Fans of the Denver Broncos have been spoiled to a certain degree, as they have had the chance to see their team play in eight Super Bowls, winning the Lombardi Trophy three times. Only the New England Patriots, with 11, have appeared in more.
But minus recent history, the team has been one of the most successful organizations in the history of the league. Despite those eight Super Bowl appearances, there are some other teams that were close or good enough to play in the big game, and probably should have.
Had these four teams made it to the Super Bowl, the Broncos would have 12 appearances in the final game of the season, more than any other team in history.
Of course, many teams can say that they "should have" been there, but in the case of these four teams, it very likely should have happened.
Broncos teams that should have played in the Super Bowl: 1991
Make no mistake, the Buffalo Bills were the team in 1991, at least in the AFC. They were in the middle of their reign over the AFC during this time and how that team never won a single Super Bowl is unbelievable.
But the Broncos, who went 12-4 in 1991 and were the No. 2 seed in the AFC, should have beaten them on the road in the AFC title game.
The Bills were one of the best offensive teams in the league and the week before this, they put 37 points up against the Kansas City Chiefs. But the Broncos, who won a thrilling game in the divisional round against the Houston Oilers, held Buffalo to almost nothing in this game.
The Bills' only touchdown of the game was scored by the defense but Buffalo still needed several fluke plays to advance to the Super Bowl.
John Elway was knocked out of the game, forcing backup Gary Kubiak into the game. Kubiak scored the team's only touchdown in the game late in the fourth quarter to make the score 10-7. The Broncos then recovered an onside kick but a fumble after a catch by Steve Sewell was the final nail in the coffin.
However, the biggest story in this game for the Broncos was the fact that kicker David Treadwell missed three field goals, two of which bounced off of the uprights.
Had the Broncos won, they would have advanced to the Super Bowl to play a Washington team that went 14-2 and would have been quite difficult to beat, but they should have been in that game.
Broncos teams that should have played in the Super Bowl: 1996
Even though this team did not make the Super Bowl, there are still Broncos fans that to this day think this is the best team in franchise history.
The Broncos were terrific in 1996, blitzing through opponents en route to a 13-3 record that included a nine-game winning streak during the season. They were the No. 1 seed in the AFC, two games better than the team at No. 2, New England.
But after having a bye in the first round of the playoffs, the Broncos allowed the Jacksonville Jaguars, who were in just their second year of existence, to come into Mile High Stadium and pull off one of the biggest upsets in NFL history, beating the Broncos 30-27.
It remains one of the darkest days in team history. Of course, the Broncos would go on to win back-to-back Super Bowls in the two seasons that followed this crushing defeat, but they could have pulled off a three-peat, something that has never been done in league history.
Broncos teams that should have played in the Super Bowl: 2005
The 2005 Broncos were one of the most surprising teams in team history, especially when you consider that they were blown out 34-10 in the season opener by the Miami Dolphins. But they really put it together following that loss and finished the season at 13-3.
That was still just good for the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs as the Indianapolis Colts went 14-2 that year. But things got really exciting in the divisional round of that year's playoffs.
Not only did the Colts lose to the sixth-seed Pittsburgh Steelers in that round, but the Broncos had one of their most exciting wins in team history where they took out the New England Patriots. That was the first postseason loss that the combination of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady had together.
Suddenly, the Broncos had all of the momentum. The Colts and Patriots were out and now the Steelers, the last team to qualify for the playoffs, had to come to Denver for the AFC Championship Game.
What. A. Letdown.
The Steelers, behind a young Ben Roethlisberger and still being coached by Bill Cowher, ambushed the Broncos on that day and dealt them a devastating 34-17 loss.
The Steelers then went on to win Super Bowl XL by defeating the Seattle Seahawks, a team that the Broncos would have matched up quite well with. This was certainly a missed opportunity.
Broncos teams that should have played in the Super Bowl: 2012
Though it has been over a decade, it's still hard to talk about this one.
The 2012 season was the year that the Broncos signed Peyton Manning as a free agent and though the team got off to a slow start at 2-3, a massive comeback with over the Chargers in Week 6 sparked an 11-game winning streak and the Broncos looked like a team that would never lose another game.
That was until the divisional round against the Baltimore Ravens, a team that the Broncos were better than. That day, though, they allowed Joe Flacco and his Ravens to hang around all game and then late in the game, with a spot in the AFC Championship just 42 seconds away, this happened (video).
To this day, Rahim Moore might still be the most hated Broncos player ever.
To make matters worse, with time still on the clock and timeouts at their disposal, head coach John Fox chose to take a knee and go to overtime, where the Broncos eventually lost the game.
I am convinced that had the Broncos held on to win, they would have beaten the Patriots in the championship game and the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl. This one will always be tough to take.