The Denver Broncos, despite finally making the playoffs last year for the first time in almost a decade, have been one of the best teams in the long history of the NFL.
Led by two of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game — John Elway and Peyton Manning — the Broncos have reached great success, landing in the Super Bowl eight different times. Though the team is often remembered for suffering multiple humiliating losses in the big game, the Broncos have brought home the Lombardi Trophy three times.
Bryan DaArdo of CBS Sports recently chose the best season each team in the league has had and with the Broncos, he had a lot to consider. But the best team has to be one of the Super Bowl winners, right?
1997 Broncos
Probably the most beloved Broncos team ever, this was the one that finally broke the glass ceiling. After going to and losing four other Super Bowls, three under Elway, the team became just the second Wild Card team to ever win the Super Bowl, upsetting the highly-favored Green Bay Packers in the process.
1998 Broncos
This team started 13-0 and had a real chance to go undefeated until this play late in a game made by Amani Toomer of the New York Giants. The Broncos still rolled to a second consecutive Super Bowl win, with 2,000-yard rusher and league MVP Terrell Davis, shellacking the Atlanta Falcons and former Broncos coach Dan Reeves in Super Bowl XXXIII.
2015 Broncos
This team had an unbelievable story. After benching Manning late in the season in favor of Brock Osweiler, the Broncos then turned back to Manning, who was far from 100 percent, and had him stand behind the best defense in the league. The Broncos beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game before knocking off the 15-1 Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
It was an improbable win that sent Manning off a winner.
DeArdo ended up selecting the '98 Broncos, which is hard to argue. He notes the team's 17-2 overall record and the fact that they outscored opponents 95-34 in the postseason. Here was his analysis:
"A year after winning the franchise's first Super Bowl, the '98 Broncos won their first 13 games and finished the regular season with a 14-2 record. Denver's regular season was highlighted by Hall of Fame running back Terrell Davis, who won league MVP honors after rushing for 2,008 yards and scoring 23 touchdowns.
Receivers Ed McCaffrey and Rod Smith each recorded 1,000-yard seasons, while Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe's 10 touchdown catches tied Smith for the league lead. Denver's underrated defense, led by Hall of Fame safety Steve Atwater, allowed just 13 total points in the Broncos' playoff wins over the Dolphins and Jets.
In Super Bowl XXXIII, with the Falcons' defense geared up to stop Davis, the Broncos instead showcased the talents of quarterback John Elway, who threw for 336 yards while scoring two touchdowns in his final NFL game. The Broncos, by virtue of their 34-19 win over the Falcons, became the sixth franchise to win back-to-back Super Bowls."
The Broncos have had some great teams in their history but the '98 team was one for the ages.
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