Congratulations to the 2023 Denver Nuggets, who won their first NBA championship after dispatching the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.'
Whenever a new winner is crowned, it's natural to wonder about where that championship fits into the larger fabric of sports champions in a particular sport or city.
Thus, I dove into the history of great Denver sports teams to imagine what the Mount Rushmore of Denver championships might look like. Here's my list:
1998 Broncos
One of the commonalities among great sports teams is that they play looser – and thus better – when they finally win the elusive championship and get the monkey off their back.
The 1998 Denver Broncos are a perfect example of this, which is why they so often top lists for the greatest Denver sports teams of all time. Between 1983 and 1996, John Elway's Broncos made the NFL playoffs eight times, advancing as far as the Super Bowl in 1986, 1987, and 1989. As older Broncos fans know, the NFL community started to ask the dreaded “Can Elway Win the Big One?” question.
But the Broncos finally did in 1997, rattling off 12 regular season wins before surging through the playoffs. Elway didn't have a particularly strong game in the Super Bowl, but it didn't matter. The threshold was lifted.
So in 1998, the Broncos relaxed…and dominated the NFL. Their 14-2 record was far and away the best record in the AFC. The defense, still led by Steve Atwater, jolted opposing offenses.'
Elway, then experienced and playing with house money at age 38, commanded a dangerous and balanced offense. Terrell Davis ran for 2,008 yards and 21 touchdowns, while Elway's play action off the ground game was outstanding.'
Plenty of guys threw for more yards in '98, but Elway's 6.2% touchdown rate trailed only Randall Cunningham, Chris Chandler, Steve Young, and Vinny Testaverde.'
In the 1998 playoffs, the Broncos rolled the Dolphins and Jets, outscoring them by a combined 61-13. In Super Bowl XXXIII, the Broncos easily handled the Atlanta Falcons, 34-19, becoming the fifth NFL franchise to win back-to-back Super Bowls.