1989 Denver Broncos season
Encyclopedia
Regular season
One of Denver's new major additions was rookie running back Bobby HumphreyBobby Humphrey
Bobby Gene Humphrey is a former professional American football player who was selected in the first round by the Denver Broncos in the 1989 NFL Supplemental Draft after a stellar career at the University of Alabama...
, who rushed for 1,151 yards, caught 22 passes for 156 yards, and scored 8 touchdowns. Humphrey gave the Broncos a powerful running attack that they lacked in their previous Super Bowl seasons. The defense had a new weapon as well: rookie free safety Steve Atwater
Steve Atwater
Stephen Dennis "Smiling Assassin" Atwater is a former American football player who spent most of his career playing free safety for the Denver Broncos of the NFL. Atwater and Dennis Smith made up a Broncos secondary that was known for their ferocious hits on opposing players...
. Together with veteran defensive backs Dennis Smith, Wymon Henderson
Wymon Henderson
Wymon Henderson is a former cornerback who played 8 seasons for the Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League. He started in Super Bowl XXIV. Henderson was known for his patented goggles he wore as a cornerback....
and Tyrone Braxton
Tyrone Braxton
Tyrone Scott Braxton is a former American football defensive back who played for the Denver Broncos for most of his career from 1987 to 1999...
, the Broncos secondary combined for 14 interceptions. Braxton lead the team with 6, which he returned for 103 yards and a touchdown, while also recovering 2 fumbles. Another new addition was defensive end Ron Holmes
Ron Holmes
Ronald "Ron" Holmes was a professional American football defensive end who played eight seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos in the National Football League. He started in Super Bowl XXIV. He was considered to have Pro Bowl talent, but his development was slowed by...
, who recorded 9 sacks. Holmes, along with veteran linebackers Karl Mecklenburg
Karl Mecklenburg
Karl Mecklenburg is a former American football player for the Denver Broncos in the National Football League.-National Football League:...
(7.5 sacks and 4 fumble recoveries) and Simon Fletcher (12 sacks) gave Denver one of the top defensive lines in the AFC.
Veteran receiver Vance Johnson
Vance Johnson
Vance Edward Johnson , is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft. A 5'11", 174 lb...
had the best season of his career, catching 76 passes for 1,095 yards and 7 touchdowns, while also returning 12 punts for 118 yards. However, quarterback John Elway
John Elway
John Albert Elway, Jr. is a former American football quarterback and currently is the executive vice president of football operations for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League . He played college football at Stanford and his entire professional career with the Denver Broncos...
played inconsistently during the regular season, throwing just as many interceptions as touchdowns (18) and recording only a 73.7 passer rating.
Schedule
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10, 1989 | Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
W 34–20 | |
| 2 | September 18, 1989 | at Buffalo Bills Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 28–14 | |
| 3 | September 24, 1989 | Los Angeles Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 31–21 | |
| 4 | October 1, 1989 | at Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 16–13 | |
| 5 | October 8, 1989 | San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 16–10 | |
| 6 | October 15, 1989 | Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League .... |
W 14–3 | |
| 7 | October 22, 1989 | at Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
W 24–21 | |
| 8 | October 29, 1989 | Philadelphia Eagles Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 28–24 | |
| 9 | November 5, 1989 | Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
W 34–7 | |
| 10 | November 12, 1989 | at Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a... |
W 16–13 | |
| 11 | November 20, 1989 | at Washington Redskins Washington Redskins The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,... |
W 14–10 | |
| 12 | November 26, 1989 | Seattle Seahawks Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... |
W 41–14 | |
| 13 | December 3, 1989 | at Los Angeles Raiders Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 16–13 | |
| 14 | December 10, 1989 | New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 14–7 | |
| 15 | December 16, 1989 | at Phoenix Cardinals Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in Glendale, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 37–0 | |
| 16 | December 24, 1989 | at San Diego Chargers San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
L 19–16 | |
Playoffs
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Divisional | January 7, 1990 | Pittsburgh Steelers Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC... |
W 24–23 | |
| Conference Championship | January 14, 1990 | Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League... |
W 37–21 | |
| Super Bowl | January 28, 1990 | N San Francisco 49ers San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and... |
L 55–10 | |
Standings
| AFC West AFC West The AFC West is a division of the National Football League's American Football Conference, currently comprising the Denver Broncos, San Diego Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders.-History:... |
||||||
| Team | W | L | T | PCT | PF | PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 362 | 226 |
| Kansas City Chiefs 1989 Kansas City Chiefs season The 1989 Kansas City Chiefs season ended with a 8–7–1 record and second-place finish in the AFC West. The season was the first with head coach Marty Schottenheimer and general manager Carl Peterson.... |
8 | 7 | 1 | .531 | 318 | 286 |
| Los Angeles Raiders 1989 Los Angeles Raiders season The 1989 Los Angeles Raiders season was the club’s 30th season in the NFL. Art Shell replaced Mike Shanahan, and in the process became the first black head coach in the NFL since Fritz Pollard coached the Akron Pros in 1921. The club finished with an 8–8 record.-Regular season:The Raiders stated... |
8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 315 | 297 |
| Seattle Seahawks 1989 Seattle Seahawks season The 1989 Seattle Seahawks season was the team's 14th season with the National Football League.-1989 NFL Draft:-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:-External links:* *... |
7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 241 | 327 |
| San Diego Chargers 1989 San Diego Chargers season The 1989 San Diego Chargers season began with the team trying to improve on their 6–10 record in 1988. It was Dan Henning's first season as the teams head coach.-Regular season:... |
6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 266 | 290 |