The Denver Broncos earned a berth in the AFC championship game with . Just when Broncos fans thought it couldn’t get any better, on Sunday, not only disqualifying the team that had dropped the Broncos out of the NFL playoffs the previous two seasons, but also awarding home-field advantage to Denver, which is 9-0 at Invesco Field at Mile High this season.
Since the Steelers-Broncos matchup was determined, the DenverPost.com staff has been rounding up an array of online exclusives both to cover and to celebrate the Broncos’ first conference-title game since 1999. These exclusives are scattered throughout the website — audio, video, contests and more — so we assembled them here to form a buffet line, which you can sample by scrolling down.
Bon appétit.
* Denver Post staff writer Bill Williamson had a heart-to-heart chat over the phone with Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports columnist Ron Cook.
* . Click here to create your own crazy Broncos fan. Save your creation in our virtual stadium.
* Banner days and night. The DenverPost.com logo that stretches across the top of the will turn orange and blue at random until Sunday’s kickoff. When you see that banner in Broncos colors, click on it for a chance to win tickets to the Broncos’ season opener next season, a Broncos jersey and other great prizes.
* Who’s the most colorful Broncos fan? Send your photo to us at digitalnewsteam@denverpost.com.
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AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
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* : DenverPost.com producer Doug Conarroe filmed Wednesday’s press conference at Dove Valley while Broncos coach Mike Shanahan and quarterback Jake Plummer fielded questions about Sunday’s matchup.
* . This is a hoot. Choose a celebrity beard for Plummer. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu needs a makeover, too; choose a celebrity ‘do.
* . Does our grizzly QB’s beard trump Ben Roethlisberger’s tidy chin? Cast your vote for a chance at winning two airline tickets.
* Who’s the most far-flung Broncos fan? Let us know where you live now, and how you came to love the team! Send your stories to dpo@denverpost.com.
* . Download playoff photos for your desktop.
* . Listen to Wednesday’s press conference with Steelers coach Bill Cowher. Two audio clips are included with Wednesday’s story, which includes slide shows of both Cowher and Shanahan, by Denver Post staff writer Anthony Cotton.
* galore. Pages and pages of them. , and more.
* . Read up on what the competition is saying in Pittsburgh by visiting the website for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
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“YEE HAW BRONCOS”
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* . Review photos and game summaries from this year’s NFL playoffs using our interactive bracket.
* Speaking of game summaries, we have archived each game story this season — including the preseason — on our page. Included are slide shows, puzzles and Broncos Mailbag installments from throughout the season.
* . Size up the trends of both the Broncos and Steelers with our breakdown (e.g. all-time series: Denver 14-8-1; 3-2 in playoffs).
An online exclusive that runs each Friday, examines the memorable, less visible and lighthearted aspects of Colorado’s sports landscape. DenverPost.com sports producer Bryan Boyle can be reached at bboyle@denverpost.com.
From the columns
“Seven seasons ago when Champ Bailey was in the Washington Redskins’ locker room, he found a nook and settled there. To hear Bailey, to even get to him during his early Redskins seasons, you had to wade through bigger figures and louder mouths.”
From the mailbags
“I don’t think Blake has been poor this season, however. He hasn’t been great, no, but not poor, either. He’s been on the ice for a lot of soft goals against that weren’t his fault. The thing that’s hurt him: His offensive output isn’t that much better this season than it was in the old NHL.”
From the message boards
“I’m really impressed by what I’ve seen of this board. No ridiculous bragging and counter-bragging (yet, at least.) Not like some other boards I’ve seen (NE Pats being one.) Just football. Way to go, Broncos (and fellow Steelers) fans.”
— Joeguy153
From the online exclusives
What do the experts say about Sunday’s AFC championship game? Click the image for a recording of a telephone conversation between Denver Post staff writer Bill Williamson and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sports columnist Ron Cook.
A look back
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| Post / Karl Gehring |
The last time the Denver Broncos competed in an AFC championship game was 1999, when the Broncos defeated the New York Jets 23-10 on Jan. 17. In this photo shot that day, Broncos linebacker John Mobley celebrates a defensive play during the third quarter. The Broncos went on to defeat the Atlanta Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl XXXIII. |
