2004 Denver Broncos season

2004 Denver Broncos season
2004 Denver Broncos season
Owner	Pat Bowlen
Head coach	Mike Shanahan
Home field	Invesco Field at Mile High
Results
Record	10–6
Division place	2nd AFC West
Playoff finish	Lost Wild Card Playoffs (at Colts) 24–49
Pro Bowlers	FS John Lynch; CB Champ Bailey
	← 2003; Broncos seasons; 2005 →;

The 2004 Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 35th season in the National Football League and the 45th overall. Under head coach Mike Shanahan the Broncos equalled their 10–6 record from 2003, and again finished second in the AFC West. In a repeat of 2003, the Broncos’ season ended in defeat to the Indianapolis Colts 49–24 in the AFC Wild Card playoffs.

Starting quarterback Jake Plummer finished the season with 4,089 passing yards (4th in the league). During the offseason, the Broncos traded running back Clinton Portis to the Washington Redskins in exchange for cornerback Champ Bailey.

Off Season[]

The Broncos acquired cornerback Champ Bailey in a trade with the Washington Redskins, sending running back Clinton Portis to Washington in return.

During the offseason, the Broncos failed to retain linebackers Keith Burns and Ian Gold. Both would sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but however, both players would return to the team in the following season. Also, the Broncos failed to retain defensive end Bertrand Berry, who would sign with the Arizona Cardinals as a free agent.

The Broncos also signed safety John Lynch as a free agent after he was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

NFL Draft[]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
2004 Denver Broncos draft
1	17	D. J. Williams	Linebacker	Miami (FL)	from Cincinnati^[1]
2	41	Tatum Bell	Runningback	Oklahoma State	from Washington^[2]
2	54	Darius Watts	Wide Receiver	Marshall
3	85	Jeremy LeSueur	Cornerback	Michigan
5	152	Jeff Shoate	Cornerback	San Diego State
6	171	Triandos Luke	Wide Receiver	Alabama
6	190	Josh Sewell	Center	Nebraska
7	225	Matt Mauck	Quarterback	LSU
7	247	Brandon Miree	Fullback	Pittsburgh
7	250	Bradlee Van Pelt	Quarterback	Colorado State
Made roster * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Staff[]

**2004 Denver Broncos staff**

	Front office President and Chief Executive Officer – Pat Bowlen Executive Vice President of Football Operations – Mike Shanahan General Manager – Ted Sundquist Director of Pro Personnel – Rick Smith Director of College Scouting – Jim Goodman Head coaches Head Coach – Mike Shanahan Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator – Gary Kubiak Quarterbacks – Pat McPherson Running Backs – Bobby Turner Wide Receivers – Steve Watson Tight Ends – Brian Pariani Offensive Line – Rick Dennison Offensive Assistant/Special Teams – Troy Calhoun			Defensive coaches Defensive Coordinator – Larry Coyer Defensive Line – Jacob Burney Assistant Defensive Line/Pass Rush Specialist – Keith Millard Defensive Backs – David Gibbs Defensive Backs – Jimmy Spencer Assistant Defensive Backs/Secondary – Special teams coaches Special Teams – Ronnie Bradford Strength and conditioning Strength and Conditioning – Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Cedric Smith

Roster[]

**2004 Denver Broncos final roster**

	Quarterbacks 16 Jake Plummer 11 Bradlee Van Pelt 8 Matt Mauck Running backs 34 Reuben Droughns FB 37 Cecil Sapp FB 26 Tatum Bell 22 Quentin Griffin Wide receivers 12 Charlie Adams 14 Nate Jackson 85 Ashley Lelie 10 Triandos Luke 80 Rod Smith PR 17 Darius Watts Tight ends 88 Jeb Putzier 86 Patrick Hape		Offensive linemen 69 P.J. Alexander G 65 Cooper Carlisle G 77 Dwayne Carswell T 61 Calvin Collins C 72 George Foster T 74 Cornell Green T 50 Ben Hamilton G 78 Matt Lepsis T 66 Tom Nalen C 62 Dan Neil G Defensive linemen 92 Marco Coleman DE 94 Luther Elliss DT 61 Ellis Johnson DE 99 Raylee Johnson DE 68 Mario Fatafehi DT 98 Reggie Hayward DE 95 Anton Palepoi DE 75 Monsanto Pope DT 97 Demetrin Veal DT		Linebackers 53 Louis Green OLB 58 Terry Pierce MLB 57 Jashon Sykes OLB 59 Donnie Spragan OLB 56 Al Wilson MLB 52 D.J. Williams OLB Defensive backs 45 Roc Alexander FS/KR 24 Champ Bailey CB 42 Sam Brandon FS 25 Nick Ferguson FS 31 Kelly Herndon CB 28 Kenoy Kennedy SS 47 John Lynch SS 23 Willie Middlebrooks CB 35 Lenny Walls CB Special teams 1 Jason Elam K 4 Micah Knorr P 83 Mike Leach LS		Reserve lists 38 Mike Anderson FB (IR) 20 Garrison Hearst RB (IR) 93 Trevor Pryce DE (IR) Practice squad 99 McKenzie Tilmon Rookies in italics 52 active, 3 inactive

Schedule[]

In addition to their regular games with AFC West rivals, the Broncos played teams from the AFC South and NFC South as per the schedule rotation, and also played intraconference games against the Dolphins and the Bengals based on their common divisional position vis-à-vis the Broncos from 2003.

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Attendance	TV
1	September 12, 2004	Kansas City Chiefs	W 34–24	1-0	75,939	ESPN
2	September 19, 2004	at Jacksonville Jaguars	L 7–6	1-1	69,127	CBS
3	September 26, 2004	San Diego Chargers	W 23–13	2-1	74,533	CBS
4	October 3, 2004	at Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W 16–13	3-1	65,341	CBS
5	October 10, 2004	Carolina Panthers	W 20–17	4-1	75,072	Fox
6	October 17, 2004	at Oakland Raiders	W 31–3	5-1	57,293	CBS
7	October 25, 2004	at Cincinnati Bengals	L 23–10	5-2	65,806	ABC
8	October 31, 2004	Atlanta Falcons	L 41–28	5-3	75,083	Fox
9	November 7, 2004	Houston Texans	W 31–13	6-3	74,292	CBS
10	Bye
11	November 21, 2004	at New Orleans Saints	W 34–13	7-3	64,900	CBS
12	November 28, 2004	Oakland Raiders	L 25–24	7-4	75,936	ESPN
13	December 5, 2004	at San Diego Chargers	L 20–17	7-5	65,395	CBS
14	December 12, 2004	Miami Dolphins	W 20–17	8-5	75,027	CBS
15	December 19, 2004	at Kansas City Chiefs	L 45–17	8-6	77,702	CBS
16	December 25, 2004	at Tennessee Titans	W 37–16	9-6	68,809	ESPN
17	January 2, 2005	Indianapolis Colts	W 33–14	10-6	75,149	CBS

Playoffs[]

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	W	L	Attendance
Wildcard	January 9, 2005	at Indianapolis Colts	L 49–24	0	1	56,609

Standings[]

AFC West
view talk	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
⁽⁴⁾ San Diego Chargers	12	4	0	.750	5–1	9–3	446	313	W1
⁽⁶⁾ Denver Broncos	10	6	0	.625	3–3	7–5	381	304	W2
Kansas City Chiefs	7	9	0	.438	3–3	6–6	483	435	L1
Oakland Raiders	5	11	0	.313	1–5	3–9	320	422	L2

References[]

^ "Round 1". ESPN. Retrieved June 7, 2008.
^ "Round 2". ESPN. Retrieved June 7, 2008.

[Round_1-1] "Round 1". ESPN. Retrieved June 7, 2008.

[Round_2-2] "Round 2". ESPN. Retrieved June 7, 2008.

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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 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