# 1984 Denver Broncos season

The 1984 Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 15th season in the National Football League (NFL), and the 25th overall. The team finished with its then franchise-best record of thirteen wins and three losses and were champions of the AFC West. In the playoffs, the Broncos were upset by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Round, 24–17. This would be the final season for Tight End coach Fran Polsfoot, who died in April 1985.

## Offseason
### NFL Draft

1984 Denver Broncos draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 2 | 46 | Andre Townsend | Defensive end | Mississippi | 1984-1990 (7 seasons) |
| 3 | 78 | Tony Lilly | Defensive back | Florida | 1984-1987 (4 seasons) |
| 4 | 89 | Randy Robbins | Defensive back | Arizona | 1984-1991 (8 seasons) then New England in 1992 |
| 6 | 159 | Aaron Smith | Linebacker | Utah State | 1984 |
| 7 | 186 | Clarence Kay | Tight end | Georgia | 1984-1992 (9 seasons) |
| 8 | 207 | Winford Hood | Guard | Georgia | 1984-1988 (5 seasons) |
| 8 | 218 | Scott Garnett | Defensive tackle | Washington | 1984 then San Diego/San Francisco in 1985, and Buffalo in 1987 |
| 9 | 245 | Chris Brewer | Running back | Arizona | 1984 then Chicago in 1987 |
| 10 | 272 | Bobby Micho | Tight end | Texas | |
| 11 | 299 | Gene Lang | Running back | LSU | 1984-1987 (4 seasons) then played for Atlanta from 1988-1990 |
| 12 | 326 | Murray Jarman | Wide receiver | Clemson | |
| Made roster ||||||

## Preseason
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | August 4 | Washington Redskins | L 13–16 | 0–1 | Mile High Stadium | 31,716 |
| 2 | August 11 | San Francisco 49ers | W 21–20 | 1–1 | Mile High Stadium | 70,211 |
| 3 | August 18 | Indianapolis Colts | W 31–0 | 2–1 | Mile High Stadium | 68,951 |
| 4 | August 24 | at Atlanta Falcons | W 24–13 | 3–1 | Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium | 30,988 |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| 1 | September 2 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 20–17 | 1–0 | Mile High Stadium | 74,178 |
| 2 | September 9 | at Chicago Bears | L 0–27 | 1–1 | Soldier Field | 54,335 |
| 3 | September 16 | at Cleveland Browns | W 24–14 | 2–1 | Cleveland Stadium | 61,980 |
| 4 | September 23 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 21–0 | 3–1 | Mile High Stadium | 74,263 |
| 5 | September 30 | Los Angeles Raiders | W 16–13 | 4–1 | Mile High Stadium | 74,833 |
| 6 | October 7 | at Detroit Lions | W 28–7 | 5–1 | Pontiac Silverdome | 55,836 |
| 7 | October 15 | Green Bay Packers | W 17–14 | 6–1 | Mile High Stadium | 62,546 |
| 8 | October 21 | at Buffalo Bills | W 37–7 | 7–1 | Rich Stadium | 31,204 |
| 9 | October 28 | at Los Angeles Raiders | W 22–19 (OT) | 8–1 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 91,020 |
| 10 | November 4 | New England Patriots | W 26–19 | 9–1 | Mile High Stadium | 74,908 |
| 11 | November 11 | at San Diego Chargers | W 16–13 | 10–1 | Jack Murphy Stadium | 53,162 |
| 12 | November 18 | Minnesota Vikings | W 42–21 | 11–1 | Mile High Stadium | 74,716 |
| 13 | November 25 | Seattle Seahawks | L 24–27 | 11–2 | Mile High Stadium | 74,922 |
| 14 | December 2 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 13–16 | 11–3 | Arrowhead Stadium | 38,494 |
| 15 | December 9 | San Diego Chargers | W 16–13 | 12–3 | Mile High Stadium | 74,867 |
| 16 | December 15 | at Seattle Seahawks | W 31–14 | 13–3 | Kingdome | 64,411 |
| Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text. |||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 2 (Sunday, September 9, 1984): at Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos (1–1) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bears (2–0) | 10 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
at Soldier Field • Chicago, Illinois
* Date: September 9
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. MDT
* Game attendance: 54,335
* Referee: Gene Barth
* TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play–by–play) and Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
| Team | Category |
| DEN | Passing |
| DEN | Rushing |
| DEN | Receiving |
| CHI | Passing |
| CHI | Rushing |
| CHI | Receiving |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | DEN | CHI |
| 1 | 10:05 | | | | Bears | 38-yard field goal by Thomas | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | 3:13 | | | | Bears | Gault 61-yard touchdown reception from McMahon, Thomas kick good | 0 | 10 |
| 2 | 9:49 | | | | Bears | Payton 72-yard touchdown run, Thomas kick good | 0 | 17 |
| 2 | 2:43 | | | | Bears | 26-yard field goal by Thomas | 0 | 20 |
| 2 | 0:24 | | | | Bears | Suhey 4-yard touchdown run, Thomas kick good | 0 | 27 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 0 | 27 |
* Point spread:
* Over/Under:
* Time of Game:
* Game Statistics
* First downs
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passes
* Sacked–yards
* Net passing yards
* Total yards
* Return yards
* Punts
* Fumbles–lost
* Penalties–yards
* Time of possession
Individual stats

#### Week 7 vs. Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Broncos | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado
* Date: October 15
* Game time: 9:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Snow • 32 °F (0 °C) • Wind 4
* Game attendance: 62,546
* Referee: Gordon McCarter
* TV announcers (ABC): Frank Gifford, Don Meredith, and O. J. Simpson
* Pro-Football-Reference.com
Game information :
Packers
Lynn Dickey 27/37, 371 Yds, TD, INT
Jessie Clark 11 Rush, 37 Yds
James Lofton 11 Rec, 206 Yds, TD
Broncos
John Elway 11/20, 101 Yds, INT
Sammy Winder 29 Rush, 86 Yds
Steve Watson 4 Rec, 42 Yds :
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | GB | DEN |
| 1 | | | | | Broncos | Fumble recovery returned 22 yards for touchdown by Foley, Karlis kick good | 0 | 7 |
| 1 | | | | | Broncos | Fumble recovery returned 27 yards for touchdown by Wright, Karlis kick good | 0 | 14 |
| 2 | | | | | Broncos | 30-yard field goal by Karlis | 0 | 17 |
| 3 | | | | | Packers | Ellis 5-yard touchdown run, Garcia kick good | 7 | 17 |
| 4 | | | | | Packers | Lofton 54-yard touchdown reception from Dickey, Garcia kick good | 14 | 17 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 14 | 17 |

### Standings

AFC West :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| Denver Broncos$^{(2)}$ | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 6–2 | 10–2 | 353 | 241 | W2 |
| Seattle Seahawks$^{(4)}$ | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 418 | 282 | L2 |
| Los Angeles Raiders$^{(5)}$ | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 5–3 | 8–4 | 368 | 278 | L1 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 4–4 | 7–7 | 314 | 324 | W3 |
| San Diego Chargers | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 0–8 | 3–9 | 394 | 413 | L2 |

## Postseason

| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Attendance |
| AFC Divisional Playoffs | December 30 | Pittsburgh Steelers (3) | L 17–24 | 0–1 | Mile High Stadium | 74,981 |

### Playoff game summaries
#### 1984 AFC Divisional Playoffs (Sunday, December 30, 1984): vs. (3) Pittsburgh Steelers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers (1–0) | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Broncos (0–1) | 7 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado
* Date: December 30
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
* Game weather: 33 degrees, 58 humidity, 6 wind chill
* Game attendance: 74,981
* Referee: Fred Wyant
* TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play–by–play), Merlin Olsen (color commentator) and Ahmad Rashad (sideline reporter)
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| PIT | Passing | Mark Malone | 17/28, 224 YDS, 1 TD |
| PIT | Rushing | Frank Pollard | 16 CAR, 99 YDS, 2 TDs |
| PIT | Receiving | Louis Lipps | 5 REC,. 86 YDS, 1 TD |
| DEN | Passing | John Elway | 19/37, 184 YDS, 2 TDs, 2 INTs |
| DEN | Rushing | Sammy Winder | 15 CAR, 37 YDS |
| DEN | Receiving | Gerald Willhite | 4 REC, 32 YDS |
Scoring summary :
| Quarter | Time | Drive | Drive | Drive | Team | Scoring information | Score | Score |
| Quarter | Time | Plays | Yards | TOP | Team | Scoring information | PIT | DEN |
| 1 | 6:30 | 5 | 22 | 2:25 | Broncos | Wright 9-yard touchdown reception from Elway, Karlis kick good | 0 | 7 |
| 2 | 14:56 | 12 | 62 | 6:16 | Steelers | 28-yard field goal by Anderson | 3 | 7 |
| 2 | 1:14 | 8 | 78 | 1:56 | Steelers | Pollard 1-yard touchdown run, Anderson kick good | 10 | 7 |
| 3 | 12:50 | 4 | 0 | 1:47 | Broncos | 21-yard field goal by Karlis | 10 | 7 |
| 3 | 7:15 | 6 | 46 | 3:01 | Broncos | Watson 20-yard touchdown reception from Elway, Karlis kick good | 10 | 17 |
| 3 | 3:19 | 7 | 66 | 3:46 | Steelers | Lipps 10-yard touchdown reception from Malone, Anderson kick good | 17 | 17 |
| 4 | 1:59 | 3 | 2 | 1:36 | Steelers | Pollard 2-yard touchdown run, Anderson kick good | 24 | 17 |
| "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. | 24 | 17 |
* Point spread:
* Over/Under:
* Time of Game: 3 hours, 11 minutes
| Steelers | Game Statistics | Broncos |
| 25 | First downs | 15 |
| 40–169 | Rushes–yards | 22–51 |
| 224 | Passing yards | 236 |
| 17–28–0 | Passes | 20–38–2 |
| 2–12 | Sacked–yards | 4–37 |
| 212 | Net passing yards | 199 |
| 381 | Total yards | 250 |
| 145 | Return yards | 73 |
| 2–42.5 | Punts | 4–42.2 |
| 3–2 | Fumbles–lost | 2–0 |
| 4–30 | Penalties–yards | 1–5 |
| 32:52 | Time of possession | 27:08 |
Individual stats
The Broncos lost to the Steelers 24–17 at Denver's Mile High Stadium on Sunday, December 30, 1984. The game was televised on NBC. Given Denver's record and their opportunistic defense (they ranked bottom 5 in total defense and 2nd in points allowed), 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.
Playoff Game Officials
Playoff :
| Round | Opponent | Referee | Umpire | Head Linesman | Line Judge | Back Judge | Side Judge | Field Judge | Alternate |
| Divisional | Pittsburgh Steelers | (11) Fred Wyant | (78) Art Demmas | (8) Dale Williams | (94) Vern Marshall | (105) Dick Hantak | (16) Royal Cathcart | (18) Bob Lewis | |