Why Did You Do This Thing?

Someone might come across my blog and wonder why this guy rewatched nine Broncos games from 40 years ago and then took the time to write about it. 

Watching the old games started out as just something to have on while I was working. And maybe some of it was to fill a void created by the seven going on eight-year playoff drought the Broncos are currently in.

But for me these weren't just random games. The second half of the 1984 NFL season was the foundation for my love of sports. So it was like revisiting my childhood, much like discovering an old box of family movies in the attic. I was young at the time and so I didn't fully understand everything that was going on and didn't have the attention span to sit through an entire game. So seeing them again and filling in the gaps filled me with thoughts and observations for which I needed an outlet.

But it wasn’t just purely sentimental - this was an awesome season! The 1984 season marked the 25-year anniversary of the Broncos and the AFC, and this was the second-best season in team history at that point, although now a little lost in the sands of time. The Broncos had been in a little bit of a dry spell since the 1977 season as far as having postseason success, losing their first playoff game in 1978, 1979, and 1983 and failing to qualify from 1980 to 1982. Heading into the 1984 season, the Broncos weren't expected to have the type of success they did. They shared a division with the Raiders, the defending Super Bowl champs, and the Seahawks, who had easily handled the Broncos in the previous season's wildcard matchup. In fact, even the Chargers had better Super Bowl odds than the Broncos. 

But they went a combined 3-1 against the Raiders and Seahawks, swept the Chargers, and claimed what turned out to be the best division in football in 1984. They won 10 games in a row until they were beaten at home by the Seahawks. It was the longest win streak in team history at that point, and only two teams have put together a longer regular-season winning streak - 11 by the 2012 team, and 13 by the 1998 team.

At that point, it was the most regular-season wins in team history. Since then, it has been matched four times (1996, 2005, 2012, and 2013) but has only been exceeded once (1998).

The defense allowed only 241 points on the season, second best in the NFL that season. At the time, that was the fourth-best in team history for a full season behind the 1977, 1978, and 1976 squads. Since then it has only been surpassed by two Broncos defenses - the 1989 squad allowed 226 and the 1991 unit gave up 235.

The defense also recorded 57 sacks, a team record that still stands. The 1991, 2012, and 2015 teams are tied for second with 52. 

The remarkable number of takeaways has been mentioned in various posts but to recap, the 1984 Broncos:

Set the team record for most takeaways in a season with 55, which still stands.

Recovered 24 opponent fumbles, a team record that still stands. 

Intercepted 31 passes, one behind the 1964 team record. 

Scored 8 touchdowns defensively, a team record that still stands. 

Set a team record for takeaways in a game with 10 against Detroit, which still stands. They also had seven against the Raiders, which is tied for fourth-most. No Bronco team since has had seven or more takeaways in a single game.

Tied the team record for interceptions in a game with seven against Detroit, which still stands. 

There is more emphasis on ball security in today’s NFL, so most of these records will likely never be broken. The Cowboys have led the league in takeaways the past two seasons with 33 and 34. The Broncos’ 55 takeaways didn’t even lead the league in 1984 as the Seahawks managed an eye-popping 63. 

The Broncos didn’t finish in “the final four” in 1984, but I think they were solidly among the top five NFL teams in 1984.

They won the third-most games, behind only the 49ers and Dolphins.

They had the fifth-highest total point differential.

They were tied with the Raiders for fourth in combined offensive/defensive ranking. 

Even if they had beaten the Steelers, the Broncos probably wouldn’t have made it past the Dolphins in the AFC Championship and certainly wouldn’t have beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl, but it was an incredible season nonetheless. 

TOTAL POINT DIFFERENTIAL 

49ers +248

Dolphins +215

Seahawks +136

Redskins +116

Broncos +112

COMBINED OFFENSIVE/DEFENSIVE RANKING (POINTS)

49ers - 3 (#2 offense, #1 defense)

Dolphins - 8 (#1 offense, #7 defense)

Seahawks - 10 (#5 offense, #5 defense)

Broncos - 13 (#11 offense, #2 defense)

Raiders - 13 (#9 offense, #4 defense)