History of the Denver Broncos The history of the Denver Broncos American football club began when the team was charter ed a member of the American Football League ( AFL ) in 1960 . The Broncos have played in the city of Denver , Colorado throughout their nearly 50 year history . The Broncos did not win any championships as members of the AFL . Since the 1970 AFL - NFL merger , the Broncos have won ten division titles , and played in six Super Bowl s , following the 1977 , 1986 , 1987 , 1989 , 1997 and 1998 seasons . They won Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII . Their most famous player is former quarterback John Elway , starting quarterback in five Super Bowls and holder of many NFL records . The Broncos currently play in the National Football League ’ s American Football Conference West Division ( AFC West ) . Their current leadership includes owner Pat Bowlen , head coach John Fox , and quarterback Tim Tebow . For much of their first three decades , excluding teams in Texas , they were the only major pro football team between Kansas City and California ( and the only team in the Interior West ) . This distinction ended in 1988 , when the Cardinals moved from St . Louis to the Phoenix area . The Broncos remain the only current AFC West ( formerly AFL West ) team to never relocate or change its nickname . Origins . The Denver Broncos were founded on August 14 , 1959 , when minor league baseball owner Bob Howsam was awarded an American Football League charter franchise . Howsam had originally wanted to bring an expansion NFL franchise to Denver , but were denied a team by NFL owners under the leadership of Chicago Bears owner George Halas . The snub led Howsam and four others to start up a rival to the NFL which would begin play the following year . The Broncos received their nickname through a fan contest held in 1960 . The AFL years . Denver had the worst record of any original AFL team , with a record of 39 – 97 – 4 in the league . They were the only original AFL team never to have played in the title game during the upstart league ' s 10 - year history . Despite their lack of early success , the Broncos produced some memorable games , such as the 38 – 38 tie against the Buffalo Bills in 1960 . They were the first AFL team ever to defeat an NFL team , on August 5 , 1967 when they beat the Detroit Lions 13 – 7 in a preseason game . The Broncos were also the first American professional football team to have an African - American placekicker , Gene Mingo , the first to have a receiver with 100 receptions in a season , Lionel Taylor , and the first starting African - American quarterback of the modern era , Marlin Briscoe . The Filchock era . The Broncos began play in 1960 , the AFL ’ s inaugural season , at Bears Stadium ( later Mile High Stadium ) , longtime home of the Denver Bears . Their head coach was Frank Filchock , who choose Frank Tripucka as the Broncos ' first starting quarterback . The Broncos won their first game , also the first AFL game , 13 – 10 over the Boston Patriots . However , the Broncos would end the season with a 4 – 9 – 1 record . After the season , Howsam , looking to sell his holdings in the Broncos , nearly made a deal with a San Antonio syndicate , but eventually a group led by Calvin Kunz purchased Howsam ’ s shares . At this point , Gerald Phipps became the Broncos largest stockholder . The Faulkner era . Following a 3 – 11 campaign in 1961 , the Broncos replaced Filchock with Jack Faulkner , who ritualistically burned the Broncos vertically - striped socks prior to the new season . Faulkner led them to a 7 – 7 record in 1962 , their best record in the AFL . This . 500 season was not , however , a prelude to success , as the Broncos would lose at least 10 games each of the next five years , during which they were led by four different coaches and over half a dozen starting quarterbacks . The Speedie / Malavasi era . Mac Speedie replaced Faulkner five games into the 1964 season , breaking an eleven game losing streak by beating Kansas City 37 - 33 . However , the Broncos would only win one more game in 1964 , ending the season with a 2 – 11 – 1 record . The team improved only marginally in 1965 , finishing with a 4 - 10 record . In the first game of the 1966 season , a 45 – 7 loss to Houston , the Broncos failed to record a first down and finished with only 26 yards of total offense , including −7 yards passing . After the 2nd game , Speedie resigned and was replaced by interim head coach Ray Malavasi , under whom the Broncos finished the season 4 – 10 . Denver came close to losing the Broncos in 1965 , when a group of minority partners joined together with the intent to sell the team to interests based in Atlanta . However , a different pair of owners , Alan and Gerald Phipps , bought the team ( along with Bears Stadium ) and kept them in Denver . In the aftermath of the near loss of what was Denver ' s only professional sports team at the time , season ticket sales nearly tripled the following year . The Saban era begins . In 1967 , the Broncos hired Lou Saban , coach of the two - time defending AFL champion Buffalo Bills , as head coach . Saban ' s first order of business was to generate interest in the team to keep them in Denver . Playing at antiquated Bears Stadium , the Broncos needed to expand the stadium to 50 , 000 in order to meet the NFL ' s requirements for the merger . This required raising funds from businesses and the people of Denver . If unable to raise the necessary funds , the team was threatening to move to Chicago or Birmingham . Saban decided to use his # 1 pick for an impact player . With the 6th pick , he chose Syracuse All - America Floyd Little , the first 3 - time All - America since Doak Walker . With the Broncos ' past # 1 picks , such as Dick Butkus and Merlin Olsen , fleeing to the NFL , Little became the first # 1 pick to sign with the team . His signing created a landslide of enthusiasm for the Broncos . Little and other Broncos went door - to - door to elicit funds for the stadium , and he even rode buses to Wyoming , Nebraska and other nearby states to bring in money . In doing so , Little became known as " The Franchise " for his tireless efforts to keep the team in Denver . Little proved to be every ounce as valuable on the field for the Broncos as well . Saban kept 26 rookies his first season including Little , along with numerous 2nd and 3rd year players . Little was the only bright spot in a dismal 3 – 11 season . He led the AFL and NFL in punt returns with a blistering 17 - yard average . He also led the league in combined yards ( rushing , receiving and returns ) . In 1968 , he led the league again in combined yards and became the only player in either league to return a punt for a touchdown in both seasons . In 1969 , Little was clearly the best back in both the AFL or NFL . After just six games , he was more than 300 yards ahead of all running backs , piling up 700 yards when he tore up his knee and missed most of the season . He was named All - AFL for his efforts . In 1970 , despite playing with a broken bone in his back and having a record 5 different starting quarterbacks , Little led the AFC in rushing . In 1971 , Little did it again . He not only lead the AFC in rushing , but also out - rushed any NFL player with 1 , 133 yards . However , even with Little ' s superb prowess and the likes of defensive end Rich Jackson creating havoc on defense , Saban could not bring the Broncos success . He finished in last place in the division in all 5 years of his tenure . The 1970s . The Saban / Smith / Ralston era . In 1970 , the Broncos began a home sell - out streak ( not including games using replacement players ) which has lasted to the present . During their first season as part of the NFL , the Broncos finished 5 – 8 – 1 and 4 – 9 – 1 in 1971 . The team then went 5 – 9 in 1972 , but continued to sell games out . In 1973 , John Ralston coached the now - mature Broncos to a 7 – 5 – 2 record , the franchise ' s first winning season , including a dramatic tie with Oakland in Denver ' s first - ever " Monday Night Football " appearance that is still remembered as a pivotal game in Broncos history . During this game , announcer Don Meredith famously told the audience : " Welcome to the Mile High City and I really am ! " The second game of the 1974 season was a 35 – 35 tie with the Steelers , the first tie to take place under the NFL ' s new overtime rules . The year ended at 7 – 6 – 1 , for another winning record . In 1975 , the Broncos dropped to 6 – 8 , the final season for running back Floyd Little . Otis Armstrong took his place , and despite finishing 9 – 5 in 1976 , the playoffs still eluded them . Broncomania and the first Super Bowl appearance . Rookie coach Red Miller , along with the Orange Crush Defense ( a nickname originating in the early ' 70s ) and aging quarterback Craig Morton , led the Broncos to a miracle season in 1977 . The team won the division with a 12 – 2 record , beating an injury - rattled Steelers team 34 – 21 . In the conference championship , they faced their division rival and defending Super Bowl champion Raiders , winning a close game 20 – 17 and sending them to Super Bowl XII . Facing the Dallas Cowboys in the New Orleans Superdome , the Broncos played sloppily the entire game , turning the ball over eight times . They were ultimately crushed 27 – 10 by the Cowboys . Despite this disappointing loss to Dallas , their amazing season catapulted the franchise out of the basement and they since have enjoyed thirty years of consistency that few other teams have matched . The successful season also brought the phenomena of “ Broncomania ” to a fever pitch , with the team the talk of the town , selling 65 , 000 Super Bowl t - shirts in 48 hours . Earlier that year , superfan Tim McKernan , better known simply as The Barrel Man , began wearing only an orange - colored aluminum barrel , boots and a cowboy hat to games , a ritual he would repeat for thirty years . The 1978 season saw the Broncos finish 10 – 6 ( the season having been extended to 16 games ) and win the division again , but they were routed out of the playoffs by the Steelers in a 33 – 10 loss . Another 10 – 6 season and a playoff appearance followed in 1979 , but three division losses reduced the Broncos to a wild card team . They lost to the Houston Oilers 13 – 7 in the Astrodome . The Elway years . 1980s . Quarterback John Elway arrived in 1983 . Originally drafted by the Baltimore Colts as the first pick of the draft , Elway proclaimed that he would shun football in favor of baseball ( he was drafted by the New York Yankees to play center field ) unless he was traded to one of a selected list of other teams , which included Denver . During the 23 seasons prior to Elway ' s arrival , Denver used over 24 different starting quarterbacks . Under Elway and head coach Dan Reeves ( hired in 1981 ) , the Broncos would become one of the most dominant AFC teams of the 1980s , winning 3 AFC championships ( 1986 , 1987 , 1989 ) , with Elway winning the NFL MVP Award in 1987 . The first two Super Bowl appearances were preceded by storied victories over the Cleveland Browns in the AFC Championship game , each acquiring its own nickname : The Drive in 1987 , in which the Broncos drove 98 yards to score a late game - winning touchdown , and The Fumble in 1988 , in which Brown Earnest Byner lost the ball , and a game - tying touchdown , late in the game . However , the Broncos lost all three Super Bowls during this period , all by at least three touchdowns . In fact , Super Bowl XXIV against the San Francisco 49ers was the most lopsided Super Bowl in NFL history . During the 1980s , the Broncos played in at least two storied " Monday Night Football " games . On October 15 , 1984 , the Broncos played a famed game against the Green Bay Packers during a major blizzard . The following season , on November 11 , 1985 , the Broncos won a Monday Night Football home game when a fan threw a snowball onto the field during San Francisco 49ers kicker Ray Wersching field goal attempt . 49er holder Matt Cavanaugh picked up the ball and threw it incomplete , losing three decisive points in a 17 – 16 loss . In the late 1980s and early 1990s , Elway ’ s strong receiving corps of Mark Jackson , Vance Johnson and Ricky Nattiel was nicknamed the “ Three Amigos . ” Early in the 1980s , the Broncos were the first NFL team to play the song " Rock and Roll , Pt . 2 " ( AKA " the Hey Song " ) , during games . 1990s . Reeves was fired following an 8 – 8 1992 campaign and replaced with Wade Phillips , a move often attributed to Reeves stormy relationship with Elway Following campaigns of 9 – 7 and 7 – 9 in 1993 and 1994 respectively , Phillips was fired and the Broncos named former Broncos quarterbacks coach Mike Shanahan Head Coach . In 1995 , the Broncos debuted a new Zone blocking scheme under Mike Shanahan and rookie running back Terrell Davis , who would quickly emerge as an All - Pro running back . The Broncos established a tradition in 1996 where the offensive linemen do not talk with the media as a form of bonding . This was evident during the player introductions for the starting lineup on nationally - televised prime time games as the linemen would not introduce themselves . How they were introduced has varied over the years as sometimes , another offensive player introduces them and during other times , the announcers introduce the offensive linemen . Due to a rule change within the NFL in 2007 , this tradition came to an end . For the 2007 season each player is required to make themselves available for media interviews . On a " Sunday Night Football " game against the Pittsburgh Steelers , the linemen introduced themselves . In 1996 , Shanahan ’ s second season , the Broncos went 13 – 3 and appeared on their way to another Super Bowl appearance . However , they were defeated by the Jacksonville Jaguars in a stunning 30 – 27 wild - card round loss . In 1997 , the Broncos went 12 – 4 , securing a wild card spot in the playoffs . Following playoff wins over the Jaguars , Chiefs and Steelers , the Broncos faced the heavily - favored Packers in Super Bowl XXXII . Davis would lead the Broncos to their first Super Bowl victory , 31 – 24 . Although Elway completed only 12 of his 22 passing attempts , throwing one interception and no touchdowns , he executed what was perhaps the game ’ s best - known play , known as The Dive , when he boldly ran for a crucial first down while surviving strong hits from two safeties as he jumped through the air like a propeller . Terrell Davis was able to overcome a severe migraine headache that caused him blurred vision and rush for 157 yards and three touchdowns to earn Super Bowl MVP honors . The following season , the Broncos began the year by winning their first thirteen games . The first loss of the season came at the hands of the New York Giants , as Kent Graham hit Amani Toomer late in the fourth quarter to steal a 20 – 16 victory . The loss took the wind from the sails of what would have been a highly anticipated " Monday Night Football " matchup on the road against the Miami Dolphins for two primary reasons . First , the Broncos would have a chance at reaching perfection against the only franchise to achieve such a goal . Second , Elway would have gone head - to - head against Dan Marino for only the second time , an oddity of scheduling since both quarterbacks were drafted the same year and both played in the same conference . Elway would play his worst game of the season in a 31 – 21 loss , and the Broncos would finish the season 14 – 2 . Adding levity to an intense quest for a perfect season , one week normally gregarious tight end Shannon Sharpe refused to speak to the media , leading Shanahan to add to the injury report : " TE Shannon Sharpe ( laryngitis ) probable . " Terrell Davis became the fourth back to rush for 2000 yards ( he would finish with 2 , 008 ) during the regular season and won the NFL MVP award . In the playoffs , the Broncos defeated first the Miami Dolphins and then the New York Jets in the AFC Championship game to advance to Super Bowl XXXIII . Following the win against the Jets , Elway took one final lap around the field in what would be his final game at Mile High Stadium . Two weeks later in the Super Bowl , Denver defeated the Atlanta Falcons , led by former coach Dan Reeves , 34 – 19 to win Super Bowl XXXIII and defend their title . Elway , playing in his final NFL game , won the Super Bowl MVP award . The post - Elway years . Since Elway ' s retirement following the 1998 season , Denver has had only three losing seasons ( 1999 , 2007 and 2010 ) and has made the playoffs as a wild card three times ( in 2000 , 2003 and 2004 ) , and as a division champion once ( 2005 ) . However , they have won only one playoff game since Elway ' s retirement . The Griese era . Brian Griese , son of former Miami Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese , took over as quarterback upon Elway ’ s retirement . Griese led the team from 1999 – 2002 , compiling a record of 34 – 30 . Though the team made the playoffs in the 2000 season under Griese , he never took a snap in the postseason for the Broncos . A shoulder injury he suffered during a gutty Monday Night performance against the arch - rival Oakland Raiders ( in what would be , ironically , the final Monday Night affair at Mile High Stadium ) , shelved him for most of the remainder of the season . Thus , Gus Frerotte started the playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens , a 21 – 3 defeat . The Broncos would finish with winning records under Griese but miss the playoffs in 2001 and 2002 . The Plummer era . Former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer replaced Griese as quarterback prior to the 2003 season . He would lead the team to a 49 – 26 record and a 1 – 3 playoff record from 2003 to 2006 . Prior to the 2005 season , the Broncos were plagued by early season success followed by late season flops . In both 2003 and 2004 they started the season 5 – 1 and ended 10 – 6 . After losing the 2005 season opener , the Broncos won five straight games , defeating the San Diego Chargers , 20 – 17 , the Kansas City Chiefs , 30 – 10 , the Jacksonville Jaguars , 20 – 7 , the Washington Redskins , 21 – 19 , and the two - time defending champion New England Patriots , 28 – 20 , on October 16 . Denver lost the next game to the New York Giants on October 23 by a final score of 24 – 23 , in the game ' s final minute . The following week , the Broncos routed the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles , 49 – 21 , on October 30 . In that game , the Broncos became the first team in NFL history to have two players , Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell , rush for over 100 yards and another player , Jake Plummer , pass for over 300 yards in a single game . Denver then defeated the Oakland Raiders on November 13 , 31 – 17 . The next game , the Broncos shut out the New York Jets 27 – 0 in Denver on November 20 . It was the Broncos ' first shutout win since 1997 ( when the team blanked the Carolina Panthers that season ) . Denver then went on to defeat the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day , November 24 , winning in overtime , 24 – 21 , on a Jason Elam 24 - yard game - winning field goal . One of the key plays prior to the field goal was a 55 - yard run by Ron Dayne , who filled in for the injured Tatum Bell . Denver lost to the Chiefs in the next game , 31 – 27 , on December 4 , but won against the Baltimore Ravens the following week , 12 – 10 . On December 17 , the Broncos defeated the Buffalo Bills , 28 – 17 . On Christmas Eve 2005 , the Broncos clinched the AFC West division title , as they finished with a record 8 – 0 at INVESCO Field at Mile High by defeating the Oakland Raiders , 22 – 3 . On December 31 , 2005 , the Broncos got season - win number 13 in a season - sweeping on the road against their division rivals , the Chargers , with a final score of 23 – 7 . The Broncos entered the playoffs for the third consecutive year with the momentum of a four - game winning streak . Denver finished the regular season with a record of 13 – 3 , tying them with the Seattle Seahawks for second best overall record in the league , behind the 14 – 2 Indianapolis Colts . Denver was seeded number two in the AFC behind the Colts . On January 14 , 2006 , the Broncos defeated the two - time defending champion New England Patriots , 27 – 13 , in the – denying the Patriots from becoming the first NFL team ever to win three consecutive Super Bowl championships . The last team with an opportunity of winning three consecutive Super Bowls before the Patriots were the Broncos themselves . The Broncos ' playoff run came to an end after losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the , 34 – 17 , on January 22 , 2006 . Denver turned the ball over four times and were outscored in the first half , 24 – 3 . The Steelers went on to win Super Bowl XL . The Cutler era . The Broncos surprisingly drafted a quarterback , Jay Cutler , following the season in which Plummer nearly led them to the Super Bowl . Plummer ’ s erratic 2006 performance led to his benching in favor of Cutler 12 games into the season . Cutler would go on to lead the Broncos to a 2 – 3 record in the team ' s last five games . The Broncos finished the 2006 season tied for the last Wild Card spot with the Kansas City Chiefs , with a 9 – 7 record , but lost the tiebreaker due to the Chiefs owning the better AFC West record ( 4 – 2 to the Broncos 3 – 3 ) . The 2006 season marked longtime wide receiver Rod Smith ' s last season as a Bronco after 13 seasons . A hip injury that would later require two hip replacement surgeries effectively ended Smith ' s career prior to the 2007 season , and Smith officially retired in July 2008 . 2007 marked Jay Cutler ' s first full season as the Broncos ' starting quarterback . However , the team suffered through several injuries to key players , including Rod Smith , Tom Nalen , Ben Hamilton , Javon Walker , Jarvis Moss and Ebenezer Ekuban , and finished the season with a 7 – 9 record , the team ' s first losing season since 1999 . Perhaps the most notable event was a " Monday Night Football " home loss to the Green Bay Packers , in which the team set a franchise record for tickets distributed for the game , with 77 , 160 tickets ( 76 , 645 fans attended the game ) . 2007 also marked longtime placekicker Jason Elam ' s last season in a Broncos uniform after 15 seasons . Elam played with the Atlanta Falcons from 2008 – 2009 , before retiring as a Bronco in March 2010 . In 2008 , Cutler passed for 4 , 526 yards , breaking Plummer ' s Broncos record for passing yardage in a single season . However , 2008 was the third consecutive year the Broncos failed to make the playoffs , this time in spite of holding a three game lead over the San Diego Chargers with three games left to play . In 2008 , the Broncos got off to a 4 – 1 start , which included a controversial home win against division rival San Diego Chargers , but struggled through a mediocre stretch in the middle of the season . After 13 games , the team was sitting in first place in the AFC West , with an 8 – 5 record , three games ahead of the Chargers , who were 5 – 8 . However , in the next two weeks , the Broncos suffered back - to - back losses to the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills , while the Chargers won two straight . This set the stage for the 2008 season finale , when the Broncos and Chargers met at San Diego ' s Qualcomm Stadium to decide the AFC West division title . The Broncos were blown out 52 – 21 by the Chargers , and would become the first team in NFL history to enter the final quarter of a regular season with a three - game lead and squander the division lead . The Broncos and Chargers finished the season tied at 8 – 8 , but the Chargers won the AFC West based on a better division record ( 5 – 1 to the Broncos 3 – 3 ) . The Broncos missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season . On December 30 , 2008 , two days after the disastrous season - ending collapse in San Diego , Mike Shanahan , the longest - tenured and winningest head coach in Broncos ' franchise history , was fired after 14 seasons . Two weeks later , on January 11 , 2009 , the Broncos hired former New England Patriots ' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as the team ' s new head coach . Three months later , following a turbulent transition from the Mike Shanahan era to Josh McDaniels , the team traded Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears for quarterback Kyle Orton . The Orton era . With their new quarterback , Denver began 2009 well by winning the first six games . The first three wins included a rally at the Cincinnati Bengals , 12 – 7 , as well as relatively easy wins vs . the Cleveland Browns , 27 – 6 , and at the Oakland Raiders , 23 – 3 . The next three wins came against a tougher stretch of opponents , vs . the Dallas Cowboys , 17 – 10 , vs . the New England Patriots , 20 – 17 in overtime , and at the San Diego Chargers , 34 – 23 . The Broncos ' revamped defense played a huge role in each of the six wins . But after the bye week , the team suddenly collapsed , losing four in a row . They managed to break their losing streak , with back - to - back routs of the New York Giants and Kansas City Chiefs . Those would be the Broncos ' last wins , as they dropped their remaining four matches , including a one - point loss to the Oakland Raiders at home followed by a close 30 – 27 defeat at the Philadelphia Eagles . Denver ' s last hope of getting into the playoffs ended with a 44 – 24 home loss to Kansas City . Ending the season with an 8 – 8 team record , Kyle Orton had 21 touchdowns , 12 interceptions , 3 , 802 yards and a quarterback rating of 86 . 8 . While starting out with a 6 – 0 record , an ankle injury against the Washington Redskins and injuries to the offensive line caused Orton to struggle late in the season . Despite putting up 431 yards in the regular season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs , it was two interceptions from Orton that brought the Broncos ' season to a close and ended Denver ' s chance of a playoff appearance . With a potentially uncapped 2010 NFL season , Orton became a restricted free agent , but later signed a tender on April 16 , 2010 . Notable offseason roster moves included the trades of fullback Peyton Hillis ( to the Cleveland Browns for quarterback Brady Quinn ) , wide receiver Brandon Marshall ( to the Miami Dolphins for draft picks ) and tight end Tony Scheffler ( three - team trade with the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles ) , as well as the draft selections of Georgia Tech wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and All - American Florida quarterback Tim Tebow . Tebow was a heavily - hyped draft pick , partly because Denver traded three draft picks to select him . On August 4 , shortly after the start of training camp , the Broncos suffered a devastating blow to their defense , when outside linebacker / defensive end Elvis Dumervil suffered a torn pectoral muscle in practice . Though there was speculation that Dumervil would be able to return as early as November , he was placed on Injured Reserve on September 3 , and will miss the entire 2010 season . Also on August 4 , the Broncos added free - agent running back and Denver native LenDale White to their roster . However , on September 2 , during the team ' s last preseason game ( at the Minnesota Vikings ) , White suffered a torn Achilles tendon , and will miss the entire 2010 season . On September 4 , wide receiver Brandon Stokley was placed on injured reserve , and later released . The Broncos opened the 2010 season with a 24 – 17 loss at the Jacksonville Jaguars , in which the teams alternated scores , but the Broncos never led in the game . On September 14 , two days after the loss to the Jaguars , the Broncos acquired running back Laurence Maroney in a trade from the New England Patriots ( for a 2011 fourth - round selection ) . In Week 2 , the Broncos cruised to a relatively easy 31 – 14 win against the Seattle Seahawks , in the team ' s home opener . On September 20 , just a day after the win over the Seahawks , tragedy struck the Broncos organization , when wide receiver Kenny McKinley was found dead in his Centennial , Colorado home of an apparent suicide , at the age of 23 . In Week 3 , the Broncos lost 27 – 13 at home to the Indianapolis Colts . Kyle Orton threw for a career - high 476 yards , but the Broncos were plagued by red - zone miscues . In Week 4 , the Broncos rallied for a 26 – 20 win at the Tennessee Titans . In Week 5 , the Broncos lost 31 – 17 to the Baltimore Ravens at M & T Bank Stadium , a venue that has been none too kind to the Broncos . In Week 6 , the Broncos suffered a heartbreaking 24 – 20 loss at home to the New York Jets , aided by a costly pass interference penalty on safety Renaldo Hill that enabled the Jets to rally for the win in the game ' s final two minutes . In Week 7 , the Broncos were annihilated 59 – 14 at home by the Oakland Raiders for their worst loss since 1963 . In Week 8 , the Broncos lost 24 – 16 to the San Francisco 49ers . The game was played at Wembley Stadium in London , England , as part of the International Series . Following the team ' s Week 9 bye , the Broncos cruised to a relatively easy 49 – 29 home win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10 . Kyle Orton had a career - high four touchdown passes and threw for 296 yards . His passer rating was 131 . 5 earning him the title of AFC offensive player of the week . In Week 11 , the Broncos were no match for the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football , losing 35 – 14 at Qualcomm Stadium . On November 27 , 2010 , just a day before the team ' s 36 – 33 home loss to the St . Louis Rams in Week 12 , the Broncos and head coach Josh McDaniels were fined $ 50 , 000 each as a result of a videotaping scandal , during the team ' s aforementioned Week 8 game against the San Francisco 49ers in London . In Week 13 , the Broncos fell 10 – 6 at the Kansas City Chiefs , clinching the team ' s third losing season since 1998 and removing them from playoff contention . Afterwards , Josh McDaniels was fired and running backs coach Eric Studesville took his place for the remainder of the season . McDaniels ' s tenure as head coach , which had gotten off to a good beginning with the team ' s 6 - 0 start to the 2009 season , ultimately turned into a total fiasco with a win / loss record of 11 – 17 before his firing , combined with the Raiders disaster , the expenditure of first - round draft picks on Tim Tebow ( who could have been taken in the second or third round ) , the videotaping episode , and the trading away of key players such as Brandon Marshall . In Week 14 , the Broncos were crushed 43 – 13 at the Arizona Cardinals . In Week 15 , the Broncos lost 39 – 23 at the Oakland Raiders , in Tim Tebow ' s first career start . In Week 16 , the Broncos rallied for a 24 – 23 win over the Houston Texans , on the strength of Tim Tebow throwing for 308 yards and a touchdown , as well as rushing for another touchdown . In Week 17 , the Broncos fell 33 – 28 at home to the San Diego Chargers to finish 4 - 12 . Afterwards , John Elway returned to his old team as general manager . McDaniels ' replacement as HC was ( surprisingly enough ) , John Fox , who had been fired from Carolina after that team finished 2 - 14 . After taking LB Von Miller from Texas A & M with the 2nd pick in the 2011 draft , the Broncos ' off - season was marked by waffling over the fate of Kyle Orton . It was widely expected that he would be traded to Miami where he could be reunited with Brandon Marshall , but negotiations broke down and he remained a Bronco . Tim Tebow was relegated to 3rd string QB behind Orton and Brady Quinn as the Broncos opened on MNF against their rival Raiders . There was no repeat of the 59 - 14 blowout , but an extraordinarily sloppy game ensued as both teams racked up penalties . In the third quarter , Orton threw an interception that the Raiders used to set up a 63 - yard FG by Sebastian Janikowski ( only the third in league history ) and eventually win 23 - 20 .