1991 Denver Broncos season
| 1991 Denver Broncos season | |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Dan Reeves |
| General manager | John Beake |
| Owner | Pat Bowlen |
| Home field | Mile High Stadium |
| Results | |
| Record | 12–4 |
| Division place | 1st AFC West |
| Playoff finish |
Won AFC Divisional Playoff (Oilers) 26–24 Lost AFC Championship Game (Bills) 7–10 |
The 1991 Denver Broncos season was the team's 32nd year in professional football and its 22nd with the National Football League (NFL). The team improved on its 5–11 from 1990, winning their third AFC West title in five years, and advanced to the AFC Championship game.
Offseason
NFL Draft
| 1991 Denver Broncos draft | |||||
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Mike Croel | Defensive End | Nebraska | |
| 2 | 30 | Reggie Johnson | Tight End | Florida State | |
| 3 | 61 | Keith Traylor | Defensive Tackle | Central Oklahoma | |
| 4 | 89 | Derek Russell | Wide Receiver | Arkansas | |
| 5 | 115 | Greg Lewis | Running Back | Washington | |
| 6 | 142 | Nick Subis | Offensive Tackle | San Diego State | |
| 8 | 200 | Kenny Walker | Defensive End | Nebraska | |
| 9 | 227 | Don Gibson | Defensive Tackle | Southern California | |
| 10 | 253 | Curtis Mayfield | Wide Receiver | Oklahoma State | |
| 11 | 284 | Shawn Moore | Quarterback | Virginia | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career | |||||
Personnel
Staff
| 1991 Denver Broncos staff | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
| |||||
Roster
| 1991 Denver Broncos roster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
|
Tight ends
Offensive linemen
|
Defensive linemen
Linebackers
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Defensive backs
Special teams
| ||||||
Regular season
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 1, 1991 | Cincinnati Bengals | W 45–14 | |
| 2 | September 8, 1991 | at Los Angeles Raiders | L 16–13 | |
| 3 | September 15, 1991 | Seattle Seahawks | W 16–10 | |
| 4 | September 22, 1991 | San Diego Chargers | W 27–19 | |
| 5 | September 29, 1991 | at Minnesota Vikings | W 13–6 | |
| 6 | October 6, 1991 | at Houston Oilers | L 42–14 | |
| 7 | Bye | |||
| 8 | October 20, 1991 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 19–16 | |
| 9 | October 27, 1991 | at New England Patriots | W 9–6 | |
| 10 | November 3, 1991 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 20–13 | |
| 11 | November 10, 1991 | Los Angeles Raiders | L 17–16 | |
| 12 | November 17, 1991 | at Kansas City Chiefs | W 24–20 | |
| 13 | November 24, 1991 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 13–10 | |
| 14 | December 1, 1991 | New England Patriots | W 20–3 | |
| 15 | December 8, 1991 | at Cleveland Browns | W 17–7 | |
| 16 | December 15, 1991 | Phoenix Cardinals | W 24–19 | |
| 17 | December 22, 1991 | at San Diego Chargers | W 17–14 | |
Season summary
Week 10
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Standings
| AFC West | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
| (2) Denver Broncos | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–3 | 10–4 | 304 | 235 | W4 |
| (4) Kansas City Chiefs | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 6–2 | 8–4 | 322 | 252 | W1 |
| (5) Los Angeles Raiders | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–3 | 7–5 | 298 | 297 | L3 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–6 | 6–6 | 276 | 261 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–6 | 3–9 | 274 | 342 | L1 |
Playoffs
AFC Championship Game
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
at Rich Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C), clear
- Game attendance: 80,272
- Referee: Dale Hamer
- TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg and Bill Walsh
Buffalo relied on missed field goals by Denver and some key plays from their defense to narrowly defeat the Broncos in a tough defensive struggle. Although the first half was scoreless, the Broncos advanced into Buffalo territory on all five of their possessions in the first half. However, Denver kicker David Treadwell missed 3 field goals, hitting the goal posts twice and driving the other attempt wide right.
Late in the third quarter, the Broncos faced second down and 10 at their own 19-yard line. Quarterback John Elway threw a shovel pass intended for running back Steve Sewell, but it was tipped by Bills defensive lineman Jeff Wright into the arms of linebacker Carlton Bailey, who returned the ball 11 yards for Buffalo's only touchdown of the game. Elway was then knocked out of the game after suffering a deep thigh bruise, and was replaced by backup Gary Kubiak. With 4:18 left in the game, Buffalo kicker Scott Norwood made a 44-yard field goal to increase the lead, 10–0. Kubiak, who was playing in his last NFL game before retiring, led the Broncos 85 yards in eight plays and scored a 3-yard touchdown run with 1:43 left. Denver then recovered the ensuing onside kick, but the Bills clinched the victory after defensive back Kirby Jackson forced and recovered a fumble from running back Steve Sewell.
Broncos receiver Vance Johnson finished the game with 8 receptions for 104 yards. Kubiak completed 11 of 12 passes for 136 yards and rushed for 22.
Scoring
BUF – Bailey 11 interception return (Norwood kick) BUF 7–0
BUF – field goal Norwood 44 BUF 10–0
DEN – Kubiak 3 run (Treadwell kick) BUF 10–7
References
- ↑ http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/den/1991_draft.htm
- ↑ 1991 Denver Broncos Media Guide. pp. 5–19.
- ↑ 2010 Denver Broncos Media Guide. pp. 603–606. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
- ↑ "1991 Denver Broncos starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
- ↑ Pro-Football-Reference.com