The 1999 season was the Denver Broncos' 30th in the National Football League (NFL) and their 40th overall. The 1999 Broncos were hoping to win a third consecutive Super Bowl, but after winning a second against the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII in Miami, the team suffered the retirement of Super Bowl XXXIII MVP quarterback John Elway during the off-season. Elway had spent his entire career with the Broncos, and much of the focus in the weeks leading up to the season centered on the void left by Elway's departure. Head coach Mike Shanahan announced that third-round 1998 draft pick Brian Griese, son of Miami Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese, would take the reins of the offense, passing over veteran and credible back-up quarterback Bubby Brister.
In the preseason, the Broncos played in the first and so far only NFL game held in Australia. On August 7, before a crowd of 73,811 spectators at Stadium Australia in Sydney, the Broncos defeated the San Diego Chargers 20–17.Aussies Rule: During a three-day footy-fest in Sydney, the author didn't have much luck convincing two mates that the NFL game measured up to two Australian brands. by Gary Smith
Although no one expected a serious defense of their title, the Broncos would stumble out of the gate this season, losing the first four regular season games. Many of the games would be decided in the final two minutes of play, but the Broncos found themselves on the losing end at 6–10. It was their first losing season since 1994, their worst season since 1990 and the worst record of the five-team AFC West. Until the injury plagued 2022 Rams, this was the worst ever season for a team defending their Super Bowl title in a non-strike season. Only the 1982 San Francisco 49ers had a lower winning percentage as they failed to defend their first Super Bowl championship.
The Broncos and the Atlanta Falcons combined for an 11–21 record in 1999. This is, as of 2022, the worst combined record for both defending conference and/or Super Bowl champions in the season following a Super Bowl appearance. The 11-21 mark was matched by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders four years later, one season removed from Super Bowl XXXVII.
Statistics site Football Outsiders calculates that the Broncos went from the league's third-easiest schedule in 1998, to the hardest schedule in 1999:Football Outsiders Almanac 2012 (), page 216-217 Before 2011, the worst one-year increase in strength of schedule belonged to the 1999 Broncos. Denver had ridden the third-easiest schedule (in a 30-team league) to a Lombardi Trophy in 1998, only to fall apart the next season under the weight of John Elway's retirement, Terrell Davis'[s] Week 4 injury, and – oh, by the way – the toughest schedule in the league. This was the largest single-season change in Football Outsiders' rankings until the 2011 St. Louis Rams.
Week 4 saw star running back Terrell Davis, who was last year's league MVP, hurt his knee and was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
Offseason
NFL draft
Draft notes
Personnel
Staff
Roster
Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance 1 September 13 Miami Dolphins L 21–38 0–1 Mile High Stadium 75,623 2 September 19 at Kansas City Chiefs L 10–26 0–2 Arrowhead Stadium 78,683 3 September 26 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 10–13 0–3 Raymond James Stadium 65,297 4 October 3 New York Jets L 13–21 0–4 Mile High Stadium 74,181 5 October 10 at Oakland Raiders W 16–13 1–4 Network Associates Coliseum 55,704 6 October 17 Green Bay Packers W 31–10 2–4 Mile High Stadium 73,352 7 October 24 at New England Patriots L 23–24 2–5 Foxboro Stadium 60,011 8 October 31 Minnesota Vikings L 20–23 2–6 Mile High Stadium 75,021 9 November 7 at San Diego Chargers W 33–17 3–6 Qualcomm Stadium 61,204 10 November 14 at Seattle Seahawks L 17–20 3–7 Kingdome 66,314 11 November 22 Oakland Raiders W 27–21 (OT) 4–7 Mile High Stadium 70,012 12 Bye 13 December 5 Kansas City Chiefs L 10–16 4–8 Mile High Stadium 73,855 14 December 13 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 24–27 4–9 Alltel Stadium 71,357 15 December 19 Seattle Seahawks W 36–30 5–9 Mile High Stadium 65,987 16 December 25 at Detroit Lions W 17–7 6–9 Pontiac Silverdome 73,158 17 January 2 San Diego Chargers L 6–12 6–10 Mile High Stadium 69,278
Standings
References
External links 1999 Denver Broncos at Pro-Football-Reference.com