Tonights game against the Titans has the obvious storyline of Young vs. Cutler or Travis Henry vs. weed & condoms, but as the resident historian, it’s a great opportunity to remember one of the greatest playoff games that nobody remembers.
It was 1991, and the Broncos took on the
Titans
Houston Oilers at Mile High Stadium. The Oilers were heavy favorites, as the streak of consecutive sellouts at Mile High was endangered because, frankly, the Broncs weren’t going to win this game. The first half went just as scheduled, with the Oilers running up a 21-6 lead on the Broncos with their flashy Run ‘n’ Shoot offense.
The Broncos found themselves in dire straits in the second half before they worked their way into one final chance. Elway & Co. took the ball at their 2-yard line with just 2:07 remaining and down by 1. It was merely 5 years earlier that Elway had engineered “The Drive” in Cleveland, but there were nearly 4 minutes remaining against the Browns. Elway converted two fourth downs in their own territory and David Treadwell was the hero, kicking the game-winning field goal in a 26-24 victory.
The Broncos advanced to the AFC title game, where they would mercifully lose to the Bills, 10-7 after erstwhile hero David Treadwell missed 4 field goals. Regardless, The Drive II was one of the finest playoff performances of all time, and the Broncos greatest defeat of the Tennessee Titans franchise.