Denver Broncos Road to the Super Bowl

Here's a look at every game played by the 2015 Denver Broncos (12-4), No. 1 seed in the AFC, leading them all the way to Super Bowl 50.

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Jan 27, 2016

Denver Broncos Road to the Super Bowl

Week 1

As the NFL would soon find out, the 2015 Denver Broncos were led not by a potent passing attack, but by their defense. There were no offensive touchdowns scored in this game as both the Baltimore Ravens and Broncos had one interception return for a touchdown. Broncos corner Aqib Talib’s pick-six gave Denver a 16-13 lead, which it would hang onto for the rest of the game to win 19-13. Broncos kicker Brandon McManus hit four field goals, including two from more than 55 yards.

Week 2

2015-0917-Bradley-Roby-Jamaal-Charles-fumble-X159942_TK1_1866.jpg — Jeff Jacobsen for Sports Illustrated

The fBroncos fell in a 14-0 first half deficit to the Kansas City Chiefs following another pick-six throw by Peyton Manning. But he rebounded to throw for 256 yards and three touchdowns. With the game tied and 27 seconds left, Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles was stripped and safety Bradley Roby returned the fumble for a touchdown. Denver won 31-24.

Week 3

After two straight wins, the Broncos went to Detroit in what was one of Manning’s best performances of the season. He went 31 for 42 with 324 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The Broncos took the lead on a Ronnie Hillman touchdown in the second quarter and never relinquished it, despite Detroit staying close most of the game. Denver won 24-12.

Week 4

Joe Amon/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Another close game ended in the Broncos’ favor as they edged out the Minnesota Vikings on a McManus field goal with 1:51 left. Manning threw another two interceptions, but Ronnie Hillman picked up the slack. He had 11 carries for 103 yards, including a 72-yard touchdown run in second quarter. The Broncos won 23-20.

Week 5

Once again Manning threw two interceptions and the defense had to preserve the win over the Oakland Raiders. McManus hit three field goals, giving Denver a 9-7 lead in the fourth quarter. With the Raiders driving, cornerback Chris Harris intercepted Derek Carr’s pass and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown. Oakland managed to get a field goal, but nothing else, and the Broncos won 16-10.

Week 6

AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Peyton Manning threw three interceptions—one of which was returned for a touchdown by the Browns—but Aqib Talib had another pick-six and McManus hit three field goals. After Manning threw his lone touchdown pass—a 75-yarder to Emmanuel Sanders—the Browns came back and tied the game at 23, sending it to overtime. But McManus hit his fourth field goal of the day with 4:56 left in OT to give Denver the win and a 6-0 record heading into the bye week.

Week 8

2015-1101-DeMarcus-Ware-Aaron-Rodgers-X160092_TK1_1953.jpg — Jamie Schwaberow for Sports Illustrated

Denver jumped out to a 17-0 lead at Green Bay behind a stout defense and effective running game. The Broncos held quarterback Aaron Rodgers to just 77 yards and sacked him three times. Hillman had 60 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 19 carries, while fellow running back C.J. Anderson had 101 yards on the ground with one score. This game was never in doubt for the Broncos, who moved to 7-0 heading into a matchup with Manning’s old team, the Indianapolis Colts.

Week 9

The Broncos fell behind Indianapolis 17-0 in the second quarter, but a comeback was sparked on the last play of the second half. Cornerback Omar Bolden returned a punt 83 yards for a touchdown, closing the gap to 10 heading into the half. Manning opened the third quarter with one of his two touchdown passes, a 64-yarder to Sanders. The Broncos tied it up twice—once at 17 and once at 24—but an Adam Vinatieri 55-yard field goal won it for the Colts. Denver dropped to 7-1 on the year.

Week 10

Doug Pensinger/Getty Images; Joe Mahoney/AP

In a rematch, the Chiefs came to Mile High Stadium and crushed the Broncos 29-13. Manning broke Brett Favre’s career passing record in the game, but achieved little else. He went 5 for 20 with 35 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions before he was benched for backup Brock Osweiler in the third quarter. Osweiler led two scoring drives during trash time, and the Chiefs won the game 29-13. Denver fell to 7-2 and the Brock Osweiler era was born.

Week 11

Manning sat out against the Chicago Bears with injuries to his foot, ribs and shoulder. Osweiler turned some heads, going 20 for 27 with 250 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Hillman led the ground game with 102 yards on 21 carries. The Bears tied the game with 24 seconds left and needed a two point conversion to send it to overtime. As it had all season, Denver’s defense stepped up, this time stuffing Bears running back Jeremy Langford to preserve the win.

Week 12

Osweiler held his own against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, throwing for 270 yards, one touchdown and one interception. After falling in a 14-0 hole early in the second quarter, Denver relied on its running game to chip away at the Patriots’ lead. With a 1:09 left, Osweiler connected with receiver Andre Caldwell to give the Broncos a three-point lead. But the Patriots tied it as time expired on a Stephen Gostkowski field goal, sending it to overtime. In the extra period, Anderson won the game for the Broncos on a 48-yard touchdown scamper.

Week 13

The defense dominated in a 17-3 victory over the San Diego Chargers. Osweiler started the game off with a touchdown to Demaryius Thomas, but didn’t do much else. Linebacker Danny Trevathan scored on a pick-six in the first quarter, giving the Broncos a 14-0 lead. They would never look back enroute to winning their third straight game.

Week 14

The second divisional matchup against the Oakland Raiders was tough for Denver’s offense. It could only muster 12 points on four McManus field goals, opening the door for Derek Carr to bring his team back for a 15-12 victory. Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack had five second-half sacks, including one in the end zone for a safety. Osweiler had 308 yards passing on the day, but couldn’t find the end zone.

Week 15

The game against the Steelers was one of Osweiler’s best. He threw for 296 yards with three touchdowns and one interception, and he even added a rushing touchdown. He threw a 61-yard touchdown to Emmanuel Sanders, who had 181 yards receiving on the day. They were up 27-10 towards the end of the first half, but Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw three second-half touchdowns, handing the Broncos their fourth loss of the season.

Week 16

Now 10-4, the Broncos hosted the A.J. McCarron-led Cincinnati Bengals. After falling in a 14-0 hole, Osweiler threw a touchdown to Sanders and Anderson rushed for a 39-yard touchdown to take the lead in the second half. The Bengals sent the game to overtime on a 52-yard field goal. McManus hit a 37-yard field goal in overtime to win the game for Denver, making it 11-4 heading into the last week of the season.

Week 17

The regular season finale against the Chargers was fueled by the ground game, but headlined by a quarterback controversy. In the third quarter, with the Broncos losing, Osweiler was benched in favor of Manning, who led Denver to 20 points and the 27-20 victory over San Diego. Though he only went 5 for 9 with 69 yards, Manning provided a spark and the running game did the rest. With a 12-4 record, the Broncos went into the playoffs with the first seed and a first-round bye.

AFC Divisional Playoff

Manning was named the starter for the playoffs and took on an injury-plagued Pittsburgh Steelers. McManus hit five field goals—four of which were longer than 40 yards—and Anderson had one rushing touchdown. That was enough for the Broncos to edge out the Steelers 23-16. Though Manning didn’t throw any touchdowns, he didn’t throw any interceptions either. The critical play of the game came with the Steelers leading by one and driving deep into Denver territory. Pittsburgh running back Fitzgerald Toussaint fumbled, giving the ball back to Denver.

AFC Championship

In the 17th matchup between Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, the Broncos met the Patriots in the AFC Championship. The Broncos led the entire game behind Manning’s two early touchdown passes to tight end Owen Daniels, but Brady and the Patriots made a comeback in the waning moments of the game. Under two minutes to go, down eight and facing a fourth and 10, Brady flung a 40-yard bomb to tight end Rob Gronkowski. A few plays later, Gronkowski caught a touchdown pass with 12 seconds to go. The two-point conversion was intercepted by Roby, which clinched the game for the Broncos.

Denver Broncos Road to the Super Bowl