The Vikings lead the all-time series at 7-5, but the Broncos won the most recent matchup in 2007 by an overtime score of 22-19. Denver hasn’t played in Minnesota since the 2003 season when the Vikings won 28-20.

From a Denver perspective, the most memorable game played in this series was during the 1996 season when the Broncos won 21-17 in Minnesota. This was the game where John Elway threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Ed McCaffrey with 19 seconds left to win it.  That alone would make for a wild and memorable finish, but what makes this one stand out was how that touchdown was completed. The following passage was taken from an Associated Press article published on November 25, 1996:

“I’ve seen a Hail Mary, but this wasn’t a Hail Mary,” said Bronco defensive end Alfred Williams. “I guess it was a short version of the Hail Mary.”

On third and two from the five, Elway was looking for Shannon Sharpe in the end zone and forced a pass over the middle. Safety Harlon Barnett batted it into the air, and it looked like an easy interception as Barnett and fellow safety Orlando Thomas were the only ones around the ball.

But the ball got tipped again as they both went to catch it and this time McCaffrey, who said he didn’t see it get tipped, ended up with the ball in his arms and he fell into the end zone for the winning score.

“The ball was in the air about 20 seconds,” Elway said, “and I was just screaming at it to get on the ground. And all of a sudden this white jersey came out of nowhere, and it was Eddie McCaffrey and he got in the end zone.”

McCaffrey’s miracle gave Denver (11-1) its eighth consecutive victory, matching the second-longest streak in franchise history.

Elway–27 for 36 for 334 yards–was 10 for 13 for 144 yards in the fourth quarter. The game-winning drive was vintage Elway.

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The Broncos victory over the Chiefs in their only playoff meeting would ultimately lead to a Super Bowl Championship (AP | Hans Deryk)

On January 4th, 1998, the Denver Broncos Revenge Tour was well under way. The Broncos had walloped the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Wild Card playoffs a week earlier by a score of 42-17. That victory provided some retribution for the crushing playoff loss to the Jags in 1996 when Denver was the #1 seed in the AFC. As a reward for their wild card victory, Denver made a trip to Kansas City for the first ever playoff meeting between the longtime AFC West rivals. The Chiefs entered the game as the top seed in the AFC thanks to a last second victory over Denver in week 12. That loss forced Denver to enter the playoffs as a Wild Card team and it was the reason this game took place at Arrowhead Stadium rather than Mile High. But despite the fact that Denver was the #4 seed, they actually had the second best regular season record in the conference. That, coupled with the fact that Denver had the 1-2 punch of John Elway and Terrell Davis, gave the Broncos a lot of confidence heading into their biggest game of the year.

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