The 2006 season was the Denver Broncos' 37th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 47th overall. Following a 7–2 start, the team collapsed down the stretch as the team failed to improve on their 13–3 record from 2005 and they finished the season with a 9–7 record, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2002, due to a 26–23 overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers and allowing the Kansas City Chiefs to win the tiebreaker, by beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 35–30.
Offseason In the 2006 NFL draft, the Broncos traded their number 15 and 68 picks to select Vanderbilt quarterback Jay Cutler at number 11. Their second pick was tight end Tony Scheffler from Western Michigan. They then used their next pick (acquired from the Washington Redskins) on Central Florida wide receiver Brandon Marshall. The rest of their picks included University of Louisville defensive end Elvis Dumervil, Akron University wide receiver Domenik Hixon, North Dakota guard Chris Kuper, and University of Minnesota center Greg Eslinger. Denver also traded a second-round pick for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Javon Walker. In another big move, they traded WR Ashley Lelie to the Atlanta Falcons and received no less than 3rd and 4th round draft picks. Mike Anderson and Trevor Pryce were both waived due to salary cap issues and were subsequently picked up by the Baltimore Ravens.
NFL draft
Draft notes
Personnel Staff / Coaches
Roster
Schedule In addition to their regular home-and-away series with AFC West rivals the Raiders, the Chiefs and the Chargers, the Broncos played teams from the AFC North and NFC West as per the schedule rotation established in 2002, and also played intraconference games against the New England Patriots and the Indianapolis Colts based on their common divisional position vis-à-vis the Broncos from 2005. Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 10 at St. Louis Rams L 10–18 0–1 Edward Jones Dome 65,577 2 September 17 Kansas City Chiefs W 9–6 1–1 Invesco Field at Mile High 76,786 3 September 24 at New England Patriots W 17–7 2–1 Gillette Stadium 68,756 4 Bye 5 Baltimore Ravens W 13–3 3–1 Invesco Field at Mile High 76,355 6 October 15 Oakland Raiders W 13–3 4–1 Invesco Field at Mile High 76,691 7 October 22 at Cleveland Browns W 17–7 5–1 Cleveland Browns Stadium 73,024 8 October 29 Indianapolis Colts L 31–34 5–2 Invesco Field at Mile High 76,767 9 November 5 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 31–20 6–2 Heinz Field 64,661 10 November 12 at Oakland Raiders W 17–13 7–2 McAfee Coliseum 62,094 11 November 19 San Diego Chargers L 27–35 7–3 Invesco Field at Mile High 76,723 12 November 23 at Kansas City Chiefs L 10–19 7–4 Arrowhead Stadium 79,484 13 December 3 Seattle Seahawks L 20–23 7–5 Invesco Field at Mile High 76,146 14 December 10 at San Diego Chargers L 20–48 7–6 Qualcomm Stadium 67,514 15 December 17 at Arizona Cardinals W 37–20 8–6 University of Phoenix Stadium 63,845 16 December 24 Cincinnati Bengals W 24–23 9–6 Invesco Field at Mile High 75,759 17 December 31 San Francisco 49ers L 23–26 9–7 Invesco Field at Mile High 75,555Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
Regular season
Week 1: at St. Louis Rams
at the Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis, Missouri
The Broncos opened the regular season on the road against the St. Louis Rams on September 10 in the Edward Jones Dome. The game was primarily a defensive battle, with only one touchdown scored in the entire game, and the Rams won 18–10. Jake Plummer struggled throughout the game, throwing 3 interceptions, losing a fumble, and being sacked 4 times, 2 of them by Leonard Little. Tatum Bell also lost a fumble, but ran for 103 yards. Rookie Mike Bell ran for 58 yards and scored the only touchdown in the entire game late in the second quarter on a 1-yard run. Kicker Jeff Wilkins provided all of the scoring for the Rams, making 6 field goals, tying a franchise record, while running back Steven Jackson was one of the few bright spots for the Rams offense, running for 121 yards. The five turnovers by the Broncos was the most for them since the 2000 season. The Broncos would start their season at 0–1.
Week 2: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
The Broncos returned to Invesco Field at Mile High in Week 2 for their home-opener against the division rival Kansas City Chiefs. The game turned into another defensive battle, contrary to the typical shootouts the two teams usually have. Not a single touchdown was scored by either team. The Broncos improved on their turnovers, however, with just 1 interception thrown by Jake Plummer, while the Chiefs gave up 2 fumbles. Tatum Bell and Mike Bell combined for 113 yards rushing, while Denver again gave up a 100-yard rusher, allowing Larry Johnson to rush for 126 yards. Neither quarterback was spectacular, both throwing for less than 200 yards. Javon Walker led all receivers with 79 yards. The game was tied 6–6 at the end of regulation, prompting an overtime in which a Jason Elam 39-yard field goal won the game for the Broncos. In 93 games between the two teams, it was both the first to never have a touchdown and also featured the lowest-ever score. It was also only the third time in franchise history that the Broncos did not commit a single penalty.
Week 3: at New England Patriots
at Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts
The Broncos traveled to Gillette Stadium to play the New England Patriots in a Sunday night game on September 24. The game was a rematch of the divisional playoff game of the previous season in which the Broncos beat the Patriots and ended their record 10-game playoff winning streak. The Broncos won 17–7, improving their record to 2–1. The Broncos scored a 23-yard field goal (by kicker Jason Elam) and a touchdown in the second quarter (a 32-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jake Plummer to Javon Walker). Plummer and Walker would hook up for another touchdown in the fourth quarter with an 83-yard touchdown pass. The Broncos held New England to only 50 yards on the ground, while Tatum Bell ran for 123 yards. The Patriots scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter when Tom Brady threw an 8-yard pass to Doug Gabriel. The Broncos became the first team since the 1942 Chicago Cardinals to begin their season with 11 straight quarters without allowing their opponents to score a touchdown.
Week 4: Bye week The Broncos had a bye week, but moved into a first place tie in the division when the San Diego Chargers lost to the Baltimore Ravens 16–13.
Week 5: vs. Baltimore Ravens
at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
The Baltimore Ravens traveled to Invesco Field at Mile High for Monday Night Football on October 9. The last time these two teams played, on December 11, 2005, the Broncos won 12–10. The Broncos won 13–3 and improved to 3–1, still tied for first place in the division with the San Diego Chargers.
The Ravens got on the board first when Matt Stover kicked a 24-yard field goal, following a fumble by Broncos running back Tatum Bell. The Broncos responded with a 43-yard field goal of their own by Jason Elam. The Ravens drove deep into Broncos territory late at the end of the first half, but that drive was thwarted as Steve McNair was intercepted by Champ Bailey in the end zone on a pass intended for Clarence Moore. The third quarter was scoreless as the defensive struggle continued. The Broncos controlled the clock in the second half with the running game led by Tatum Bell, who atoned for his fumble in the first quarter by bouncing back with 92 yards rushing. Ravens quarterback McNair was intercepted again by Darrent Williams, which led to a Jake Plummer to Rod Smith touchdown pass. McNair was intercepted a third time, ending the Ravens' final drive, this time by Domonique Foxworth.
Week 6: vs. Oakland Raiders
at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
The Oakland Raiders traveled to Invesco Field at Mile High for Sunday Night Football on October 15. The Raiders arrived in Denver 0–4 while the Broncos began the game tied for first place in their division at 3–1.
This game was again primarily a defensive struggle. Oakland had two turnovers deep in Broncos territory, one an interception thrown by Andrew Walter that was picked off by Champ Bailey, and another a fumble by LaMont Jordan. Neither team was able to do much on offense, with just 1 touchdown scored in the entire game (a run by Tatum Bell) and a total of 274 yards produced by the Raiders and 246 yards by Denver. The only turnover of the game by Denver came on a Darrent Williams fumble on a punt return early in the second half. Jason Elam succeeded on kicks from 51 and 22 yards, while Sebastian Janikowski scored the only points for Oakland on a 47-yard field goal in the third quarter. Randy Moss had 86 yards receiving, while Javon Walker had 75 yards. Both had 1 50+ yard catch to put their teams in scoring position. Tatum Bell was the leading rusher with 83 yards. With the win, the Broncos improved to 4–1.
The Broncos by this point had only allowed 1 touchdown in 52 opponent possessions. In this game they became the first team since the 1934 Detroit Lions to go five games while allowing only one touchdown to be scored against them.
Week 7: at Cleveland Browns
at Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio
The Broncos traveled to Cleveland Browns Stadium to face the Cleveland Browns in what would again be a primarily defensive struggle. The Broncos again had a 100-yard rusher in Tatum Bell, with 115 yards (and also 1 touchdown), and also had a 100-yard receiver in Javon Walker, with 107 yards. Former Bronco Reuben Droughns was held to just 33 yards rushing and 27 yards receiving (60 yards total). Jake Plummer again struggled, throwing 1 touchdown (to rookie Brandon Marshall, the first of his career), but also 2 interceptions. Although Denver committed 2 turnovers, they also forced three; one interception (by Champ Bailey, making it three consecutive games with an interception) and two fumbles. After Jake Plummer threw his second interception of the day in their own red zone, the Browns scored their only points when Charlie Frye threw a touchdown pass to Joe Jurevicius in the fourth quarter, only the second touchdown allowed by the Broncos all year. It also ended their second 11-quarter streak without a touchdown allowed of the season. Denver at the time had only allowed 44 points all season, the lowest in the league. However, in one of the few items of bad news for the Broncos, left tackle Matt Lepsis suffered a season-ending knee injury. Also, kicker Jason Elam missed just his second field goal of the season in the third quarter.
After the Chargers lost to division rival Kansas CIty, the Broncos took over the AFC West with a 5–1 record.
Week 8: vs. Indianapolis Colts
at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
The Broncos returned to INVESCO Field at Mile High in a highly anticipated showdown with the Eventual Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis Colts and their high-powered offense led by Peyton Manning. Going into the game, Indianapolis was one of just two undefeated teams in the NFL (along with the Chicago Bears) with a 6–0 record.
Unlike the other games the Broncos played up to this point, this game turned into a shootout in the second half, with Peyton Manning playing a nearly flawless game. By the end of the first half, the Broncos had already scored 14 points (3 below their season high up to this point). The Colts scored first, with a 42-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri in the first quarter. The Broncos took a quick lead in the second quarter with two consecutive 80-yard drives for touchdowns; one a 1-yard run by Jake Plummer, his first of the season on running, and the second a 15-yard pass to Javon Walker. The Broncos went into the half leading 14–6 after a 32-yard field goal by Vinatieri.