Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots: Inside the Series
By Chris Krier
The New England Patriots travel to Mile High Stadium this weekend to play the Denver Broncos in their 44th matchup all-time. The Broncos and Patriots both have a large amount of history and tradition, and the series between them is no different.
The Broncos lead the regular season series at 25-16 and the post season series at 2-0. Denver won the most recent matchup in 2009 by an overtime score of 20-17. The Broncos also won the first ever AFL regular season game played by beating the Patriots 13-10 in 1960. Some other interesting trivia: John Elway went 11-0 against the Patriots during his career, and Tom Brady is currently 1-6 against the Broncos during his.
From a Denver perspective, the most memorable games played in the series are the playoff victories during the 1986 (22-17) and 2005 (27-13) seasons, as well as a 34-8 win in New England during the 1996 season.
The game in 1996 is when Shannon Sharpe uttered the famous words, “Mr. President: Call in the National Guard. Send us as many men as you can spare, because we are killing the Patriots!”
The 2005 Divisional playoff game remains the lone playoff victory for the franchise in the post-Elway era. It featured a 100-yard interception return by Champ Bailey that did not end in a touchdown, and it was Tom Brady’s first ever playoff defeat. It also ended an NFL record 10-game playoff winning streak for the Patriots.
The 1986 Divisional playoff game was the first playoff victory for John Elway, and it was the first step towards the Broncos 2nd Super Bowl appearance in franchise history.
The Series
Broncos Lead Overall Series, 27-16:
1960—Broncos, 13-10 (Boston)
1960 – Broncos, 31-24 (Denver)
1961—Patriots, 45-17 (Boston)
1961 – Patriots, 28-24 (Denver)
1962—Patriots, 41-16 (Boston)
1962 – Patriots, 33-29 (Denver)
1963—Broncos, 14-10 (Denver)
1963 – Patriots, 40-21 (Boston)
1964—Patriots, 39-10 (Denver)
1964 – Patriots, 12-7 (Boston)
1965—Broncos, 27-10 (Boston)
1965 – Patriots, 28-20 (Denver)
1966—Patriots, 24-10 (Denver)
1966 – Broncos, 17-10 (Boston)
1967—Broncos, 26-21 (Denver)
1968—Patriots, 20-17 (Denver)
1968 – Broncos, 35-14 (Boston)
1969—Broncos, 35-7 (Denver)
1972—Broncos, 45-21 (Denver)
1976—Patriots, 38-14 (NE)
1979—Broncos, 45-10 (Denver)
1980—Patriots, 23-14 (NE)
1984—Broncos, 26-19 (Denver)
1986—Broncos, 27-20 (Denver)
1986 – Broncos, 22-17 (Denver) Divisional Playoff
1987—Broncos, 31-20 (Denver)
1988—Broncos, 21-10 (Denver)
1991—Broncos, 9-6 (NE)
1991 – Broncos, 20-3 (Denver)
1995—Broncos, 37-3 (NE)
1996—Broncos, 34-8 (NE)
1997—Broncos, 34-13 (Denver)
1998—Broncos, 27-21 (Denver)
1999—Patriots, 24-23 (NE)
2000—Patriots, 28-19 (Denver)
2001—Broncos, 31-20 (Denver)
2002—Broncos, 24-16 (NE)
2003—Patriots, 30-26 (Denver)
2005—Broncos, 28-20 (Denver)
2006 – Broncos, 27-13 (Denver) Divisional Playoff
2006—Broncos, 17-7 (NE)
2008—Patriots, 41-7 (NE)
2009—Broncos, 20-17 (Denver) OT
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