1998 Denver Broncos season

1998 Denver Broncos season
1998 Denver Broncos season
Owner	Pat Bowlen
President	Pat Bowlen
Head coach	Mike Shanahan
General manager	John Beake
Offensive coordinator	Gary Kubiak
Defensive coordinator	Greg Robinson
Home field	Mile High Stadium
Results
Record	14–2
Division place	1st AFC West
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs (vs. Dolphins) 38–3; Won AFC Championship (vs. Jets) 23–10; Won Super Bowl XXXIII (vs. Falcons) 34–19
Pro Bowlers	QB John Elway; RB Terrell Davis; WR Ed McCaffrey; TE Shannon Sharpe; T Tony Jones; C Tom Nalen; LB Bill Romanowski; G Mark Schlereth; FS Steve Atwater; K Jason Elam
AP All-Pros	RB Terrell Davis (1st team) ; TE Shannon Sharpe (1st team); WR Ed McCaffrey (2nd team); K Jason Elam (2nd team)
	← 1997; Broncos seasons; 1999 →;

The 1998 Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 29th season in the National Football League, and the 39th overall. The Broncos entered the season as the defending Super Bowl champions and looked to become only the fifth team in league history to win consecutive Super Bowls.

Finishing with a record of 12-4 the previous year, the Broncos improved on that mark by two wins and tied the Atlanta Falcons for second best record at 14-2. They won their first thirteen games, the best start since the unbeaten 1972 Dolphins.

After sixteen seasons, John Elway retired following the Super Bowl. He finished his Broncos career with 51,475 yards passing and 300 touchdowns. Until Peyton Manning won in Super Bowl 50, Elway stood as the only Broncos quarterback to win a Super Bowl. However, Elway even played a large role in that victory as the general manager and president of football operations for the Broncos.

Running back Terrell Davis set a team single season rushing mark. His final total was 2,008 yards, making him only the fourth player to rush for over 2,000 yards in single season.

In 2007, the 1998 Broncos were ranked as the 12th greatest Super Bowl champions on the NFL Network's documentary series America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions.

Offseason[]

NFL draft[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College
1998 Denver Broncos draft
1	30	Marcus Nash	Wide receiver	Tennessee
2	61	Eric Brown	Safety	Mississippi State
3	91	Brian Griese *	Quarterback	Michigan
4	122	Curtis Alexander	Running back	Alabama
5	153	Chris Howard	Running back	Michigan
7	200	Trey Teague	Center	Tennessee
7	219	Nate Wayne	Linebacker	Ole Miss
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel[]

Staff[]

**1998 Denver Broncos staff**

	Front office President and Chief Executive Officer – Pat Bowlen Vice President of Business Operations – Joe Ellis (hired Sep 1, 1998) General Manager – Director of Player Personnel – Neal Dahlen Director of Pro Scouting – Jack Elway Director of College Scouting – Ted Sundquist College Scouting Consultant – Jerry Frei Head coaches Head Coach – Mike Shanahan Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line – Alex Gibbs Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks – Gary Kubiak Running Backs – Bobby Turner Wide Receivers – Mike Heimerdinger Tight Ends – Brian Pariani Assistant Offensive Line – Barney Chavous Offensive Assistant – Ricky Porter			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Greg Robinson Defensive Line – Linebackers – Frank Bush Defensive Backs/Secondary – Ed Donatell Defensive Assistant – Rick Smith Defensive Assistant – Pat McPherson Pass Rush Specialist – John Teerlinck Special teams coaches Special Teams – Rick Dennison Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Strength Assistant – Barney Chavous

Roster[]

**1998 Denver Broncos roster**

	Quarterbacks 6 Bubby Brister 7 John Elway 14 Brian Griese Running backs 30 Terrell Davis 29 Howard Griffith FB 22 Vaughn Hebron 31 Derek Loville 37 Anthony Lynn FB 42 Detron Smith FB Wide receivers 83 Justin Armour 85 Willie Green 87 Ed McCaffrey 82 Marcus Nash 80 Rod Smith Tight ends 89 Dwayne Carswell 86 Byron Chamberlain 84 Shannon Sharpe		Offensive linemen 79 Chris Banks G 63 David Diaz-Infante G, LS 60 K. C. Jones C 77 Tony Jones T 78 Matt Lepsis T 66 Tom Nalen C 62 Dan Neil G 69 Mark Schlereth G 74 Harry Swayne T Defensive linemen 73 Cyron Brown DE 96 Harald Hasselbach DE 72 Ernest Jones DE 97 Mike Lodish DT 77 DT * From practice squad 93 Trevor Pryce DT 90 Neil Smith DE 98 Maa Tanuvasa DE 94 Keith Traylor DT 95 Marvin Washington DT 91 Alfred Williams DE		Linebackers 56 Keith Burns MLB 59 Glenn Cadrez OLB 99 Seth Joyner OLB 51 John Mobley OLB 53 Bill Romanowski OLB 54 Nate Wayne OLB Defensive backs 27 Steve Atwater FS 34 Tyrone Braxton SS 26 Eric Brown SS 48 George Coghill FS 39 Ray Crockett CB 21 Darrien Gordon CB 20 Tory James CB 25 Darrius Johnson CB 28 Tito Paul CB Special teams 1 Jason Elam K 16 Tom Rouen P		Reserve lists 58 Steve Russ OLB (IR) Practice squad Rookies in italics

^[1]

Regular season[]

Schedule[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	TV Time(MT)	TV Announcers	Game site	Record	Attendance
1	September 7	New England Patriots	W 27–21	ABC 6:20pm	Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, Boomer Esiason, and Lesley Visser	Mile High Stadium	1–0	74,745
2	September 13	Dallas Cowboys	W 42–23	FOX 2:15pm	Pat Summerall, John Madden, and Pam Oliver	Mile High Stadium	2–0	75,013
3	September 20	at Oakland Raiders	W 34–17	CBS 2:15pm	Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian	Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum	3–0	56,578
4	September 27	at Washington Redskins	W 38–16	CBS 11:00am	Verne Lundquist, Randy Cross, and Michele Tafoya	FedExField	4–0	71,880
5	October 4	Philadelphia Eagles	W 41–16	FOX 2:15pm	Pat Summerall, John Madden, and Don Tollefson	Mile High Stadium	5–0	73,218
6	October 11	at Seattle Seahawks	W 21–16	CBS 2:15pm	Verne Lundquist, Randy Cross, and Michele Tafoya	Kingdome	6–0	66,258
7	Bye
8	October 25	Jacksonville Jaguars	W 37–24	CBS 2:15pm	Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian	Mile High Stadium	7–0	75,217
9	November 1	at Cincinnati Bengals	W 33–26	CBS 11:00am	Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian	Cinergy Field	8–0	59,974
10	November 8	San Diego Chargers	W 27–10	CBS 2:15pm	Kevin Harlan & Sam Wyche	Mile High Stadium	9–0	74,925
11	November 16	at Kansas City Chiefs	W 30–7	ABC 6:20pm	Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, Boomer Esiason, and Lesley Visser	Arrowhead Stadium	10–0	78,100
12	November 22	Oakland Raiders	W 40–14	CBS 2:15pm	Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian	Mile High Stadium	11–0	75,325
13	November 29	at San Diego Chargers	W 31–16	ESPN 6:15pm	Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire, and Solomon Wilcots	Qualcomm Stadium	12–0	66,532
14	December 6	Kansas City Chiefs	W 35–31	CBS 2:15pm	Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian	Mile High Stadium	13–0	74,962
15	December 13	at New York Giants	L 16–20	CBS 11:00am	Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian	Giants Stadium	13–1	72,336
16	December 21	at Miami Dolphins	L 21–31	ABC 6:20pm	Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, Boomer Esiason, and Lesley Visser	Pro Player Stadium	13–2	74,363
17	December 27	Seattle Seahawks	W 28–21	CBS 2:15pm	Kevin Harlan & Sam Wyche	Mile High Stadium	14–2	74,057

Standings[]

AFC West
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
⁽¹⁾ Denver Broncos	14	2	0	.875	501	309	W1
Oakland Raiders	8	8	0	.500	288	356	L1
Seattle Seahawks	8	8	0	.500	372	310	L1
Kansas City Chiefs	7	9	0	.438	327	363	W1
San Diego Chargers	5	11	0	.313	241	342	L5

Playoffs[]

Round	Date	TV Time	Opponent	Result	Game site	Record	Attendance
Divisional Playoffs	January 9, 1999	CBS 2:15 pm MT	Miami Dolphins	W 38–3	Mile High Stadium	15–2	75,729
AFC Championship	January 17, 1999	CBS 2:15 pm MT	New York Jets	W 23–10	Mile High Stadium	16–2	75,482
Super Bowl XXXIII	January 31, 1999	FOX 4:25 pm MT	Atlanta Falcons	W 34–19	Pro Player Stadium	17–2	74,803

AFC Divisional Game vs Miami Dolphins[]

AFC Divisional Playoff: Miami Dolphins vs Denver Broncos – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Dolphins	0	3	0	0	3
Broncos	14	7	3	14	38

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

Date: January 9, 1999
Game time: 2:15 p.m. MDT
Game weather: 29°F, relative humidity 62°F, round (wind) 14 MPH
TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, and Armen Keteyian

Game information

First quarter

Den – Terrell Davis 1 yard rush (Jason Elam kick) Broncos 7–0
Den – Terrell Davis 20 yard rush (Jason Elam kick) Broncos 14–0

Second quarter

Mia – Olindo Mare 22 yard field goal. Broncos 14–3
Den – Derek Loville 11 yard rush (Jason Elam kick) Broncos 21–3

Third quarter

Den – Jason Elam 32 yard field goal Broncos 24–3

Fourth quarter

Den – Rod Smith 28 yard pass from John Elway (Jason Elam kick) Broncos 31–3
Den – Neil Smith 79 yard fumble return (Jason Elam kick) Broncos 38–3

Dolphins

Dan Marino. 26-37, 243 yards, 0 TD, 2 Int

Broncos

John Elway. 14-23, 182 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int
Terrell Davis. 21 rush, 199 yards, 2 TD

Turnovers:

Dolphins – 3
Broncos – 0

AFC Championship Game vs New York Jets[]

AFC Championship Game: New York Jets at Denver Broncos – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Jets	0	3	7	0	10
Broncos	0	0	20	3	23

at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

Date: January 17, 1999
Game time: 2:05 p.m. MDT
Game weather: 37°F, relative humidity 36°F, round (wind) 20 MPH
TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms, Armen Keteyian, and Bonnie Bernstein

Game information

First quarter

no scoring

Second quarter

NYJ – John Hall 32 yard field goal. Jets 3–0

Third quarter

NYJ – Curtis Martin 1 yard rush (John Hall kick) Jets 10–0
Den – Howard Griffith 11 yard pass from John Elway (Jason Elam kick) Jets 10–7
Den – Jason Elam 44 yard field goal. Tie 10–10
Den – Jason Elam 48 yard field goal. Broncos 13–10
Den – Terrell Davis 31 yard rush (Jason Elam kick) Broncos 20–10

Fourth quarter

Den – Jason Elam 35 yard field goal Broncos 23–10

Jets

Vinny Testaverde. 31-56, 356 yards, 0 TD, 2 Int
Wayne Chrebet. 8 rec, 121 yards

Broncos

John Elway. 13-34, 173 yards, 1 TD, 0 Int
Terrell Davis. 32 rush, 167 yards, 1 TD

Turnovers:

Jets – 6
Broncos – 0

Despite a subpar performance from Quarterback John Elway, the Broncos come from a ten-point deficit to score twenty three unanswered points, thanks in large part to the Jets turning the ball over an astonishing six times.

Super Bowl XXXIII: vs. Atlanta Falcons[]

Super Bowl XXXIII: Denver Broncos vs Atlanta Falcons – Game summary

	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	7	10	0	17	34
Falcons	3	3	0	13	19

at Pro Player Stadium, Miami, Florida

Date: January 31, 1999
Game time: 6:30 p.m. EST
Game weather: 74°F, relative humidity 67%, round (wind) 11 MPH
TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall, John Madden, Ron Pitts, and Bill Maas

The Denver Broncos become the third team in the last 9 years to repeat as Super Bowl champions, along with the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys. John Elway was voted Super Bowl MVP.

Season summary[]

The Denver superfan Barrel Man seen at the regular season opener at Mile High Stadium against New England

The Broncos won their first 13 games of the season. There was much speculation that they might finish 19–0^[2]^[3] and the Broncos were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated. However, they were upset by the New York Giants (who would end another attempt at a 19–0 season nine seasons later) in week 15 by a score of 20–16. They finished the regular season 14–2 after losing to the Dolphins in their first encounter with that team since 1985.^[4]^[5]

They finished first in the AFC West and won their divisional playoff game against the Miami Dolphins 38–3 for their first win over the Dolphins since 1968.^[4] They then won the AFC Championship over the Bill Parcells coached New York Jets 23–10 after coming back from a 10–0 deficit. Many had expected Denver to play the Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl, the team with the number one record that year at 15–1, but the Vikings lost the NFC Championship Game to the Atlanta Falcons in overtime.

The Broncos defeated the Falcons 34–19 in Super Bowl XXXIII. Elway was the Super Bowl MVP and Davis rushed for over 100 yards. It was Elway's last game, and Denver would not reach the Super Bowl again until the 2013 season.

Statistics[]

Team stats[]

The Broncos had 3,808 yards passing, sixth in the league. They had 2,468 yards rushing, second in the league and 26 rushing touchdowns, first in the league. They had 6,276 total yards, third best.

They gave up 3,983 passing yards, a low 28 out of 30 in the NFL, but were third in rushing yards given up with 1,287. They gave up 5,270 yards, 12th in the NFL. They scored 501 points, second in the league and gave up 309, eighth fewest in the league.

The team's 14–2 record is currently their best 16-game record in franchise history.

Player stats[]

Elway threw for 2,806 yards for the season, 22 touchdowns and ten interceptions. Davis rushed for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns. Rod Smith had 86 receptions for 1,222 yards and six touchdowns. Ed McCaffrey had 64 receptions for 1,053 yards. Shannon Sharpe had 64 receptions for 768 yards. Jason Elam kicked 23 out of 27 field goals and 58 out of 58 extra points including a 63-yard field goal to tie Tom Dempsey with the longest field goal in NFL history at that time. The record has since been eclipsed by another Denver Bronco (Matt Prater). Steve Atwater, Davis, Elway, Tony Jones, Mark Schlereth, McCaffrey, Tom Nalen, Bill Romanowski, and Sharpe made the Pro Bowl.

Awards and records[]

Terrell Davis, NFL MVP
Terrell Davis, Franchise Record, Most Rushing Yards in One Season, 2,008 Yards ^[6]
Terrell Davis, Franchise Record, Most Touchdowns in One Season, 23 Touchdowns ^[6]
John Elway, Super Bowl MVP
Jason Elam, tied longest field goal (63 yards)

Milestones[]

Terrell Davis, 1st 2,000-yard rushing season, 2,008 Yards

References[]

^ "1998 Denver Broncos starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
^ "Denver eyes 19–0, but there's no rush" in Minneapolis Star Tribune, November 16, 1998
^ Freeman, Mike; "Chasing Perfection and Taking Questions; Voluble Broncos Are 13–0 and Ready to Talk" in The New York Times, December 9, 1998
^ ^a ^b Denver Broncos v Miami Dolphins
^ See History of the NFL's Structure and Formats, Part Two for an explanation of why the Dolphins never played the Broncos between 1986 and 1997.
^ ^a ^b NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 44

External links[]

1998 Denver Broncos at Pro-Football-Reference.com

[1] "1998 Denver Broncos starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.

[2] "Denver eyes 19–0, but there's no rush" in Minneapolis Star Tribune, November 16, 1998

[3] Freeman, Mike; "Chasing Perfection and Taking Questions; Voluble Broncos Are 13–0 and Ready to Talk" in The New York Times, December 9, 1998

[Denver-4] Denver Broncos v Miami Dolphins

[5] See History of the NFL's Structure and Formats, Part Two for an explanation of why the Dolphins never played the Broncos between 1986 and 1997.

[Fact_Book_p._44-6] NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 44

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v t Denver Broncos
Founded in 1960 Based in Denver, Colorado Headquartered in Dove Valley, Colorado
Franchise	History Players Starting quarterbacks Coaches Seasons First-round draft picks Broadcasters
Stadiums	Mile High Stadium Empower Field at Mile High
Key personnel	Owner Estate of Pat Bowlen President/CEO Joe Ellis Executive Vice President/General Manager John Elway Head Coach Vic Fangio
Culture	A Few Seconds of Panic Barrel Man Bingo Cheerleaders Everybody's All-American "Hold That Mork" (Mork & Mindy episode) "Joy to the World" Miles No Fly Zone Orange Crush Defense "Rocky Mountain Way" South Park Thunder "You Only Move Twice" (The Simpsons episode)
Lore	Mile High Miracle Snowball Game The Drive The Fumble
Rivalries	Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders Los Angeles Chargers New England Patriots Brady–Manning rivalry Pittsburgh Steelers
Retired numbers	7 18 44
Division championships (15)	1977 1978 1984 1986 1987 1989 1991 1996 1998 2005 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Conference championships (8)	1977 1986 1987 1989 1997 1998 2013 2015
League championships (3)	1997 (XXXII) 1998 (XXXIII) 2015 (50)
Media	Broadcasters Dave Logan Brian Griese Scott Hastings Ed McCaffrey Alan Roach TV: KUSA 9News Radio: 850 KOA (AM)
Current league affiliations	League: National Football League (1970–present) Conference: American Football Conference Division: West Division
Former league affiliation	League: American Football League (1960–1969)

v t Denver Broncos Super Bowl XXXIII champions
1 Jason Elam 6 Bubby Brister 7 John Elway (MVP) 14 Brian Griese 16 Tom Rouen 20 Tory James 21 Darrien Gordon 22 Vaughn Hebron 25 Darrius Johnson 26 Eric Brown 27 Steve Atwater 28 Tito Paul 29 Howard Griffith 30 Terrell Davis 31 Derek Loville 34 Tyrone Braxton 37 Anthony Lynn 39 Ray Crockett 42 Detron Smith 48 George Coghill 51 John Mobley 53 Bill Romanowski 54 Nate Wayne 56 Keith Burns 59 Glenn Cadrez 60 K. C. Jones 62 Dan Neil 63 David Diaz-Infante 66 Tom Nalen 69 Mark Schlereth 70 Trey Teague 72 Ernest Jones 73 Cyron Brown 74 Harry Swayne 77 Tony Jones 78 Matt Lepsis 79 Chris Banks 80 Rod Smith 82 Marcus Nash 83 Justin Armour 84 Shannon Sharpe 85 Willie Green 86 Byron Chamberlain 87 Ed McCaffrey 89 Dwayne Carswell 90 Neil Smith 91 Alfred Williams 93 Trevor Pryce 94 Keith Traylor 95 Marvin Washington 96 Harald Hasselbach 97 Mike Lodish 98 Maa Tanuvasa 99 Seth Joyner
Head coach: Mike Shanahan
Coaches: Frank Bush Barney Chavous Rick Dennison Ed Donatell Alex Gibbs Mike Heimerdinger Gary Kubiak Pat McPherson Brian Pariani Ricky Porter Greg Robinson Rick Smith John Teerlinck Bobby Turner

v t Denver Broncos seasons
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Bold indicates Super Bowl victory Italics indicates Super Bowl appearance