Broncos' best wins vs. 2017 opponents

Nov. 17, 1985: Broncos 30, Chargers 24 (OT) From the opening kick, fans at Mile High Stadium had a thriller on their hands. Chargers returner Gary Anderson scored on a 98-yard kickoff to open the game, but the Broncos countered with a 44-yard touchdown drive after cornerback Louis Wright intercepted Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Fouts. The game opened up for both teams in the fourth quarter, beginning with two Gene Lang rushing touchdowns for Denver. San Diego took a 24-21 lead with little over a minute left, forcing Elway to dig deep for another comeback drive. After Elway threw five passes for 43 yards and ran once for 5 yards, kicker Rich Karlis nailed the 37-yard field goal to tie the game with nine seconds left, sending it to overtime. On the first possession of the extra period, San Diego appeared to have victory in hand. The Chargers had conducted a 45-yard drive to set up a 40-yard field-goal try. Denver's chances came down to blocking the kick. In the madness at Mile High, Ring of Fame safety Dennis Smith jumped through two Chargers blockers, deflecting the kick. Wright picked up the ball and seemed to have a path down the sideline. But Denver had called a timeout before the kick and it would have to be reset. Now lightning needed to strike twice for the Broncos, and it did. Smith timed his jump perfectly once again and Wright again scooped the ball up, this time with no whistles to call the play back as the Broncos won the game in overtime.

Sept. 13, 1998: Broncos 42, Cowboys 23 This may not be the most thrilling game in Broncos history, but it does feature one of the Broncos' most dominant running back's best games. Terrell Davis ran for 191 yards and three touchdowns, arguably the best game of his 2,008-yard season. The game also featured the Cowboys' current head coach, Jason Garrett, who entered this game after Troy Aikman suffered a broken collarbone.

Oct. 26, 1007: Broncos 23, Bills 20 (OT) Broncos players pushed through a Denver blizzard by any means necessary to get to this game on the path to their first Super Bowl victory. Steve Atwater needed a snowmobile to get out of his neighborhood; Ed McCaffrey shoveled his car out of a 5-foot snowdrift; and Tim McKyer had to abandon his car near the practice facility before walking the rest of the way. But it was Jason Elam's trip that was the most impressive, which went from being stranded on I-25 for hours to being the hero of the game the following day. After jumping out to a 20-0 lead, the Bills went on a 20-0 run of their own all in the fourth quarter, finishing regulation with a 55-yard field goal to send it to overtime. The Broncos offense found its footing with 6:43 left in overtime. Behind Elway and Terrell Davis, the Broncos reached Buffalo's 15-yard line. Elam nailed the 33-yard kick and the Broncos' exhausting trip was complete.

Jan. 1, 1978: Broncos 20, Raiders 17 The Broncos toppled the defending Super Bowl champs and reached their first Super Bowl in franchise history with this stunning AFC Championship win over the Raiders. Two touchdowns from Craig Morton to Haven Moses gave the Broncos a lead Oakland couldn't reach. Denver's "Orange Crush" defense contained the elusive Ken Stabler and forced a fourth-quarter interception that may have saved the game. But it was the Broncos' offense that ultimately secured the win when running back Otis Armstrong converted third-and-3 to allow the Broncos to run out the clock in the final minutes. Here, Ring of Fame linebacker Tom Jackson returns to a crowd of Broncos fans who have rushed the field. The Broncos had not made the playoffs in the 17 years prior to that season but suddenly found themselves in the Super Bowl in their first postseason.

Sept. 10, 2001: Broncos 31, Giants 20 In the first regular-season game at Invesco Field at Mile High, the Broncos welcomed the Giants for Monday Night Football. The two teams went back-and-forth for the first three quarters, but the Broncos took the lead for good in the fourth quarter with a field goal from Jason Elam and a 6-yard rushing touchdown from Mike Anderson.

Oct. 15, 2012: Broncos 35, Chargers 24 In Peyton Manning's first year in Denver, the Broncos struggled early in the season, starting the year 2-3. Before their bye week, the Broncos traveled to San Diego for a shot to even their record and to regain their footing. But the Broncos' woes remained, as San Diego took a 24-0 lead into halftime. Denver would need to turn the tables in a hurry to reverse their fortunes on the road. Two touchdowns from Manning to Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker and a 65-yard fumble return from defensive back Tony Carter got the Broncos within three points. Then Manning tossed a strike to receiver Brandon Stokley to break through the Chargers' lead. A 46-yard interception return for a touchdown by Chris Harris Jr. ensured San Diego couldn't complete a comeback of their own. The win proved to be a turning point for the Broncos, who then rattled off 10 more wins to finish the season 13-3.

Jan. 4, 1998: Broncos 14, Chiefs 10 During the Broncos' "revenge tour" that ended with the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy, the Broncos ventured into a raucous Arrowhead Stadium to take on the top-seeded Chiefs, who had split the season series with Denver. Though the Broncos' offense was the best in the league, Kansas City slowed John Elway and Co. Running back Terrell Davis powered the Broncos with 101 yards and two touchdowns, Denver's only scores of the game. Meanwhile, the defense shut down Kansas City in the fourth quarter, including the Chiefs' final drive, which ended on fourth down at the Broncos' 20-yard line. With the win, the Broncos returned to the AFC Championship for the first time since 1991. For former Chief Neil Smith, pictured above strip-sacking Kansas City's Elvis Grbac, the win was especially meaningful.

Sept. 21, 1986: Broncos 33, Eagles 7 The Broncos' only win in Philadelphia was a rout in the Denver's favor. John Elway had a modest day with 96 passing yards and a touchdown while Sammy Winder ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns as the Broncos racked up 203 yards on the ground. The defense pressured Philly into an interception, five sacks and five fumbles.

Jan. 24, 2016: Broncos 20, Patriots 18 In Peyton Manning's final game at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, the Broncos came together to stymie the Patriots and their prolific passing attack led by Tom Brady. Manning threw two touchdowns to tight end Owen Daniels to give the Broncos an early lead while Denver's defense hounded Tom Brady into a rough start. Von Miller's legend grew by leaps and bounds as his 2.5 sacks and one interception kept the Patriots at bay. Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Derek Wolfe, Malik Jackson and Vance Walker pounded Brady with 17 quarterback hits, but the Broncos' ferocious pass rush couldn't keep Brady down for the entire game. Though Brady found TE Rob Gronkowski for a touchdown with 12 seconds left, he couldn't get another pass into the end zone on Denver's defense to tie the game on the two-point conversion attempt. Safety Shiloh Keo recovered the Patriots' onside kick attempt and the Broncos were headed to Super Bowl 50.

Dec. 28, 2015: Broncos 20, Bengals 17 (OT) In a "Monday Night Football" thriller, the Broncos kept their shot at a first-round bye, which ultimately became the top overall seed in the AFC. But Denver would have had no chance at homefield advantage without this overtime win. Brock Osweiler, Emmanuel Sanders and C.J. Anderson turned a slow start around in the second half with two touchdowns to flip an 11-point deficit to a three-point lead. After Bengals kicker Mike Nugent tied the game with a 52-yard field goal, the Broncos had a chance to win the game in regulation as time expired. In overtime, Brandon McManus nailed a 37-yard field goal to take the lead. The Broncos defense just needed to stonewall Cincinnati's offense to win. When Bengals QB AJ McCarron couldn't find the handle on an errant snap, DeMarcus Ware fell on the ball and gave the Broncos the walk-off win.

Oct. 28, 1984: Broncos 22, Raiders 19 Reserve quarterback Gary Kubiak was called on to start in this rivalry game with John Elway nursing a bruised shoulder. Behind Kubiak, the Broncos rallied for a comeback victory that would make Elway proud. Through three quarters, the Raiders had looked in control. Kubiak had been sacked on the Broncos' first drive for a safety and sacked again in the second quarter, causing a fumble recovered by Oakland. At halftime, the Broncos had a manageable 12-6 deficit, but their offense had not found its groove. After a Marcus Allen touchdown in the third quarter, the Broncos entered the final quarter down 13 points. Kubiak tossed a short touchdown to begin the comeback and with 2:15 left in the game, he led an 84-yard touchdown drive to tie the game with 24 seconds left. In overtime, the Broncos and Raiders traded empty possessions until defensive back Roger Jackson returned an interception to the Raiders' 22-yard line. With five seconds left, barefoot kicker Rich Karlis knocked through the game-winning field goal. After the big win, Kubiak was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

Oct. 23, 2011: Broncos 18, Dolphins 15 (OT) Though Denver didn't get onto the scoreboard until 2:44 left in the fourth quarter, Tim Tebow and the Broncos refused to stop fighting. Tebow completed an 80-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas to kick off the comeback. Tight end Virgil Green then recovered the onside kick to give Denver a chance to send the game to overtime. Tebow finished off a 56-yard drive with a touchdown to Daniel Fells and on the ensuing two-point conversion, Tebow ran it in to knot it up with seconds remaining in regulation. In overtime, Denver's defense forced a three-and-out on Miami's first possession. On their second, D.J. Williams strip-sacked Matt Moore to give possession to the Broncos at the Dolphins' 36-yard line. A 52-yard field goal try by Matt Prater sailed through the uprights, giving the Broncos their second win of the magical 2011 season.

Nov. 17, 2011: Broncos 17, Jets 13 After a 1-4 start to the 2011 season, the Broncos needed a magical run to turn their playoff hopes around. With quarterback Tim Tebow under center, they got just that. In the middle of a six-game win streak, Tebow kept their run alive with a stunning finish against the Jets in a low-scoring battle. In an offense predicated on running the ball efficiently, the Broncos found themselves stonewalled by New York's defense. A 26-yard interception returned for a touchdown by Andre' Goodman tied the game at 10 late in the third quarter, but the Jets regained the lead with 9:14 left in the game on a Nick Folk field goal. With six minutes left, Tebow needed to march the Broncos downfield from their own 5-yard line to tie or take the lead. Then, with 1:06 on the clock from the Jets' 20-yard line — well, let's let Dave Logan take it from here: "Tebow, looking like he's going to get max blitzed — he does. Tebow escapes, and he can run! Twenty-five, 20, Tebow [to the] 15, inside the 10, inside the 5! Are you kidding? Tim Tebow, touchdown! Really! "The Jets with a max blitz, zero coverage. Tebow got outside contain and ran 20 yards for a touchdown. Twelve plays, 95 yards, 4:56 off the clock."

Dec. 21, 2003: Broncos 31, Colts 17 The Broncos had their fair share of troubles with Peyton Manning and the Colts in the 2000s, especially on the road. They finally broke through with a big day on the ground in Indianapolis. With leading rusher Clinton Portis nursing a sprained knee and ankle on the sideline, Quentin Griffin racked up 136 yards and the Broncos totaled 227 rushing yards as a team. Quarterback Jake Plummer added two rushing touchdowns and completed 14-of-17 passes for 238 yards and a touchdown.

Nov. 20, 1989: Denver 14, Washington 10 With an ill John Elway unable to start at quarterback, longtime reserve Gary Kubiak entered the game at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium looking to steer the Broncos to a third-straight win. In his first start in more than a year, Kubiak got off to a rough start when he was sacked on the opening drive and fumbled. Washington recovered and scored a touchdown on their first offensive play. Yet Kubiak kept his composure and constructed a comeback of his own. Kubiak threw two touchdowns in the first half after his early mistake to give the Broncos a sufficient lead and the defense locked down in the second half to secure the road win.

Oct. 4, 1992: Broncos 20, Chiefs 19 John Elway turned near-disaster into one of his finest fourth-quarter comebacks against the Chiefs in 1992. A 10-point fourth-quarter deficit was difficult enough to overcome, but the Broncos' odds became even slimmer when future Broncos Neil Smith sacked Elway and forced him to fumble. After a field goal, the Broncos faced a 13-point deficit with five minutes left. On that first drive following his fumble, Elway diced up the Chiefs with short passes until he found Mark Jackson on a 25-yard touchdown. With just a couple minutes left, the Broncos needed to prevent Kansas City from getting a first down. The defense did just that and held the Chiefs inside their own 10-yard line. Chiefs punter Bryan Barker kicked to Arthur Marshall, who muffed the catch but recovered wonderfully for a 28-yard return to Kansas City's 27-yard line. A minute and 17 seconds would prove to be more than enough time for Elway to drive the Broncos 27 yards. He threw to Marshall twice for 15 yards and then found the end zone on a pass to Vance Johnson. With about 31 seconds left, the Chiefs had a chance to drive downfield for a game-winning field goal, but the Broncos defense held on fourth down to end the game.