The Fate of Broncos’ Six Previous 13-Win AFC West Champion Teams

The Denver Broncos are the 2025 AFC West Champions. It's Denver's 16th division crown all time.

The 2025 squad became the seventh Broncos team to win the division with 13 or more wins. Today, we're taking a look back at those six other Broncos squads that won the AFC West with at least 13 wins.

Some of these 13-win Broncos teams also secured the No. 1 playoff seed in the AFC, but not all of them. The 2025 Broncos are still playing for the No. 1 seed, but they'll have to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers at home next week to secure it.

How did things shake out for those six previous Broncos teams that won 13 games and the AFC West crown? Let's take a trip down memory lane.

2013 Broncos | 13-3

Reached Super Bowl XLVIII, losing to the Seattle Seahawks

The Broncos' last 13-win division champion squad remains one of the most iconic NFL teams ever. Led by Peyton Manning, the Broncos' 2013 offense rewrote the NFL record books, finishing with 606 points (still the league scoring record).

Along the way, Manning passed for 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards, both of which still stand as the NFL's single-season records. The Broncos had a 1,000-yard rusher (Knowshon Moreno) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker).

Meanwhile, five different skill players finished with 10 or more touchdowns, including Moreno, Thomas, Decker, Julius Thomas, and Wes Welker. This Broncos squad remains the most prolific in NFL history 12 years down the road.

Alas, this team won the No. 1 playoff seed, beat the then-San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots in the playoffs, but fell hard to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. The Manning-led Broncos would get redemption two years later in Super Bowl 50 on the heels of a 12-win season and victors of the No. 1 playoff seed.

2012 Broncos | 13-3

Lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.

This was Manning's first year in Denver, and while it ended on an 11-game winning streak, it began with a 2-3 start. The story of the 2012 Broncos turned on a dime, following Manning's furious second-half comeback on Monday Night Football vs. the Chargers.

The Broncos didn't lose another game that regular season, earning the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs. Alas, the combination of the winning streak, the bye, and some poor coaching decisions by John Fox led to the Broncos getting shocked by the Ravens in the Divisional Round, highlighted by Joe Flacco's improbable bomb to Jacoby Jones, dubbed the "Mile High Miracle."

Despite having 31 seconds left and two timeouts after the Jones touchdown, and Manning as the quarterback, Fox opted to kneel on the ball, taking the game to overtime, where the Ravens prevailed. Baltimore would advance all the way to the Super Bowl, defeating the San Francisco 49ers.

2005 Broncos | 13-3

Lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game at home.

The last great year of the Mike Shanahan era, the 2005 Broncos had learned all the lessons from two quick Wildcard-Round playoff exits in the years prior. Led defensively by Al "Smoke Dog" Wilson and Jake Plummer on offense, this Broncos squad was absolutely dominant.

Mike Anderson led the team with 1,014 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. The Broncos nearly had two 1,000-yard rushers, with Tatum Bell finishing with 921 yards and eight touchdowns.

It was Rod Smith's last 1,000-yard receiving season, finishing with 1,105 and six touchdowns on 85 receptions. Plummer passed for 3,366 yards and 18 touchdowns, with just seven interceptions. "Jake the Snake" earned the new moniker of "No-Mistake Jake" that year.

Denver hosted two playoff games, defeating the defending World Champion Patriots in the Divisional Round, which featured Champ Bailey's long 100-yard interception return. The following week, with the Indianapolis Colts bounced from the playoffs, the Broncos hosted the upstart Steelers, led by a second-year Ben Roethlisberger, in the AFC Title Game.

Sadly, Plummer turned in one of his worst performances as a Bronco, as the Steelers prevailed and advanced to the Super Bowl, where they defeated the Seahawks. This was the last full season of Plummer as the Broncos' franchise quarterback, as Shanahan grew disillusioned and drafted Jay Cutler in the first round a few months later.

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1998 Broncos | 14-2

Won Super Bowl XXXIII.

Denver Broncos quarterback (7) JOHN ELWAY in action against the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl XXXIII. — Jan 31, 1999; Miami, FL, USA; FILE PHOTO; Denver Broncos quarterback (7) JOHN ELWAY in action against the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl XXXIII at Pro Player Stadium. Elway passed for 336 yards and ran for 1 touchdown as the Broncos defeated the Falcons 34-19 to earn back to back Super Bowl Titles. | Tony Tomsic-Imagn Images

John Elway's storybook ending. After battling through all three rounds of the AFC playoffs the year prior, and defeating the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII, the Broncos had won their first Lombardi Trophy. Elway had gotten the Super Bowl monkey off his back, but all eyes were on whether he'd return for a 16th season or retire.

Elway returned, and the Broncos dominated the NFL. Terrell Davis rushed for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns, becoming the NFL MVP, and leading the Broncos to a 13-game winning streak, which stands as the club's single-season record.

Elway dealt with some injuries that year, but returned in time to lead the Broncos through two AFC playoff games. The Broncos would face former head coach Dan Reeves and the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII.

The Broncos prevailed, with Elway not only punctuating his career with a second straight Lombardi Trophy, but also earning Super Bowl MVP honors.

1996 Broncos | 13-3

Lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Round.

This was one of the "Missing Rings" seasons in Broncos canon. The Broncos were the best team in the AFC, earning the No. 1 playoff seed, which gave them a first-round bye.

The Jaguars, one year removed from entering the NFL as an expansion team, rolled into Mile High Stadium in the Divisional Round and shocked the Broncos with a 30-27 win. It was a devastating loss, but it galvanized Elway and the Broncos, and they returned the following season on a mission.

Elway had one of his best statistical seasons in Year 14, passing for 3,328 yards and 26 touchdowns. Shannon Sharpe was the Broncos' leading receiver, with 80 receptions for 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Davis led the team in rushing with 1,538 yards and 13 touchdowns.

1984 Broncos | 13-3

Lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Divisional Round.

After a rocky rookie season, Elway bounced back with gusto in Year 2. All the talk of Elway being an overpaid crybaby began to dissipate after he led the Broncos to an AFC West crown and 13 wins.

The Broncos earned a first-round bye, but lost to the Mark Malone-led Steelers at home in the Divisional Round. Elway was picked off twice and sacked four times, as the Steelers upset the Broncos at Mile High.

That was Shanahan's first year in Denver as an assistant, though he coached the wide receivers. The following year, Shanahan was promoted to offensive coordinator, which led to significant growth for Elway over the next three years, as the Broncos appeared in two Super Bowls during that span.