From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

1988 Denver Broncos season

NFL team season

Field	Value
team	Denver Broncos
year	1988
record	8–8
division_place	2nd AFC West
coach	Dan Reeves
off_coach	Mike Shanahan
def_coach	Joe Collier
general manager	John Beake
owner	Pat Bowlen
stadium	Mile High Stadium
playoffs	Did not qualify
uniform	[[File:Broncos 1968-96 uniforms.png	250px]]
shortnavlink	Broncos seasons

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).

Off season

NFL draft

Main article: 1988 NFL draft

Personnel

Staff

President and chief executive officer – Pat Bowlen
General manager – John Beake
Director of player personnel – Reed Johnson
Director of pro personnel – Lide Huggins
Vice president/head coach – Dan Reeves
Assistant head coach/defense – Joe Collier
Special assistant – Marvin Bass
Quarterbacks – Chan Gailey
Running backs – Mo Forte
Wide receivers – Larry Kennan
Tight ends/assistant offensive line – Pete Mangurian
Offensive line – George Henshaw
Defensive line – Stan Jones
Assistant defensive line – Rubin Carter
Linebackers – Myrel Moore
Defensive backs – Charlie West
Special teams/assistant linebackers – Mike Nolan
Special teams/assistant defensive backs – Charlie Waters
Strength/conditioning – Al Miller

Roster

none

47 active, 10 inactive

Schedule

Denver Broncos	year=1988	border=2}}"	Week	Denver Broncos	year=1988
September 4	[Seattle Seahawks](1988-seattle-seahawks-season)	L 14–21	0–1	Mile High Stadium	75,986
September 11	[San Diego Chargers](1988-san-diego-chargers-season)	W 34–3	1–1	Mile High Stadium	75,359
September 18	at [Kansas City Chiefs](1988-kansas-city-chiefs-season)	L 13–20	1–2	Arrowhead Stadium	63,268
	[Los Angeles Raiders](1988-los-angeles-raiders-season)	L 27–30 (OT)	1–3	Mile High Stadium	75,964
October 2	at [San Diego Chargers](1988-san-diego-chargers-season)	W 12–0	2–3	Jack Murphy Stadium	55,763
October 9	at [San Francisco 49ers](1988-san-francisco-49ers-season)	W 16–13 (OT)	3–3	Candlestick Park	61,711
October 16	[Atlanta Falcons](1988-atlanta-falcons-season)	W 30–14	4–3	Mile High Stadium	75,287
October 23	at [Pittsburgh Steelers](1988-pittsburgh-steelers-season)	L 21–39	4–4	Three Rivers Stadium	49,811
	at [Indianapolis Colts](1988-indianapolis-colts-season)	L 23–55	4–5	Hoosier Dome	60,544
November 6	[Kansas City Chiefs](1988-kansas-city-chiefs-season)	W 17–11	5–5	Mile High Stadium	74,227
November 13	[Cleveland Browns](1988-cleveland-browns-season)	W 30–7	6–5	Mile High Stadium	75,806
November 20	at [New Orleans Saints](1988-new-orleans-saints-season)	L 0–42	6–6	Louisiana Superdome	68,075
November 27	[Los Angeles Rams](1988-los-angeles-rams-season)	W 35–24	7–6	Mile High Stadium	74,141
December 4	at [Los Angeles Raiders](1988-los-angeles-raiders-season)	L 20–21	7–7	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	65,561
December 11	at [Seattle Seahawks](1988-seattle-seahawks-season)	L 14–42	7–8	Kingdome	62,838
December 17	[New England Patriots](1988-new-england-patriots-season)	W 21–10	8–8	Mile High Stadium	70,910
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 9 at Colts

First quarter

IND – Eric Dickerson 12-yard run (Dean Biasucci kick), 9:41. Colts 7–0.
IND – Eric Dickerson 11-yard run (Dean Biasucci kick), 5:39. Colts 14–0.
IND – Eric Dickerson 1-yard run (Dean Biasucci kick), 0:16. Colts 21–0. Second quarter
IND – Dean Biasucci 31-yard field goal, 13:22. Colts 24–0.
IND – Eric Dickerson 41-yard run (Dean Biasucci kick), 11:47. Colts 31–0.
DEN – Steve Sewell 2-yard pass from John Elway (Rich Karlis kick, 9:54. Colts 31–7.
IND – Bill Brooks 53-yard pass from Gary Hogeboom (Dean Biasucci kick), 7:08. Colts 38–7.
DEN – Rich Karlis 27-yard field goal, 1:00. Colts 38–10.
IND – Clarence Verdin 40-yard pass from Chris Chandler (Dean Biasucci kick), 0:22. Colts 45–10. Third quarter
IND – Dean Biasucci 27-yard field goal, 6:34. Colts 48–10. Fourth quarter
IND – Albert Bentley 4-yard run (Dean Biasucci kick), 11:49. Colts 55–10.
DEN – Vance Johnson 7-yard pass from Gary Kubiak (kick failed), 6:07. Colts 55–17.
DEN – Steve Sewell 48-yard pass from Gary Kubiak (Rich Karlis kick), 5:39. Colts 55–23. ;Top passers
DEN – John Elway – 15/27, 158 yards, TD
IND – Chris Chandler – 10/13, 167 yards, TD ;Top rushers
DEN – Ricky Nattiel – 1 rush, 29 yards
IND – Eric Dickerson – 21 rushes, 159 yards, 4 TD ;Top receivers
DEN – Steve Sewell – 6 receptions, 82 yards, 2 TD
IND – Bill Brooks – 3 receptions, 108 yards, TD

Week 16

Standings

References

[https://www.wfaa.com/article/sports/memory-lane-dallas-cowboys-trade-rb-tony-dorsett-to-denver-broncos/287-6fd7d1f7-6522-4dbd-8bd9-78e8d43a3166 Tony Dorsett Trade] ''wfaa.com''. Retrieved 2025-May-18.
[https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-11-06-sp-325-story.html 1988 Season Recap] ''latimes.com''. Retrieved 2025-May-18.
[https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/joe-collier-former-broncos-defensive-coordinator-and-leader-of-famed-orange-crush-unit-dies-at-age-91/ Joe Collier] ''cbssports.com''. Retrieved 2025-May-18.
"1988 Denver Broncos starters and roster". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
[https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198812170den.htm Pro-Football-Reference.com]. Retrieved 2014-Oct-19.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1988-nfl-season-by-team denver-broncos-seasons 1988-in-sports-in-colorado

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about 1988 Denver Broncos season — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report