1981 Denver Broncos season

Led by first-year head coach Dan Reeves,[1] the Broncos were 10–6, tied for first in the AFC West, but failed to make the postseason again due to their loss to the Buffalo Bills, who gained the final berth.

After a promising 8–3 start, Denver lost three of their final five games, including a critical loss against the Cincinnati Bengals in week 12.

Entering the season finale against the Chicago Bears, they had a one-game lead over the San Diego Chargers in the AFC West,[2] but the loss at Soldier Field ended their season, losing the tiebreakers for the division and wild card berths.

Running backs (RB) Wide receivers (WR) Tight ends (TE) Defensive linemen (DL) Defensive backs (DB) Special teams Reserve

Rookies in italics [9] at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado Individual stats at Kingdome • Seattle, Washington Individual stats at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado Individual stats at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado Individual stats at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum • Oakland, California Individual stats Individual stats at Arrowhead Stadium • Kansas City, Missouri Individual stats at Rich Stadium • Orchard Park, New York Individual stats at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado Individual stats at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado Individual stats at Tampa Stadium • Tampa, Florida Individual stats at Riverfront Stadium • Cincinnati, Ohio Individual stats at Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, California Individual stats at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado Individual stats at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado Individual stats at Soldier Field • Chicago, Illinois Individual stats