1986 Denver Broncos season
| 1986 Denver Broncos season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Dan Reeves |
| General manager | John Beake |
| Owner | Pat Bowlen |
| Home field | Mile High Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 11–5 |
| Division place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoff finish |
Won AFC Divisional Playoff (Patriots) 22–17 Won AFC Championship Game (at Browns) 23–20 Lost Super Bowl XXI (vs. Giants) 20–39 |
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| Scoring summary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DEN | Steve Watson 35-yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick) | Broncos 7–0 | |
| 1 | LA | Marcus Allen 24-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick) | Tie 7–7 | |
| 1 | LA | Todd Christensen 16-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick) | Raiders 14–7 | |
| 1 | DEN | Safety, John Elway tackled by Greg Townsend in end zone | Raiders 16–7 | |
| 2 | LA | Chris Bahr 43-yard field goal | Raiders 19–7 | |
| 2 | DEN | John Elway 23-yard pass from Steve Sewell (Rich Karlis kick) | Raiders 19–14 | |
| 2 | LA | Chris Bahr 42-yard field goal | Raiders 22–14 | |
| 2 | DEN | Gene Lang 1-yard run (Rich Karlis kick) | Raiders 22–21 | |
| 3 | LA | Marcus Allen 2-yard run (Chris Bahr kick) | Raiders 29–21 | |
| 3 | DEN | Ken Woodard 16-yard fumble return (Rich Karlis kick) | Raiders 29–28 | |
| 3 | LA | Rod Barksdale 57-yard pass from Marc Wilson (Chris Bahr kick) | Raiders 36–28 | |
| 4 | DEN | Rich Karlis 51-yard field goal | Raiders 36–31 | |
| 4 | DEN | Gene Lang 7-yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick) | Broncos 38–36 | |
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| Scoring summary | ||||
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| Q2 | DEN | Watson 21 yard pass from Elway (Karlis kick) | DEN 7–0 | |
| Q3 | PIT | Anderson 42 yard field goal | DEN 7–3 | |
| Q3 | DEN | Sewell 34 yard pass from Elway (Karlis kick) | DEN 14–3 | |
| Q4 | PIT | Erenberg 7 yard run (Anderson kick) | DEN 14–10 | |
| Q4 | DEN | Winder 13 yard pass from Elway (Karlis kick) | DEN 21–10 | |
In 1986 Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 27th year in professional football and its 17th with the National Football League (NFL). They finished the regular season with a record of 11–5, returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence, won the AFC Championship over the Cleveland Browns, and lost Super Bowl XXI to the New York Giants.
The Broncos won their first six games of the season, before being felled by the then-5-1 New York Jets on Monday Night Football. They won two more games to improve to 8–1, tied with the Jets for the best record in the league. Although they would go 3–4 down the stretch, alternating wins and losses, Denver still finished ahead of the Seahawks and Chiefs in first place in the AFC West.
They won their divisional playoff game against the Patriots at home 22–17. They then played the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland for the AFC Championship. The game culminated in the famous "Drive", where John Elway led a 98-yard drive for a touchdown pass to Mark Jackson to tie the game and send it to overtime, where they won by a field goal, 23–20.
This game is best remembered for The Drive when the Broncos drove 98 yards to tie the game with 37 seconds left in regulation, and Denver kicker Rich Karlis made the game-winning 33-yard field goal 5:38 into overtime.
The Browns scored first when quarterback Bernie Kosar threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Herman Fontenot at the end of an 86-yard drive. But the Broncos then scored 10 unanswered points: Karlis' 19-yard field goal and running back Gerald Willhite's 1-yard rushing touchdown. Cleveland kicker Mark Moseley's 29-yard field goal before halftime tied the score, 10–10. The teams exchanged punts before Kosar completed a 48-yard touchdown pass to Brian Brennan with 5:43 remaining in regulation. Elway then led his team from their own 2-yard line to tie the game on wide receiver Mark Jackson's 5-yard touchdown reception with 37 seconds left in regulation. Karlis' game-winning field goal in overtime capped a 60-yard drive after the Browns were forced to punt.
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