1984 Denver Broncos season
| 1984 Denver Broncos season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Dan Reeves |
| Owner | Pat Bowlen |
| Home field | Mile High Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 13–3 |
| Division place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoff finish | Lost AFC Divisional Playoff (Steelers) 17-24 |
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| Scoring summary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DEN | Steve Foley 22 yard fumble return (Rich Karlis kick) | Broncos 7–0 | |
| 1 | DEN | Louis Wright 27 yard fumble return (Rich Karlis kick) | Broncos 14–0 | |
| 2 | DEN | Rich Karlis 30 yard field goal | Broncos 17–0 | |
| 3 | GB | Gerry Ellis 5 yard run (Eddie Garcia kick) | Broncos 17–7 | |
| 4 | GB | James Lofton 54 yard pass from Lynn Dickey (Eddie Garcia kick) | Broncos 17–14 | |
The 1984 Denver Broncos season was the team's 25th year in professional football and its 15th with the National Football League (NFL). The team finished with its then franchise best record of thirteen wins and three losses and were champions of the AFC West. The season ended in a heartbreaking Divisional Playoff loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Broncos lost to the Steelers 24–17 at Denver's Mile High Stadium on Sunday, December 30, 1984. The game was televised on NBC. Given Denver's record and their opportunistic defense, Pittsburgh was the decided underdog. Indeed, much talk before the game centered on a possible meeting of two up-and-coming quarterbacks—Denver's John Elway and Miami's Dan Marino—in the AFC Championship Game.
The game turned into a defensive struggle. After the Broncos' first drive ended in a punt, Steelers' quarterback Mark Malone fumbled on two consecutive drives; the first ended in a missed Rich Karlis field goal, but the second was converted into a touchdown pass from Elway to receiver Jim Wright. The Steelers then answered with a scoring drive, as Gary Anderson kicked a 28-yard field goal.
With the teams trading punts, a miscue by the Steelers threatened to blow the game open. Midway through the second quarter, Steelers' punter Craig Colquitt had his punt blocked—the first of his career—and Denver set up at Pittsburgh's four-yard-line. But on third-and-goal, Elway floated a weak pass into the arms of nose tackle Gary Dunn. Now with the momentum, the Steelers were able to put a drive together at the end of the first half, resulting in a one-yard Frank Pollard touchdown run. The Broncos tried to tie the game with time running out in the half, but a long field goal attempt by Karlis fell short.
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