Recalling the best Broncos victories over each division rival

At one time, the Seattle Seahawks were also part of the AFC West, but they moved to the NFC in 2002. The Broncos and Seahawks had many memorable games, including a lopsided Super Bowl that saw the Broncos on the wrong side of the scoreboard.

But for now, we are just going to focus on the teams that remain in the AFC West and look back at the three biggest victories the Denver Broncos have ever had over each team.

This led to a major trip down memory lane as literally hundreds of games, filled with countless legendary players, were examined. Think back to some of the wins the Broncos have had over the Raiders, Chargers and Chiefs. Did one game instantly pop into your mind?

Let's see if that game shows up on the list.

Denver Broncos' biggest wins over the Los Angeles Chargers

Starting with the Chargers, who played for one season in Los Angeles before moving to San Diego in 1961. Following the 2016 season, the decision was made to go back to L.A.

In that time, the Broncos and Chargers have met 127 times. The Broncos hold the current advantage in the series 71-55-1. With 71 victories to consider, these were the three most memorable wins for the Broncos over the Chargers.

September 14, 2008

This was a fantastic game in Week 2 of the 2008 season, one of the most up-and-down seasons in Broncos history.

Jay Cutler and Philip Rivers went toe to toe in this one and the Broncos held a 31-17 halftime lead. But the Chargers mounted a furious second-half charge and scored 21 unanswered points to take a 38-31 lead late in the fourth quarter.

But with just 24 seconds left to play, Cutler found Eddie Royal on a 4-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal following this incident (video). Realizing they probably caught a big break, Mike Shanahan chose to go for two points and the win, and on that play, Cutler again hit Royal to put the Broncos up and win the game.

Brandon Marshall caught 18 passes in this game, still tied for the third-most in a game in league history. That is a record he would later break when he caught 21 passes against the Indianapolis Colts the following season.

October 15, 2012

What an amazing game this was and it was one of the best comebacks in Broncos history.

The game took place on Monday Night Football and it was the game that started to turn the Broncos' season around, which was Peyton Manning's first in Denver. The Broncos came into this game at 2-3 and fell behind the Chargers 24-0 at halftime.

But the Broncos exploded in the second half as Manning threw three touchdowns and the team scored two defensive touchdowns to beat the Chargers 35-0. The Broncos then went on to win 11 straight games to close out the regular season.

January 3, 2016

The Broncos ended up winning Super Bowl 50 this year but without what transpired in this game, that likely never happens.

The Broncos just needed to beat a bad Chargers team to finish as the No. 1 seed in the AFC and after a 72-yard touchdown pass from Brock Osweiler to Demaryius Thomas, that seemed well within reach. But the team started to go stagnant and the Chargers took a 13-7 lead in the third quarter.

Though Osweiler had taken over the starting job while Manning was hobbled that year, Gary Kubiak made one of the best decisions of his coaching career and put Manning into the game (video).

The team had a sudden jolt of energy with their leader back on the field and it was evident with nearly every play after that moment. The Broncos ended up winning the game, setting the stage for one of the most storybook playoff runs in league history.

But without home-field advantage that season, the Broncos very likely don't even make it to the Super Bowl, so this was a massive win in team history.