The 2001 season was the Denver Broncos' 32nd in the National Football League (NFL) and their 42nd overall. This was the Broncos' first year at the new Invesco Field at Mile High, replacing the old Mile High Stadium. The Broncos, heavily favored to be the AFC Super Bowl XXXVI representative, were aiming to head back to the Super Bowl for the first time in three years, and to win their third title in the Shanahan era. However, the season ended up as highly disappointing, as the team finished with an 8–8 record and missed the playoffs. The season was also a start of a multi-year investigation into the team cheating the salary cap during the 1996 season and both their Super Bowl-winning seasons. The team was stripped of their third-round pick in the 2002 draft, and received an initial fine of $968,000.
It was also Terrell Davis' final season before various knee ailments forced him to retire in the 2002 preseason.
Offseason
NFL draft
Draft notes
Staff
Roster
Regular season The Broncos opened the 2001 NFL season with a Monday Night Football win over the New York Giants on September 10, 2001, in their new stadium, Invesco Field at Mile High. Wide receiver Ed McCaffrey suffered a season-ending injury with a broken leg. The late game and location would serve a role in sparing at least two lives the following day during the September 11th attacks.
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 New York Giants W 31–20 1–0 Invesco Field at Mile High 75,735 2 September 23 at Arizona Cardinals W 38–17 2–0 Sun Devil Stadium 50,913 3 September 30 Baltimore Ravens L 13–20 2–1 Invesco Field at Mile High 75,082 4 October 7 Kansas City Chiefs W 20–6 3–1 Invesco Field at Mile High 75,037 5 October 14 at Seattle Seahawks L 21–34 3–2 Husky Stadium 61,837 6 October 21 at San Diego Chargers L 10–27 3–3 Qualcomm Stadium 67,521 7 October 28 New England Patriots W 31–20 4–3 Invesco Field at Mile High 74,750 8 at Oakland Raiders L 28–38 4–4 Network Associates Coliseum 62,637 9 November 11 San Diego Chargers W 26–16 5–4 Invesco Field at Mile High 74,951 10 November 18 Washington Redskins L 10–17 5–5 Invesco Field at Mile High 74,622 11 November 22 at Dallas Cowboys W 26–24 6–5 Texas Stadium 64,104 12 December 2 at Miami Dolphins L 10–21 6–6 Pro Player Stadium 73,938 13 December 9 Seattle Seahawks W 20–7 7–6 Invesco Field at Mile High 74,524 14 December 16 at Kansas City Chiefs L 23–26 (OT) 7–7 Arrowhead Stadium 77,778 15 Bye 16 December 30 Oakland Raiders W 23–17 8–7 Invesco Field at Mile High 75,582 17 January 6 at Indianapolis Colts L 10–29 8–8 RCA Dome 56,192
Game summaries Week 4: vs Kansas City Chiefs
Week 6: at San Diego Chargers
Week 7: vs New England Patriots
Week 9: vs San Diego Chargers
Week 11: at Dallas Cowboys
Standings
Notes
References
Broncos on Pro Football Reference Broncos Schedule on jt-sw.com