2005 Denver Broncos season
| 2005 Denver Broncos season | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Head coach | Mike Shanahan |
| Owner | Pat Bowlen |
| Home field | Invesco Field at Mile High |
| Results | |
| Record | 13–3 |
| Division place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoff finish |
Won Divisional Playoffs (Patriots) 27–13 Lost Conference Championship (Steelers) 17–34 |
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| Scoring summary | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 |
3:03
|
DEN | Elam 37 yard field goal | DEN 3–0 |
| Q2 |
12:19
|
SD | Tomlinson 16 yard run (Kaeding kick) | SD 7–3 |
| Q2 |
4:59
|
SD | Tomlinson 4 yard run (Kaeding kick) | SD 14–3 |
| Q3 |
14:56
|
DEN | Bailey 25 yard interception return (Elam kick) | SD 14–10 |
| Q4 |
8:53
|
DEN | Johnson 3 yard run (Elam kick) | DEN 17–14 |
| Q4 |
5:25
|
SD | Kaeding 34 yard field goal | Tie 17–17 |
| Q4 |
:09
|
DEN | Elam 33 yard field goal | DEN 20–17 |
The 2005 Denver Broncos season was the franchise's 36th season in the National Football League and the 46th overall.
The Denver Broncos closed out the 2005 regular season with a 13–3 record, the franchise's second-best number of wins of all time and their third best win percentage ever. They won their first playoff game since winning Super Bowl XXXIII in the 1998 season. They failed to get to the Super Bowl however, losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers, that season's champions, in the AFC Championship game. Denver would not make the postseason again until 2011 and another Conference championship until 2013, under the leadership of Peyton Manning whom the Broncos acquired in 2012.
After losing their first game 34–10 to the Miami Dolphins on September 11, the Broncos won 5 straight games, defeating the San Diego Chargers 20–17, the Kansas City Chiefs 30–10, the Jacksonville Jaguars 20–7, the Washington Redskins 21–19, and the two-time defending champion New England Patriots 28–20 on October 16 before losing to the New York Giants on October 23 by a final score of 24–23. They then beat the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles 49–21 on October 30. In that game, the Broncos became the first team in NFL history to have two players, Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell, rush for over 100 yards and another player, Jake Plummer, pass for over 300 yards in a single game. They then beat the Oakland Raiders on November 13, 31–17. They beat the New York Jets on November 20, 27–0. It was the first time the Broncos had shut out a team at home since the Carolina Panthers on November 9, 1997. They played the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving day, November 24, winning a very hard fought game in overtime 24–21. The key play that led to Jason Elam's 24-yard game winning field goal was a 55-yard run by Ron Dayne who filled in for the injured Tatum Bell. They lost to the Chiefs 31–27 on December 4, but defeated the Baltimore Ravens the following week 12–10. On December 17, the Broncos defeated the Buffalo Bills 28–17. On Christmas Eve 2005, the Denver Broncos clinched the AFC West division title as they finished 8–0 at Invesco Field beating the Oakland Raiders 22–3. On December 31, 2005, the Broncos got win number 13 by going on the road and sweeping their division rivals, the Chargers, with a final score of 23–7.
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