The
Denver BroncosThe 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...
finished the
1997 NFL seasonThe 1997 NFL season was the 78th regular season of the National Football League. The Oilers relocated from Houston, Texas to Nashville, Tennessee...
by winning
Super Bowl XXXIISuper Bowl XXXII was an American football game played on January 25, 1998 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1997 regular season...
. They went 12–4 during the regular season. The Broncos were the third team in NFL history to win a Super Bowl but not win the Division Title.
Season summary
Having lost a disappointing playoff game to
JacksonvilleThe Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
the year before, many thought this might be
John Elway'sJohn 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...
last chance to win a Super Bowl. They started off the season by winning their first six games, beating the
ChiefsThe 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...
,
SeahawksThe 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...
,
RamsThe St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
,
BengalsThe 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...
,
FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
and
PatriotsThe 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...
. They then lost to the
RaidersThe 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...
, then defeated the
BillsThe 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...
, Seahawks, and
PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
. They then lost to the Chiefs, beat the Raiders and the
ChargersThe 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...
, lost to the
SteelersThe 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...
and the
49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
, but finished the season with a win against the Chargers.
They made the playoffs as a wildcard and advanced against the
JaguarsThe Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Chiefs and defeated the Steelers in the 1997 AFC Championship Game. They then won Super Bowl XXXII against the
PackersThe 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...
31–24, only the third team to ever win a Super Bowl as a wildcard, and the first AFC team to win the title since the
Los Angeles RaidersThe 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...
in
Super Bowl XVIIISuper Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, deciding the National Football League champion following the 1983 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Los Angeles Raiders defeated the National Football Conference...
following the
1983 seasonThe 1983 NFL season was the 64th regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl XVIII when the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins.-Major rule changes:...
. The win was a big morale boost to Denver and the Broncos, who had suffered through four previous Super Bowl losses, and especially Elway, who had led three of those defeats.
Team stats
The 1997 Broncos were tenth in the league in total passing yards with 3704 and fourth in the league in total rushing yards with 2378. They finished with 6082 total yards, first in the NFL. They were fourth in total yards given up with 4969. They were also first in total points scored with 472. They were seventh in total points allowed with 287.
The team's 12–4 record is currently their fifth-best 16-game season in franchise history.
Player stats
During the season
John ElwayJohn 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...
threw for 3635 yards and
Terrell DavisTerrell Lamar Davis is a former American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League from 1995 to 2001. Davis was drafted by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft. Davis is the Denver Broncos all-time leading rusher, with 7,607 rushing...
rushed for 1750 yards. Rod Smith had 70 receptions for 1180 yards and
Ed McCaffreyEdward Thomas McCaffrey is a former American football wide receiver who played for the New York Giants , San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos of the National Football League...
had 45 receptions for 590 yards.
Tight endThe tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
Shannon SharpeShannon Sharpe is a former American Football tight end who played for the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. Sharpe is known for his creative commentary and trash talking. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and inducted on August 6, 2011...
has 72 receptions for 1107 yards. Kicker
Jason ElamJason Elam is a retired American football placekicker. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft. He played college football at Hawaii....
kicked 26 field goals out of 36 attempted. Davis, Elway,
Tom NalenThomas Andrew Nalen is a former American football center who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League...
, Sharpe, and Neil Smith made the
Pro BowlIn professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
.
Staff
| 1997 Denver Broncos staff |
Front Office
- President/Chief Executive Officer – Pat Bowlen
Patrick Dennis Bowlen is the Majority Owner, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the Denver Broncos. The Bowlen Family, including his two brothers and sister, purchased the team from Edgar Kaiser in 1984 and saved the team from possible bankruptcy.-Biography:Pat's father, Paul D...
- General Manager – John Beake
Head Coaches
- Head Coach – Mike Shanahan
Michael Edward "Mike" Shanahan is the 28th and current head coach of the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. Shanahan also holds the title of Vice President of Football Operations with the Redskins, giving him full control over player personnel with the team. Shanahan previously...
- Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line – Alex Gibbs
Alex Gibbs is a retired American football coach. Gibbs was to enter his first season on Pete Carroll's Seattle Seahawks staff as the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Line coach in 2010, but announced his unexpected retirement a week before the start of the NFL's 2010 regular season.Gibbs is a...
Offensive Coaches
- Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Gary Kubiak
Gary Wayne Kubiak is the head coach for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. Kubiak has participated in six Super Bowls, losing three as a player with the Denver Broncos and winning three as an assistant coach with Denver and the San Francisco 49ers.-High school:Kubiak passed for a...
- Running Backs – Bobby Turner
Robert "Bobby" Turner is the Washington Redskins running backs coach. He held the same position in Denver from 1995–2009; he also worked for 20 years as a college assistant and has 39 combined years of coaching experience at the professional, collegiate and high school levels.In his final...
- Wide Receivers – Mike Heimerdinger
Michael "Mike" Heimerdinger was a football coach in the National Football League.-Career:Heimerdinger was most recently the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans, a position he had served in from 2000-2004 and again from 2008-2010...
- Tight Ends – Brian Pariani
- Assistant Offensive Line/Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Barney Chavous
Barney Lewis Chavous is a former American football defensive end/defensive tackle in the NFL. He played his entire thirteen year career with the Denver Broncos from 1973-1985. He ranks third on the Broncos' all-time sacks list with 75 and is tied with Tom Jackson for third in Broncos' career...
- Offensive Assistant – Dwain Painter
Dwain Painter is a former American football coach. He was the head coach at Northern Arizona University for three seasons . He was also an assistant coach at both the college and professional levels.-References:...
- Offensive Assistant – Ricky Porter
Richard Anthony "Ricky" Porter is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League. He recently left his position as a coach of Northlake Christan School in Covington, Louisiana where he is also the head coach of their back to back state champion baseball team...
|
|
|
Defensive Coaches
- Defensive Coordinator – Greg Robinson
-External links:**-References:...
- Defensive Line – George Dyer
- Pass Rush Specialist – John Teerlinck
John Teerlinck is a former American football player. He now is a defensive linemen coach for the Indianapolis Colts.-Controversy:...
- Linebackers – Frank Bush
Frank Bush is the current linebacker coach of the Tennessee Titans. He is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Houston Oilers in the fifth round of the 1985 NFL Draft...
- Defensive Backs – Ed Donatell
Ed Donatell is an American football coach for the San Francisco 49ers.Most recently he served as the defensive coordinator for the University of Washington Huskies football team from January to December 2008 under Tyrone Willingham. He and the entire staff were let go after the winless 2008 season...
- Defensive Assistant – Rick Smith
Rick Smith is currently the General Manager of the Houston Texans of the NFL.-Biography:Rick Smith played for the Purdue Boilermakers as a strong safety. He graduated from that institution, where he served as a coach...
Special Teams Coaches
Strength and Conditioning
- Strength and Conditioning – Rich Tuten
- Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Greg Saporta
|
Schedule
| Week |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Game site |
Record |
Attendance |
| 1 |
August 31, 1997 |
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 19–3 |
Mile High Stadium |
1–0 |
75,600 |
| 2 |
September 7, 1997 |
at Seattle SeahawksThe 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 35–14 |
KingdomeThe 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...
|
2–0 |
55,859 |
| 3 |
September 14, 1997 |
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
|
W 35–14 |
Mile High Stadium |
3–0 |
74,338 |
| 4 |
September 21, 1997 |
Cincinnati BengalsThe 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 38–20 |
Mile High Stadium |
4–0 |
73,871 |
| 5 |
September 28, 1997 |
at Atlanta FalconsThe Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
|
W 29–21 |
Georgia DomeThe Georgia Dome is a domed stadium located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, between downtown to the east and Vine City to the west. It is primarily the home stadium for the NFL Atlanta Falcons and the NCAA Division I FCS Georgia State Panthers football team. It is owned and operated by the...
|
5–0 |
48,211 |
| 6 |
October 6, 1997 |
New England PatriotsThe 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 34–13 |
Mile High Stadium |
6–0 |
75,821 |
| 7 |
Bye week A bye, in sports and other competitive activities, most commonly refers to the practice of allowing a player or team to advance to the next round of a playoff tournament without playing...
|
| 8 |
October 19, 1997 |
at Oakland RaidersThe 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...
|
L 25–28 |
Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum |
6–1 |
57,006 |
| 9 |
October 26, 1997 |
at Buffalo BillsThe 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 23–20 (OT) |
Rich StadiumRalph 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 |
78,458 |
| 10 |
November 2, 1997 |
Seattle SeahawksThe 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 30–27 |
Mile High Stadium |
8–1 |
74,212 |
| 11 |
November 9, 1997 |
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
|
W 34–0 |
Mile High Stadium |
9–1 |
71,408 |
| 12 |
November 16, 1997 |
at 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 22–24 |
Arrowhead StadiumArrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
|
9–2 |
77,963 |
| 13 |
November 24, 1997 |
Oakland RaidersThe 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 31–3 |
Mile High Stadium |
10–2 |
75,307 |
| 14 |
November 30, 1997 |
at San Diego ChargersThe 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 38–28 |
Jack Murphy StadiumQualcomm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in San Diego, California, in the Mission Valley area....
|
11–2 |
54,245 |
| 15 |
December 7, 1997 |
at Pittsburgh SteelersThe 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 24–35 |
Three Rivers StadiumThree Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball franchise and National Football League franchise respectively.Built as a replacement to...
|
11–3 |
59,739 |
| 16 |
December 15, 1997 |
at San Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
|
L 17–34 |
3Com Park |
11–4 |
68,461 |
| 17 |
December 21, 1997 |
San Diego ChargersThe 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 38–3 |
Mile High Stadium |
12–4 |
69,632 |
Standings
| 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:...
|
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
| Kansas City Chiefs The 1997 Kansas City Chiefs were an above-average football team without any major flaws. The 1997 Chiefs are widely considered a major disappointment. The Chiefs finished with a 13–3 record and AFC West division champions...
|
13 |
3 |
0 |
.813 |
375 |
232 |
| Denver Broncos |
12 |
4 |
0 |
.750 |
472 |
287 |
| Seattle Seahawks The 1997 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's 22nd season with the National Football League. The team traded quarterback Rick Mirer and signed Minnesota Vikings/Houston Oilers quarterback Warren Moon to be John Frieze's backup...
|
8 |
8 |
0 |
.500 |
365 |
362 |
| Oakland Raiders The 1997 Oakland Raiders season was the club’s 38th season in the NFL. Led by Joe Bugel, the club finished with a 4–12 record. The Raiders missed the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.-Schedule:-Standings:-Roster:-Awards and records:...
|
4 |
12 |
0 |
.250 |
324 |
419 |
| San Diego Chargers The 1997 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 8–8 record in 1996. It was Kevin Gilbride's first season as the teams head coach. The team's stadium, Qualcomm Stadium hosted Super Bowl XXXII at the end of the season.-Staff:...
|
4 |
12 |
0 |
.250 |
266 |
425 |
Playoffs
| Round |
Date |
Opponent |
Result |
Game site |
Attendance |
| Wild Card Playoffs |
December 27, 1997 |
Jacksonville JaguarsThe Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
|
W 42–17 |
Mile High StadiumMile 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...
|
74,481 |
| Divisional Playoffs |
January 4, 1998 |
at 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 14–10 |
Arrowhead StadiumArrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
|
76,695 |
| AFC Championship |
January 11, 1998 |
at Pittsburgh SteelersThe 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...
|
W 24–21 |
Three Rivers StadiumThree Rivers Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1970 to 2000. It was home to the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the city's Major League Baseball franchise and National Football League franchise respectively.Built as a replacement to...
|
61,382 |
Super Bowl XXXIISuper Bowl XXXII was an American football game played on January 25, 1998 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California to decide the National Football League champion following the 1997 regular season...
|
January 25, 1998 |
N 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 31–24 |
Qualcomm StadiumQualcomm Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium, in San Diego, California, in the Mission Valley area....
|
68,912 |
Awards and records
- Terrell Davis, Super Bowl MVP
- 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...
, Franchise Record, Most Touchdowns in One Season, 27 Touchdown Passes