Have the Denver Broncos ever gone from worst to first?
The Denver Broncos finished 4th in the AFC West in 2021 for the second year in a row. Have they ever been able to go from worst to first? Worst to first in the NFL happens nearly every season, and 2022 should be no different.
The Broncos went 7-10 in 2021, which isn’t a terrible record. They had treaded water for most of the season and were in the Wild Card race for a bit. However, the offense that was formerly led by Teddy Bridgewater was simply not good enough to crack through.
In 2022, they will be led by Russell Wilson, who is sure to bring the offense to new heights, which should be the last piece of the formula for Denver to get back to their old winning ways. So, the question I have is, has the team ever gone from worst to first?
The answer to that is yes, and it’s happened multiple times. The 1995 Denver Broncos went 8-8 during the regular season, missed the playoffs, and finished last in their division. It was their second straight year finishing last and was the first year of the Mike Shanahan era.
Wade Phillips had been fired after the 1994 season, and even though the team won just one more game from ’94 to ’95, the improvement was evident. Their last-place finish in 1995 paved the way for a nice run that lead to a couple of Super Bowl titles.
Both the offense and defense improved from 1994 to 1995, and they took an even bigger step after this. They finished first in the AFC West in 1996, sporting a top seven offense and defense. Mike Shanahan’s coaching methodology was now firmly in place, and offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak was helping John Elway run the offense.
Elway was efficient, passing for 26 touchdowns on 14 interceptions, and Terrell Davis rushed for over 1,500 yards. The next installment of going worst to first came after the team quickly ended the Josh McDaniels era, and installed John Fox as the head coach beginning in the 2011 season.
Some might remember that magical season of TebowMania, as the team went 8-8 in the regular season, finished strong, and finished first in the AFC West. The team upset the Steelers in the Wild Card round that year on the legendary walk-off touchdown on a pass from Tebow to the late, great Demaryius Thomas.
The next day, I went into middle school wearing my Brandon Marshall Broncos jersey, but I put tape over Marshall and wrote Tebow instead. That season led to the team signing some guy named Peyton Manning to lead the franchise back to the Super Bowl.
The Broncos also went from worst to first in the 1990-1991 seasons. In 1990, the team finished fifth in the AFC West, ranking just 16th in the NFL in points scored, and 23rd in points allowed. John Elway had a mostly terrible season, passing for 15 touchdowns against 14 interceptions. That all changed in 1991 when the Broncos finished 12-4 in their first year with Mike Shanahan as the offensive coordinator. Elway wasn’t any more efficient, but the defense skyrocketed to the 3rd best in the NFL, allowing just 14.7 points per game.
There were two times in history that the Denver Broncos went from worst to first. Do they have what it takes to do it again in 2022?