2007 Denver Broncos season The 2007 Denver Broncos season was the 48th season for the team in the National Football League . A loss to the Houston Texans in Week 15 and a win by the San Diego Chargers the following Sunday knocked them out of playoff contention , marking the second year in a row they failed to make the playoffs . The Broncos ' 7 – 9 record was the worst since 1999 , their last losing season ( when they went 6 – 10 ) . Coaching staff . This was head coach Mike Shanahan ' s 13th year ( 1995 to present ) with the Broncos . Joining him was Mike Heimerdinger & Jeremy Bates as assistant head coaches , Rick Dennison as offensive coordinator , Bob Slowik as defensive coordinator and Scott O ' Brien as special teams coordinator . Offseason . The 2006 – 2007 off - season began as two members of the team died in less than two months after the season ended . Cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed in his H2 limousine on New Years Day , just a few hours after the Broncos last game of the 2006 season . Soon after , Broncos 3rd string running back Damien Nash collapsed and died in a pick - up basketball game . The Broncos traded running back Tatum Bell and offensive tackle George Foster to the Detroit Lions for former Pro Bowl cornerback Dre ' Bly to compensate for the unfortunate loss of Williams . In addition to the trade for Bly , the Broncos had made a trade to the Miami Dolphins for Dan Wilkinson , only to have that trade voided because Wilkinson did not show up to Denver for his scheduled physical . Denver added running back Travis Henry , fullback Thump Belton , and tight end Daniel Graham through free agency . The team released linebacker Al Wilson during the month of April for health and salary cap reasons . Denver also signed backup WR Brandon Stokley from the Indianapolis Colts and P / Kickoff Specialist Todd Sauerbrun . Signed K Brandon Pace ( Virginia Tech ) and C Mark Fenton ( Colorado ) on May 7 . Released OL Tim Duckworth on May 7 . Preseason . The Broncos started strong in the preseason , beating San Francisco 17 – 13 . Jay Cutler led a 67 - yard scoring drive on one of his only series for the Broncos , and new Running Back Travis Henry punched in another touchdown . Back - up Quarterback Patrick Ramsey played most of the game . The previous match - up between Denver and the San Francisco 49ers was the last game of the 2006 – 2007 season , when the 49ers beat Denver in overtime , 26 – 23 , and kept them from entering the play - offs . In game two , The Broncos were in Texas to play the Dallas Cowboys . The game had a lot of buzz , due to the pairing of Dallas wide - receiver Terrell Owens and Denver cornerback Champ Bailey . Also , the mother of Darrent Williams attended the game . Regular season . Week 1 : at Buffalo Bills . The Bills scored first on a 74 yard kick return by Roscoe Parrish . Denver then answered with a 10 play drive that led to a field goal by Jason Elam , making it 7 – 3 . In the second quarter Denver scored first with a 48 yard field goal . Bills kicker Rian Lindell then missed a 45 yard field goal . The Broncos drove deep into Bills territory at the close of the half but Cutler threw an interception to end the drive . The Bills then drove into Denver territory and tried a long field goal but failed due to a false start , then ended the half with an interception thrown to Elvis Dumervil . On the opening kickoff for the second half , a scary injury occurred to Bills TE Kevin Everett , as he suffered a cervical spine injury while making a tackle on Domenik Hixon . Everett later underwent surgery that day and is currently in intensive care . He does have feeling and partial movement in his extremities and it is believed he will walk again . The Broncos began the second half with a drive that ended with a missed 50 yard field goal . The Bills then made a nine play drive that ended with a 23 yard touchdown run by Marshawn Lynch . The Broncos responded with a drive ending with a touchdown pass to Brandon Marshall . They then attempted to tie the game with a two - point conversion but failed with an incomplete pass to Javon Walker . The fourth quarter had little scoring . Elam missed a field goal , but the Bills failed to score or run out the clock , giving Denver the ball with a little over two minutes to play . After an ill - advised lateral bounced free , ( saved by rookie back Selvin Young smartly batting the loose ball out of bounds ) the Bronco ' s faced a seemingly insurmountable 3rd and 23 to go . Cutler immediately turned in the best clutch performance of his NFL career to date , one that drew comparisons to John Elway by both sportswriters and teammates . Cutler ' s drive included two fourth down conversions to drive deep into Bills ' territory , where , with no time outs , they rushed the field goal unit onto the field with ten seconds left and the clock ticking down . Execution by the field goal unit allowed Jason Elam to kick the game winning 42 yard field goal just as the clock ticked to 0 : 00 . Buffalo ended up leading the game for over 51 minutes of the contest . Denver lead for one second . Scoring drives . Q1 – BUF – 6 : 17 – 74 - yard TD Punt Return by Roscoe Parrish ( Rian Lindell kick ) ( 7 – 0 BUF ) Q1 – DEN – 0 : 33 – Jason Elam 21 - yard FG ( 7 – 3 BUF ) Q2 – DEN – 7 : 51 – Elam 48 - yard field goal ( 7 – 6 BUF ) Q3 – BUF – 6 : 24 – 23 - yard TD run by Marshawn Lynch ( Lindell kick ) ( 14 – 6 BUF ) Q3 – DEN – 0 : 54 – 5 - yard TD pass from Jay Cutler to Brandon Marshall ( Two - Point Conversion Failed ) ( 14 – 12 BUF ) Q4 – DEN – 0 : 00 – Elam 42 - yard FG ( 15 – 14 DEN ) Week 2 : vs . Oakland Raiders . In the first quarter , the Broncos were the first to score with a nine yard touchdown pass from Cutler to WR Brandon Stokley after taking the ball from the Raiders with an interception by Alex Ludwig . The second quarter began with another interception by Marcus Thomas after a deflection by John Lynch . The game was then halted due to lightning , but resumed after several minutes . Denver failed to capitalize however , with Cutler throwing an interception that led to a Raider field goal by Sebastian Janikowski . Later however the Broncos capitalized on a 40 yard run by Selvin Young , finishing the drive with a 4 yard touchdown by Cecil Sapp . The Broncos then forced a punt by Oakland and drove for a 23 yard field goal by Elam , putting them up 17 – 3 at the half . Denver began the second half with a drive that ended with a missed field goal by Elam . The Raiders responded with a 46 yard touchdown pass from Josh McCown to Jerry Porter . They then kicked an onside kick which they recovered but failed to drive due to penalties . However Gerard Warren then sacked Cutler in the end zone for a safety to begin the fourth quarter . Oaklend punted on their next possession , but Cutler threw an interception to Thomas Howard who returned it 44 yards for a score . Oakland made a two - point conversion , making it 20 – 17 Oakland . Later in the quarter Elam kicked a 20 yard field goal with 2 : 12 in time remaining to tie to score at 20 – 20 . The Raiders failed to score , throwing an interception to Dre Bly to send the game into overtime . The Broncos won the coin toss to get the ball first in overtime , but failed to score , punting it to Oakland . Raider Lamont Jordan then broke a 33 yard run to set up a 52 yard field goal attempt by Janikowski . Denver called time out just before the Raiders got the snap off and so Janikowski ' s successful kick did not count . On his next attempt he hooked it left , giving Denver the ball . The Broncos then drove to the Oakland 4 yard line , then kicked a game winning field goal by Elam . Scoring drives . Q1 – DEN – 9 : 58 – 9 - yard TD pass from Jay Cutler to Brandon Stokley ( 7 – 0 DEN ) Q2 – OAK – 4 : 34 – 38 - yard FG by Sebastian Janikowski ( 7 – 3 DEN ) Q2 – DEN – 7 : 26 – 4 - yard TD run by Cecil Sapp ( Elam kick ) ( 14 – 3 DEN ) Q2 – DEN – 14 : 42 – 23 - yard FG by Elam ( 17 – 3 DEN ) Q3 – OAK – 9 : 41 – 46 - yard TD pass from Josh McCown to Jerry Porter ( Janikowski kick ) ( 17 – 10 DEN ) Q4 – OAK – 0 : 45 – Safety , Cutler sacked by Gerard Warren in end zone ( 17 – 12 DEN ) Q4 – OAK – 6 : 05 – 44 - yard interception return by Thomas Howard ( two point conversion , Josh McCown to Ronald Curry ) ( 20 – 17 OAK ) Q4 – DEN – 12 : 42 – 20 - yard FG by Elam ( 20 – 20 ) OT – DEN – 9 : 12 – 23 - yard FG by Elam ( 23 – 20 DEN ) Week 3 : vs . Jacksonville Jaguars . Following their OT win over the Raiders , the Broncos stayed at home for an intraconference duel with the Jacksonville Jaguars . After a scoreless first quarter , Denver trailed early as Jaguars QB David Garrard completed a 3 - yard TD pass to WR Reggie Williams . The Broncos would tie the game with QB Jay Cutler completing a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Nate Jackson . However , Jacksonville would take the lead with FB Greg Jones getting a 4 - yard TD run , while kicker John Carney nailed a 19 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Denver continued to trail as the Jaguars increased its lead with Carney ' s 27 - yard field goal , which was the only score of the period . In the fourth quarter , the Broncos attempted a comeback with RB Travis Henry getting a 6 - yard TD run . However , Jacksonville sealed their win with Carney kicking a 18 - yard field goal . With the loss , Denver fell to 2 – 1 . Week 4 : at Indianapolis Colts . Game summary . Hoping to rebound from their home loss to the Jaguars , the Broncos flew to the RCA Dome for an intraconference fight with the defending - Super Bowl champions , the Indianapolis Colts . In the first quarter , Denver galloped to an early lead with kicker Jason Elam getting a 35 - yard field goal , along with QB Jay Cutler ( Indiana native ) complete a 7 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall . In the second quarter , the Colts responded with RB Joseph Addai got a 14 - yard TD run . The Broncos replied with Elam kicking a 22 - yard field goal , yet Indianapolis took the lead with QB Peyton Manning completing a 9 - yard TD pass to TE Dallas Clark . In the third quarter , Denver began to struggle as Manning got a 1 - yard TD run , along with completing a 3 - yard TD pass to Clark . The Broncos got close with Cutler getting a 2 - yard TD run . However , in the fourth quarter , the Colts sealed their win with Manning completing a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Reggie Wayne , along with kicker Adam Vinatieri nailing a 22 - yard field goal . With their second - straight loss , Denver fell to 2 – 2 . Week 5 : vs San Diego Chargers . Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Colts , the Broncos went home for a Week 5 divisional duel with the San Diego Chargers . In the first quarter , Denver trailed early as Chargers QB Philip Rivers got a 2 - yard TD run , while LB Brandon Siler returned a fumble 23 yards for a touchdown . In the second quarter , the Chargers continued its offensive revival with kicker Nate Kaeding getting a 26 - yard field goal . Afterwards , the Broncos would get their only score of the game , as kicker Jason Elam got a 30 - yard field goal . San Diego would end the half with Kaeding nailing a 45 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Denver continued to get pounded with Rivers completing a 9 - yard TD pass to TE Antonio Gates and a 15 - yard TD pass to WR Vincent Jackson . In the fourth quarter , San Diego sealed their victory with RB Michael Turner getting a 74 - yard TD run for the only score of the period . With their third - straight loss , not only did the Broncos fall to 2 – 3 entering their bye week , but the loss marked their worse home loss since losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 56 – 10 on Oct . 23 , 1966 . The 38 - point deficit also marked Denver ' s worst home loss since the AFL - NFL merger . Week 7 : vs . Pittsburgh Steelers . Coming off their bye week , the Broncos stayed at home for a Sunday night intraconference duel with the Pittsburgh Steelers . In the first quarter , Denver trailed early with Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger completing a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Heath Miller . Denver would respond with QB Jay Cutler completing a 15 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Stokley . In the second quarter , the Broncos took the lead with Cutler ' s 1 - yard TD pass to FB Cecil Sapp , along with rookie DE Tim Crowder returning a fumble 50 yards for a touchdown . In the third quarter , the Steelers tried to come back with Roethlisberger completing a 13 - yard TD pass to WR Santonio Holmes . Fortunately , Denver answered with Cutler completing a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Tony Scheffler . In the fourth quarter , Pittsburgh managed to tie the game with Roethlisberger completing a 13 - yard TD pass to TE Matt Spaeth and a 12 - yard TD pass to Miller . Fortunately , kicker Jason Elam came through for the third time this year as he nailed the game - winning 49 - yard field goal . With their three - game skid snapped , the Broncos improved to 3 – 3 . Week 8 : vs . Green Bay Packers . Coming off their Sunday night home win over the Steelers , the Broncos stayed at home for a Monday Night interconference fight with the Green Bay Packers . In the first quarter , Denver took the early lead with QB Jay Cutler completing a 5 - yard TD pass to TE Tony Scheffler . The Packers would respond with QB Brett Favre completing a 79 - yard TD pass to WR James Jones . In the second quarter , Green Bay took the lead with kicker Mason Crosby getting a 19 - yard and a 26 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Broncos began to rally as kicker Jason Elam got a 45 - yard field goal for the only score of the period . In the fourth quarter , Denver managed to get a last - second 21 - yard field goal from Elam to send the game into overtime . Unfortunately , on the Packers ' first play of the period , Favre sealed the win with an 82 - yard TD pass to WR Greg Jennings . With the loss , not only did the Broncos fall to 3 – 4 , but it also marked the first time in franchise history that they lost to Green Bay at home . Week 9 : at Detroit Lions . Hoping to rebound from their Monday Night loss to the Packers , the Broncos flew to Ford Field for a Week 9 interconference duel with the Detroit Lions . In the first quarter , Denver trailed early as Lions kicker Jason Hanson managed to get a 43 - yard field goal for the only score of the period . In the second quarter , the Broncos continued to struggle as Hanson gave Detroit a 53 - yard field goal , while QB Jon Kitna completed a 15 - yard TD pass to WR Mike Furrey . The Lions would end the half with Hanson kicking a 38 - yard field goal . Even worse , starting QB Jay Cutler ( 3 / 4 for 20 yards ) would leave the game with a lower left leg injury . In the third quarter , Detroit continued to destroy Denver as DE Dewayne White returned a fumble 3 yards for a touchdown , while Kitna completed a 49 - yard TD pass to WR Shaun McDonald . In the fourth quarter , the Lions finished their job as NT Shaun Rogers returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown , while RB T . J . Duckett got a 3 - yard TD run . The Broncos prevented a shutout when QB Patrick Ramsey completed a 2 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Stokley . With the loss , Denver fell to 3 – 5 . This would be the second time this year that the Broncos lost by at least 37 points . Week 10 : at Kansas City Chiefs . Trying to snap a two - game losing skid , the Broncos flew to Arrowhead Stadium for an AFC West duel with the Kansas City Chiefs . In the first quarter , Denver drew first blood with kicker Jason Elam getting a 44 - yard field goal . The Chiefs would respond with kicker Dave Rayner getting a 38 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , the Broncos trailed as K . C . Safety Bernard Pollard blocked a punt that was deep in Denver territory . The ball would roll out the back of the endzone for a safety . The Broncos would respond with Elam kicking a 50 - yard field goal . However , the Chiefs would regain the lead prior to halftime as Rayner kicked a 36 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Denver retook the lead as rookie RB Selvin Young got a 20 - yard TD run , along with LB Nate Webster returning a fumble 58 yards for a touchdown . Kansas City would answer with Rayner nailing a 39 - yard field goal . Fortunately , in the fourth quarter , the Broncos closed out the game with QB Jay Cutler completing an 18 - yard TD pass to TE Daniel Graham . With the win , not only did Denver improve to 4 – 5 , but it also marked their first win at Arrowhead Stadium since 2002 . Week 11 : vs . Tennessee Titans . Coming off an impressive divisional road win over the Chiefs , the Broncos went home for a Week 11 Monday Night intraconference duel with the Tennessee Titans . In the first quarter , Denver drew first blood with QB Jay Cutler completing a 48 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Stokley , along with WR / PR Glenn Martinez returning a punt 80 yards for a touchdown . In the second quarter , the Titans got on the board with QB Vince Young completing a 21 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Jones . Afterwards , the Broncos regained some of their lead with kicker Jason Elam getting a 21 - yard and a 39 - yard field goal . Tennessee would end the half with kicker Rob Bironas getting a 56 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Denver responded with Cutler completing a 41 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall . The Titans would reply with Young getting a 4 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , Tennessee drew closer as Bironas nailed a 37 - yard field goal . Fortunately , the Broncos got the victory with rookie RB Andre Hall getting a 62 - yard TD run . With the win , Denver improved to 5 – 5 . Week 12 : at Chicago Bears . Coming off their home win over the Titans , the Broncos flew to Soldier Field for a Week 12 interconference duel with the Chicago Bears . In the first quarter , Denver trailed early as Bears kicker Robbie Gould managed to get a 24 - yard field goal . The Broncos would reply with kicker Jason Elam getting a 23 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Denver took the lead with rookie RB Andre Hall getting a 16 - yard TD run , while Chicago replied with Gould kicking a 44 - yard field goal . The Broncos would end the half with Elam kicking a 22 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Denver lost its lead as WR / KR / PR Devin Hester returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown . The Broncos would answer with FB Cecil Sapp getting a 5 - yard TD run , but the Bears immediately struck back as Hester returned a kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown . Denver would regain the lead as Cutler completed a 68 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall . In the fourth quarter , the Broncos increased their lead with Cutler completing a 14 - yard TD pass to TE Tony Scheffler . However , Chicago tied the game with RB Adrian Peterson getting a 4 - yard TD run , while QB Rex Grossman completed a 3 - yard TD pass to WR Bernard Berrian . In overtime , the Bears sealed Denver ' s fate as Gould nailed the game - winning 39 - yard field goal . With the loss , the Broncos fell to 5 – 6 . Week 13 : at Oakland Raiders . Coming off their embarrassing road loss to the Bears , the Broncos went to home McAfee Coliseum for an AFC West rematch with the Oakland Raiders . In the first quarter , Denver trailed early as QB Josh McCown completed a 15 - yard TD pass to WR Tim Dwight . The Broncos replied with RB Travis Henry getting a 4 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , Oakland regained the lead with TE Zach Miller for the only score of the period . In the third quarter , the Raiders continued their domination with kicker Sebastian Janikowski getting a 38 - yard field goal , while McCown completed a 13 - yard TD pass to WR Jerry Porter . The Broncos continued to try to keep up with kicker Jason Elam getting a 29 - yard and a 44 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , Denver tried to come back as Henry got a 3 - yard TD run . However , Oakland sealed the win with Janikowski nailing a 44 - yard field goal and RB Justin Fargas getting a 5 - yard TD run . With the loss , the Broncos fell to 5 – 7 . In the game , Denver committed 4 turnovers ( 2 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles ) , which is tied as a season - worst for the Broncos . Week 14 : vs . Kansas City Chiefs . Trying to snap a two - game skid , the Broncos went home for a Week 14 AFC West rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs . In the first quarter , Denver drew first blood as QB Jay Cutler completed a 21 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Stokley , while RB Travis Henry got a 1 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , the Chiefs would get their only score of the game with QB Brodie Croyle completing a 15 - yard TD pass to TE Tony Gonzalez . Afterwards , the Broncos took over as Cutler completed an 8 - yard TD pass to WR Brandon Marshall , while kicker Jason Elam managed to get a 37 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Denver pulled away as Elam nailed another 37 - yard field goal , while Cutler completed a 2 - yard TD pass to TE Daniel Graham , along with a 13 - yard TD pass to Marshall . With the season - sweeping win , the Broncos improved to 6 – 7 . Also with this win , it improved Denver ' s divisional home record since 2001 to 18 – 4 . Week 15 : at Houston Texans . Coming off their dominating home win over the Chiefs , the Broncos flew to Reliant Stadium for a Thursday night intraconference duel with the Houston Texans . In the first quarter , Denver trailed early as QB Sage Rosenfels got a 5 - yard TD run for the only score of the period . In the second quarter , the Broncos would get on the board as kicker Jason Elam managed to get a 41 - yard field goal . Houston would respond with kicker Kris Brown getting a 41 - yard field goal . Denver would end the half with Elam nailing a 47 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Texans would increase their lead as RB Ron Dayne managed to get a 6 - yard TD run . The Broncos would respond with QB Jay Cutler completing a 12 - yard TD pass to TE Tony Scheffler . However , in the fourth quarter , Houston sealed the win as Rosenfels completed a 4 - yard TD pass to WR Andre Johnson , while FB Vonta Leach got a 1 - yard TD run . With the loss , Denver fell to 6 – 8 .