# 1996 Denver Broncos season

The 1996 Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 27th season in the National Football League, the 37th overall and their 2nd under head coach Mike Shanahan. The Broncos improved on their 8–8 record from 1995 and finished the season with a 13–3 record. They also clinched the AFC West for the first time since 1991, and earning the top seed in the AFC Playoffs.
In the playoffs, the Broncos were upset by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Round, 30–27. Prior to their defeat, they were the top-seeded team in the NFL and were heavily favored to go to and win the Super Bowl by many analysts, breaking the AFC losing streak from the 1980s. The loss rendered the 1996 Broncos team as a historic failure, as it was a major Super Bowl or bust year.

## Offseason
### NFL draft

1996 Denver Broncos draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 15 | John Mobley | Linebacker | Kutztown |
| 2 | 44 | Tory James * | Defensive back | LSU |
| 3 | 65 | Detron Smith | Running back | Texas A&M |
| 3 | 78 | Mark Campbell | Defensive tackle | Florida |
| 4 | 100 | Jeff Lewis | Quarterback | Northern Arizona |
| 4 | 122 | Darrius Johnson | Defensive back | Oklahoma |
| 5 | 159 | Patrick Jeffers | Wide receiver | Virginia |
| 6 | 181 | Tony Veland | Defensive back | Nebraska |
| 7 | 213 | Leslie Ratliffe | Offensive tackle | Tennessee |
| 7 | 226 | Chris Banks | Guard | Kansas |
| 7 | 235 | L. T. Levine | Running back | Kansas |
| 7 | 236 | Brian Gragert | Punter | Wyoming |
| Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||

## Regular season

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| 1 | September 1 | New York Jets | W 31–6 | 1–0 | Mile High Stadium | 70,595 | Recap |
| 2 | September 8 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 30–20 | 2–0 | Kingdome | 43,671 | Recap |
| 3 | September 15 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 27–23 | 3–0 | Mile High Stadium | 71,535 | Recap |
| 4 | September 22 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 14–17 | 3–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | 79,439 | Recap |
| 5 | September 29 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 14–10 | 4–1 | Cinergy Field | 51,798 | Recap |
| 6 | October 6 | San Diego Chargers | W 28–17 | 5–1 | Mile High Stadium | 75,058 | Recap |
| 7 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 8 | October 20 | Baltimore Ravens | W 45–34 | 6–1 | Mile High Stadium | 70,453 | Recap |
| 9 | October 27 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 34–7 | 7–1 | Mile High Stadium | 75,652 | Recap |
| 10 | November 4 | at Oakland Raiders | W 22–21 | 8–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | 61,179 | Recap |
| 11 | November 10 | Chicago Bears | W 17–12 | 9–1 | Mile High Stadium | 75,555 | Recap |
| 12 | November 17 | at New England Patriots | W 34–8 | 10–1 | Foxboro Stadium | 59,457 | Recap |
| 13 | November 24 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 21–17 | 11–1 | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 59,142 | Recap |
| 14 | December 1 | Seattle Seahawks | W 34–7 | 12–1 | Mile High Stadium | 74,982 | Recap |
| 15 | December 8 | at Green Bay Packers | L 6–41 | 12–2 | Lambeau Field | 60,712 | Recap |
| 16 | December 15 | Oakland Raiders | W 24–19 | 13–2 | Mile High Stadium | 75,466 | Recap |
| 17 | December 22 | at San Diego Chargers | L 10–16 | 13–3 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 46,801 | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

## Standings

AFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(1)}$ Denver Broncos | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 391 | 275 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 297 | 300 | L3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 310 | 376 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 340 | 293 | L2 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 317 | 376 | W1 |

## Postseason
### Schedule

| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance | Recap |
| Wild Card | First-round bye | First-round bye | First-round bye | First-round bye | First-round bye | First-round bye |
| Divisional | January 4, 1997 | Jacksonville Jaguars (5) | L 27–30 | 0–1 | Mile High Stadium | 75,678 | Recap |

### AFC Divisional Playoffs: vs (5) Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 0 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
| Broncos | 12 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 27 |
at Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO
* Date: January 4, 1997
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)
* Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 75,678

## Awards and records

AP Offensive Player of the Year – Terrell Davis
UPI AFL-AFC Offensive MVP – Terrell Davis (1996 was the last year this award was given out)
Terrell Davis set franchise rushing record for most carries (345) in a season and most rushing touchdowns (13) in a season

### Milestones

Terrell Davis reached 1,000 yards faster than any Denver Bronco running back in franchise history