1984 Denver Broncos season
Encyclopedia
The 1984
Denver Broncos
season was the team's 25th year in professional football and its 15th with the National Football League
. The team finished with its then franchise best record of thirteen wins and three losses and were champions of the AFC West
. The season ended in a heartbreaking Divisional Playoff
loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers
.
. Given Denver's record and their opportunistic defense, Pittsburgh was the decided underdog. Indeed, much talk before the game centered on a possible meeting of two up-and-coming quarterbacks—Denver's John Elway
and Miami's Dan Marino
--in the AFC Championship Game
.
The game turned into a defensive struggle. After the Broncos' first drive ended in a punt, Steelers' quarterback Mark Malone
fumbled on two consecutive drives; the first ended in a missed Rich Karlis
field goal, but the second was converted into a touchdown pass from Elway to receiver Jim Wright
. The Steelers then answered with a scoring drive, as Gary Anderson kicked a 28-yard field goal.
With the teams trading punts, a miscue by the Steelers threatened to blow the game open. Midway through the second quarter, Steelers' punter Craig Colquitt
had his punt blocked—the first of his career—and Denver set up at Pittsburgh's four-yard-line. But on third-and-goal, Elway floated a weak pass into the arms of nose tackle Gary Dunn
. Now with the momentum, the Steelers were able to put a drive together at the end of the first half, resulting in a one-yard Frank Pollard
touchdown run. The Broncos tried to tie the game with time running out in the half, but a long field goal attempt by Karlis fell short.
Leading somewhat surprisingly 10–7, Pittsburgh looked to grind out yards on the ground and keep Elway on the sidelines. But Denver managed two drives to take the lead in the quarter; the first ended with a Karlis chip-shot to tie the game at 10, then Elway hit receiver Steve Watson
for a 20-yard strike to take a 17–10 lead. The Steelers then came back with a drive of their own, resulting in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Malone to receiver Louis Lipps
. After both defenses held and forced a couple of more punts, Pittsburgh used Pollard and Walter Abercrombie
to knife through a tiring Broncos defense. A key pass to Weegie Thompson
put the Steelers at the 15-yard-line, where they stalled. However, Anderson missed his second field goal of the afternoon, and Denver took over with about three minutes left.
Having sustained a groin pull and a twisted knee, however, Elway was not as mobile and was experiencing difficulty with his throws. On second down, Elway threw a pass over the middle that was intercepted by Steelers' safety Eric Williams, who then ran the ball down to the 2-yard-line. After a short run and an incomplete pass, Pollard scored the go-ahead touchdown with a 1-yard run.
With a hobbled Elway not being able to lead the team to a first down, the Broncos turned the ball over on downs. They then used all their time-outs while stopping the Steelers, who, somewhat controversially, attempted a field goal on fourth down—only to see Anderson miss his third attempt of the day. Elway then threw to Watson near midfield, but by the time Elway fired the ball out of bounds to stop the clock, only one second remained. A desperation "Hail Mary" pass fell incomplete, and the Steelers won, 24–17.
The Broncos and their fans were bitterly disappointed by the loss, and finished the year 13–4. After a season-long, high-profile rivalry with their AFC West stablemates Seattle, neither team would end up in the AFC Championship Game.
1984 NFL season
The 1984 NFL season was the 65th regular season of the National Football League. The Colts relocated from Baltimore, Maryland to Indianapolis, Indiana....
Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
season was the team's 25th year in professional football and its 15th with the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. The team finished with its then franchise best record of thirteen wins and three losses and were champions of the AFC West
AFC West
The AFC West is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference, currently comprising the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders.-History:...
. The season ended in a heartbreaking Divisional Playoff
NFL playoffs, 1984-85
The NFL playoffs following the 1984 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XIX.The two wild card games were held on different days because both venues were in the Pacific Standard Time Zone. The NFL did not schedule prime time playoff games on the east coast until 2002. Normally, playoff games started at...
loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
.
NFL Draft
| Pick # | |Player | |College | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Denver Broncos Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
Andre Townsend Andre Townsend Andre Townsend is a former defensive end who played 7 seasons for the Denver Broncos in the National Football League. He started in Super Bowl XXI and Super Bowl XXII.... |
Defensive End | Mississippi University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi, also known as Ole Miss, is a public, coeducational research university located in Oxford, Mississippi. Founded in 1844, the school is composed of the main campus in Oxford, four branch campuses located in Booneville, Grenada, Tupelo, and Southaven as well as the... |
| 78 | Denver Broncos | Tony Lilly | Defensive Back | Florida University of Florida The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906... |
| 89 | Denver Broncos | Randy Robbins | Defensive Back | Arizona University of Arizona The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885... |
| 159 | Denver Broncos | Aaron Smith | Linebacker | Utah State Utah State University Utah State University is a public university located in Logan, Utah. It is a land-grant and space-grant institution and is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.... |
| 186 | Denver Broncos | Clarence Kay | Tight end | Georgia University of Georgia The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States... |
| 207 | Denver Broncos | Winford Hood | Tackle | Georgia University of Georgia The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States... |
| 218 | Denver Broncos | Scott Garnett | Defensive tackle | Washington University of Washington University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University... |
| 245 | Denver Broncos | Chris Brewer | Running back | Arizona University of Arizona The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885... |
| 272 | Denver Broncos | Bobby Micho | Tight end | Texas University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin... |
| 299 | Denver Broncos | Gene Lang | Running back | Louisiana State Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name... |
| 326 | Denver Broncos | Murray Jarman | Wide receiver | Clemson |
Staff
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Record | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 2 | Cincinnati Bengals Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL... |
W 20–17 | Mile High Stadium Mile High Stadium Mile High Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, that stood in Denver, Colorado, from 1948 until 2001.It hosted the Denver Broncos, of the AFL and the NFL, from 1960-2000, the Colorado Rockies, of the National League, of the MLB, from 1993-1994, the Colorado Rapids, of MLS, from 1996-2001, the... |
1–0 | |
| 2 | September 9 | at Chicago Bears Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 0–27 | Soldier Field Soldier Field Soldier Field is located on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois, United States, in the Near South Side. It is home to the NFL's Chicago Bears... |
1–1 | |
| 3 | September 16 | at Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 24–14 | Cleveland Stadium Cleveland Stadium Cleveland Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in Cleveland, Ohio. In its final years, the stadium seated 74,438, for baseball and 81,000, for football. It was one of the early multi-purpose stadiums, built to accommodate both baseball and football... |
2–1 | |
| 4 | September 23 | Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
W 21–0 | Mile High Stadium | 3–1 | |
| 5 | September 30 | Los Angeles Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 16–13 | Mile High Stadium | 4–1 | |
| 6 | October 7 | at Detroit Lions Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and... |
W 28–7 | Pontiac Silverdome Silverdome The Silverdome is an indoor sporting and entertainment venue located in Launceston, Tasmania built in 1984. The Silverdome was built at an estimated cost of A$4 million, as the Tasmanian Government "proposed a world class facility" to replace the run down velodrome in the Launceston suburb of St... |
5–1 | |
| 7 | October 15 | Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions... |
W 17–14 | Mile High Stadium | 6–1 | |
| 8 | October 21 | at Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 37–7 | Rich Stadium Ralph Wilson Stadium Ralph Wilson Stadium is a football stadium, located in the town of Orchard Park, a suburb of Buffalo, New York. It is the home for the Buffalo Bills, of the NFL... |
7–1 | |
| 9 | October 28 | at Los Angeles Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 22–19 (OT) | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team... |
8–1 | |
| 10 | November 4 | New England Patriots New England Patriots The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... |
W 26–19 | Mile High Stadium | 9–1 | |
| 11 | November 11 | at San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 16–13 | Jack Murphy Stadium Qualcomm Stadium Qualcomm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in San Diego, California, in the Mission Valley area.... |
10–1 | |
| 12 | November 18 | Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960... |
W 42–21 | Mile High Stadium | 11–1 | |
| 13 | November 25 | Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
L 24–27 | Mile High Stadium | 11–2 | |
| 14 | December 2 | at Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
L 13–16 | Arrowhead Stadium Arrowhead Stadium Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs.... |
11–3 | |
| 15 | December 9 | San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 16–13 | Mile High Stadium | 12–3 | |
| 16 | December 15 | at Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
W 31–14 | Kingdome Kingdome The Kingdome was a multi-purpose stadium located in Seattle's SoDo neighborhood. Owned and operated by King County, the Kingdome opened in 1976 and was best known as the home stadium of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League , the Seattle Mariners of Major League Baseball , and the... |
13–3 | |
Standings
| AFC West AFC West The AFC West is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference, currently comprising the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders.-History:... |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK | |
| Denver Broncos | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 353 | 241 | W-2 |
| Seattle Seahawks 1984 Seattle Seahawks season The 1984 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's ninth season with the National Football League.-1984 NFL Draft:-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:-Playoffs:-External links:* *... |
12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 418 | 282 | L-2 |
| Los Angeles Raiders 1984 Los Angeles Raiders season The 1984 Los Angeles Raiders season was their 25th in the league. They failed to improve upon their previous season's output of 12–4, winning only eleven games. Despite finishing third in their division, the team qualified for the playoffs for the third consecutive... |
11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 368 | 278 | L-1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs 1984 Kansas City Chiefs season The 1984 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with an 8–8 record, and fourth place finish in the AFC West.Pro Bowl safety Gary Barbaro became the most notable Chiefs player to defect to the rival United States Football League, signing with the New Jersey Generals on February 2 after sitting out the... |
8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 314 | 324 | W-3 |
| San Diego Chargers 1984 San Diego Chargers season The 1984 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 6–10 record in 1983.-Schedule:-Standings:-See also:*1984 NFL season... |
7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 394 | 413 | L-2 |
Postseason
| Round | Date | Opponent | Result | Game site | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional Playoffs NFL playoffs, 1984-85 The NFL playoffs following the 1984 NFL season led up to Super Bowl XIX.The two wild card games were held on different days because both venues were in the Pacific Standard Time Zone. The NFL did not schedule prime time playoff games on the east coast until 2002. Normally, playoff games started at... |
December 30 | Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
L 24–17 | Mile High Stadium | |
AFC Divisional Playoff
The Broncos lost to the Steelers 24–17 at Denver's Mile High Stadium on Sunday, December 30, 1984. The game was televised on NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. Given Denver's record and their opportunistic defense, Pittsburgh was the decided underdog. Indeed, much talk before the game centered on a possible meeting of two up-and-coming quarterbacks—Denver's John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
and Miami's Dan Marino
Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. is a retired American football quarterback who played for the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League...
--in the AFC Championship Game
AFC Championship Game
The American Football Conference Championship Game is one of the two final playoff matches of the National Football League, the largest professional American football league in the United States. The game is played on the penultimate Sunday in January and determines the champion of the American...
.
The game turned into a defensive struggle. After the Broncos' first drive ended in a punt, Steelers' quarterback Mark Malone
Mark Malone
Mark M. Malone is a former American football quarterback in the NFL.-Playing career:Malone was the nation's most recruited quarterback in 1975 out of El Cajon Valley High School near San Diego, California...
fumbled on two consecutive drives; the first ended in a missed Rich Karlis
Rich Karlis
Richard John Karlis is a former American Football placekicker who played nine seasons for the Denver Broncos, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Detroit Lions in the National Football League from 1982 to 1990...
field goal, but the second was converted into a touchdown pass from Elway to receiver Jim Wright
Jim Wright (American football)
James Willie Wright in Fort Hood, Texas) is a former professional American football player who played tight end for seven seasons for the Atlanta Falcons and the Denver Broncos....
. The Steelers then answered with a scoring drive, as Gary Anderson kicked a 28-yard field goal.
With the teams trading punts, a miscue by the Steelers threatened to blow the game open. Midway through the second quarter, Steelers' punter Craig Colquitt
Craig Colquitt
Joseph Craig Colquitt is a retired American football punter who spent seven seasons in the National Football League with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts . He was a member of two Super Bowl Champions with the Steelers in 1978 and 1979. He is the father of two current NFL punters,...
had his punt blocked—the first of his career—and Denver set up at Pittsburgh's four-yard-line. But on third-and-goal, Elway floated a weak pass into the arms of nose tackle Gary Dunn
Gary Dunn
Gary Dunn is a former professional football player American football defensive tackle for twelve seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers....
. Now with the momentum, the Steelers were able to put a drive together at the end of the first half, resulting in a one-yard Frank Pollard
Frank Pollard
Frank Pollard is a former professional American football player who played running back for nine seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers....
touchdown run. The Broncos tried to tie the game with time running out in the half, but a long field goal attempt by Karlis fell short.
Leading somewhat surprisingly 10–7, Pittsburgh looked to grind out yards on the ground and keep Elway on the sidelines. But Denver managed two drives to take the lead in the quarter; the first ended with a Karlis chip-shot to tie the game at 10, then Elway hit receiver Steve Watson
Steve Watson (American football)
Steve Ross Watson is a former American football wide receiver and current wide receivers coach.After high school at St. Mark's High School in Wilmington, Delaware, Watson attended Temple University and entered the National Football League as an undrafted free agent in 1979...
for a 20-yard strike to take a 17–10 lead. The Steelers then came back with a drive of their own, resulting in a 10-yard touchdown pass from Malone to receiver Louis Lipps
Louis Lipps
Louis Adam Lipps is a former American football wide receiver in the NFL who played his entire nine-season career for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints....
. After both defenses held and forced a couple of more punts, Pittsburgh used Pollard and Walter Abercrombie
Walter Abercrombie
Walter Augustus Abercrombie is a former professional American football running back and kick returner in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1982 to 1987 and then for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1988....
to knife through a tiring Broncos defense. A key pass to Weegie Thompson
Weegie Thompson
Willis Hope “Weegie” Thompson is a former professional American football player who played wide receiver for six seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played high school football for Midlothian High School in Richmond, Virginia...
put the Steelers at the 15-yard-line, where they stalled. However, Anderson missed his second field goal of the afternoon, and Denver took over with about three minutes left.
Having sustained a groin pull and a twisted knee, however, Elway was not as mobile and was experiencing difficulty with his throws. On second down, Elway threw a pass over the middle that was intercepted by Steelers' safety Eric Williams, who then ran the ball down to the 2-yard-line. After a short run and an incomplete pass, Pollard scored the go-ahead touchdown with a 1-yard run.
With a hobbled Elway not being able to lead the team to a first down, the Broncos turned the ball over on downs. They then used all their time-outs while stopping the Steelers, who, somewhat controversially, attempted a field goal on fourth down—only to see Anderson miss his third attempt of the day. Elway then threw to Watson near midfield, but by the time Elway fired the ball out of bounds to stop the clock, only one second remained. A desperation "Hail Mary" pass fell incomplete, and the Steelers won, 24–17.
The Broncos and their fans were bitterly disappointed by the loss, and finished the year 13–4. After a season-long, high-profile rivalry with their AFC West stablemates Seattle, neither team would end up in the AFC Championship Game.