1996 Denver Broncos season

The 1996 Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 27th season in the National Football League, the 37th overall and their 2nd under head coach Mike Shanahan. The Broncos improved on their 8–8 record from 1995 and finished the season with a 13–3 record. They also clinched the AFC West for the first time since 1991, and earning the top seed in the AFC Playoffs.

1996 Denver Broncos season
OwnerPat Bowlen
PresidentPat Bowlen
General managerJohn Beake and Mike Shanahan
Head coachMike Shanahan
Offensive coordinatorGary Kubiak
Defensive coordinatorGreg Robinson
Home fieldMile High Stadium
Results
Record13–3
Division place1st AFC West
Playoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Jaguars) 27–30
Pro Bowlers
9
AP All-Pros
5
Team MVPTerrell Davis
Uniform
Denver vs. Tampa Bay at Mile High Stadium, September 15, 1996

In the playoffs, the Broncos were upset by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Round, 30–27. Prior to their defeat, they were the top-seeded team in the NFL and were heavily favored to go to and win the Super Bowl by many analysts, breaking the AFC losing streak from the 1980s. The loss rendered the 1996 Broncos team as a historic failure, as it was a major Super Bowl or bust year. This was also the final year the Broncos wore their "Orange Crush" uniforms.

Offseason

NFL Draft
Main article: 1996 NFL Draft
1996 Denver Broncos draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 15 John Mobley  Linebacker Kutztown
2 44 Tory James *  Defensive back LSU
3 65 Detron Smith  Running back Texas A&M
3 78 Mark Campbell  Defensive tackle Florida
4 100 Jeff Lewis  Quarterback Northern Arizona
4 122 Darrius Johnson  Defensive back Oklahoma
5 159 Patrick Jeffers  Wide receiver Virginia
6 181 Tony Veland  Defensive back Nebraska
7 213 Leslie Ratliffe  Offensive tackle Tennessee
7 226 Chris Banks  Guard Kansas
7 235 L. T. Levine  Running back Kansas
7 236 Brian Gragert  Punter Wyoming
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[1] The team was also set to pick University of Nebraska quarterback Brook Berringer. Berringer was killed in a plane crash two days before the draft.

Personnel

Staff
1996 Denver Broncos staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and Conditioning – Rich Tuten
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Greg Saporta
  • Strength Assistant – Barney Chavous

Roster
1996 Denver Broncos roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists
  • 77 Jason Childs T (PUPTooltip Physically unable to perform)
  • -- Steve Russ LB (Reserve/Military)


Practice squad

53 active, 2 inactive, 5 practice squad


Rookies in italics

[2]

Regular season

Schedule
Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 September 1 New York Jets W 31–6 1–0 Mile High Stadium
70,595
 Recap
2 September 8 at Seattle Seahawks W 30–20 2–0 Kingdome
43,671
 Recap
3 September 15 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 27–23 3–0 Mile High Stadium
71,535
 Recap
4 September 22 at Kansas City Chiefs L 14–17 3–1 Arrowhead Stadium
79,439
 Recap
5 September 29 at Cincinnati Bengals W 14–10 4–1 Cinergy Field
51,798
 Recap
6 October 6 San Diego Chargers W 28–17 5–1 Mile High Stadium
75,058
 Recap
7 Bye
8 October 20 Baltimore Ravens W 45–34 6–1 Mile High Stadium
70,453
 Recap
9 October 27 Kansas City Chiefs W 34–7 7–1 Mile High Stadium
75,652
 Recap
10 November 4 at Oakland Raiders W 22–21 8–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum
61,179
 Recap
11 November 10 Chicago Bears W 17–12 9–1 Mile High Stadium
75,555
 Recap
12 November 17 at New England Patriots W 34–8 10–1 Foxboro Stadium
59,457
 Recap
13 November 24 at Minnesota Vikings W 21–17 11–1 Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome
59,142
 Recap
14 December 1 Seattle Seahawks W 34–7 12–1 Mile High Stadium
74,982
 Recap
15 December 8 at Green Bay Packers L 6–41 12–2 Lambeau Field
60,712
 Recap
16 December 15 Oakland Raiders W 24–19 13–2 Mile High Stadium
75,466
 Recap
17 December 22 at San Diego Chargers L 10–16 13–3 Jack Murphy Stadium
46,801
 Recap

Standings
AFC West
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(1) Denver Broncos 13 3 0 .813 391 275 L1
Kansas City Chiefs 9 7 0 .563 297 300 L3
San Diego Chargers 8 8 0 .500 310 376 W1
Oakland Raiders 7 9 0 .438 340 293 L2
Seattle Seahawks 7 9 0 .438 317 376 W1

Postseason
See also: 1996–97 NFL playoffs

Schedule
Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
Wild Card First-round bye
Divisional January 4, 1997 Jacksonville Jaguars (5) L 27–30 0–1 Mile High Stadium
75,678
 Recap

AFC Divisional Playoffs: vs (5) Jacksonville Jaguars
AFC Divisional Playoffs: (5) Jacksonville Jaguars at (1) Denver Broncos – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 0 13 71030
Broncos 12 0 01527

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, CO

  • Date: January 4, 1997
  • Game time: 2:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)
  • Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 75,678

Awards and records

AP Offensive Player of the Year – Terrell Davis

UPI AFL-AFC Offensive MVP – Terrell Davis (1996 was the last year this award was given out)

Terrell Davis set franchise rushing record for most carries (345) in a season and most rushing touchdowns (13) in a season

Milestones

Terrell Davis reached 1,000 yards faster than any Denver Bronco running back in franchise history

References
  1. "1996 Denver Broncos Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
  2. "1996 Denver Broncos starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
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