2008 Denver Broncos season The 2008 Denver Broncos season was the franchise ' s 49th season for the team ( their 39th season in the National Football League ) . They improved from their 7 – 9 record from 2007 but failed to make the playoffs with an 8 – 8 record . On December 30 , 2008 , two days after the regular season ended , Mike Shanahan was fired as the Broncos head coach . Coaching staff . 2008 marked head coach Mike Shanahan ' s 14th year ( 1995 to 2008 ) with the Broncos . Shanahan was fired at the end of the season , a move considered surprising at the time . Offseason moves . On February 29 , 2008 , LB Ian Gold and WR Javon Walker were released by the Denver Broncos in preparation for the NFL Draft and free agency . Walker was signed by the Oakland Raiders . Long - time Broncos kicker Jason Elam was not resigned by the Broncos , and was then signed by the Atlanta Falcons . On June 2 , 2008 , RB Travis Henry was cut by the team . Seventh Round pick Josh Barrett signed on June 12 , the first draft pick to sign with the team . Wide receiver Rod Smith , a veteran of both of the Broncos Super Bowl victories , retired on the first day of training camp . Training camp . The Broncos opened training camp on July 24 , 2008 . On July 31 , 2008 , the Broncos granted safety John Lynch his release . The following day , head coach Mike Shanahan , asked about the upcoming season on talk radio , said “ We ’ re not going to miss the playoffs . ” Later in the day , Shanahan backed off a bit , saying “ I didn ’ t make a guarantee . . . . you ’ ve got to be lucky and don ’ t have the injuries we ’ ve had . If we don ’ t have the injuries , I ’ d be very disappointed if we didn ’ t make the playoffs . " Regular season results . Week 1 : at Oakland Raiders . The Broncos began their 2008 campaign on the road against their AFC West rival , the Oakland Raiders , in the second game of ESPN ' s Monday Night Football doubleheader . In the first quarter , Denver ran out of the gates early as QB Jay Cutler completed a 26 - yard TD pass to rookie WR Eddie Royal ( who was filling in for WR Brandon Marshall , due to his 1 - game suspension ) . In the second quarter , the Broncos continued their domination as kicker Matt Prater got a 26 - yard field goal , while FB Michael Pittman got a 3 - yard TD run . In the third quarter , Denver ran away with the game as Cutler completed a 48 - yard TD pass to WR Darrell Jackson , while Prater nailed a 43 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Raiders spoiled the Broncos ' bid for a shutout as QB JaMarcus Russell completed an 8 - yard TD pass to WR Ashley Lelie . Denver ended its domination with RB Selvin Young ' s 5 - yard TD run and Pittman ' s 1 - yard TD run . Oakland ended the scoring with Russell completing a 4 - yard TD pass to WR Ronald Curry . With the dominating win , the Broncos began their season at 1 – 0 ; with the rest of the division suffering losses , Denver , in Week 1 , is in sole possession of 1st place . Eddie Royal , in his NFL debut , had the best Week 1 stats of any wide receiver , getting 9 receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown . Week 2 : vs San Diego Chargers . Coming off their dominating divisional road win over the Raiders , the Broncos played their Week 2 home opener against the AFC West foe , the San Diego Chargers . In the first quarter , Denver was first out of the gate as FB Michael Pittman got a 1 - yard TD run . The Chargers would respond with kicker Nate Kaeding getting a 34 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Denver replied with QB Jay Cutler completing a 3 - yard and a 14 - yard TD pass to TE Tony Scheffler . San Diego would immediately respond with RB Darren Sproles returning the kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown , yet the Broncos replied with rookie kicker Matt Prater getting a 52 - yard field goal . The Chargers would strike as their lead as QB Philip Rivers completed a 48 - yard TD pass to WR Chris Chambers , yet Denver retaliated with Cutler completing a 6 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall . In the third quarter , San Diego started to rally as Rivers completed a 15 - yard TD pass to Chambers , whil Kaeding kicked a 21 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Chargers took the lead with Kaeding ' s 28 - yard field goal and Rivers ' 66 - yard TD pass to Sproles . Fortunately , the Broncos responded with a 12 - play , 80 - yard drive ( which included a controversial officiating call that turned a Cutler fumble into an incomplete pass ) that was capped off with Cutler ' s 4 - yard TD pass to rookie WR Eddie Royal , followed by Cutler ' s successful 2 - point conversion pass to Royal . With an exciting win , Denver improved to 2 – 0 . Brandon Marshall ' s 18 receptions would become a single - game franchise record and tie for 2nd most in league history . Week 3 : vs . New Orleans Saints . Coming off their last - second win over the Chargers , the Broncos stayed at home , donned their alternate uniforms , and played a Week 3 interconference duel with the New Orleans Saints . In the first quarter , Denver drew first blood as QB Jay Cutler completed a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Nate Jackson . The Saints answered with kicker Martín Gramática getting a 43 - yard field goal , yet Denver replied with Cutler completing a 35 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall . In the second quarter , the Broncos increased its lead as LB Nate Webster returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown . The Saints started to rally as RB Pierre Thomas got a 5 - yard TD run , while RB Reggie Bush got a 23 - yard TD run , yet Denver answered with kicker Matt Prater getting a 27 - yard field goal . New Orleans closed out the half with DE Charles Grant tackling RB Andre Hall in his endzone for a safety . In the third quarter , the Broncos replied with RB Michael Pittman getting a 2 - yard TD run . The Saints answered with QB Drew Brees completing a 6 - yard TD pass to Bush , yet Denver responded with Prater nailing a 34 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , New Orleans tried to rally as Thomas got a 10 - yard TD run ( with a failed 2 - point conversion ) . The Saints recovered a fumble , but Gramática ' s go - ahead 43 - yard field goal went wide right , preserving the victory for Denver . With the win , the Broncos improved to 3 – 0 . Week 4 : at Kansas City Chiefs . The Kansas City Chiefs got off to a good start after they forced the Denver Broncos to punt . This was followed with a 65 - yard run by Larry Johnson to set up a 23 - yard field goal kick by Nick Novak , putting the Chiefs on top 3 – 0 . After recovering an Eddie Royal fumble early on Denver ' s next drive , Kansas City again failed to make it to the end zone and a 21 - yard field goal by Novak put the Chiefs up 6 – 0 . The Broncos responded with an 8 - play , 9 - minute drive in the second quarter that ended in a touchdown pass from Jay Cutler to Brandon Marshall , putting the Broncos briefly in the lead , 7 – 6 . Later in the quarter , a fumble by Marshall was returned to the Broncos ' 2 - yard line by the Chiefs , followed 2 plays later by a Johnson touchdown run , putting the Chiefs up 13 – 7 . The Broncos got the ball back , but a 28 - yard field goal by Matt Prater went wide right . After forcing the Chiefs to punt , the Broncos got the ball back and Prater hit a 56 - yarder near the end of the half , drawing the Broncos within 13 – 10 . The second half began with a Denver drive that resulted in a 51 - yard Prater field goal , tying the game at 13 – 13 . The Chiefs answered with a 43 - yard Novak field goal , putting them back on top 16 – 13 . On the next drive , Cutler threw an interception . However , Kansas City ' s very next play was a Larry Johnson fumble recovered by Denver , although 2 plays later Cutler threw another interception . Despite this exchange of turnovers ( 3 turnovers in 4 plays ) , there was no scoring for the rest of the 3rd quarter . Early in the fourth quarter , the Chiefs extended their lead to 23 – 13 with a 10 - yard touchdown pass from Damon Huard to Tony Gonzalez . The Broncos , however , failed to capitalize on a sustained 16 - play , 75 - yard drive and settled with a Prater field goal , cutting the lead to 23 – 16 . The Chiefs and Broncos then each got field goals on their next drives , bringing the score to 26 – 16 . The Chiefs got a good return after the Prater field goal and put the game away with a 16 - yard touchdown run from Johnson . With the 33 – 19 victory , the Chiefs snapped a league - leading 12 game losing streak dating back to week 7 of the 2007 season . Larry Johnson carried the Chiefs with 198 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns . Huard managed the game well for the Chiefs , throwing 21 / 28 for 160 yards and 1 touchdown . Denver was hurt by 4 turnovers compared to just 1 for the Chiefs , but despite 2 interceptions , Cutler still was able to throw for 361 yards on 29 / 49 passing . Week 5 : vs . Tampa Bay Buccaneers . Hoping to rebound from their divisional road loss to the Chiefs , the Broncos went home for a Week 5 interconference duel with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . In the first quarter , Denver trailed early as Bucs kicker Matt Bryant got a 33 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Broncos took the lead as kicker Matt Prater got a 55 - yard and a 40 - yard field goal . Tampa Bay would tie the game at halftime as Bryant kicked a 31 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Denver took a big lead as QB Jay Cutler completed a 10 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Stokley . In the fourth quarter , the Broncos increased its lead as Prater nailed a 27 - yard field goal . The Buccaneers would try to rally as QB Jeff Garcia completed a 7 - yard TD pass to WR Ike Hilliard . Fortunately , Denver recovered the onside kick and drained the clock . With the win , the Broncos improved to 4 – 1 . Week 6 : vs . Jacksonville Jaguars . Coming off their win over the Buccaneers , the Broncos stayed at home for a Week 6 duel with the Jacksonville Jaguars . In the first quarter , Denver struck first as QB Jay Cutler completed an 11 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Stokley . The Jaguars would respond as kicker Josh Scobee got a 48 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Jacksonville took the lead as RB Maurice Jones - Drew got a 1 - yard TD run . In the third quarter , Jacksonville increased their lead as Jones - Drew got a 46 - yard TD run . The Broncos tried to catch up as kicker Matt Prater got a 39 - yard field goal , yet the Jaguars answered with QB David Garrard completing a 30 - yard TD pass to TE Mercedes Lewis . In the fourth quarter , Denver tried to come back as Cutler completed an 11 - yard TD pass to TE Daniel Graham , but Jacksonville ' s defense stiffened , preventing any further scoring opportunities . With the loss , the Broncos fell to 4 – 2 . Week 7 : at New England Patriots . Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Jaguars , the Broncos flew to Gillette Stadium for a Week 7 Monday Night duel with the New England Patriots . In the first quarter , Denver trailed early as Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski nailed a 31 - yard and a 40 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , New England increased its lead with RB Sammy Morris getting a 4 - yard TD run , along with QB Matt Cassel completing a 13 - yard TD pass to WR Randy Moss . In the third quarter , the Broncos continued to struggle as Cassel hooked up with Moss again on a 27 - yard TD pass , along with completing a 6 - yard TD pass to WR Wes Welker . In the fourth quarter , Denver avoided a shutout loss as QB Jay Cutler completing a 10 - yard TD pass to former Patriots TE Daniel Graham . The Patriots would then seal the win with RB BenJarvus Green - Ellis getting a 1 - yard TD run . With the loss , the Broncos went into their bye week at 4 – 3 . Week 9 : vs . Miami Dolphins . Coming off their bye week , the Broncos went home for a Week 9 duel with the Miami Dolphins . In the first quarter , Denver trailed early as Dolphins kicker Dan Carpenter got a 45 - yard and a 47 - yard field goal , along with CB Will Allen returning an interception 32 yards for a touchdown . The Broncos would answer with QB Jay Cutler completing a 2 - yard TD pass to rookie WR Eddie Royal . In the second quarter , Miami answered with Carpenter getting a 23 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Denver tried to rally as kicker Matt Prater got a 50 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Dolphins replied with Carpenter nailing a 41 - yard field goal . The Broncos tried to come back as Cutler completed a 1 - yard TD pass to rookie FB Peyton Hillis . However , Miami pulled away as RB Ronnie Brown got a 2 - yard TD run . With their third - straight loss , Denver fell to 4 – 4 . Week 10 : at Cleveland Browns . Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Dolphins , the Broncos flew to Cleveland Browns Stadium for a Week 10 Thursday night duel with the Cleveland Browns . In the first quarter , Denver struck first as rookie RB Ryan Torain got a 1 - yard TD run . The Browns responded with QB Brady Quinn completing a 5 - yard TD pass to TE Kellen Winslow II . In the second quarter , Cleveland took the lead as kicker Phil Dawson got a 24 - yard field goal and Quinn hooking up with Winslow again on a 16 - yard TD pass . The Broncos would answer with kicker Matt Prater getting a 35 - yard field goal . The Browns would close out the half with Dawson making a 52 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Denver continued to struggle as Dawson gave Cleveland a 33 - yard field goal . Denver would reply with Prater making a 30 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , the Broncos regained the lead as QB Jay Cutler completed a 93 - yard TD pass to rookie WR Eddie Royal and a 27 - yard TD pass to TE Daniel Graham . The Browns would answer with RB Jamal Lewis getting a 1 - yard TD run . Afterwards , Denver sealed the win as Cutler completed an 11 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall . With the win , the Broncos improved to 5 – 4 . This also marked Denver ' s eighth - straight victory over Cleveland . Cutler would have a career game , as he completed 24 of 42 passes for a career - best 447 yards , along with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception . Week 11 : at Atlanta Falcons . Coming off their Thursday night road win over the Browns , the Broncos flew to the Georgia Dome for a Week 11 interconference duel with the Atlanta Falcons . In the first quarter , Denver drew first blood as rookie FB Peyton Hillis got a 7 - yard TD run . The Falcons answered with former Broncos kicker Jason Elam getting a 46 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Atlanta took the lead as Elam made a 36 - yard field goal , while RB Michael Turner got a 9 - yard TD run . This is still Matt Ryan ' s only loss at the Georgia Dome to date . In the third quarter , Denver regained the lead as Hillis got a 2 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , the Broncos increased their lead as kicker Matt Prater nailed a 20 - yard field goal . The Falcons tried to rally as Turner got a 28 - yard TD run , yet Denver replied as QB Jay Cutler completed a 9 - yard TD pass to TE Daniel Graham . With the win , the Broncos improved to 6 – 4 . On a side note , rookie FB Spencer Larsen became the first player in franchise history to start on offense and defense . In addition to his fullback duties , he also started as middle linebacker , along with his special teams responsibilities . Week 12 : vs . Oakland Raiders . Coming off their road win over the Falcons , the Broncos went home for a Week 12 AFC West rematch with the Oakland Raiders . After a scoreless first quarter , Denver trailed in the second quarter as Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski got a 26 - yard field goal . The Broncos would respond with kicker Matt Prater getting a 44 - yard field goal , yet the Raiders got the halftime lead as WR Johnnie Lee Higgins returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown . In the third quarter , Denver tied the game again as rookie FB Peyton Hillis got a 6 - yard TD run . However , Oakland replied with RB Darren McFadden getting a 1 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , the Raiders pulled away as QB JaMarcus Russell completed a 4 - yard TD pass to WR Ashley Lelie ( a former Bronco ) , while McFadden got another 1 - yard TD run . With the surprising loss , Denver fell to 6 – 5 . Week 13 : at New York Jets . Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Raiders , the Broncos flew to The Meadowlands for a Week 13 duel with the New York Jets , considered one of the best teams in the league , fresh off their victory over the undefeated Tennessee Titans . In the first quarter , Denver drew first blood as safety Vernon Fox returned a fumble 23 yards for a touchdown . The Jets would respond with RB Thomas Jones getting a 59 - yard TD run . The Broncos would answer with QB Jay Cutler completing a 59 - yard TD pass to rookie WR Eddie Royal , along with kicker Matt Prater getting a 25 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , New York drew close as Jones got a 29 - yard TD run . The Broncos would reply with rookie RB Peyton Hillis getting a 1 - yard TD run , while Prater got a 35 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Jets tried to rally as kicker Jay Feely nailed a 30 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Denver pulled away as Cutler completed a 36 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Stokley . With the win , the Broncos improved to 7 – 5 . Week 14 : vs . Kansas City Chiefs . Fresh off their road win over the Jets , the Broncos went home , donned their alternate uniforms again , and played a Week 14 AFC West rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs . Denver trailed early in the first quarter as Chiefs kicker Connor Barth made a 26 - yard field goal , along with CB Maurice Leggett returning an interception 27 yards for a touchdown . The Broncos would close out the period with rookie RB Peyton Hillis getting an 18 - yard touchdown run . Kansas City answered in the second quarter as QB Tyler Thigpen completed a 13 - yard touchdown pass to TE Tony Gonzalez , but Denver did close out the half with QB Jay Cutler completing a 12 - yard touchdown pass to WR Brandon Marshall . The Broncos would tie the game in the third quarter as kicker Matt Prater nailed a 33 - yard field goal . Afterwards , in the fourth quarter , Denver took the lead as Cutler hooked up with Marshall again on a 6 - yard touchdown pass . From there , the defense prevented any possible rally from the Chiefs . With the win , the Broncos improved to 8 – 5 . Week 15 : at Carolina Panthers . Coming off from their divisional home win over the Chiefs , the Broncos flew to Charlotte for a Week 15 interconference duel with the Carolina Panthers . In the first quarter , Denver drew first blood as QB Jay Cutler completes a 7 - yard TD pass to RB P . J . Pope . Carolina soon responded with QB Jake Delhomme completing a 15 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Smith , yet Denver answered with kicker Matt Prater nailing a 43 - yard field goal . Carolina kicker John Kasay ties the game with a 39 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Carolina took the lead with rookie RB Jonathan Stewart getting a 2 - yard TD run , while Kasay closed out the half with a 44 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Carolina increased its lead with RB DeAngelo Williams ' s 56 - yard TD run for the only score of the period . In the fourth quarter , Carolina sealed the win with Kasay ' s 42 - yard field goal . With the loss , Denver fell to 8 – 6 . Week 16 : vs . Buffalo Bills . Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Panthers , the Broncos went home for a Week 16 duel with the Buffalo Bills . Denver stormed out to an early first - quarter lead as quarterback Jay Cutler got a 2 - yard touchdown run , while kicker Matt Prater got a 23 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Broncos extended their lead as Prater made a 30 - yard field goal . The Bills got on the board with a 37 - yard field goal from kicker Rian Lindell , followed by a 2 - yard touchdown run from running back Marshawn Lynch . Buffalo took the lead in the third quarter as Lindell got a 49 - yard and a 28 - yard field goal , yet Denver regained the lead with Cutler getting a 6 - yard touchdown run . In the fourth quarter , the Bills answered with quarterback Trent Edwards completing a 3 - yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Steve Johnson . The Broncos would tie the game with Prater nailing a 43 - yard field goal , but Buffalo got the lead again as running back Fred Jackson made an 8 - yard touchdown run . Denver put together a late - game drive , but it ended up fizzling down the stretch . With the loss , the Broncos fell to 8 – 7 . Week 17 : at San Diego Chargers . Hoping to hold on to their divisional lead , the Broncos closed out the regular season at Qualcomm Stadium in a crucial Week 17 AFC West rematch with the San Diego Chargers . Denver would trail early in the first quarter as Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding got a 28 - yard field goal . The Broncos would respond with running back Tatum Bell ' s 26 - yard touchdown run ( with a failed PAT ) , but San Diego took the lead again as running back LaDainian Tomlinson got a 1 - yard touchdown run . Denver ' s deficit would increase in the second quarter as quarterback Philip Rivers completed a 12 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Brandon Manumaleuna , along with Tomlinson ' s 4 - yard touchdown run . In the third quarter , the Broncos tried to rally as Bell got a 37 - yard touchdown run , yet the Chargers replied again as Rivers completed a 13 - yard touchdown pass to running back Darren Sproles , followed by Tomlinson ' s 14 - yard touchdown run . Denver tried to come back in the fourth quarter as quarterback Jay Cutler completed a 25 - yard touchdown pass to tight end Tony Scheffler and ran into the endzone for the 2 - point conversion . However , San Diego ran away with the division crown with Sproles ' 2 - yard touchdown run and fullback Jacob Hester ' s 4 - yard touchdown . With the loss , the Broncos ' season ended at 8 – 8 . In the process , they would be the first team in NFL history to enter the final three weeks of a regular season with a three - game lead and lose all three games .