History of Denver Broncos NFL Championship Performances

The Denver Broncos have a storied pedigree of playoff success in the NFL. They have won the AFC West division 15 times, and they have been to the Super Bowl seven times, winning twice. Let’s take a look at their track record on the NFL’s biggest stage. If the Broncos can beat the online betting odds and make it back to the Super Bowl for an eighth time, they will do so by knocking off an intrepid New England team that appears to be hitting on all cylinders on offense at just the right time.

Super Bowl XII

Red Miller was the defensively minded coach who put together the Orange Crush, a defense that was the terror of much of the AFC. They rode this unit (and the arm of aging quarterback Craig Morton) to a 12-2 record in the 1977 regular season, winning the AFC West and reaching the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. That year, Morton had the chance to take on his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, in the Super Bowl, but the Broncos fell, 27-10, as the Dallas Cowboys won their second world championship.

Super Bowls XXI, XXII and XXIV

Dan Reeves was the head coach and John Elway was the quarterback for what was arguably the most dominant phase of the Broncos’ franchise history. During their 12 years together leading the team, Reeves and Elway would see their team go to the playoffs six times, win five division titles and win three AFC Championships. Unfortunately, the team didn’t win any of those Super Bowls. Super Bowl XXI was a 39-20 loss to the New York Giants; Super Bowl XXII was a 42-10 loss to the Washington Redskins, and Super Bowl XXIV was a 55-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a result which is still the most lopsided margin of victory in a Super Bowl. The last few years of Reeves’ and Elway’s partnership saw some drama, as Reeves got rid of offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan after the 1991 campaign and called the plays himself. The team fired Reeves after the 1992 season.

Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII

Mike Shanahan returned as the head coach of the Broncos, and they entered a new phase of dominance as Terrell Davis joined John Elway at tailback. Adding the running dimension to the game elevated the Broncos back to the playoffs, and they beat Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXII — and repeated the feat the next year, knocking off the Atlanta Falcons (coached by Reeves) in Super Bowl XXXII, 34-19. Elway was the MVP of this game.

Super Bowl XLVIII

The 2013 season saw the Broncos roll to a 13-3 record and the #1 seed in the AFC. They knocked off San Diego in the divisional round and New England in the AFC Championship, but a game-opening safety (the first in Super Bowl history) set the stage for an ugly 43-8 whipping at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks. Peyton Manning had led a high-powered offense all season long but could not get anything going against the “Legion of Boom” defense of the Seahawks.