From the archive: Memorable moments from the Broncos' season openers through the years
Re-live some of the biggest games in Broncos history as we highlight more than a dozen Week 1 wins that left a lasting impact on the franchise.
In the Broncos' first-ever game, they traveled to Boston to take on the Patriots in the American Football League's first game. With touchdowns by Al Carmichael and Gene Mingo, Denver came out victorious.
Note: Archival image is undated and may not depict this exact game.
After more than a decade without winning the division or even making the postseason, it would be a surprise to see the Broncos become a dominant team in 1977. But that season began with a fantastic effort, a shutout win over the Cardinals that exemplified just how good the "Orange Crush" defense would be. Future Ring of Famer Billy Thompson, pictured here, picked off a pass at the end of the first half to keep St. Louis out of the end zone.
Note: Archival image is undated and may not depict this exact game.
With a 40-17 win over Seattle, the Broncos had one of their most dominant Week 1 wins, especially as future Ring of Fame safety Dennis Smith came up with one of Denver's three interceptions that day. Quarterback John Elway also kick-started his MVP campaign with a four-touchdown outing. (Paul Spinelli via AP)
In the largest Week 1 victory in franchise history, the Broncos trounced the Bengals by 31 points. John Elway threw for two touchdowns, ran for two touchdowns and even caught a pass for a 24-yard gain. Greg Lewis, Mike Young and Reggie Johnson also added scores on offense, and defensive back Tyrone Braxton returned an interception for a 52-yard touchdown.
Photo by Eric Lars Bakke
Before marching to the franchise's first Super Bowl victory, the Broncos began the regular season on the right foot with a 19-3 win over the Chiefs at Mile High Stadium. Running back Terrell Davis scored the only touchdown of the day and ran for 101 yards. This game is also notable for being the Broncos' first regular-season contest in new uniforms after the franchise rebranded in the offseason.
The Broncos looked to defend their Super Bowl XXXII title defense at home on Sept. 7, 1998, starting with a game against the Patriots. Denver jumped out to a 17-0 lead before New England narrowed the gap in the third quarter. Terrell Davis' second touchdown of the day pushed Denver to victory in the fourth quarter, and linebacker Bill Romanowski had two sacks on Drew Bledsoe to keep the Patriots in check.
On "Monday Night Football," the Broncos put on some fireworks and showed off their new stadium, now named Empower Field at Mile High, as they hosted the Giants. Quarterback Brian Griese threw for three touchdowns and no interceptions, Terrell Davis ran for 101 yards and the Broncos won by 11.
A low-scoring contest ended in excitement — and shock, for the Bengals' home crowd — as quarterback Kyle Orton and the Broncos looked to drive nearly 90 yards in about 30 seconds down 7-6. Orton's pass on second down was intended for wide receiver Brandon Marshall, but the ball was deflected and miraculously landed in wideout Brandon Stokley's hands. Stokley raced down the sideline, outrunning a Cincinnati linebacker for the game-winning score. Play-by-play commentator Gus Johnson was on the call, and his stunned narration is one of the most memorable in NFL history.
On Sept. 9, 2012, a new era in Broncos football began as Peyton Manning took the field as Denver's quarterback for the first time in regular-season action. His tenure began with a win, and the Broncos would rarely lose during that four-year span, as they would win the division all four seasons with a record no worse than 12-4.
In Manning's second season, he truly found his groove, no more evident than in the first game of the season. The Broncos began a historic season on offense with a seven-touchdown day from Manning, tying an NFL single-game record. The final one, a 78-yard catch-and-run by Demaryius Thomas, would become a staple of one of the best QB-WR connections in franchise history.
With this 2014 Week 1 win over the Colts, Peyton Manning's previous team, he became just the second player in NFL history to defeat each of the NFL's 32 teams.
The Broncos began their third Super Bowl campaign with a thrilling home win that came down to the wire and featured a pick-six by Aqib Talib and a game-sealing interception by 2015 free-agent acquisition Darian Stewart. That kind of defensive play keyed the Broncos for much of the year and powered them to Super Bowl 50.
Photo by Ben Hays.
In a Week 1 rematch of Super Bowl 50, the Broncos welcomed the Panthers to Denver in a highly anticipated matchup of the previous year's MVP and the top defense in the league. The Broncos narrowly came out ahead, as a Carolina field-goal try with 9 seconds left sailed wide left.
Photo by Gabriel Christus
