1995 Denver Broncos: The Shanahan Era Begins

The Denver Broncos had been the AFC’s defining franchise in the late 1980s, reaching three Super Bowls. They had gone to the AFC Championship Game as recently as 1991. But they slipped into a comfortable mediocrity. They missed the playoffs in 1992 and parted ways with head coach Dan Reeves. New head coach Wade Phillips made the postseason in 1993 but lost the first game. After a non-playoff year in 1994, Phillips was shown the door. Mike Shanahan was hired. While the mediocrity continued in 1995, the hiring of Shanahan set the stage for the greatest era in franchise history.

Denver’s lineup was filled with Hall of Fame talent, and that started with quarterback John Elway. At 35-years-old, Elway’s numbers were pedestrian in ’95. His 58% completion rate and 2.6 interception percentage were modestly below average. Elway always had a big arm though, and his 7.3 yards-per-attempt ranked ninth among NFL starting quarterbacks.

Elway’s primary target was future Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe, who caught 63 passes and made the Pro Bowl. Anthony Miller was a wide receiver who could stretch the field and benefit from Elway’s arm, with his 59 catches averaging 18.3 yards each. Ed McCaffrey (father of Christian McCaffrey) and Mike Pritchard were both dependable targets, combining to catch 72 passes.

But what ultimately defined Shanahan’s coaching career was his ability to produce running backs. That started with the drafting of Terrell Davis. The rookie running back embarked on a Hall of Fame career by running for over 1,100 yards at 4.7 a pop. Davis ran behind a line that had another Hall of Fame player, 34-year-old left tackle Gary Zimmerman, who made the Pro Bowl.

Denver had no problems moving the ball, and they finished ninth in the league for points scored. But the defense had issues. While they had another Hall of Famer, free safety Steve Atwater, who enjoyed a Pro Bowl campaign, there wasn’t a lot else. The Bronco defense finished 17^th in a 30-team league for points allowed.

The season opened with a Sunday Night home game against Buffalo. The Bills had succeeded the Broncos as the dynasty of the AFC in the early 1990s before missing the playoffs in ’94. While Buffalo would bounce back and win the AFC East in 1995, that comeback didn’t start in Mile High. Denver completely controlled the line of scrimmage and controlled the ball for over 37 minutes. Sharpe caught ten balls for 180 yards. While the offense kept settling for field goals, it didn’t stop the Broncos from coasting to a 22-7 win.

Dallas was a powerhouse and would ultimately finish this season by winning their third Super Bowl in four years. Denver was outmanned in a late afternoon road game against the Cowboys. The Broncos got outrushed 162-80, fell behind 14-0 and chased the rest of the game in a 31-21 loss.

They came back home to face the Washington Redskins. After spotting the ‘Skins a 7-3 lead, Denver scored 21 straight points and led 24-7. They kept letting Washington back in it and the game was tied 24-24 and then 31-31. But Elway kept gunning. He finished 30/47 for 327 yards. And his 43-yard TD strike to Rod Smith finally finished a 38-31 win.

A road trip to San Diego was next. The Chargers had gone to the Super Bowl in 1994, and their defense locked up the Denver strengths. Davis was held to 27 yards. Elway couldn’t get the ball dowfield. Nor could the Broncos find the end zone. They lost 17-6.

The Broncos went up to Seattle to play in the old Kingdome and were dominated. Outrushed 230-75, they lost 27-10 and slipped under .500.

A Sunday Night visit to New England now had to be played with some urgency. The Patriots had reached the playoffs in ’94, but would falter this season. That faltering was facilitated by Denver. Elway was sharp, going 21/34 for 287 yards. Davis ran for 97 yards. The defense was terrific, led by a pair of sacks from tackle Michael Dean Perry. And the result was a 37-3 rout.

Prime-time dominance continued the following Monday at home against the archrival Oakland Raiders, who came into the game hot. They left Denver the recipients of a 27-0 beatdown, with Miller catching seven balls for 149 yards and the defense holding Oakland to 21 yards rushing.

Kansas City was an outstanding team, and they visited Mile High Stadium next. Elway’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Sharpe got the day off to a good start. But it was the last good thing that happened. There was no running game, Elway threw a couple picks and the Broncos lost 21-7. They went into a midseason bye week at 4-4.

A home game with the lowly Arizona Cardinals was on the far side of the bye. Elway was efficient, going 16/21. He stretched the field, with 256 passing yards, spreading the wealth among his receivers. Davis churned out 135 yards on 22 carries. It was the formula for 38-6 rout.

Another prime-time appearance was next, this one at playoff-bound Philadelphia on Sunday Night. It was a disaster. Elway was knocked out early. While backup Hugh Millen completed 20/29 passes, they only produced 127 yards. There was no running game. The secondary was carved up. The night ended in a 31-13 rout.

San Diego was also struggling along and their visit to Denver was a big one for both teams. The Broncos were ready. Elway hit Miller with a 34-yard touchdown strike, and then tossed a short TD pass to Sharpe. They took a 21-0 lead. The Chargers rallied and pulled even. But Davis was rolling, gaining 176 yards on 30 carries. Denver got the last word and won 30-27.

The Broncos went on to play a late afternoon game against the mediocre Houston Oilers (today’s Tennessee Titans). Davis kept running, gaining 110 yards. Miller kept stretching the field, catching six passes for 142 yards. Elway threw for 332 yards. It all sounds great. But there was no defense to speak of. Elway threw a couple of interceptions. The Broncos fell behind 35-17 and ultimately lost a 42-33 shootout.

They were 6-6 going into the stretch drive. Kansas City had control of the AFC West, and Oakland’s 8-4 record had them in command of the race for three wild-card spots. The Indianapolis Colts were 7-5. The Broncos were tied with the Miami Dolphins at 6-6 for the final spot. The Chargers and Seahawks (an AFC West team prior to 2002) were in pursuit at 5-7. Four games to go and little room for error.

A home game with Jacksonville, in their first year of existence was well-timed. Elway threw four touchdown passes to four different receivers, Denver took a 28-10 lead in the third quarter and closed out a 31-23 win. While Miami kept pace and San Diego and Seattle kept the pressure on, Oakland and Indianapolis both lost. The race for the three wild-cards was becoming more fluid.

It made a home game with the Seahawks absolutely monstrous, and the Broncos jumped out to a 20-3 lead. Then it all fell apart. Driving for a touchdown that could have put it away, Denver fumbled and saw it returned 83 yards to the house. It was one of five turnovers, including three interceptions by Elway. And the end result was a disastrous 31-27 loss.

What’s more, Davis suffered a hamstring tear that ended his season. Denver was still very much in the race—Oakland, Indianapolis and Miami were all 8-6, while the Broncos joined San Diego and Seattle at 7-7. Denver still had a head-to-head visit with Oakland ahead. But their star running back was gone, and they had a road date with Kansas City up next.

Elway played reasonably well against a tough defense, going 24/36 for 242 yards, with no mistakes. But the Broncos fell behind 14-0, were outrushed 145-64 and lost 20-17.

At 7-8, there was still a perfect storm scenario where Denver could make the playoffs. But on the Saturday of the final week, victories by the Chargers and Colts not only secured postseason spots, they knocked the Broncos out. There was one berth available, but Denver was frozen out.

That said, the chance to play spoiler against Oakland was attractive under any circumstances and especially for Shanahan. In 1988 he coached the Raiders before his problems with owner Al Davis led to an early season firing in 1989. Denver would play this game to win, and by the time kickoff arrived, they knew a collapsing Raider team was in a win-or-go-home spot.

The Broncos trailed 28-17 going into the fourth quarter. But backup runner Aaron Craver finished with 108 yards. More important, Elway was making big plays, finishing 24/41 for 320 yards. After a field goal cut the lead to eight, Elway tossed a short TD pass to McCaffrey, who caught nine balls for 99 yards. Elway then ran for the two-point conversion which tied the game. The Broncos got the ball back and drove for a game-winning field goal. Their 31-28 win got them to 8-8 and knocked the Raiders out.

It was a sweet ending, but the franchise and fans were still anxious to get off the cycle of average football. They didn’t have to wait long. In 1996, Denver was the 1-seed in the AFC. While they flamed out in the playoffs, 1997 was the year Bronco fans had been waiting for—the breakthrough to their first Super Bowl title. In 1998, they did it again, sealing a dynasty and sending Elway into retirement as a champion. The seeds for that run were set in 1995.