The Ravens and Patriots play today for the right to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. The Broncos have played these teams four times in the playoffs and have won two of those games. (Photo courtesy www.bizjournals.com)

Even though this season is over for the Broncos, an exciting day of football is ahead as four teams are set to battle for the right to represent their conference in Super Bowl XLVI.  As a Bronco fan, I thought it would be interesting to reflect back on the playoff games that the Broncos have participated in with the Ravens and Patriots; the teams that will square off against each other today to see who will be crowned AFC Champion.  Including last week’s 45-10 loss against the Patriots, the Broncos are even at 2-2 in playoff games against Baltimore and New England.
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“Elway will always be number one. He had the physical skills and the will to win that pushed him to be the legend.” – Bob

“I see where Eddy Mac could be but,I would have to go with John Elway, not because of the two consecutive super bowls, or the bein’ a hall of famer, but for how he stamped the Denver Broncos in the NFL elite those three prime-time years, the two straight super bowls gave Denver as much publicity as the Orange Crush did. That is sayin’ something!” – Jesse

Some other answers included were:

“I think Eddie Mac is a great choice. I’ll go with Rod Smith for the same reason. I always felt like he was one of those rare receivers who very rarely ran out of bounds — and more importantly, I think he brought that attitude to a lot of younger players. I wish B.M. had 10% of Rod’s class.” – Dave

“While Elway was the best Bronco, McCaffrey has always been my favorite. He was the consummate professional, handing the ball back to the official after scoring a touchdown. He sacrificed everything to be the best his talent would allow, with the youth league shoulder pads, to the size-too-small shoes that he cut a toe hole into so he’d be a little faster. When Griese got him hurt in that Giants game it was the saddest Denver sports injury I’ve ever seen. Eddie was class all the way though, knowing he could be done he bowed his head and thanked the fans for their years of appreciation.” – Jimmy Rogers

“The #1 Bronco of all time in my opinion is Randy Gradishar!! Due to the fact he doesn’t get the accolades he should. He was named consensus NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1978 , along with the UPI Defensive Player of the Year award. 2,049 tackles, 7 Pro-Bowls….He should be named the 2nd Hall of Famer in Orange and blue…Retire #53″ – Marty Janeski

“My all time favorite is Rulon Jones. He was an animal on the field and a cool guy off the field. I always remember when he sacked Steve Grogan in the end zone for a safety and almost broke his neck. He was a stud! And he was an unbelievably underrated!” – Postalmoose

“My favorite Bronco of all time is Steve Atwater… Just knowing that anyone dumb enough to venture into the secondary was doomed to annihilation…. That was good Stuff…” – Steve G.

Thank you to all of you who participated, and thank you to everyone reading right now. It’s tough to think about football in the off season when even the players are taking a break. Things will pick up again soon. Stayed tuned for more possible giveaways, player interviews, and sports related link dumps.