When Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas reached high to grab a Tim Tebow pass Sunday at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, then powered his way past Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor to finish an 80-yard catch-and-run touchdown in overtime, it capped a dramatic 29-23 win in the AFC wild-card game. That moment joined a shortlist of the franchise’s most meaningful plays, perhaps the biggest ever at home.
So we’ll put it to a vote. The postseason trumps all others in the nominations, which are in chronological order and are not meant to reflect greatest games, but rather the biggest single plays in team history. The final results are up to you.
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JAN. 11, 1987
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, CLEVELAND STADIUM
Broncos 23, Browns 20 (OT)
John Elway to Mark Jackson
Down 20-13 on the road, Elway and the Broncos start the franchise’s signature drive on their 2-yard line.
Nine plays in, after a sack by Browns defensive tackle Dave Puzzuoli, who dropped Elway for an 8-yard loss, the Broncos faced a third-and-18 at the Cleveland 48-yard line with 1:47 to play. Elway found Mark Jackson for a 22-yard gain to keep the Broncos’ hopes alive.
JAN. 11, 1987
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, CLEVELAND STADIUM
Broncos 23, Browns 20 (OT)
Elway to Jackson
With 39 seconds remaining in the game and the Broncos having third-and-goal at the Browns’ 5, Elway made the throw that closed out The Drive, a 5-yard scoring pass to Jackson that tied the score at 20-20 and pushed the game to overtime.
The pass completed a 15-play, 98-yard scoring drive with a Super Bowl spot on the line.
JAN. 4, 1992
AFC DIVISIONAL GAME, MILE HIGH STADIUM
Broncos 26, Oilers 24
Elway to Vance Johnson
In what turned out to be another long drive in a postseason game, the Broncos needed a 7-yard scramble on fourth down to preserve their potential game-winning efforts. But three incomplete passes after Elway’s run, the Broncos faced fourth-and-10 from their 35-yard line with 59 seconds remaining. Elway was flushed to his left before finding Johnson, who then took the ball to the Oilers’ 21 for a 44-yard gain. Three plays later, David Treadwell kicked the game-winning 28-yard field goal as Gary Kubiak got down a difficult snap.
JAN. 25, 1998
SUPER BOWL XXXII QUALCOMM STADIUM, San Diego
Broncos 31, Packers 24
Elway run
In a 17-17 game, in his 15th season and with a pile of Super Bowl troubles in tow, Elway faced third-and-6 from the Packers’ 12-yard line late in the third quarter.
Not seeing an open receiver, Elway ran to his right, then up the field. When he reached the 6, the 37-year-old leaped to avoid a direct hit by Packers safety LeRoy Butler, but Butler got a piece of Elway, spinning him like a helicopter’s rotor blades. Elway then took a big hit from Green Bay’s Mike Prior when he landed at the 4. Elway leaped up and raised his arms. Two plays later, the Broncos scored for a 24-17 lead and went on to the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.
JAN. 31, 1999
SUPER BOWL XXXIII PRO PLAYER STADIUM, Miami
Broncos 34, Falcons 19
Elway to Rod Smith
There are often moments in a Super Bowl when a team asserts itself as the unquestioned champion. After a missed field goal by the Falcons and with Denver leading 10-7 in the second quarter, the Broncos took over with a first-and-10 at their 20-yard line.
And, with one play, the Broncos slammed the door on the Falcons with Elway’s strike to Smith, which covered 80 yards and effectively ended any upset hopes the Falcons may have had. At the time, it tied the second-longest scoring pass in Super Bowl history.
JAN. 14, 2006
AFC DIVISIONAL GAME INVESCO FIELD AT MILE HIGH
Broncos 27, Patriots 13
Champ Bailey 100-yard int. return
The Broncos held a 10-6 lead as the third quarter drew to a close, but the Patriots had moved the ball to the Denver 5, where they faced a third-and-goal. Tom Brady tried to get the ball to Troy Brown. Bailey and Darrent Williams had switched things up in coverage, and Bailey snared the ball, then raced all the way to the Patriots’ 1-yard line before he was hit by tight end Benjamin Watson.
The Broncos scored on the next play and went on to their first postseason victory since the 1998 championship season and ended the Patriots’ record 10-game postseason winning streak.
JAN. 8, 2012
AFC WILD-CARD GAME
Broncos 29, Steelers 23
Tebow to Thomas
