In 1995, Mike Shanahan, who had formerly served under Reeves as the Broncos' offensive coordinator, returned as head coach. 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). Baltimore went on to win Super Bowl XLVII. [96] Flacco led the Broncos to a 2–6 record before being placed on injured reserve and second-year quarterback Brandon Allen was named the starter. The Broncos opened the 2010 season with a 24–17 loss to the Jaguars, in which the teams alternated scores, but the Broncos never led in the game. 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. The Broncos wore their white jerseys for 1983 home games vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals, but did not wear white at home again for two decades — see next section. The team has sold out every home game (including post-season games) since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, with the exception of two replacement games during the 1987 strike (but both were sold out before the strike).

In 1973, he was the UPI's AFC Coach of the Year, after Denver achieved its first winning season at 7–5–2. Bob Howsam became the original owner of the Denver Broncos team, founded on August 14, 1959, with a new league. The first loss of the season came at the hands of the Giants, as Kent Graham hit Amani Toomer late in the fourth quarter to steal a 20–16 victory. [10] However, the Broncos were not successful in the 1960s, compiling a record of 39–97–4 during their ten-season run in the AFL.

[35] In fact, Super Bowl XXIV against the San Francisco 49ers was the most lopsided Super Bowl in NFL history. The Broncos wore their white jerseys at home throughout the 1971 season, as well as for 1980 home games vs. the San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys, the latter in hopes to bring out the "blue jersey jinx" which has followed the Cowboys for decades (it worked, the Broncos won 41–20). The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. Plummer led the team to a 7–2 record, only to struggle and be replaced by rookie quarterback Jay Cutler. [83], In 2009, in honor of their 50th anniversary season as one of the eight original American Football League teams, the Broncos wore their 1960 throwback uniforms (brown helmets, mustard yellow and brown jerseys) for games against two fellow AFL rivals—a Week 5 home game vs. the New England Patriots, as well as the following week at the San Diego Chargers.

[18] Prior to Elway, the Broncos had over 24 different starting quarterbacks in its 23 seasons to that point.[19]. [62] Cutler would go on to lead the Broncos to a 2–3 record in the team's last five games. The game was never in doubt, as the Seahawks led 36–0 at one point. At this point, the Broncos' fortunes quickly turned around.

[91] The stadium's legendary home-field advantage is regarded as one of the best in the NFL, especially during the playoffs.

Though there was speculation that Dumervil would be able to return as early as November,[77] he was placed on Injured Reserve on September 3, and missed the entire 2010 season. The Steelers went on to win Super Bowl XL. In 1996, Shanahan's second season, the Broncos went 13–3 and appeared on their way to another Super Bowl appearance.

Following the season, several prominent players publicly voiced their discontent with Ralston, which soon led to his resignation. [3] A 1960 "name-the-team" contest yielded the nickname "Broncos. 2" (AKA "the Hey Song"), during games.[38]. The Broncos lost a step to begin the 1980s, finishing with a middling 8–8 record in 1980.

The media caught sight of the famous Nike swoosh there, yet the company representatives were able to refute it. [94][95] Joe Flacco's season was ended after a back injury that landed him on injured reserve. The navy blue jerseys served as the team's primary home jersey until the end of the 2011 season — see next section. 18 was re-issued for Peyton Manning after Tripucka gave his approval; it was used by Manning from the 2012 season until his retirement after the 2015 season. Howsam concluded the only way out of his financial bind was to extend Bears Stadium's season by bringing football to Denver.

McDaniels' replacement as head coach was (surprisingly enough), John Fox, who wasn't re-signed from Carolina after that team finished 2–14.

Gary Kubiak became the fourth coach to win a Super Bowl in his first year with a new team. Elway, playing in his final NFL game, won the Super Bowl MVP award.

The emblem was finished in September 1996 and officially presented on February 4, 1997. 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 16.

Thus, Gus Frerotte started the playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens, a 21–3 defeat. The Broncos have played in the city of Denver, Colorado throughout their entire history. On September 20, just a day after the win over the Seahawks, tragedy struck the Broncos organization, when wide receiver Kenny McKinley was found dead in his Centennial, Colorado home of an apparent suicide, at the age of 23. [48][49] Terrell Davis was able to overcome a severe migraine headache that caused him blurred vision[50] and rush for 157 yards and three touchdowns[51] to earn Super Bowl MVP honors.

Since Elway's retirement following the 1998 season, until 2016, Denver had only three losing seasons (1999, 2007 and 2010 and has made the playoffs as a wild card three times (in 2000, 2003 and 2004), and as a division champion six times (2005, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 ). They won Super Bowl XXXII, Super Bowl XXXIII and Super Bowl 50. The Broncos did not win any titles as members of the AFL. Aside from the aforementioned AFC West teams, the Broncos have had intra-conference rivalries over the years with the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. [106], In 2011, the Broncos began a partnership with KJMN, 92.1 FM, a leading Spanish language radio station owned by Entravision Communications (EVC).

Like the road white jerseys, the white pants with the navy blue streaks running down the sides are worn with this uniform. [9], 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. Denver finished the season at 12–4 and at first place in the AFC West, but lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs in a rematch against the Colts, who would go on to lose to the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. The partnership also includes broadcasting rights for a half-hour weekly TV show on KCEC, the local Univision affiliate operated by Entravision Communications. On November 16, 2003, the Broncos wore their white jerseys at home for the first time since 1983, in a game vs. the San Diego Chargers. On June 13, 2019, longtime owner Pat Bowlen died at age 75 after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease.[97].

Otis Armstrong took his place, and despite finishing 9–5 in 1976, the playoffs still eluded them. Kaiser.

[63], 2007 marked Jay Cutler's first full season as the Broncos' starting quarterback.

The Broncos surprisingly drafted a quarterback, Jay Cutler,[61] following the season in which Plummer nearly led them to the Super Bowl. [95], The altitude has also been attributed as part of the team's home success. 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.