.
4. 1977 Broncos
A year before the NFL implemented the 16-game schedule, the 1977 Broncos went 12-2, first in their division and conference. Again, this Broncos team's offense was pedestrian (top 10) while they leaned on their great defense, third in the NFL. Craig Morton started every game under center and didn't put up great numbers.
Nevertheless, Denver glided to a 6-0 start in the regular season before dropping a home game to the Oakland Raiders. The Broncos won six straight games and dropping the season finale to the Dallas Cowboys on the road.
In the playoffs, the Broncos again took care of business against the Steelers and defeated the Raiders by a three-point margin to advance to their first Super Bowl, SB XII. Denver lost to the only other team to beat them that season, the Cowboys, scoring 10 points in the third quarter.
3. 2015 Broncos
The 2015-16 season was a revenge tour for Denver, then led by senior NFL statesman Peyton Manning in his fourth season with the Broncos, which proved to be his last. He retired after achieving his second Super Bowl victory.
A common theme in the history of the Broncos, Denver was led by its high-powered defense, fourth in the league in points allowed, highlighted by intimidating linebackers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware and cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Chris Harris Jr. Running backs Ronnie Hillman and CJ Anderson led the ground game, combining for over 1,500 rushing yards while wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders were Manning's top targets.
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The Broncos won their first seven regular-season games before losing to Manning's former team, the Colts, and the rival Chiefs in back-to-back weeks. Denver had the top seed in the AFC, winning in two playoff nail-biters against Pittsburgh and New England before comfortably taking down the 15-1 Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
2. 1997 Broncos
The first Super Bowl champion in Broncos history finally saw Elway mount the summit. Strangely enough, at 12-4, Denver finished second in the AFC West in 1997 to the Chiefs, but Elway's offense sustained Denver's strong run.
Elway threw 3,635 yards for 27 touchdowns in the NFL's best offense, helped by Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis and pass-catchers Rod Smith and Shannon Sharpe. The Broncos' only losses came against the Raiders, Chiefs, Steelers, and 49ers.
Denver had to play in the wild card, destroying the third-year expansion Jacksonville Jaguars before eking out a low-scoring divisional playoff win over Kansas City. Elway led the Broncos in an unforgettable conference title game over the Steelers and beat defending champion Brett Favre and the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII.
1. 1998 Broncos
The franchise's best record was the 1998 season, where the Broncos repeated as Super Bowl champions, too.
Going 14-2 with Davis winning MVP and Offensive Player of the Year, the Broncos saw nine players make the Pro Bowl. The team dropped two games all season before destroying the Dolphins in the divisional round, launching a third-quarter assault against the Jets to win the AFC title, and defending their crown against the Falcons in the Super Bowl in a game that wasn't close.
Elway won Super Bowl MVP, his second title in two years that cemented his NFL legacy in his last game.
