Elway took his team all the way to its first Super Bowl, where Green Bay safety LeRoy Butler hit him hard on what became known as “The Helicopter.” To this day it is considered one of the greatest plays ever seen in NFL history.
Denver would make significant strides forward the following season under new coach Gary Kubiak despite this devastating defeat.
History of the Broncos
Denver Broncos history is one of perseverance, determination and triumph over adversity. Their founding date of August 14, 1959 serves as a starting point on their journey; from there on out they measure progression and milestones against this timeline giving statistical data greater context and meaning beyond being mere surface level numbers.
After an unpromising start, the Broncos made up ground to secure their playoff berth by winning 13 games in a row – most notably their divisional round win against Pittsburgh Steelers through an outstanding defensive effort that forced three lost fumbles and produced an interception by cornerback Bradley Roby.
Super Bowl XLII marked an epic matchup against two-time defending champion New England Patriots, yet the Broncos proved they belonged in this championship competition by outwitting them through an inspired fourth quarter rally led by John Elway’s two-point conversion pass to Terrell Davis and winning their third Super Bowl since 1975 – making history!
Offense
Broncos rank near the top in terms of turnover ratio and efficiency in an NFL league that increasingly emphasizes these metrics, ranking in the upper half in both areas. They have also improved at taking away the ball when taking into account only their best and worst games (three takeaways against Miami followed by none the following week).
Denver‘s offensive line has been one of its strongest assets this season, with left tackle Garett Bolles, center Luke Wattenberg, right guard Ben Powers and right tackle Mike McGlinchey all performing admirably enough to warrant contract extensions. These players give Russell Wilson plenty of time to throw while also helping limit explosive plays up front.
But there are a few areas that need addressing in the near future, including finding an alternative starting cornerback to Chris Harris Jr. and determining how best to utilize nickel back Emmanuel McMillian – who’s been very versatile but needs improvement on certain areas – going forward. It would also be hard justify keeping both Javon Sills and Brandon Bandy at their current prices.
Defense
Denver‘s defense has seen major strides under Vance Joseph. Part of that improvement lies with personnel: Denver has grown stronger as more young players step up and play key roles on defense.
Baron Browning and Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto’s development as rushers has helped turn an otherwise weak EDGE position into one that is young and exciting – chief among other reasons being opponents’ reduction of throwing plays.
The Broncos have shown significant improvement against the pass compared to earlier this season, allowing significantly fewer points while ranking tied for 19th in terms of touchdowns conceded per game (2.27). Their defensive turnaround has been assisted by Josey Jewell and Justin Simmons’ return as linebackers; both have improved on run fits and assignments, leading to reduced explosive plays while simultaneously producing more pressure against opposing quarterbacks (36.4% of opponent dropbacks have resulted in either sack, hit or hurry when compared to 28.4%).
Special teams
The Broncos special teams typically rank near the bottom of the league. Last season, they finished last in kickoff returns, 12th in punt returns and 29th in field goal success rate (77.8%).
Denver‘s recent additions should significantly strengthen their special teams unit. Mike Westhoff is back as special teams coordinator after four years away; Ben Kotwica worked with Westhoff for six seasons in New York; and Chris Banjo served as special teams specialist under Payton during 2017-18 in New Orleans.
Riley Dixon is an impressive new punter on the Broncos with a fascinating background. As a college quarterback he won the Big Ten punting title as a sophomore as well as being an esteemed kickoff returner and averaged 16 yards per return for Oklahoma before accepting the assignment of returning punts for Denver.