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How many times have the Broncos started a season 0-4?

By Travis Wakeman

LOS ANGELES - JANUARY 9: Head coach Wade Phillips of the Denver Broncos watches from the sideline with assistant coach Charlie Waters against the Los Angeles Raiders in the 1993 AFC Wild Card Game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 9, 1994 in Los Angeles, California. The Raiders defeated the Broncos 42-24. (Photo by E. Bakke/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES - JANUARY 9: Head coach Wade Phillips of the Denver Broncos watches from the sideline with assistant coach Charlie Waters against the Los Angeles Raiders in the 1993 AFC Wild Card Game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 9, 1994 in Los Angeles, California. The Raiders defeated the Broncos 42-24. (Photo by E. Bakke/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 11: Hugh Millen #17 of the Denver Broncos drops back to pass against the Los Angeles Raiders during an NFL football game on December 11, 1994, at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. Millen played for the Broncos from 1994-95. (Photo by Focus on Sport/Getty Images) /

1994

Final record: 7-9

Head coach: Wade Phillips

Of all of the team’s 0-4 starts, this one was perhaps the most surprising.

The Broncos were a playoff team in 1993 and though they lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, they were seen as a team that could be a contender again soon. The team wasn’t loaded with Pro-Bowl caliber players, but John Elway was still the quarterback and that always meant you had a chance.

The season opened on Sunday night against the San Diego Chargers and the Broncos lost a heartbreaker at the end when Junior Seau made a terrific play against Elway to force a turnover as the Broncos were going in for the game-winning score. The Chargers won 37-34.

The following week, the Broncos lost to the Jets by three points before being blown out in Week 3 by the Los Angeles Raiders. In Week 4, the Broncos fell to the Buffalo Bills 27-20, marking just their second 0-4 start in team history.

But unlike in 1964, the Broncos rebounded nicely. The team would win seven of its next nine games before closing the season on a three-game losing streak.

The Broncos finished 7-9 and despite the better play toward the end of the year, it wasn’t enough to save the job of Wade Phillips, who was out after just two seasons. That led to the team hiring Mike Shanahan that offseason.

The Broncos improved to 8-8 in 1995 and it didn’t take Shanahan long to build a winner.

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