1997 Denver Broncos season

The 1997 season was the Denver Broncos' 28th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their 38th overall. The Broncos finished the season with a record of 12–4, finishing second in the AFC West, and winning Super Bowl XXXII. The Broncos were the second wild card team since the 1970 merger to win a Super Bowl, joining the 1980 Oakland Raiders.

1997 Denver Broncos season
OwnerPat Bowlen
PresidentPat Bowlen
General managerJohn Beake and Mike Shanahan
Head coachMike Shanahan
Offensive coordinatorGary Kubiak
Defensive coordinatorGreg Robinson
Home fieldMile High Stadium
Results
Record12–4
Division place2nd AFC West
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Jaguars) 42–17
Won Divisional Playoffs
(at Chiefs) 14–10
Won AFC Championship
(at Steelers) 24–21
Won Super Bowl XXXII
(vs. Packers) 31–24
Pro BowlersQB John Elway
RB Terrell Davis
TE Shannon Sharpe
C Tom Nalen
Uniform

The 1997 season saw the addition of the Denver Broncos' newest wordmark and logo. Their new logo featured a newer, dynamic Bronco, which has been the team's logo since the 1997 season. The new default team colors unveiled prior to the 1997 season were navy blue jerseys with orange and white pants with orange.[1][2] This would continue until 2012, when they assigned the all navy blue uniforms as the "Main alternate" slot, making the primary uniforms have orange tops, white bottoms and orange/white shoes.

Offseason

NFL draft

1997 Denver Broncos draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 28 Trevor Pryce *  Defensive tackle Clemson
3 67 Dan Neil  Guard Texas
4 124 Cory Gilliard  Cornerback Ball State
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Season summary

Having lost a disappointing playoff game to Jacksonville the year before, many thought this might be John Elway's last chance to win a Super Bowl. They started off the season by winning their first six games, beating the Chiefs, Seahawks, Rams, Bengals, Falcons and Patriots in the first game between the last two unbeaten NFL teams since 1973.[3] They then lost to the Raiders, then defeated the Bills, Seahawks, and Panthers. They then lost to the Chiefs, beat the Raiders and the Chargers, lost to the Steelers and the 49ers, but finished the season with a win against the Chargers.

They made the playoffs as a wildcard and advanced against the Jaguars and Chiefs and defeated the Steelers in the 1997 AFC Championship Game. They then won Super Bowl XXXII against the Packers 31–24, only the second team since the NFL/AFL merger in 1970 to ever win a Super Bowl as a wildcard, and the first AFC team to win the title since the Los Angeles Raiders in Super Bowl XVIII following the 1983 season. The win was a big morale boost to Denver and the Broncos, who had suffered through four previous Super Bowl losses, and especially Elway, who had led three of those defeats.

The 1997 Broncos were tenth in the league in total passing yards with 3704 and fourth in the league in total rushing yards with 2378. They finished with 6082 total yards, first in the NFL. They were fourth in total yards given up with 4969. They were also first in total points scored with 472. They were seventh in total points allowed with 287.

The team's 12–4 record is their fifth-best 16-game season in franchise history.

During the season John Elway threw for 3635 yards and Terrell Davis rushed for 1750 yards. Rod Smith had 70 receptions for 1180 yards and Ed McCaffrey had 45 receptions for 590 yards. Tight end Shannon Sharpe has 72 receptions for 1107 yards. Kicker Jason Elam kicked 26 field goals out of 36 attempted. Davis, Elway, Tom Nalen, Sharpe, and Neil Smith made the Pro Bowl.

Personnel

Staff

1997 Denver Broncos staff
Front office

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Rich Tuten
  • Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Greg Saporta

Roster

1997 Denver Broncos roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists
  • 79 Jumpy Geathers DT (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 20 Tory James CB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 60 K. C. Jones C (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 24 Selwyn Jones CB (IRTooltip Injured reserve)
  • 78 Matt Lepsis T (NF-Inj.Tooltip Non-football injury and illness)


Practice squad

53 active, 5 inactive, 5 practice squad


Rookies in italics

[4]

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance Recap
1 July 26 Buffalo Bills W 31–10 1–0 Mile High Stadium 69,739 Recap
2 August 4 vs. Miami Dolphins L 19–38 1–1 Estadio Guillermo Cañedo (Mexico City) 104,629 Recap
3 August 9 at Carolina Panthers W 23–13 2–1 Ericsson Stadium 68,296 Recap
4 August 17 at New England Patriots L 21–31 2–2 Foxboro Stadium 55,354 Recap
5 August 23 San Francisco 49ers W 31–17 3–2 Mile High Stadium 69,847 Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 31 Kansas City Chiefs W 19–3 1–0 Mile High Stadium Recap
2 September 7 at Seattle Seahawks W 35–14 2–0 Kingdome Recap
3 September 14 St. Louis Rams W 35–14 3–0 Mile High Stadium Recap
4 September 21 Cincinnati Bengals W 38–20 4–0 Mile High Stadium Recap
5 September 28 at Atlanta Falcons W 29–21 5–0 Georgia Dome Recap
6 October 6 New England Patriots W 34–13 6–0 Mile High Stadium Recap
7 Bye
8 October 19 at Oakland Raiders L 25–28 6–1 Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Recap
9 October 26 at Buffalo Bills W 23–20 (OT) 7–1 Rich Stadium Recap
10 November 2 Seattle Seahawks W 30–27 8–1 Mile High Stadium Recap
11 November 9 Carolina Panthers W 34–0 9–1 Mile High Stadium Recap
12 November 16 at Kansas City Chiefs L 22–24 9–2 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
13 November 24 Oakland Raiders W 31–3 10–2 Mile High Stadium Recap
14 November 30 at San Diego Chargers W 38–28 11–2 Qualcomm Stadium Recap
15 December 7 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 24–35 11–3 Three Rivers Stadium Recap
16 December 15 at San Francisco 49ers L 17–34 11–4 3Com Park Recap
17 December 21 San Diego Chargers W 38–3 12–4 Mile High Stadium Recap

Game summaries

Week 1

1 234Total
Chiefs 0 030 3
Broncos 3 6010 19
  • Date: August 31
  • Location: Mile High Stadium
  • Game start: 2:00 pm MDT
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Paul Maguire, and Phil Simms

Week 2

1 234Total
Broncos 10 3157 35
Seahawks 0 1400 14
  • Date: September 7
  • Location: Kingdome
  • Game start: 2:00 pm MDT
  • Referee: Phil Luckett
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Paul Maguire, and Phil Simms

Week 3

1 234Total
Rams 7 007 14
Broncos 7 7714 35
  • Date: September 14
  • Location: Mile High Stadium
  • Game start: 2:00 pm MDT
  • TV announcers (FOX): Sam Rosen and Bill Maas

Week 4

1 234Total
Bengals 7 0103 20
Broncos 0 14717 38
  • Date: September 21
  • Location: Mile High Stadium
  • Game start: 2:00 pm MDT
  • Referee: Mike Carey
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Randy Cross

Week 5

1 234Total
Broncos 15 860 29
Falcons 0 777 21
  • Date: September 28
  • Location: Georgia Dome
  • Game start: 11:00 am MDT
  • Referee: Dick Hantak
  • TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones and Bob Trumpy

Week 6

1 234Total
Patriots 0 1300 13
Broncos 14 0173 34
  • Date: October 6
  • Location: Mile High Stadium
  • Game start: 7:00 pm MDT
  • Referee: Jerry Markbreit
  • TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf

Week 8

1 234Total
Broncos 7 378 25
Raiders 7 777 28

Week 9

1 234OTTotal
Broncos 0 101003 23
Bills 0 02000 20
  • Date: October 26
  • Location: Rich Stadium
  • Game start: 11:00 am MDT
  • Referee: Ron Blum
  • TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond and Randy Cross

Week 10

1 234Total
Seahawks 3 7107 27
Broncos 3 10143 30
  • Date: November 2
  • Location: Mile High Stadium
  • Game start: 2:00 pm MST
  • Referee: Tom White
  • TV announcers (NBC): Tom Hammond and Randy Cross

Week 11

1 234Total
Panthers 0 000 0
Broncos 14 3107 34
  • Date: November 9
  • Location: Mile High Stadium
  • Game start: 2:00 pm MST
  • Referee: Johnny Grier
  • TV announcers (Fox): Pat Summerall and John Madden

Week 12

1 234Total
Broncos 3 1036 22
Chiefs 0 1473 24
  • Date: November 16
  • Location: Arrowhead Stadium
  • Game start: 11:00 am MST
  • Referee: Bill Carollo
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Paul Maguire and Phil Simms

Week 13

1 234Total
Raiders 0 300 3
Broncos 0 14170 31
  • Date: November 24
  • Location: Mile High Stadium
  • Game start: 7:00 pm MST
  • Referee: Mike Carey
  • TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf

Week 14

1 234Total
Broncos 7 2173 38
Chargers 0 7714 28
  • Date: November 30
  • Location: Qualcomm Stadium
  • Game start: 6:00 pm MST
  • Referee: Gerald Austin
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick and Joe Theismann

Week 15

1 234Total
Broncos 14 730 24
Steelers 7 1477 35
  • Date: December 7
  • Location: Three Rivers Stadium
  • Game start: 11:00 am MST
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Paul Maguire and Phil Simms

Week 16

1 234Total
Broncos 10 070 17
49ers 0 141010 34
  • Date: December 15
  • Location: Candlestick Park
  • Game start: 7:00 pm MST
  • Referee: Phil Luckett
  • TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford and Dan Dierdorf

Week 17

1 234Total
Chargers 3 000 3
Broncos 0 2477 38
  • Date: December 21
  • Location: Mile High Stadium
  • Game start: 2:00 pm MST
  • Referee: Jerry Markbreit
  • TV announcers (NBC): Mike Breen and James Lofton

Standings

AFC West
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(1) Kansas City Chiefs 1330.813375232W6
(4) Denver Broncos 1240.750472287W1
Seattle Seahawks 880.500365362W2
Oakland Raiders 4120.250324419L5
San Diego Chargers 4120.250266425L8

Playoffs

Round Date Opponent Result TV Time (MT) TV Announcers Game site Attendance
Wild Card Playoffs December 27, 1997 Jacksonville Jaguars W 42–17 ABC 2:00pm Al Michaels, Frank Gifford & Dan Dierdorf Mile High Stadium 74,481
Divisional Playoffs January 4, 1998 at Kansas City Chiefs W 14–10 NBC 2:00pm Dick Enberg, Paul Maguire & Phil Simms Arrowhead Stadium 76,695
AFC Championship January 11, 1998 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 24–21 NBC 10:30am Dick Enberg, Paul Maguire & Phil Simms Three Rivers Stadium 61,382
Super Bowl XXXII January 25, 1998 N Green Bay Packers W 31–24 NBC 4:30pm Dick Enberg, Paul Maguire & Phil Simms Qualcomm Stadium 68,912

Wild Card

1 234Total
Jaguars 0 7100 17
Broncos 14 7021 42
  • Date: December 27
  • Location: Mile High Stadium
  • Referee: Bernie Kukar
  • TV announcers (ABC): Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, and Dan Dierdorf

In the 1997 AFC Wildcard Playoff weekend, the Broncos were paired against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Broncos viewed this game as a chance to avenge the previous season's Divisional Playoff loss of 30–27 to the Jaguars, an early exit in a year the Broncos were favored to win the Super Bowl. Ultimately, 21 unanswered 4th quarter points saw the Broncos seize the win and a playoff berth against the Division Champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Divisional

1 234Total
Broncos 0 707 14
Chiefs 0 0100 10
  • Date: January 4
  • Location: Arrowhead Stadium
  • Referee: Jerry Markbreit
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Paul Maguire, and Phil Simms

AFC Championship Game

1 234Total
Broncos 7 1700 24
Steelers 7 707 21
  • Date: January 11
  • Location: Three Rivers Stadium
  • Referee: Ron Blum
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Paul Maguire, and Phil Simms

Super Bowl

1 234Total
Packers 7 737 24
Broncos 7 1077 31
  • Date: January 25
  • Location: Qualcomm Stadium
  • Game start: 4:30 pm MST
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Phil Simms and Paul Maguire

Awards and records

  • Terrell Davis, Super Bowl MVP
  • John Elway, Franchise Record, Most Touchdowns in One Season, 27 Touchdown Passes [5]

References

  1. "New uniforms for a new era". History.DenverBroncos.com. February 4, 1997. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  2. "Broncos Directory" (PDF). 1997 Denver Broncos Media Guide. NFL Enterprises. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  3. "Last Undefeated NFL Teams in Each Season". Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  4. "1997 Denver Broncos starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
  5. NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN 0-7611-2480-2, p. 44
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