Denver Broncos Trivia
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50 free Denver Broncos trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Denver Broncos trivia quiz covers the whole story of the team from the vertically striped socks and the first-ever AFL game in 1960 to Bo Nix: 'the Franchise' Floyd Little, the Orange Crush and Super Bowl XII, John Elway's arrival by trade, The Drive, three Super Bowl thrashings, and Mike Shanahan and Terrell Davis finally delivering back-to-back titles. It then covers the 21st century — Jake Plummer, Josh McDaniels, Tebowmania and the 80-yard overtime pass, Peyton Manning's record 2013 offense, Von Miller and Super Bowl 50, the Russell Wilson trade and its record dead-cap bill, the Walton-Penner sale, Sean Payton and the 2024 playoff return — plus Thunder, Miles, the Barrel Man and the Raiders rivalry. Questions run from easy to hard with the difficulty shown on each one. Every answer has been checked against a primary reference and each question carries its citation.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which Broncos kicker set a then NFL record with a 64-yard field goal in the thin Denver air in 2013?
Matt Prater
Matt Prater hit it as the first half expired against Tennessee, and Denver, behind at the time, went on to win.
Q 02Which team did the Broncos beat 13–10 on September 9, 1960, in the first game in AFL history?
Boston Patriots
The Boston Patriots lost on a punt-return touchdown by Gene Mingo, a rookie who had made the team without ever playing college football.
Q 03What notoriously ugly feature did the Broncos' original 1960 uniforms include?
Vertically striped socks
Vertically striped socks came with the mustard-and-brown kit, and two years later a new coach had them burned in public as the team switched to orange and blue.
Q 04Which running back, 'the Franchise', is credited with keeping the team in Denver after signing in 1967?
Floyd Little
Floyd Little was the first first-round draft pick the Broncos ever managed to sign, which is how a struggling AFL club came to call him 'the Franchise'.
Q 05What was the nickname of the Broncos defense that carried them to Super Bowl XII in 1977?
The Orange Crush
The Orange Crush got its name from a Denver sportswriter early in 1977, as the defense allowed just 46 points during a 6-0 start.
Q 06Who beat the Broncos 27–10 in Super Bowl XII, their first Super Bowl appearance?
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys forced eight turnovers in New Orleans, and defensive linemen Harvey Martin and Randy White shared the MVP award.
Q 07John Elway refused to play for which team that drafted him first overall in 1983?
Baltimore Colts
The Baltimore Colts took Elway first overall, but he used a Yankees minor-league contract as leverage until they traded him to Denver for Chris Hinton, Mark Herrmann and a first-round pick.
Q 08Cleveland back Earnest Byner's goal-line play against Denver in the 1987 AFC title game is remembered by what name?
The Fumble
The Fumble came as Byner was about to score the tying touchdown, and it sent Denver to a second straight Super Bowl.
Q 09John Elway's 98-yard march to tie the 1986 AFC Championship Game in Cleveland is remembered by what name?
The Drive
The Drive covered 98 yards in 15 plays to tie the game with 37 seconds left, and Denver won in overtime on a Rich Karlis field goal.
Q 10Who beat the Broncos 55–10 in Super Bowl XXIV, played in January 1990?
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers won as Joe Montana threw five touchdown passes, and Denver had now lost three Super Bowls in four seasons.
Q 11Which coach, Elway's former offensive coordinator, returned in 1995 and led the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowls?
Mike Shanahan
Mike Shanahan left Denver's staff after 1991, won a Super Bowl as the 49ers' offensive coordinator, then came back as head coach and stayed 14 seasons.
Q 12Terrell Davis, MVP of Super Bowl XXXII, was drafted in which round in 1995?
Sixth
Sixth-round pick Davis, the 196th player chosen, ran for 157 yards and three touchdowns in that Super Bowl despite a migraine that kept him out of the second quarter.
Q 13Which defending champion did the Broncos beat 31–24 in Super Bowl XXXII for their first title?
Green Bay Packers
Q 21Which team released Peyton Manning in March 2012, freeing him to sign with the Broncos?
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts let Manning go after neck surgery cost him the whole 2011 season, and within two weeks he had a five-year, $96 million deal in Denver.
Q 22Who beat the 2013 Broncos 43–8 in Super Bowl XLVIII?
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks scored a safety on the first play from scrimmage, and an offense that had just scored a record 606 points managed only eight.
Q 23Whose season record of 50 touchdown passes did Peyton Manning break in 2013?
Tom Brady
Tom Brady's 50 in 2007 had beaten Manning's own record of 49, and Manning took it back six years later with 55.
The Green Bay Packers, the defending champions, lost 31-24 despite three touchdown passes from Brett Favre; Elway's helicopter spin came on an 8-yard third-quarter run.
Q 14Lifting the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl XXXII, owner Pat Bowlen said what?
This one's for John!
'This one's for John!' honoured Elway's long wait for a title; after Super Bowl 50 Elway, by then general manager, raised the trophy and answered 'This one's for Pat!'
Q 15Terrell Davis joined an exclusive club in 1998 with what feat?
A 2,000-yard rushing season
A 2,000-yard rushing season, 2,008 to be exact, made Davis the league's MVP, but a knee injury four games into 1999 ended his time at the top.
Q 16Who coached Atlanta when the Broncos beat the Falcons 34-19 in Super Bowl XXXIII?
Dan Reeves
Dan Reeves, Elway's head coach in Denver from 1983 to 1992, lost to his old quarterback, who was MVP with 336 passing yards.
Q 17The Broncos were later punished for what relating to their 1996–98 seasons?
Circumventing the salary cap
The league ruled Denver had been circumventing the salary cap by deferring money to Elway and Davis; it took third-round picks in 2002 and 2005 and fined the club nearly $2 million.
Q 18Which defending champion did the Broncos beat 27–13 in the 2005 playoffs?
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots were chasing a third straight title when Denver knocked them out, helped by a 100-yard interception return that ended a yard short of a touchdown.
Q 19Which Broncos head coach's 2009–10 tenure ended amid a videotaping scandal and a 3–9 start?
Josh McDaniels
Josh McDaniels started 6-0 in 2009 but was fired in December 2010 at 3-9, days after the club was fined for an assistant's videotaping of a 49ers walkthrough.
Q 20Tim Tebow's 80-yard overtime touchdown pass to beat the Steelers in the 2011 playoffs went to whom?
Demaryius Thomas
Demaryius Thomas took the pass on the first play of overtime and ran 80 yards to end it; Tebow's 316 passing yards came on just ten completions.
Q 24Which team did the Broncos beat 24–10 in Super Bowl 50?
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers, 15-1 in the regular season, were held to 10 points by Wade Phillips's defense; Manning retired a month later with his second ring.
Q 25Who was named MVP of Super Bowl 50?
Von Miller
Von Miller had 2.5 sacks and two strip-sacks of Cam Newton, one recovered for a touchdown and the other setting up Denver's clinching score.
Q 26Which former Elway backup coached the Broncos to Super Bowl 50, then retired for health reasons?
Gary Kubiak
Gary Kubiak, Elway's backup for nine seasons and later his offensive coordinator, stepped down after 2016 following a complex-migraine episode that hospitalised him in October.
Q 27A fortune from which retail giant bought the Broncos for $4.65 billion in 2022?
Walmart
Walmart heir Rob Walton headed the buyers, who took over from the trust that had run the team since Alzheimer's forced owner Pat Bowlen to step aside in 2014.
Q 28Which Formula One driver joined the Broncos' new ownership group as a minority partner in 2022?
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton bought in that August, saying he was honoured to serve as an example of the value of more diverse leadership across all sports.
Q 29Which quarterback did the Broncos release in 2024, two years after trading two first-round picks for him?
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson cost Denver two first-round picks, two second-round picks and three players, lasted two seasons, and signed with Pittsburgh after his release.
Q 30Which Broncos head coach was fired at 4–11 on December 26, 2022, before finishing his first season?
Nathaniel Hackett
Nathaniel Hackett was dismissed the day after a 51-14 Christmas loss to the Rams, with Jerry Rosburg finishing the season before Sean Payton's 2023 arrival.