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Denver Broncos: 5 best bounce-back seasons in team history

By Travis Wakeman

PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 11: Quarterback John Elway #7 of the Denver Broncos looks to hand off the football during the 1997 season AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium on January 11, 1998 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Broncos defeated the Steelers 24-21. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - JANUARY 11: Quarterback John Elway #7 of the Denver Broncos looks to hand off the football during the 1997 season AFC Championship game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium on January 11, 1998 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Broncos defeated the Steelers 24-21. (Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images) /
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Denver Broncos
DENVER, CO – CIRCA 1983: Head Coach Dan Reeves of the Denver Broncos talks with quarterback John Elway #7 on from the sidelines during an NFL football game circa 1983 at Mile High Stadium in “Denver, Colorado. Reeves was the head coach of the Denver Broncos from 1981-92. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

1983 season

The 1983 season will always be one of the more memorable in team history as it was a season that changed the franchise forever. That spring, the team was able to lure John Elway, the No.1 overall pick in the draft, away from the Baltimore Colts in a trade after Elway said he refused to play for that team.

But Elway, despite being one of the best draft prospects of all-time, was not given the keys to the kingdom right away. The team had veteran quarterback Steve DeBerg in front of him.

Elway would become the starter and start 10 games for the team that season, but head coach Dan Reeves yanked Elway in a couple of games in favor of DeBerg.

The Broncos went 10-6 in 1981 and though they still missed the playoffs, the 1982 season was one the team hoped to become a force in. Instead, they went 2-7 in a strike-shortened year and became one of the league’s worst teams.

But in 1983, the Broncos finished 9-7, helped by a terrific Week 15 performance by Elway in which he threw three fourth-quarter touchdown passes to overcome a 19-0 deficit and defeat the team he spurned, the Colts, 21-19.

The Broncos got into the playoffs as a Wild Card but Reeves made the decision to go with DeBerg in that game. The Broncos faced the Seattle Seahawks on the road. With the game slowly getting out of hand, Reeves decided to put Elway in during the fourth quarter but it was too little too late and the Broncos lost the game 31-7.

That following offseason, Bowlen bought the team from Edgar Kaiser.

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