They finished the regular season with a record of 11–5, returned to the playoffs after a one-year absence.
At Super Bowl XXI the New York Giants dominated the second half of the game and won 39–20.
Rookies in italics [1] The Broncos won their first six games of the season, before being defeated by the then-5-1 New York Jets on Monday Night Football.
Although they would go 3–4 down the stretch, alternating wins and losses, Denver still finished ahead of the Seahawks and Chiefs in first place in the AFC West.
[2] [3] at Giants Stadium They won their divisional playoff game against the Patriots at home 22–17.
at Mile High Stadium, Denver at Cleveland Stadium, Cleveland This game is best remembered for The Drive when the Broncos drove 98 yards to tie the game with 37 seconds left in regulation, and Denver kicker Rich Karlis made the game-winning 33-yard field goal 5:38 into overtime.
The Browns scored first when quarterback Bernie Kosar threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Herman Fontenot at the end of an 86-yard drive.
But the Broncos then scored 10 unanswered points: Karlis' 19-yard field goal and running back Gerald Willhite's 1-yard rushing touchdown.
Cleveland kicker Mark Moseley's 29-yard field goal before halftime tied the score, 10–10.
The teams exchanged punts before Kosar completed a 48-yard touchdown pass to Brian Brennan with 5:43 remaining in regulation.
Elway then led his team from their own 2-yard line to tie the game on wide receiver Mark Jackson's 5-yard touchdown reception with 37 seconds left in regulation.
Karlis' game-winning field goal in overtime capped a 60-yard drive after the Browns were forced to punt.
The Browns had jumped to a 20–13 lead and the Broncos had muffed the ensuing kickoff when Elway took over, first-and-10 on their own 2-yard line, with 5:32 to play in the game.
Despite leading 10–9 at halftime, the Broncos collapsed in the second half as the Giants scored 30 points to Denver's ten.
at Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California Denver scored 378 points during the year, sixth in the NFL.