Reliving the top 5 games in which the Broncos beat Tom Brady

2. January 24, 2016: Broncos knock off the champs

Two years later, the Broncos and Patriots met in Denver once again for another chance to go to the Super Bowl.

Things were different this time. The Patriots were the defending Super Bowl champions and the Broncos’ offense was a shell of what it was in 2013. But this Broncos team had guts.

Manning was nearing the end of his career and he was certainly playing like it. The defense carried the team to the finish line but there was something magical about what looked like the final run for the sheriff.

Manning hit Owen Daniels for two first-half touchdowns and the defense did its job against a solid Patriots offense. The teams traded field goals several times in the later stages of the game but with the Broncos leading 20-12 with just over a minute and a half to play, Brady hit Rob Gronkowski for a 40-yard gain on 4th-and-10 from around midfield.

Then on 4th-and-goal with just 17 seconds to play, Brady hit Gronk again for a touchdown pass to draw the Patriots to within two. The Patriots went for the two-point conversion but Bradley Roby picked Brady off to seal the win.

Brady had a good day, throwing for 310 yards and doing everything he could to get the Patriots back to the big game. But Von Miller, as a precursor to what would happen in Super Bowl 50, had 2.5 sacks and an interception of Brady.

This was one of the most intense finishes in AFC Championship Game history and it sent Manning back to the Super Bowl. He made the Super Bowl four times during his career and he knocked off Brady in the championship game in three of those years.