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1988 Denver Broncos season

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1988 Denver Broncos season
OwnerPat Bowlen
General managerJohn Beake
Head coachDan Reeves
Home stadiumMile High Stadium
Results
Record8–8
Division place2nd AFC West
PlayoffsDid not qualify
Uniform

The 1988 season was the Denver Broncos' 29th year in professional football and its 19th with the National Football League (NFL). The Broncos entered the season as two-time defending AFC champions and looked to advance to the Super Bowl for the third consecutive season. The Broncos were led by Dan Reeves, their Head Coach, in his eighth season at this position as well as for the team. Future Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway came into the season as the reigning MVP, the only time he won this award in his career. After losing back-to-back Super Bowls, the Broncos added future Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett through a trade in the offseason. There was hope that he would contribute to the ground game and help them cross the threshold to win a Super Bowl. The trade brought the 34-year-old running back to Denver for a conditional 5th-round pick (WFAA).

Despite the upgrade, having the reigning MVP, and having gone to two straight Super Bowls, the Broncos missed the playoffs and finished with an 8-8 record, second to the Seattle Seahawks in their division. Injuries, a bad run game, and a poor defense all contributed to the disappointing season (LATimes). John Elway had a down year after his MVP win, throwing more interceptions than touchdowns. The trade for Tony Dorsett did not work out as both he and Sammy Winder, the second-string running back, finished with inefficient running at under four yards per carry.

After the season, the last remaining Bronco from their Super Bowl XII team, offensive lineman Billy Bryan, retired, ending a 12-year era for the team. The lackluster defense, which included ranking 28th against the run, ended in the firing of defensive coordinator Joe Collier at the same time. Joe Collier spent sixteen seasons with the team, being the mastermind behind the famed 'Orange Crush Defense' of the late 1970s and early 1980s (Deardo).

[1] [2] [3]

Off season

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NFL draft

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Main article: 1988 NFL draft
1988 Denver Broncos draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 26 Ted Gregory  NT Syracuse
2 45 Gerald Perry  Tackle Southern University
3 79 Kevin Guidry  Cornerback LSU
5 136 Corris Ervin  DB Central Florida
7 174 Pat Kelly  TE Syracuse
7 192 Garry Frank  Guard Mississippi State
9 248 Mel Farr Jr.  Running back UCLA
10 268 Channing Williams  RB Arizona State
11 304 Shaun Grady  RB Duke
12 332 Michael Rhyan  QB Cal State Fullerton
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

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Staff

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1988 Denver Broncos staff

Front office

  • President and chief executive officer – Pat Bowlen
  • General manager – John Beake
  • Director of player personnel – Reed Johnson
  • Director of pro personnel – Lide Huggins

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

Roster

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1988 Denver Broncos roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

Practice squad

none

47 active, 10 inactive Reserve


Rookies in italics

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Schedule

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Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Attendance
1 September 4 Seattle Seahawks L 14–21 0–1 Mile High Stadium 75,986
2 September 11 San Diego Chargers W 34–3 1–1 Mile High Stadium 75,359
3 September 18 at Kansas City Chiefs L 13–20 1–2 Arrowhead Stadium 63,268
4 September 26 Los Angeles Raiders L 27–30 (OT) 1–3 Mile High Stadium 75,964
5 October 2 at San Diego Chargers W 12–0 2–3 Jack Murphy Stadium 55,763
6 October 9 at San Francisco 49ers W 16–13 (OT) 3–3 Candlestick Park 61,711
7 October 16 Atlanta Falcons W 30–14 4–3 Mile High Stadium 75,287
8 October 23 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 21–39 4–4 Three Rivers Stadium 49,811
9 October 31 at Indianapolis Colts L 23–55 4–5 Hoosier Dome 60,544
10 November 6 Kansas City Chiefs W 17–11 5–5 Mile High Stadium 74,227
11 November 13 Cleveland Browns W 30–7 6–5 Mile High Stadium 75,806
12 November 20 at New Orleans Saints L 0–42 6–6 Louisiana Superdome 68,075
13 November 27 Los Angeles Rams W 35–24 7–6 Mile High Stadium 74,141
14 December 4 at Los Angeles Raiders L 20–21 7–7 Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum 65,561
15 December 11 at Seattle Seahawks L 14–42 7–8 Kingdome 62,838
16 December 17 New England Patriots W 21–10 8–8 Mile High Stadium 70,910
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

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Week 9 at Colts

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Week Nine: Denver Broncos (4–4) at Indianapolis Colts (3–5)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Broncos 0 10 01323
Colts 21 24 3755

at Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

Week 16

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Team 1 234Total
Patriots 7 300 10
• Broncos 7 707 21
Scoring summary
Q1NEStephens 23 yard run (Staurovsky kick)NE 7–0
Q1DENWinder 1 yard run (Karlis kick)Tie 7–7
Q2DENDorsett 5 yard run (Karlis kick)DEN 14–7
Q2NEStaurovsky 32 yard field goalDEN 14–10
Q4DENWinder 4 yard run (Karlis kick)DEN 21–10

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Standings

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AFC West
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Seattle Seahawks(3) 9 7 0 .563 6–2 8–4 339 329 W2
Denver Broncos 8 8 0 .500 3–5 5–7 327 352 W1
Los Angeles Raiders 7 9 0 .438 6–2 6–6 325 369 L2
San Diego Chargers 6 10 0 .375 3–5 4–8 231 332 W2
Kansas City Chiefs 4 11 1 .281 2–6 4–9–1 254 320 L2

References

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  1. ^ Tony Dorsett Trade wfaa.com. Retrieved 2025-May-18.
  2. ^ 1988 Season Recap latimes.com. Retrieved 2025-May-18.
  3. ^ Joe Collier cbssports.com. Retrieved 2025-May-18.
  4. ^ "1988 Denver Broncos starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
  5. ^ Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2014-Oct-19.
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