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Breaking down the dominance of Broncos against former head coaches

By Travis Wakeman

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 27: Head coach Mike Shanahan of the Washington Redskins walks onto the field before a game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field Field at Mile High on October 27, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 27: Head coach Mike Shanahan of the Washington Redskins walks onto the field before a game against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field Field at Mile High on October 27, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /
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The Denver Broncos will face the winless Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4, which brings with it a host of juicy storylines.

The Raiders will be desperate for a win in this game as only one team in NFL history has started 0-4 and still made the playoffs. Of course, the Broncos and Raiders are also hated rivals and the Raiders have taken the last four contests between the two teams.

But the most intriguing storyline will be Josh McDaniels coaching against his former team.

The Broncos’ relationship with McDaniels was a tumultuous one and it ended quickly. It took the former New England Patriots offensive coordinator more than a decade to return to the ranks of head coach, which came this year with the Raiders.

Looking back across the team’s history, the Broncos have fared quite well against coaches that once held the head coaching job in Denver and returned as the head coach of another team. In fact, only one former head coach was able to get a win over them.

This will not include former head coaches that returned as a coordinator or in any other capacity aside from head coach. Here are the former head coaches for the Broncos who had the chance to coach another team against the Broncos, and what the results were.

Former Broncos head coach Lou Saban returns as coach of the Buffalo Bills

Denver Broncos
Oct 1975; Orchard Park, NY, USA; FILE PHOTO; Buffalo Bills head coach Lou Saban (left) and assistant coach Jim Ringo on the sidelines during the 1975 season. Mandatory Credit: Tony Tomsic-USA TODAY NETWORK /

Lou Saban was the fifth head coach in Broncos history, coaching the team during the end of the AFL and into the NFL merger. The team struggled under his leadership and he posted a record of 20-42-3 during his time there before resigning during the 1971 season.

He was named head coach of the Buffalo Bills ahead of the 1972 season, his second stint in that role with the team. He faced his former team one time on October 5, 1975.

Saban’s Bills ran all over the Broncos at Rich Stadium. Buffalo had two 100-yard rushers on the day as O.J. Simpson had 138 yards on the ground and Jim Braxton chipped in another 102 yards.

Buffalo went on to a 38-14 win that day and gave Saban the victory. To this day he is the only former Broncos head coach to return as coach of another team and beat the Broncos.

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