A Look At The Denver Broncos Preseason Results In Their 7 Super Bowl Seasons
DENVER (CBS4) - With the Broncos victory in Seattle last Friday night, the 2015 preseason is off and running.
We all know the games don't count in the standings, but as the players and coaches will tell you… they matter. But do the results of the exhibition season have any bearing on success in the real thing? Here's a look back at the preseason results and how the Broncos ultimately fared in all seven of their Super Bowl seasons.
1977 - This would be the season of the first Broncos Super Bowl appearance, and the first year of new head coach Red Miller. Back in the day, training camp and the preseason schedule were both much longer than the current NFL. The Broncos would play six preseason games that year, and the results would foreshadow the great year that lay ahead.
Denver would go 5-1 in those six games, losing only to the Eagles in Philadelphia in the fourth game. The Broncos, led by their Orange Crush defense would follow that up with a 12-2 regular season campaign, then had victories over the Steelers and Raiders to claim the AFC Championship. Their good fortune however didn't last until the Super Bowl. The Broncos were dominated by the Cowboys and lost 27-10 at the Superdome in New Orleans.
1986 - John Elway's arrival three years earlier, finally delivered the results that Broncos' fans had been longing for since 1977, the team's second trip to the Super Bowl. But the journey to the big game didn't start off all that well. In the preseason the Broncos dropped their first two games to the Saints and Vikings before managing a pair of wins over the 49ers and Rams to finish August with a 2-2 record. That turnaround in the preseason propelled the Broncos to six straight wins to start the regular season. But they would only break even the rest of the way winning five and losing five to end the season as the AFC West champs at 11-5.
A win over the Patriots in the first round of the playoffs sent the Broncos to Cleveland for the AFC Championship game. Elway and company would make history as they completed "The Drive," then beat the Browns in overtime. But two weeks later the New York Giants ended the run at Super Bowl XXI with a 39-20 victory.
1987 - Undaunted by the previous season's Super Bowl loss, the Broncos reconvened in 1987 and proceeded to reach the ultimate game for the second straight year. In an unusual bit of scheduling the Broncos would play the Los Angeles Rams twice in the preseason that year. The first game was the exhibition opener at Wembley Stadium in London. The Broncos lost that one, but three weeks later they earned preseason revenge by beating the Rams in Anaheim. Five days later Denver would lose to the Vikings to finish the preseason at 3-2.
Quarterback John Elway of the Denver Broncos scrambles with the ball during Super Bowl XXII against the Washington Redskins on Jan. 31, 1988, in San Diego. The Redskins won the game 42-10. (credit: Rick Stewart/Al/Getty Images)
As for the regular season, it was unusual as well. A player's strike wiped out one week of the season all together in late September, and the next four games would be manned by replacement players. Ultimately the Broncos would be credited with a 10-4-1 record to win the West again. Playoff victories over the Oilers and Browns ("The Fumble" game), propelled the Broncos to a Super Bowl showdown with the Redskins in San Diego. But the showdown turned into a rout when Washington scored 42-straight points to crush the Broncos 42-10.
1989 - At the close of the decade No. 7 was entering his seventh season in Denver. It would turn out to be John Elway's third Super Bowl season. Wins over the Rams and Cowboys were matched by losses to the 49ers and Colts, producing a final preseason record of 2-2. The mediocre results however would not continue in the regular season. Over the first 12 games the Broncos would only lose twice. But the red-hot Broncos would go ice cold in December dropping three of their last four to finish 11-5.
Playoff wins over the Steelers and the Browns (yes, them again) would send the Broncos back to the Superdome for Super Bowl XXIV. But just like the first trip back in 1977, the Broncos proved no match for the NFC champions. Just as they did in the preseason, the Broncos would again lose badly to the San Francisco 49ers. But unlike the preseason, this game counted more than any other, and it was embarrassing. Final score 55-10 Niners.
1997 - Almost 10 seasons had passed at this point without another Broncos Super Bowl trip. John Elway was entering his 15th season and the big question around the league was "could Elway win the big one?" The 1997 season would answer that question with an emphatic YES! And yet the first championship campaign did not get off to a roaring start. A five-game preseason schedule including the Broncos first and only trip to Mexico (their fifth preseason game outside the United States) finished at 3-2. But like the 1986 and 1989 teams, this Broncos bunch hit another gear for the regular season. Six straight wins to start the year. Twelve wins and only four losses to finish the year with a wildcard spot in the playoffs.
The Jaguars, Chiefs and Steelers would all bow to the Broncos in the postseason, setting up a classic Super Bowl XXXII between Elway and the Broncos and Brett Favre and the Packers. Green Bay was the defending champs, but Terrell Davis would carry off the MVP trophy as Denver finally claimed its first Lombardi Trophy in a nail biter 31-24.
1998 - With the stigma of Super Bowl disasters finally banished for good, Elway's legacy no longer included any question marks. But The Duke wasn't done making history. Returning for his 16th and final season, Elway's Broncos ran roughshod over the NFL. It started with three straight wins before a loss in the finale to close out the preseason at 3-1. But the Broncos were just getting warmed up. For 13 straight games the Broncos would not lose. An undefeated season was in reach only to be derailed in back-to-back December road losses. But with the pressure now off, Denver recharged the batteries and never looked back. A 14-2 regular season led to two home games in the postseason. The last two home games of Elway's illustrious career.
The Dolphins and Jets would prove no match, and in Super Bowl XXXIII, neither would the Falcons under former Broncos coach Dan Reeves. The Broncos romped to a 34-19 victory, and Elway rode off into the sunset as the MVP.
2013 - With Elway now running the front office the Broncos turned to another Hall of Fame caliber quarterback to run the show on the field. In 2013 Peyton Manning was now in his second season in Denver. The preseason was another mixed bag of 2-2. But in that preseason one game would stand out. In week two the Broncos were hammered 40-10. The opponent? Well the Broncos would see them again much later in the season. In between the Broncos would only lose three times in the regular season. And two of those losses would be avenged in the playoffs with victories over the Chargers and Patriots. But then came that team that pounded them in the preseason. The Seattle Seahawks. Super Bowl XLVIII began with a safety and ended in a blowout -- 40-10 in August was bad, but 43-8 in February was brutal.
So if you were keeping score at home, here's what we now know about the Broncos seven Super Bowl seasons:
- All of the preseasons finished with at least a .500 or better record
- None of the preseasons finished with a perfect record
- The two best preseasons (5-1 in 1977 & 3-1 in 1998) preceded the two best regular seasons (12-2 & 14-2)
So maybe the preseason doesn't count in the standings, but maybe it does play some role in reaching the Super Bowl. Then again, maybe not. The Broncos have produced three undefeated preseasons in franchise history. None of those teams ever won a ring.
Steve Cox is CBS4's Executive Producer for Sports. He has been with CBS4 since 1993. Follow Steve on Twitter @stevecoxdenver.
