10 Facts About….The 1996 Denver Broncos

I continue with our series with 10 Facts About a particular Broncos team in history. Today's team is the 1996 Denver Broncos. Let's take a look at this squad from back in the mid-1990s…

1) The Broncos were 12-1 at one point in the 1996 season. They finished 13-3 and tied for the best record in the NFL that year with Green Bay.

2) Terrell Davis really jumped on the scene during this year. He was the Broncos leading rusher with 1,538 yards and 13 touchdowns. His signature game was a performance over the Ravens in a 45-34 Week 8 win. He rushed for 194 yards on 28 carries and added 2 touchdowns.

3) The Broncos leading receiver in all three major categories in 1996 was none other than Shannon Sharpe. The future Hall of Famer posted big numbers with 80 receptions for 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns. Rod Smith finished the year with only 16 receptions for 237 yards and 2 touchdowns.

4) At age 32, Tyrone Braxton led the Broncos with 9 interceptions that year. Steve Atwater and Bill Romanowski both finished second on the team with 3 interceptions each.

5) Alfred Williams, who would eventually become a popular sports talk radio host in Denver, led the team with 13 sacks.

6) The Broncos scored 391 points that year for an average of 24.4 points per game. The offense posted six games in which they scored 30 or more points. The defense was stingy in 1996. They allowed 275 points per game which averaged to only 17.2 points allowed. Denver's defense held opposing offenses to under 20 points in a game 11 times during the season.

7) You have to save the number 7 spot for John Elway. Elway was great in 1996. At the age of 36, Elway finished 287-466 for a completion percentage of 61.6%. He threw for 3,328 yards and 26 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. It is pretty obvious that Elway benefitted from the direction of head coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak.

8) The Broncos finished 8-0 at home in the old Mile High Stadium. Their closest home games were a pair of wins over NFC Central foes. The Broncos defeated the Buccaneers late in Week 3 27-23, and they held off the Bears in Week 11 17-12 with a goal-line stand at the end of the game.

9) The Broncos raced out to a 7-1 start in their first eight games, but their November was a month to remember in 1996. They beat the Raiders in Oakland in Week 10 on Monday Night Football when John Elway hit Rod Smith for the game-winning 49 yard touchdown pass to win 22-21. They followed that up with the thrilling late game win over the Bears at home. The next game will be remembered for the beatdown of the Patriots up in Foxborough. Denver won easily 34-8 in a matchup of the two best teams in the AFC at the time. Shannon Sharpe's famous "Call the President because we are killing the Patriots" line will always be the defining moment of that game. The following week, Denver stole a win over the Vikings in the Metrodome on a late touchdown pass from Elway to Ed McCaffrey on a play that saw the ball get tipped by two Viking defenders near the goaline and land in McCaffrey's hands for the winning score.

10) Sadly, the 1996 Broncos will be remembered for going 13-3 and losing at home in Mile High to the huge underdog Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Divisional Playoffs by a score of 30-27. Denver led the game 12-0, and then the game turned into the Mark Brunell show. The Broncos late rally fell short, and the game was one of the biggest upsets in NFL Playoff history.