2006 Denver Broncos season The 2006 Denver Broncos season began with the team trying to improve on their 13 – 3 record and make a return to ( at least ) the AFC Championship Game as they did in 2005 . Offseason . In the 2006 NFL Draft , the Broncos traded their number 15 and 68 picks to select Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler at number 11 . Their second pick was tight end Tony Scheffler from Western Michigan . They then used their next pick ( acquired from the Washington Redskins ) on Central Florida wide receiver Brandon Marshall . The rest of their picks included University of Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil , Akron University wide receiver Domenik Hixon , North Dakota guard Chris Kuper , and University of Minnesota center Greg Eslinger . Denver also traded a second round pick for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Javon Walker . In another big move , they traded WR Ashley Lelie to the Atlanta Falcons and received no less than 3rd and 4th round draft picks . Mike Anderson and Trevor Pryce were both waived due to salary cap issues and were subsequently picked up by the Baltimore Ravens . Regular season . Week 1 : at St . Louis Rams . " at the Edward Jones Dome , St . Louis , Missouri " The Broncos opened the regular season on the road against the St . Louis Rams on September 10 in the Edward Jones Dome . The game was primarily a defensive battle , with only one touchdown scored in the entire game , and the Rams won 18 – 10 . Jake Plummer struggled throughout the game , throwing 3 interceptions , losing a fumble , and being sacked 4 times , 2 of them by Leonard Little . Tatum Bell also lost a fumble , but ran for 103 yards . Rookie Mike Bell ran for 58 yards and scored the only touchdown in the entire game late in the second quarter on a 1 - yard run . Kicker Jeff Wilkins provided all of the scoring for the Rams , making 6 field goals , tying a franchise record , while running back Steven Jackson was one of the few bright spots for the Rams offense , running for 121 yards . The five turnovers by the Broncos was the most for them since the 2000 season . Week 2 : vs . Kansas City Chiefs . " at Invesco Field at Mile High , Denver , Colorado " The Broncos returned to INVESCO Field at Mile High in Week 2 for their home - opener against the division rival Kansas City Chiefs . The game turned into another defensive battle , contrary to the typical shootouts the two teams usually have . Not a single touchdown was scored by either team . The Broncos improved on their turnovers , however , with just 1 interception thrown by Jake Plummer , while the Chiefs gave up 2 fumbles . Tatum Bell and Mike Bell combined for 113 yards rushing , while Denver again gave up a 100 - yard rusher , allowing Larry Johnson to rush for 126 yards . Neither quarterback was spectacular , both throwing for less than 200 yards . Javon Walker led all receivers with 79 yards . The game was tied 6 – 6 at the end of regulation , prompting an overtime in which a Jason Elam 39 - yard field goal won the game for the Broncos . In 93 games between the two teams , it was both the first to never have a touchdown and also featured the lowest - ever score . It was also only the third time in franchise history that the Broncos did not commit a single penalty . Week 3 : at New England Patriots . " at Gillette Stadium , Foxboro , Massachusetts " The Broncos traveled to Gillette Stadium to play the New England Patriots during the Sunday night game on September 24 . The game was a rematch of the divisional playoff game of the previous season in which the Broncos beat the Patriots and ended their record 10 - game playoff winning streak . The Broncos won 17 – 7 , improving their record to 2 – 1 . The Broncos scored a 23 - yard field goal ( by kicker Jason Elam ) and a touchdown in the second quarter ( a 32 - yard TD pass from QB Jake Plummer to Javon Walker ) . Plummer and Walker would hook up for another touchdown in the fourth quarter with an 83 - yard touchdown pass . The Broncos held New England to only 50 yards on the ground , while Tatum Bell ran for 123 yards . The Patriots scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter when Tom Brady threw an 8 - yard pass to Doug Gabriel . The Broncos became the first team since the 1942 Chicago Cardinals to begin their season with 11 straight quarters without allowing their opponents to score a touchdown . Week 4 : Bye week . The Broncos had a bye week , but moved into a first place tie in the division when the San Diego Chargers lost to the Baltimore Ravens 16 – 13 . Week 5 : vs . Baltimore Ravens . " at Invesco Field at Mile High , Denver , Colorado " The Baltimore Ravens traveled to INVESCO Field at Mile High for Monday Night Football on October 9 . The last time these two teams played , on December 11 , 2005 , the Broncos won 12 – 10 . The Broncos won 13 – 3 and improved to 3 – 1 , still tied for first place in the division with the San Diego Chargers . The Ravens got on the board first when Matt Stover kicked a 24 - yard field goal , following a fumble by Broncos RB Tatum Bell . The Broncos responded with a 43 - yard field goal of their own by Jason Elam . The Ravens drove deep into Broncos territory late at the end of the first half , but that drive was thwarted as Steve McNair was intercepted by Champ Bailey in the end zone on a pass intended for Clarence Moore . The third quarter was scoreless as the defensive struggle continued . The Broncos controlled the clock in the second half with the running game led by Tatum Bell , who atoned for his fumble in the first quarter by bouncing back with 92 yards rushing . Ravens QB McNair was intercepted again by Darrent Williams , which led to a Jake Plummer to Rod Smith touchdown pass . McNair was intercepted a third time , ending the Ravens ' final drive , this time by Domonique Foxworth . Week 6 : vs . Oakland Raiders . " at Invesco Field at Mile High , Denver , Colorado " The Oakland Raiders traveled to INVESCO Field at Mile High for Sunday Night Football on October 15 . The Raiders arrived in Denver 0 – 4 while the Broncos began the game tied for first place in their division at 3 – 1 . This game was again primarily a defensive struggle . Oakland had two turnovers deep in Broncos territory , one an interception thrown by Andrew Walter that was picked off by Champ Bailey , and another a fumble by LaMont Jordan . Neither team was able to do much on offense , with just 1 touchdown scored in the entire game ( a run by Tatum Bell ) and a total of 274 yards produced by the Raiders and 246 yards by Denver . The only turnover of the game by Denver came on a Darrent Williams fumble on a punt return early in the second half . Jason Elam succeeded on kicks from 51 and 22 yards , while Sebastian Janikowski scored the only points for Oakland on a 47 - yard field goal in the third quarter . Randy Moss had 86 yards receiving , while Javon Walker had 75 yards . Both had 1 50 + yard catch to put their teams in scoring position . Tatum Bell was the leading rusher with 83 yards . With the win , the Broncos improved to 4 – 1 . The Broncos by this point had only allowed 1 touchdown in 52 opponent possessions . In this game they became the first team since the 1934 Detroit Lions to go five games while allowing only one touchdown to be scored against them . Week 7 : at Cleveland Browns . " at Cleveland Browns Stadium , Cleveland , Ohio " The Broncos traveled to Cleveland Browns Stadium to face the Cleveland Browns in what would again be a primarily defensive struggle . The Broncos again had a 100 - yard rusher in Tatum Bell , with 115 yards ( and also 1 touchdown ) , and also had a 100 - yard receiver in Javon Walker , with 107 yards . Former Bronco Reuben Droughns was held to just 33 yards rushing and 27 yards receiving ( 60 yards total ) . Jake Plummer again struggled , throwing 1 touchdown ( to rookie Brandon Marshall , the first of his career ) , but also 2 interceptions . Although Denver committed 2 turnovers , they also forced three ; one interception ( by Champ Bailey , making it three consecutive games with an interception ) and two fumbles . After Jake Plummer threw his second interception of the day in their own red zone , the Browns scored their only points when Charlie Frye threw a touchdown pass to Joe Jurevicius in the fourth quarter , only the second touchdown allowed by the Broncos all year . It also ended their second 11 - quarter streak without a touchdown allowed of the season . Denver at the time had only allowed 44 points all season , the lowest in the league . However , in one of the few items of bad news for the Broncos , left tackle Matt Lepsis suffered a season - ending knee injury . Also , kicker Jason Elam missed just his second field goal of the season in the third quarter . After the Chargers lost to division rival Kansas CIty , the Broncos took over the AFC West with a 5 – 1 record . Week 8 : vs . Indianapolis Colts . " at Invesco Field at Mile High , Denver , Colorado " The Broncos returned to INVESCO Field at Mile High in a highly - anticipated showdown with the Indianapolis Colts and their high - powered offense led by Peyton Manning . Going into the game , Indianapolis was one of just two undefeated teams in the NFL ( along with the Chicago Bears ) with a 6 – 0 record . Unlike the other games the Broncos played up to this point , this game turned into a shootout in the second half , with Peyton Manning playing a nearly flawless game . By the end of the first half , the Broncos had already scored 14 points ( 3 below their season high up to this point ) . The Colts scored first , with a 42 - yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri in the first quarter . The Broncos took a quick lead in the second quarter with two consecutive 80 - yard drives for touchdowns ; one a 1 - yard run by Jake Plummer , his first of the season on running , and the second a 15 - yard pass to Javon Walker . The Broncos went into the half leading 14 – 6 after a 32 - yard field goal by Vinatieri . The Colts responded with a 12 - yard touchdown catch by Reggie Wayne in the third quarter . The only turnover of the game came on a Jake Plummer fumble on the next drive by the Broncos , leading to another easy touchdown pass to Wayne , putting the Colts ahead 17 – 14 . A touchdown run by Mike Bell , who was substituting for the slightly injured Tatum Bell , put the Broncos on top again . Each team responded with a touchdown in the fourth quarter , with Bell running for another touchdown and Wayne hauling in another touchdown pass ( followed by a 2 - point conversion pass that was also caught by Wayne ) . The 37 - yard field goal by Vinatieri with 2 seconds left won the game for the Colts , breaking the tie and allowing them to remain undefeated . He had another 48 - yarder earlier in the quarter , while Jason Elam had previously tied the game on a 49 - yard field goal . The game proved to be good for both offenses ; while Denver allowed the most points they had all season , they also scored more points than they had all season . Peyton Manning tore up the Broncos defense , throwing for 345 yards ( 138 by Wayne ) on 32 / 39 passing , and 3 touchdowns ( all to Wayne ) . Denver ' s powerful run attack ( currently third in the league behind the Atlanta Falcons and San Diego Chargers ) gained 227 yards against the league - worst Colts run defense ( including 136 by rookie Mike Bell ) , but it simply wasn ' t enough to counter the Colts ' powerful offense ( which also ran for 93 yards , all by rookie Joseph Addai , a career high ) . Denver again moved into a first place tie in the AFC West with the San Diego Chargers as they won their game against the St . Louis Rams . Week 9 : at Pittsburgh Steelers . " at Heinz Field , Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania " The Broncos played the Super Bowl XL champion Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh , in a rematch of the 2005 AFC Championship Game . The Broncos got on the scoreboard quick with Jake Plummer throwing a 16 - yard touchdown strike to WR Rod Smith on their first drive of the game . On the ensuing kickoff , the Steelers fumbled the ball , with the Broncos recovering deep into Steeler ' s territory . Plummer then threw a 10 - yard pass to WR Javon Walker to make the score 14 – 0 . On the next drive , the Steelers got to the Denver 41 - yard line when QB Ben Roethlisberger completed a 35 - yard pass to WR Cedrick Wilson , who then fumbled the ball and the Broncos recovered . In the 2nd Quarter , the Steelers dominated play outscoring the Broncos 10 – 0 on the quarter . Roethlisberger threw a 15 - yard touchdown pass to RB Willie Parker for his first touchdown pass of the game . The Steelers were about to score on their next possession when Roethlisberger threw an interception near the endzone to CB Champ Bailey . After the Broncos showed no offense in the quarter , and the Steelers missed a 40 - yard field goal , the quarter ended with the Steeler ' s Jeff Reed kicking a 46 - yard field goal . In the 3rd Quarter , Denver quickly scored with a 72 - yard end around run by Javon Walker . On their next drive , the Steelers were driving down the field , when Roethlisberger threw another interception to Champ Bailey near the endzone . Denver was unable to get out of their own endzone after that and punted to the Steelers who scored on the next drive with a 3 - yard touchdown run by Willie Parker . Denver put the game to an end in the fourth quarter with another 10 - yard touchdown pass from Plummer to Walker . This came after the Steelers punted from their own 1 - yard line and the Broncos began the series on the Steeler 17 - yard line . Both the Steelers and the Broncos scored field goals on their next possessions , the Steelers with a 29 - yard field goal and Denver with a 32 - yard field goal . Pittsburgh again , down by 11 nearly made it a 4 - point game when WR Hines Ward leapt into the end zone , but fumbled from a John Lynch ( American football ) tackle , whereby the Broncos safety Curome Cox recovered the fumble . On the Steelers next possession , Roethlisberger again threw an interception , this time to Curome Cox , ending the game . With this win the Broncos remained tied with the Chargers in the AFC West with a 6 – 2 record . Week 10 : at Oakland Raiders . " at McAfee Coliseum , Oakland , California " Following their road victory over the Steelers , the Broncos flew to McAfee Coliseum for an AFC West rematch with the Oakland Raiders . In the first quarter , the Raiders score first with RB LaMont Jordan on a 1 - yard TD run . The Broncos would respond with QB Jake Plummer completing a 39 - yard TD run with WR Javon Walker . In the second quarter , Oakland kicker Sebastian Janikowski would get a 55 - yard and a 20 - yard field goal to give the Raiders a 13 – 7 halftime lead . After a scoreless third quarter , Denver would score twice in the 4th Quarter with Plummer ' s 1 - yard TD pass to FB Kyle Johnson and Jason Elam kicking a 24 - yard field goal . With the win , the Broncos improved to 7 – 2 . Week 11 : vs . San Diego Chargers . " at Invesco Field at Mile High , Denver , Colorado " Following their season sweep over the Raiders , the Broncos went home for a Sunday Night match - up with their AFC West rival , the San Diego Chargers . With first place in the division on the line , both sides would play tough . In the first quarter , the Chargers got the only score of the period as LaDainian Tomlinson scored on a 3 - yard TD run on a 98 - yard drive . In the second quarter , the Broncos took the lead with RB [ Mike Bell getting two 3 - yard TD runs . In the third quarter , kicker Jason Elam completed a 42 - yard field goal , while CB Darrent Williams returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown . However , things started getting grim as Tomlinson ( who historically had difficulty against the Broncos in Denver ) exploded with a 3 - yard TD run and a 51 - yard TD reception . In the fourth quarter , Elam would get a 38 - yard field goal , but San Diego managed to wrap up the game with QB Philip Rivers completing a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Vincent Jackson and Tomlinson getting a 1 - yard TD run . With the loss , the Broncos fell to 7 – 3 and second place in the AFC West . It would later be learned that safety Nick Ferguson had season - ending surgery to repair a torn medial meniscus in his left knee . He injured his knee after a 1st quarter interception . Week 12 : at Kansas City Chiefs . " at Arrowhead Stadium , Kansas City , Missouri " The Broncos traveled to Arrowhead Stadium for an AFC West rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs . This was a historic game as NFL Network began their season with a 3rd NFL game on Thanksgiving . In the 1960s , Kansas City hosted three Thanksgiving Day games . For this battle , QB Jake " The Snake " Plummer was fighting for his starting job . In the first quarter , the Broncos trailed early as K . C . ' s Lawrence Tynes kicked a 24 - yard field goal for the only score of the period . In the second quarter , Denver ' s defensive problem continued as RB Larry Johnson got a 1 - yard TD run . The Broncos would finally score as kicker Jason Elam nailed a 31 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Tynes helped the Chiefs get a 34 - yard field goal , while Plummer completed a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Stephen Alexander . In the fourth quarter , Tynes gave Kansas City a 29 - yard and a 21 - yard field goal . The Broncos tried to respond , but K . C . ' s improved defense stopped any hope of a comeback . With the loss , Denver fell to 7 – 4 . Week 13 : vs . Seattle Seahawks . " at Invesco Field at Mile High , Denver , Colorado " Trying to break a two - game losing streak , the Broncos went home for a Sunday Night fight with the Seattle Seahawks . This game would be notable for the NFL debut of QB Jay Cutler . In the first quarter , the Broncos struck first with kicker Jason Elam ' s 37 - yard field goal for the only score of the period . In the second quarter , Denver ' s lead increased with Cutler ' s 7 - yard TD pass to TE Stephen Alexander . However , the Seahawks got into game with DE Darryl Tapp ' s 25 - yard interception return for a touchdown . After a scoreless third quarter , Seattle took control of the game with RB Shaun Alexander ' s 1 - yard TD run , along with kicker Josh Brown ' s 44 - yard and 23 - yard field goal . The Broncos responded with a huge play , as Cutler completed a 71 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall . However , Denver ' s defense couldn ' t hold off the Seahawks ' response , as Brown nailed a 50 - yard field goal , spoiling Cutler ' s debut . With their third - straight loss , the Broncos fell to 7 – 5 . Week 14 : at San Diego Chargers . " at Qualcomm Stadium , San Diego , California " Hoping to snap a three - game losing streak and give rookie QB Jay Cutler his first NFL win , the Broncos flew to Qualcomm Stadium for an AFC West rematch with the San Diego Chargers . In the first quarter , Denver trailed early as QB Philip Rivers completed a 12 - yard TD pass to TE Antonio Gates , while FB Lorenzo Neal got a 4 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , the Broncos managed to get on the board with kicker Jason Elam ' s 34 - yard field goal . However , San Diego ' s dominance continued with RB LaDainian Tomlinson ' s 1 - yard TD run , along with a 7 - yard TD pass from Rivers to Gates . In the third quarter , the Broncos showed some signs of life as Cutler completed a 28 - yard TD pass and an 11 - yard TD pass to rookie TE Tony Scheffler , while Elam nailed a 33 - yard field goal . However , in the fourth quarter , the Chargers pulled away with kicker Nate Kaeding ' s 34 - yard and 35 - yard field goal , while Tomlinson broke the single - season TD record with a 6 - yard and a 7 - yard TD run . With their fourth - straight defeat , Denver fell to 7 – 6 . Week 15 : at Arizona Cardinals . " at University of Phoenix Stadium , Glendale , Arizona " Broncos ' fans were given several reasons to hope for the future during this road win against the similarly rookie quarterback led Cardinals . Denver scored first on a Javon Walker 54 - yard pass from Jay Cutler in the 3rd minute of the first quarter . They scored again in the 6th minute of the first quarter on a 30 - yard field goal compliments of Jason Elam . Elam tacked on another 3 in the second minute of the second quarter from 22 yards . The Cardinals got on the board in the 6th minute of the second quarter with a field goal from Neil Rackers . They scored again in the 7th minute on a fumble return for a touchdown by Antonio Smith for 4 yards after Tatum Bell lost the ball . Elam struck again from 30 yards in the 14th minute of the 2nd quarter . Denver went on to score 3 more TDs . One in the third on a 10 - yard pass to Rod Smith and two more in the fourth both on 1 - yard carries from Mike Bell . Arizona scored on an FG in the third from 38 yards compliments of Rackers and then on a touchdown in the fourth on a four - yard carry by Edgerrin James . The Broncos improved to 8 – 6 while the Cardinals fell to 4 – 10 . Play - off Implications : Jay Cutler replacing Jake Plummer for his third regular season start had an impressive game with 21 completions on 31 attempts for 261 yards total . He had two TD passes and 1 interception . The run game while not impressive by Broncos ' standards ( 106 yards team total with Mike Bell leading Tatum Bell ( 28 yards ) , with 61 yards on 16 carries ) did provide enough of a threat to allow Cutler opportunities to make plays . After the Broncos ' relatively stagnant last four games any semblance of an offensive rhythm is encouraging . The win in Arizona kept Bronco play - off hopes alive and set up an exciting must - win situation against the Cincinnati Bengals in week 16 . The Broncos can clinch a wild card playoff berth with a win against the Bengals and a loss by the KC Chiefs along with a loss by either the NY Jets or the Jacksonville Jaguars . Week 16 : vs . Cincinnati Bengals . " at Invesco Field at Mile High , Denver , Colorado " Following their road victory over the Cardinals , the Broncos went home for a snowy Christmas Eve fight with the Cincinnati Bengals . In the first quarter , the Bengals struck first with RB Rudi Johnson ' s 6 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , Denver struck back with QB Jay Cutler completing a 1 - yard TD pass to rookie TE Tony Scheffler and a 39 - yard TD pass to WR Javon Walker . However , Cincinnati responded with kicker Shayne Graham ' s 46 - yard field goal and QB Carson Palmer ' s 11 - yard TD pass to WR Chris Henry . In the second half , the Broncos took the lead with RB Mike Bell ' s 2 - yard TD run in the third quarter and kicker Jason Elam ' s 24 - yard field goal . Late in the game , the Bengals almost tied the game with Palmer completing a 10 - yard TD pass to WR T . J . Houshmandzadeh . Fortunately , a botched snap resulted in failed PAT , giving Denver a one - point win . With the win , the Broncos improved to 9 – 6 . Week 17 : vs . San Francisco 49ers . " at Invesco Field at Mile High , Denver , Colorado " To close off their season , the Broncos went into their last game of the regular season needing a win or a tie to make the playoffs . Coach Mike Shanahan went on record as saying he preferred it that way — he believed it would motivate his team to play well . Oddsmakers apparently believed so , too ; the Broncos went in an 11 - point favorite . Denver looked strong early and led the visiting 49ers 13 – 3 at halftime , but San Francisco used a stingy goal - line defense and a heavy dose of NFC rushing champ Frank Gore to take a lead late into the second half . Cornerback Darrent Williams ( playing in what would tragically be his final game ) also left the game in the second half due to a shoulder injury . With just 90 seconds left on the clock , rookie QB Jay Cutler tossed a nine - yard touchdown to tie the game at 23 . Neither team managed another score in regulation , and the game went to overtime . The overtime period consisted of classic field - position football , with San Francisco steadily gaining field position but losing the battle with the clock . Despite two overtime possessions , Denver was unable to move the ball into field goal range . The Broncos might have been able to hold out for a tie or buy their exhausted defense enough rest to make a difference had they managed the clock better . Shanahan , however , either didn ' t think this would extend the team ' s season or wouldn ' t stoop to such tactics . Finally , the 49ers ' Joe Nedney attempted a 36 - yard field goal with just under two minutes left . He hooked it badly but the ball passed just inside the right goalpost , ending Denver ' s season . Aftermath . The final record was 9 – 7 , and the Broncos did not qualify for the Playoffs . On New Year ' s Day 2007 , less than 12 hours after the last game ended , second - year cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed in a drive - by shooting . He was 24 . 50 days after Williams died , running back Damien Nash died following a charity basketball game . Jake Plummer retired after being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since Jay Cutler was the new starter in Denver . He refused to battle with Jeff Garcia and Chris Simms for the starting job in Tampa Bay .