Since 1977, the Denver Broncos have had four seasons with less than seven wins. How did the next season turn out for this storied franchise…
The Denver Broncos have been synonymous with winning for the past four decades. First, however, they had to suffer through 17 straight playoff-less seasons after their entrance into the league.
Since 1977, there have been four seasons with less than seven wins (and only seven losing seasons total), and the following season, Denver rebounded significantly.
1982/1983
In a strike-shortened 1982 season, Denver won just two games against seven losses. This terrible season, however, led to the franchise-altering trade that brought Stanford quarterback John Elway to the Denver Broncos.
The following season was a sign of things to come in the Mile High City. Despite an up and down season by a rookie Elway with him being benched on multiple occasions, Denver posted a 9-7 record.
Head coach Dan Reeves overachieved with this squad as they had a minus-25 point differential on the season.
The surprising run came to a not so surprising halt as they lost their first game in the AFC Wild Card round.
The next six seasons brought four playoff appearances and three Super Bowl appearances before 1990…