On this date in 1999: Broncos won Super Bowl XXXIII

On this date (Jan. 31) in 1999, the Broncos defeated the Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl XXXIII.

One year after defeating the Green Bay Packers 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII, the Denver Broncos returned to the NFL’s championship game to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl XXXIII on Sunday, Jan. 31 1999.

Playing in the final game of his career, quarterback John Elway took home Super Bowl MVP honors after completing 18-of-29 passes for 336 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Elway also rushed three times for two yards and another score.

Elway later retired during the 1999 offseason and he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 2004. Three other members of Denver’s starting lineup that day later joined Elway in the Hall of Fame: tight end Shannon Sharpe, running back Terrell Davis and safety Steve Atwater.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HgxrcoG_bI

Elway returned to the team as an executive in 2011 and he helped the Broncos reach two more Super Bowls, winning one in 2016. Denver has won three Super Bowls in franchise history, with Elway playing a role in all three.

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On this date in 1998: Broncos won Super Bowl XXXII

On this date (Jan. 25) in 1998, the 11.5-point underdog Broncos defeated the Packers 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII.

The Denver Broncos upset the Green Bay Packers 31-24 in Super Bowl XXXII on Sunday, Jan. 25, 1998, at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California, marking the first championship victory in franchise history.

After previously losing four Super Bowls in the 1970s-1980s, the Broncos were considered big 11.5-point underdogs against the Packers.

Led by a productive rushing attack and opportunistic defense, Denver overcame those odds to pull off an upset win.

The Broncos’ offense was carried by running back Terrell Davis, who rushed 30 times for 157 yards and three touchdowns in the win, earning Super Bowl MVP honors. Davis would later go on to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017 after retiring from the NFL in 2002.

On defense, Denver forced three turnovers (two fumbles and an interception) to help slow down a high-powered Green Bay offense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmZdHyQSR90&t=7s

Five members of the Broncos’ starting lineup that day — Davis, quarterback John Elway, tight end Shannon Sharpe, left tackle Gary Zimmerman and safety Steve Atwater — are now in the Hall of Fame.

After securing their first Super Bowl victory in 1998, Denver went on to win again in 1999, and they later won a third title in 2016.

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Bo Nix’s rookie season ended just like John Elway’s

Bo Nix’s rookie season ended with a 31-7 loss in the Wild Card round, just like John Elway’s first year ended in 1983.

Bo Nix’s rookie season ended with a disappointing 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs.

He wasn’t the first Denver Broncos quarterback to begin his career like that.

As KDVR’s Dave Althouse pointed out on Twitter/X last week, John Elway’s rookie season ended with a 31-7 loss in the Wild Card round.

The Broncos went 9-7 in 1983 before facing the Seattle Seahawks (9-7), who played in the AFC West at the time, in the first round of the NFL playoffs.

Elway got mop-up duties and went 10-of-15 passing for 123 yards with one interception after Steve DeBerg started the game for Denver. DeBerg went 14-of-19 for 131 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Unlike Elway’s rookie season, Nix did not have to deal with a back-and-forth situation with a veteran in 2024. Nix started all 18 games this year and he went 13-of-22 for 144 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions against the Bills.

The coincidence of Elway and Nix having the same final score to end their rookie seasons obviously does not imply Nix will become “the next Elway.” But it’s a good reminder that young QBs can overcome their rookie season ending with a dud.

The playoff loss was disappointing, but Nix still has a bright future.

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Broncos QB Bo Nix ends regular season with 2 more awards

Congrats to Broncos QB Bo Nix for winning the AFC Player of the Week and FedEx Air Player of the Week honors!

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix won two weekly awards following his historic performance against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Nix first won AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors before also taking home the FedEx Air Player of the Week award for Week 18 following Denver’s 38-0 thumping of the Chiefs.

Nix threw for a career-high 321 yards, tied a career high with four touchdown passes (with no interceptions), set a franchise record for single-game completion percentage (89.7 percent) and set an NFL record by having multiple performances with over 300 yards passing, four touchdowns, no turnovers and a passer rating over 140.

With the win, Nix became the first Bronco rookie quarterback since John Elway to lead the franchise to the playoffs, and Denver reached the postseason for the first time since 2015.

Nix adds to already-growing his awards collection. Earlier in the season, Nix was nominated for Rookie of the Week several times, won several weekly awards already, and was named AFC Offensive Rookie of the Month in October. He finished the regular season with 29 passing touchdowns, 3,775 yards passing, 12 interceptions, four rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown,

Nix now leads the Broncos against the 2-seed Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

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Peyton Manning’s bringing a John Elway documentary to Netflix

Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions is involved in a new Netflix documentary following the life and career of pro football legend John Elway.

Coming soon to a streaming device near you: “ELWAY.”

“ELWAY, a new documentary following the life and career of pro football legend John Elway, is coming to Netflix,” the company announced Thursday.

The documentary is being made by Netflix, Skydance Sports, NFL Films, and Omaha Productions (the latter was founded by Peyton Manning).

Elway, 64, played quarterback for the Denver Broncos from 1983-1998, helping the team win two Super Bowls. He later returned to the club as an executive (2011-2021) and won a third Super Bowl.

“John Elway’s career isn’t just iconic, it’s darn near mythological,” director Ken Rodgers said in an interview with Peter White of Deadline.com. “His physical abilities, mental toughness and raw determination are the stuff of legend. We are all honored to partner with Netflix to tell the story of the man behind the legend.”

There’s been no word yet on when “ELWAY” will be available to stream, but fans can look forward to the doc hitting Netflix sometime down the road.

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Steve Young almost joined Broncos after John Elway retired

After John Elway retired, Mike Shanahan tried to convince Steve Young to join the Broncos. Young retired instead, a decision he now regrets.

What could have been?

John Elway announced his retirement from the NFL on May 2, 1999. One year later, Steve Young announced his retirement on June 13, 2000, after numerous concussions, including one that ended his 1999 season.

Mike Shanahan, who served as the Denver Broncos‘ head coach from 1995-2008, wanted Young to reunite with him in Denver. Shanahan previously coached Young as an offensive coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers.

Young ended up retiring instead, a decision that he and his wife now regret.

“I spent time some in Denver and we were ready to — we were thinking about it,” Young said during an interview on the Pardon My Take podcast this week. “He [Shanahan] was all in. He was all in, and I just — I don’t know. My wife says that’s one of the things I … we were newly married at the time and she regrets not like pushing me harder to do it. I was kind of emotionally cooked.”

The Broncos went 11-5 in 2000 with Brian Griese under center. Twenty-four years later, Young admitted that he regrets not reuniting with Shanahan.

“I regret — I should have jumped in,” Young said. “I would have played 2000 to maybe two or three years, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 would have been the years I played in Denver if I would have done it.”

Young was a backup behind Joe Montana when the 49ers won Super Bowls XXIII and XXIV. After Montana’s retirement, Young won Super Bowl XXIX with San Francisco. Elway retired after winning Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII with Denver. One can’t help but wonder if Shanahan and Young might have won another Super Bowl with the Broncos had the QB not retired.

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Broncos nominate Alex Singleton for Walter Payton Man of the Year

Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton was named the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee for 2024.

The Denver Broncos nominated linebacker Alex Singleton for the 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide, the team announced Thursday.

“Considered the NFL’s most prestigious honor, the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year recognizes a player for his outstanding leadership both on the field and in the community,” said the Broncos in a press release.

Singleton’s work off the field is something close to his heart; work with the Special Olympics. “Singleton’s older sister, Ashley, has been a Special Olympics athlete for more than 20 years, inspiring him to become an advocate for the organization,” said the statement. Singleton’s sister helped announce his nomination, wearing a shirt that read, “My brother is the Broncos’ Walter Payton Man of the Year.”

Singleton has experienced a roller coaster of a season, being voted a captain before the year began, and then tearing his ACL in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, despite playing all 57 snaps during the game.

You can watch Singleton’s reaction to his nomination below.

“Previous Broncos nominees for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award include tackle Garett Bolles (2023), guard Dalton Risner (2022), safety Justin Simmons (2019-21), outside linebacker Von Miller (2018) and cornerback Chris Harris Jr. (2017). John Elway (1992) is the only Broncos nominee to win the national award, which was first given in 1970 and renamed after the Chicago Bears’ Pro Football Hall of Fame running back in 1999,” said the release.

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Broncos rookie Bo Nix has joined an elite group of quarterbacks

Broncos rookie Bo Nix has joined Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes as the only NFL QBs to post this stat.

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has been on fire.

Following a 29-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Nix now holds franchise records for the most wins (seven), passing yards (2,548), completions (259) and passing touchdowns (16) by a rookie QB.

Nix has eight touchdown passes and zero interceptions in his last three games, joining Peyton Manning as the only other Bronco to accomplish that feat since at least 1970. Nix and Dak Prescott are the only rookie QBs in NFL history to have ever posted that stat line.

Nix has also joined an elite list of four other quarterbacks who have posted 20 total touchdowns and two or fewer turnovers in a 10-game span during a season, joining Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes.

Nix is well on his way to breaking just about all of the Broncos’ rookie passing records, and John Elway has been pleased to see him do it.

“You know what? I’m glad he’s breaking them because it was my rookie year, we weren’t very good,” Elway said in an interview with Broncos Wire last week. “So it’s nice to see that he’s got out to a better start than I had.”

Nix will look to build on his impressive numbers when Denver hosts the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 13.

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Will Broncos make the NFL playoffs this season? John Elway chimes in

“I think they’re starting to hit stride,” John Elway said of the Broncos, who he believes are on track to make the NFL playoffs this fall.

The Denver Broncos are 6-5 with six games remaining this season and team legend John Elway believes they will snap an eight-year playoff drought this fall.

“Yeah, I do,” Elway said during an interview with Broncos Wire about Dupuytren’s contracture and his treatment. “I think I think they’re starting to hit stride. I think, obviously the disappointing loss in Kansas City just goes to show you that they can play; they’re two-time defending world champions.

“And so, in Kansas City to play the way (Denver) played, I think they’re continuing to get better and better each week, especially offensively and defensively. They’ve been great (on defense) all year.

“So if they can — there’s so many variables, as you know, we got to stay healthy — and if we can stay healthy and have that ball bounce our way, there’s no question that they’re a playoff team and hopefully they continue to improve like they have.”

John Elway spoke with Broncos Wire in a three-part interview this week. Elway discussed Dupuytren’s contracture in Part 1 and rookie quarterback Bo Nix in Part 2. Elway won three Super Bowls in Denver — two as a quarterback and a third as an executive. He stepped down from his role with the Broncos following the 2022 season.

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Bo Nix responds to John Elway’s comments about Broncos’ rookie QB

“I’m in a really good spot,” Bo Nix said of being coached by Sean Payton while getting input from Peyton Manning and John Elway.

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has been a hot topic this week after his impressive performance against the Atlanta Falcons last week.

Even Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway said “the sky’s a limit for him” when asked about Nix during an interview with Broncos Wire earlier this week.

“It looks like they found their guy … [who will] continue to grow and bring back that excitement and start to compete for those world championships again,” Elway told Broncos Wire’s Brandon Walker on Wednesday.

After Wednesday’s practice, Nix was asked about receiving praise from Elway and if he’d like to meet the former QB and GM.

“Yes, he’s a legend,” Nix said. “He’s a legend not only here for this organization, but for the entire NFL. So you do want to listen when a guy like that is talking, and you want to pay attention to it. It’s an honor to be in this spot to where people like that can speak about it. I think obviously like most guys, they would love to have a chat with John Elway, just pick his brain and see what it’s like. Guys like that just have a lot of knowledge that they can share.

“It’s just awesome that I’m even in that situation. Like you mentioned, I think Davis [Webb] and Coach [Sean Payton] done a great job of just every week teaching me and moving on, going to the next play. Learn from the good and learn from the bad. I just feel like I’m in a really good spot.”

Nix is getting daily feedback from Payton and Webb, and he’s spoken with Peyton Manning as well. Elway hasn’t met with the young QB yet, but he has endorsed him from afar. Denver’s QB is in good hands.

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