1998 Denver Broncos season

1998 Denver Broncos season
Head coach	Mike Shanahan
General manager	John Beake
Owner	Pat Bowlen
Home field	Mile High Stadium
Results
Record	14–2
Division place	1st AFC West
Playoff finish	Won AFC Divisional Game (Dolphins) 38–3 Won AFC Championship Game (Jets) 23–10 Won Super Bowl XXXIII (Falcons) 34–19

The 1998 Denver Broncos had a record of 14–2, second best in the NFL, and won Super Bowl XXXIII. They won their first thirteen games, the best start since the unbeaten 1972 Dolphins.

It was John Elway's final season after he had considered retiring during the off-season and Terrell Davis ran for 2,008 yards, making him only the fourth player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season. In 2007, the 1998 Broncos were ranked as the 12th greatest Super Bowl champions on the NFL Network's documentary series America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions.

Offseason

NFL Draft

The Broncos drafted Tennessee Wide Receiver Marcus Nash with the 30th overall pick and Michigan Quarterback Brian Griese in the 3rd round, 91st pick overall.

Personnel

Staff

1998 Denver Broncos staff
	Front office President and Chief Executive Officer – Pat Bowlen Vice President of Business Operations – Joe Ellis General Manager – John Beake Director of Player Personnel – Neal Dahlen Director of Pro Scouting – Jack Elway Director of College Scouting – Ted Sundquist College Scouting Consultant – Jerry Frei Head coaches Head Coach – Mike Shanahan Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line – Alex Gibbs Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Gary Kubiak Running Backs – Bobby Turner Wide Receivers – Mike Heimerdinger Tight Ends – Brian Pariani Assistant Offensive Line – Barney Chavous Offensive Assistant – Ricky Porter			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Greg Robinson Defensive Line – George Dyer Pass Rush Specialist – John Teerlinck Linebackers – Frank Bush Defensive Backs – Ed Donatell Defensive Assistant – Pat McPherson Defensive Assistant – Rick Smith Special teams coaches Special Teams – Rick Dennison Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Rich Tuten Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Barney Chavous Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Greg Saporta

Roster

1998 Denver Broncos roster
	Quarterbacks  6 Bubby Brister  7 John Elway 14 Brian Griese Running backs 30 Terrell Davis 29 Howard Griffith FB 22 Vaughn Hebron 31 Derek Loville 37 Anthony Lynn FB 42 Detron Smith FB Wide receivers 83 Justin Armour 85 Willie Green 87 Ed McCaffrey 82 Marcus Nash 80 Rod Smith		Tight ends 89 Dwayne Carswell 86 Byron Chamberlain 84 Shannon Sharpe Offensive linemen 79 Chris Banks G 63 David Diaz-Infante G 77 Tony Jones T 78 Matt Lepsis T 66 Tom Nalen C 62 Dan Neil G 69 Mark Schlereth G 74 Harry Swayne T		Defensive linemen 73 Cyron Brown DE 96 Harald Hasselbach DE 72 Ernest Jones DE 97 Mike Lodish DT 93 Trevor Pryce DT 90 Neil Smith DE 98 Maa Tanuvasa DE 94 Keith Traylor DT 95 Marvin Washington DT 91 Alfred Williams DE Linebackers 56 Keith Burns MLB 59 Glenn Cadrez OLB 99 Seth Joyner OLB 51 John Mobley OLB 53 Bill Romanowski OLB 54 Nate Wayne OLB		Defensive backs 27 Steve Atwater FS 34 Tyrone Braxton SS 26 Eric Brown SS 48 George Coghill FS 39 Ray Crockett CB 21 Darrien Gordon CB 20 Tory James CB 25 Darrius Johnson CB 28 Tito Paul CB Special teams  1 Jason Elam K 16 Tom Rouen P Rookies in italics

^[1]

Regular season

Schedule

Week	Date	TV Time	Opponent	Result	Game site	Record	Attendance
1	September 7	ABC 7:00 pm MT	New England Patriots	W 27–21	Mile High Stadium	1–0	74,745
2	September 13	FOX 2:00 pm MT	Dallas Cowboys	W 42–23	Mile High Stadium	2–0	75,013
3	September 20	CBS 2:00 pm MT	at Oakland Raiders	W 34–17	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	3–0	56,578
4	September 27	CBS 11:00 am MT	at Washington Redskins	W 38–16	FedEx Field	4–0	71,880
5	October 4	FOX 2:00 pm MT	Philadelphia Eagles	W 41–16	Mile High Stadium	5–0	73,218
6	October 11	CBS 2:00 pm MT	at Seattle Seahawks	W 21–16	Kingdome	6–0	66,258
7	Bye
8	October 25	CBS 2:00 pm MT	Jacksonville Jaguars	W 37–24	Mile High Stadium	7–0	75,217
9	November 1	CBS 11:00 am MT	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 33–26	Cinergy Field	8–0	59,974
10	November 8	CBS 2:00 pm MT	San Diego Chargers	W 27–10	Mile High Stadium	9–0	74,925
11	November 16	ABC 7:00 pm MT	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 30–7	Arrowhead Stadium	10–0	78,100
12	November 22	CBS 2:00 pm MT	Oakland Raiders	W 40–14	Mile High Stadium	11–0	75,325
13	November 29	ESPN 6:15 pm MT	at San Diego Chargers	W 31–16	Qualcomm Stadium	12–0	66,532
14	December 6	CBS 2:00 pm MT	Kansas City Chiefs	W 35–31	Mile High Stadium	13–0	74,962
15	December 13	CBS 11:00 am MT	at New York Giants	L 16–20	Giants Stadium	13–1	72,336
16	December 21	ABC 7:00 pm MT	at Miami Dolphins	L 21–31	Pro Player Stadium	13–2	74,363
17	December 27	CBS 2:15 pm MT	Seattle Seahawks	W 28–21	Mile High Stadium	14–2	74,057

Standings

AFC West
	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
^(1) Denver Broncos	14	2	0	.875	501	309	W1
Oakland Raiders	8	8	0	.500	288	356	L1
Seattle Seahawks	8	8	0	.500	372	310	L1
Kansas City Chiefs	7	9	0	.438	327	363	W1
San Diego Chargers	5	11	0	.313	241	342	L5

Playoffs

Round	Date	TV Time	Opponent	Result	Game site	Record	Attendance
Divisional Playoffs	January 9, 1999	CBS 2:15 pm MT	Miami Dolphins	W 38–3	Mile High Stadium	15–2	75,729
AFC Championship	January 17, 1999	CBS 2:15 pm MT	New York Jets	W 23–10	Mile High Stadium	16–2	75,482
Super Bowl XXXIII	January 31, 1999	FOX 4:25 pm MT	Atlanta Falcons	W 34–19	Pro Player Stadium	17–2	74,803

AFC Divisional Game vs Miami Dolphins

AFC Divisional Playoff: Miami Dolphins vs Denver Broncos – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	3	0	0	3
Broncos	14	7	3	14	38

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO

• Date: January 9, 1999
• Game time: 2:15 p.m. MDT
• Game weather: 29°F, relative humidity 62°F, round (wind) 14 MPH
• TV: ABC

Game information

First Quarter Den - Terrell Davis 1 yard rush (Jason Elam kick) Broncos 7–0 Den - Terrell Davis 20 yard rush (Jason Elam kick) Broncos 14–0 Second Quarter Mia - Olindo Mare 22 yard field goal. Broncos 14–3 Den - Derek Loville 11 yard rush (Jason Elam kick) Broncos 21–3 Third Quarter Den - Jason Elam 32 yard field goal Broncos 24–3 Fourth Quarter Den - Rod Smith 28 yard pass from John Elway (Jason Elam kick) Broncos 31–3 Den - Neil Smith 79 yard fumble return (Jason Elam kick) Broncos 38–3 Dolphins Dan Marino. 26-37, 243 yards, 0 TD, 2 Int Broncos John Elway. 14-23, 182 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int Terrell Davis. 21 rush, 199 yards, 2 TD Turnovers Dolphins - 3 Broncos - 0

AFC Championship Game vs New York Jets

AFC Championship Game: New York Jets at Denver Broncos – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	0	3	7	0	10
Broncos	0	0	20	3	23

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO

• Date: January 17, 1999
• Game time: 2:05 p.m. MDT
• Game weather: 37°F, relative humidity 36°F, round (wind) 20 MPH
• TV: ABC

Game information

First Quarter no scoring Second Quarter NYJ - John Hall 32 yard field goal. Jets 3–0 Third Quarter NYJ - Curtis Martin 1 yard rush (John Hall kick) Jets 10–0 Den - Howard Griffith 11 yard pass from John Elway (Jason Elam kick) Jets 10–7 Den - Jason Elam 44 yard field goal. Tie 10–10 Den - Jason Elam 48 yard field goal. Broncos 13–10 Den - Terrell Davis 31 yard rush (Jason Elam kick) Broncos 20–10 Fourth Quarter Den - Jason Elam 35 yard field goal Broncos 23–10 Jets Vinny Testaverde. 31-56, 356 yards, 0 TD, 2 Int Wayne Chrebet. 8 rec, 121 yards Broncos John Elway. 13-34, 173 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int Terrell Davis. 32 rush, 167 yards, 1 TD Turnovers Jets - 6 Broncos - 0

Despite a subpar performance from Quarterback John Elway, the Broncos come from a ten-point deficit to score twenty three unanswered points, thanks in large part to the Jets turning the ball over an astonishing six times.

Super Bowl XXXIII: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Super Bowl XXXIII: Denver Broncos vs Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	7	10	0	17	34
Falcons	3	3	0	13	19

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami, FL

• Date: January 31, 1999
• Game time: 6:30 p.m. PDT
• Game weather: 74°F, relative humidity 67%, round (wind) 11 MPH

Broncos become the third team in the last 10 years to repeat as Super Bowl champions, along with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. John Elway was voted Super Bowl MVP.

Season summary

The Denver superfan Barrel Man seen at the regular season opener at Mile High Stadium against New England

The Broncos won their first 13 games of the season. There was much speculation that they might finish 19–0^[2][3] and the Broncos were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. However, they were upset by the New York Giants (who would end another attempt at a 19–0 season nine seasons later) in week 15 by a score of 20–16. They finished the regular season 14–2 after losing to the Dolphins in their first encounter with that team since 1985.^[4][5]

They finished first in the AFC West and won their divisional playoff game against the Miami Dolphins 38–3 for their first win over the Dolphins since 1968.^[4] They then won the AFC Championship over the Bill Parcells coached New York Jets 23–10 after coming back from a 10–0 deficit. Many had expected Denver to play the Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl, the team with the number one record that year at 15–1, but the Vikings lost the NFC Championship Game to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime.

The Broncos defeated the Falcons 34–19 in Super Bowl XXXIII. Elway was the Super Bowl MVP and Davis rushed for over 100 yards. It was Elway’s last game, and until the 2013 season, the last time Denver reached the Super Bowl.

Statistics

Team stats

The Broncos had 3,808 yards passing, sixth in the league. They had 2,468 yards rushing, second in the league and 26 rushing touchdowns, first in the league. They had 6,276 total yards, third best.

They gave up 3,983 passing yards, a low 28 out of 30 in the NFL, but were third in rushing yards given up with 1,287. They gave up 5,270 yards, 12th in the NFL. They scored 501 points, second in the league and gave up 309, eighth fewest in the league.

The team's 14–2 record is currently their best 16-game record in franchise history.

Player stats

Elway threw for 2,806 yards for the season, 22 touchdowns and ten interceptions. Davis rushed for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns. Rod Smith had 86 receptions for 1,222 yards and six touchdowns. Ed McCaffrey had 64 receptions for 1,053 yards. Shannon Sharpe had 64 receptions for 768 yards. Jason Elam kicked 23 out of 27 field goals and 58 out of 58 extra points including a 63-yard field goal to tie Tom Dempsey with the longest field goal in NFL history at that time. The record has since been eclipsed by another Denver Bronco (Matt Prater). Steve Atwater, Davis, Elway, Tony Jones, Mark Schlereth, McCaffrey, Tom Nalen, Bill Romanowski, and Sharpe made the Pro Bowl.

Awards and records

• Terrell Davis, Franchise Record, Most Rushing Yards in One Season, 2,008 Yards ^[6]
• Terrell Davis, Franchise Record, Most Touchdowns in One Season, 23 Touchdowns ^[6]
• John Elway, Super Bowl MVP
• Jason Elam, tied longest field goal (63 yards)

Milestones

• Terrell Davis, 1st 2000-yard rushing season, 2,008 Yards

References

1. "1998 Denver Broncos starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
2. “Denver eyes 19–0, but there’s no rush” in Minneapolis Star Tribune, November 16, 1998
3. Freeman, Mike; “Chasing Perfection and Taking Questions; Voluble Broncos Are 13–0 and Ready to Talk” in New York Times, December 9, 1998
4. Denver Broncos v Miami Dolphins
5. See History of the NFL’s Structure and Formats for an explanation of why the Dolphins never played the Broncos between 1986 and 1997.
6. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 44

External links

• 1998 Denver Broncos at Pro-Football-Reference.com