NFL Old School Game of the Week: "The Hit" Propels Giants to Victory over Broncos

During the 1980s, the most famous New York Giants linebacker was Lawrence Taylor who almost single-handily transformed the Giants from a bottom feeder into a winner as New York ended a 18-year absence from the postseason in Taylor's rookie year which was followed five years later with the Giants winning their first Super Bowl.

Taylor was not the only Giants linebacker as he played alongside future Hall-of-Famer Harry Carson as well as all-pro Brad Van Pelt in the early part of the 80s and then Carl Banks in the later part of the decade.

Another name in the Giants' linebacker corps as Gary Reasons, who had been selected in the fourth round of the 1984 NFL Draft out of Northwestern State, who would go to be a member of the Giants' two Super Bowl championship squads in 1986 + 1990 as he played 122 games for the Giants with 80 of those as a starter.

Reasons' most famous moment would come in week 14 of the 1989 regular season when the Giants traveled to Denver to take on the Broncos on a snowy day in Denver where Reasons would etch his name in New York Giants lore.

The Giants came into the game with a 9-4 record but had lost three of their previous four games to fall behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the race for the NFC East division title.

The Giants were led by head coach Bill Parcells, who was in his seventh season as the New York head coach having led the Giants to their first NFL title since 1956 as he help guide New York to a win in Super Bowl XXI, ironically over the Broncos in a 39-20 triumph thanks in large part to quarterback Phil Simms MVP performance in which he completed 22 of 25 passes for 268 yards and threw three touchdowns.

However, ever since that win in January of 1987, the Giants had not made the playoffs as they finished with a losing record in 1987 then had their playoff hopes for 1988 dashed in the final game of the regular season as the New York Jets eliminated their crosstown rival from playoff contention(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2023/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-jets-derail.html).

The Giants would go into the game with the Broncos a wounded animal as Taylor would be sidelined because of back spasms while running back Ottis Anderson was recovering from hemorrhoid surgery, though he would give it a go.

On the other side of the field were the Denver Broncos with a 10-3 record who were looking to secure the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs if they could defeat the Giants.

Led by one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in John Elway, the Broncos were hoping to return to the postseason after missing the playoffs in 1988 following two straight trips to the Super Bowl which both ended in defeat.

Strangely in 1989, it was not Elway that was the biggest reason for Denver's success as rookie running back Bobby Humphrey had given the Broncos the running game they had lacked in previous seasons as well as one of the top defenses in the league with the addition of another rookie in safety Steve Atwater.

With the absence of Taylor and the limitation of Anderson, the Giants were given a difficult task in defeating the Broncos which was made even more challenging with the game would be played in a steady snow with temperatures at 23 but with a wind chill of near zero.

The Broncos would get the ball to start the game as they would drive from their 25-yard-line to the Giants' 44-yard-line until they were forced to punt the ball to the Giants who would begin their opening possession of the game at their 15-yard-line.

Following a four-yard run by Anderson to start the drive, fullback Maurice Carthon would carry the ball on the next three plays as he gained 31 yards to move the Giants to the 50-yard-line as Anderson would catch a seven-yard pass from Simms to set up 3rd & 1 when Carthon get the ball again as he run for three yards to pick up a New York 1st down at the Denver 40-yard-line.

A holding penalty would push the Giants back to their 49-yard-line as Carthon would catch two straight passes for 16 yards to set up 3rd & 5 when Simms hit wide receiver Stephen Baker for 11 yards to move the sticks and give New York a 1st down at the Denver 24-yard-line.

Three straight runs by Anderson totaled 10 yards to give the Giants another 1st down as Lewis Tillman would carry the ball on the last play of the first quarter as he gained one yard to bring up a 3rd & 9 at the Broncos' 13-yard-line.

Simms would then complete a 10-yard pass to George Adams to give the Giants a 1st & goal situation when Anderson punched it in for a three-yard touchdown to end the 15-play, 85-yard drive that took nearly nine minutes off the clock and give New York a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter.

After forcing the Broncos to go three-and-out on their ensuing possession, the Giants got the ball back at their 46-yard-line as a 24-yard pass from Simms to Mark Ingram would put the Giants in Denver territory only for the drive to stall as Simms was sacked by Broncos defensive end Alphonso Carreker for a seven-yard loss that would force the Giants to punt the ball back to the Broncos.

The drive began with an apparent 50-yard run by Humphrey which was called back because of a holding penalty on left tackle Gerald Perry that would push the Broncos back 10 yards as they would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Giants, who would get great field position as rookie Dave Meggett returned the ensuing punt 26 yards to the Broncos' 36-yard-line.

However, the Giants would go backwards as a tripping penalty on center Bart Oates plus a quarterback sack by defensive end Ron Holmes that dropped Simms for a 12-yard-loss would put the Giants in a 3rd & 31 situation or as Parcells said after the game "3rd & Arkansas".

Seemingly content to punt the ball back to the Broncos, Simms threw a screen pass in the left flat for Meggett, who made the catch despite bobbling the ball at his 45-yard-line, then got two key blocks by Oates and left guard William Roberts to help spring Meggett loose as he dodged the tackle attempts of Atwater and Tyrone Braxton on his way for a stunning 57-yard touchdown that increased the Giants' lead to 14-0 midway through the second quarter.

The Broncos would get the ball back at their 23-yard-line for their next possession as it took Denver one play to get into Giants territory as Elway completed a 42-yard pass to Vance Johnson to give Denver a 1st down at the New York 35-yard-line.

After the next three plays netted five yards, the Broncos were faced with a 4th & 5 at the Giants' 30-yard-line when Reeves decided to go for the 1st down as he felt a field goal from 47 yards out would be difficult in the snowy conditions.

The gamble would not pay off as Elway would throw an incomplete pass to give the ball back to the Giants at their 30-yard-line with 4:14 left before the end of the first half.

It seemed that the Broncos had forced a three-and-out as the Giants lined up to punt at their 39-yard-line when Reasons had his first big moment of the game as he had the ball snapped to him on a fake punt that only gained two yards but enough for a 1st down at the New York 41-yard-line as the two-minute warning hit.

From there, the Giants would drive to the Broncos' 30-yard-line when with one second left, Parcells would send in the field goal unit in hopes of increasing the lead to 17 points after thirty minutes of play.

But Bjorn Nittmo's kick would sail wide right of the uprights to keep the score at 14-0 in favor of the Giants as the first half came to an end.

The third quarter would begin with the two teams traded punts until the Broncos got the ball at their 28-yard-line when they put together their best drive of the game as they drove to the Giants' 10-yard-line thanks to four straight 3rd down conversions as Denver seemed poised to get on the scoreboard.

An eight-yard run by Humphrey on 1st & goal would put the Broncos at the Giants' two-yard-line as fullback Mel Bratton tried to dive it into the end zone from the two-yard-line, picking up one yard to set up 3rd & 1 when Humphrey was stopped by Reasons for no gain to force a 4th & 1 at the one-yard-line.

The Broncos would go try for the touchdown as Elway would take the snap and handed off to Humphrey, who tried to dive into the end zone, only to be met mid-air by Reasons as the rookie running back was stopped in his tracks for an one-yard loss but more importantly gave the ball back to the Giants with their 14-0 still intact.

The Giants would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Broncos as a 18-yard return by Ricky Nattiel would put Denver at the New York 32-yard-line as the fourth quarter got underway.

After two straight incomplete passes, Elway would threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Michael Young to finally put Denver on the scoreboard as they cut the Giants' lead to 14-7 just 31 seconds into the fourth quarter.

The two teams would exchange punts until 5:27 remained in regulation when the Broncos took over possession at their 20-yard-line hoping for Elway to deliver another 4th quarter comeback.

The drive would began with Elway completing a 10-yard pass to Johnson, which was followed by an incomplete pass and then two consecutive completions to Johnson for 15 yards to put the Broncos at their 45-yard-line as Elway would hit tight end Clearance Kay for 13 yards to move Denver into Giants territory with a 1st down at the New York 42-yard-line.

Elway would then two passes to Humphrey for 24 yards to move the Broncos to the Giants' 42-yard-line as a three-yard run by Bratton would set up a 2nd & 7 as the two-minute warning hit.

Two incomplete passes later, the Broncos were faced with a 4th & 7 at the Giants' 15-yard-line when Elway threw a pass intended for Johnson in the end zone only for running back Steve Sewell to mistakenly think the pass was intended for him as he tried to catch the ball but ended being unsuccessful as Denver turned it over on downs.

Needing one 1st down to end the game, the Giants would go three-and-out as the Broncos spent all three of their timeouts to preserve as much time as possible as New York would punt the back to Denver who would take over at their 23-yard-line with 1:15 left in regulation.

After two incomplete passes to begin the drive, Elway would hit Young for 22 yards to give the Broncos a 1st down at their 45-yard-line as a five-yard run by Elway and a spike to stop the clock would set up 3rd & 5 at the 50-yard-line when Elway found Mark Jackson for 16 yards and a Denver 1st down at the Giants' 34-yard-line.

From there, Elway would threw two passes into the end zone but neither of them connected for what would be the game tying touchdown as time expired with the Giants on top 14-7 in what Parcells called one of the greatest wins he had ever had since he became the New York head coach.

Despite the loss, the Broncos would clinch home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs with a 37-0 rout of the Phoenix Cardinals in the penultimate week of the season as Denver would finish the regular season with a 11-5 record while the Giants would win their remaining two games of the regular season that cupped with a Eagles loss, gave the NFC East to New York with a 12-4 record.

In the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, the Broncos would slip past the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-23 while the Giants would be eliminated by the Los Angeles Rams 19-13 in overtime on Jim Everett's game-winning 30-yard touchdown pass to Flipper Anderson(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2021/10/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-flippers.html).

The Broncos would go on to defeat the Cleveland Browns 37-21 in the AFC Championship Game to earn Denver its third trip to the Super Bowl in four years where they would be destroyed by the San Francisco 49ers 55-10 in the most lopsided game in Super Bowl history.

As for the Giants, they would redeem themselves one year later as they would win they second Lombardi Trophy in five years thanks in large part to a key contribution from Reasons in the Giants' 15-13 upset win over the 49ers in the NFC Championship Game as Reasons ran for 30 yards on a fake punt to set up a key field goal by Matt Bahr.

Reasons would be cut by the Giants after the 1991 season as the linebacker played one more season in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals before ultimately retiring following the 1992 season after a nine-year career.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Bills Blitz Broncos With 20 Points in 77 Seconds

Buffalo linebacker Cornelius Bennett scored a touchdown and recovered a fumble in the Bills' comeback win against the Broncos.

The Buffalo Bills of the early 1990s were defined by their no-huddle offense which would helped propel the Bills to four straight Super Bowl appearances.

But in week 4 of the 1990 NFL season, it would be the Bills' defense and special teams that would spark a 4th quarter comeback win for the ages as the Bills hosted the Denver Broncos.

Buffalo came into the game with a 2-1 record under head coach Marv Levy, who was in his fourth full season as the Bills' head coach as he helped turn around Buffalo from a bottom dweller to a Super Bowl contender as the Bills won the AFC East division title in 1988 and 1989.

The Bills had adapted a no-huddle offense with quarterback Jim Kelly running the show with a roster which featured running back Thurman Thomas and wide receivers Andre Reed and James Lofton as Buffalo averaged 21 points through their first three games of the season.

On defense, the Bills were led by defensive end Bruce Smith who had recorded four straight seasons of double-digit sacks  and featured Cornelius Bennett and Darryl Talley in the linebacking corps as Buffalo prepared to host the defending AFC Champions.

The Denver Broncos also came into the game with a 2-1 record under head coach Dan Reeves who along with quarterback John Elway had led the Broncos to three Super Bowl appearances in the previous four seasons.

Elway was aided in the backfield with running back Bobby Humphrey, who had ran for 1,151 yards and scored seven touchdowns in his rookie season in 1989 to help Denver make the Super Bowl that year.

Many experts believed that if Humphrey had another strong year, the Broncos could make the Super Bowl for the fourth time in five seasons.

 The Broncos got the ball to start the game as they relied on Humphrey to drive down the field as he carried the ball seven times for 50 yards on a 12-play, 80-yard drive that culminated with Humphrey punching it in from one yard out to give Denver a 7-0 lead with a little over eight minutes left in the first quarter.

After the Bills punted on their opening possession of the game, the Broncos got the ball back at their 36-yard-line as Denver would move into Buffalo territory until Humphrey fumbled the football when he was hit by Bills strong safety Leonard Smith, which was recovered by cornerback Nate Odomes.

The Bills would drive from their 29-yard-line to the Denver 38-yard-line until fullback Jamie Mueller lost the football when he was hit by Broncos nose tackle Greg Kragen who also recovered the fumble to give the Broncos the ball back at their 35-yard-line.

The Broncos would hold the ball for the rest of the first quarter and into the second quarter as they drove to the Bills' 32-yard-line until they were forced to attempt a 49-yard field goal by David Treadwell, which was blocked by Talley, who then scooped up the loose football and ran it back 16 yards until he was tackled at the Buffalo 45-yard-line.

After Thomas was dropped for an one-yard-loss on 1st down and an incomplete pass on 2nd down, Kelly connected with Lofton for 19 yards on 3rd & 11, which he followed it up with an 18-yard pass to Reed to put the Bills at the Broncos 19-yard-line.

However the drive would stall as Thomas would be stopped for no gain on 1st down which was followed by two straight incomplete passes, forcing Scott Norwood to attempt a 37-yard field goal, which unfortunately for the Bills, bounced off the right upright and no good to keep the score 7-0 with 9:59 left in the second quarter.

Following a Denver punt, the Bills would have the ball at their 21-yard-line when Kelly was picked off by Broncos free safety Steve Atwater to give Denver the ball at the Buffalo 30-yard-line.

That is when Elway hit Vance Johnson for 25 yards to give the Broncos a 1st & goal at the Bills' five-yard-line as Humphrey would run for three yards on 1st down as the two-minute warning hit.

After the timeout, Elway would find running back Steve Sewell for a two-yard touchdown to increase the Broncos' lead to 14-0  with 1:57 left in the first half.

Broncos running back Bobby Humphrey ran for 177 yards on 34 carries and scored one touchdown.

Buffalo would start its ensuing possession at its 28-yard-line as a quarterback sack and an incomplete pass would bring up 3rd & 17 when Kelly completed a 21-yard pass to Lofton to give the Bills a 1st down at their 42-yard-line.

From there, running back Don Smith would get his hand on the ball on three of the next five plays as he caught two passes for 24 yards and ran it once for 10 yards to put the Bills at the Denver 24-yard-line.

A five-yard pass to Al Edwards and two incomplete passes later, the Bills would attempt another field goal, this one from 37 yards out, which this time Norwood would make which cut the Broncos' lead to 14-3 as the first half came to a close.

After the Bills went three-and-out to start the second half, the Broncos would have the ball at their 23-yard-line when Elway was picked off by Bills cornerback Kirby Jackson to give Buffalo the ball at its 49-yard-line.

However, the Bills would not be able to convert the turnover into points as Kelly was sacked by Broncos defensive lineman Andre Townsend on 3rd & 5 at the Denver 34-yard-line, which led to Buffalo punting the ball back to Denver, who would take over at its 20-yard-line.

Two plays later, Bruce Smith would make his presence felt as he sacked Elway, causing a fumble that was recovered by Talley at the Denver 10-yard-line as an incomplete pass and a quarterback sack would force 3rd & goal when Don Smith ran it in for a 12-yard touchdown to cut the Broncos' lead to 14-9 as Frank Reich mishandled the snap on the extra point.

The Broncos would be forced to punt on their ensuing possession to give the ball back to the Bills who took over at their 20-yard-line when Thomas mishandled a Kelly handoff and fumbled the football, which was recovered by Kragen to give Denver the ball at the Buffalo 19-yard-line.

Running back Sammy Winder would get his hands on the next two plays as he caught a 13-yard pass from Elway on 1st down, which got three yards added to it after Bills linebacker Shane Conlan was called for a late hit, which Winder followed up with a three-yard touchdown to give the Broncos their largest lead of the game at 21-9 with 4:43 left in the third quarter.

The Bills would drive into Denver territory on their ensuing possession until Kelly was dropped for a 13-yard loss on a quarterback sack by linebacker Karl Mecklenburg, forcing another Buffalo punt as the Broncos would take over att their 28-yard-line with 61 seconds left in the third quarter.

From there, the Broncos would hold the ball for the next four and a half minutes as they drove to the Bills' six-yard-line when David Treadwell came on to attempt a 24-yard field goal that would increase the Denver lead to 15 points.

However, the Bills would turn the game around when Odomes came in to block the kick which led to Bennett picking up the football at his 20-yard-line and running down the left sideline for a 80-yard touchdown that cut the Broncos' lead to 21-16 with 10:27 to go in the fourth quarter.

Denver would starts its next possession at its 29-yard-line as Humphrey ran for one yard to start the drive which was followed by Elway's 2nd down pass being deflected by Bills defensive end Leon Seals as the ball would fall into the hands of Leonard Smith, who then ran it in for a 39-yard pick-six to give Buffalo its first lead of the game at 22-21.

Norwood would miss the extra point as his kick hit the left upright to keep the score 22-21 with 9:27 left in the fourth quarter.

Things would get worse for the Broncos on the ensuing kickoff when Vance Johnson was tackled at his 10-yard-line only to lose five more yards because of an illegal block penalty which meant the Broncos would start its next possession at their five-yard-line.

But the drive would only last one play as Elway fumbled the snap from center leading to a recovery by Bennett at the Broncos' two-yard-line as it took only Buffalo one play to get into the end zone as Kenneth Davis punched it in for a two-yard touchdown, the Bills' third touchdown in 77 seconds as Norwood would make the extra point to make it 29-21 in favor of the Bills with 9:10 left in the fourth quarter.

Bruce Smith had two sacks and forced a fumble in the Bills' win over the Broncos.

Following a Denver three-and-out, the Bills got the ball back at their 45-yard-line as they took four minutes off the clock as they drove to the Broncos' 30-yard-line when Norwood come on to attempt a 48-yard field goal, which sailed wide right to keep the score at 29-21.

Even though they were down eight points, the Broncos needed two scores as the two-point conversion did not exist in the NFL in 1990 as they got the ball back at their 30-yard-line with 3:37 left on the clock.

Three incomplete passes later, Elway would hit Ricky Nattiel for 20 yards on 4th down, which was followed by another Elway-to-Nattiel completion for 11 yards, and then a 14-yard pass to Mark Jackson for a 1st down at the Buffalo 25-yard-line.

After a false start penalty pushed them back five yards, the Broncos would turn to Winder, who got his hands on the ball on the next three plays, gaining 20 yards to set up Elway's 10-yard touchdown pass to Nattiel that with the extra point brought the Broncos to within one point at 29-28 with 1:35 left in the game.

Now, the Broncos would attempt an onside kick in hopes of getting the ball back with a chance to drive for a potential game-winning score.

However, Bills tight end Pete Metzelaars would recover the onside kick to allow Kelly to take two knees to run out the clock as Buffalo would come away with the 29-28 win despite being outgained 410-197.

The loss to the Bills would begin the Broncos' downfall as they would finish with a 5-11 record, the firs time Denver had finished with a losing record since 1982.

As for the Bills, the win over the Broncos would be the second win in an eight-game winning streak as Buffalo would finish with a 13-3 record to earn the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs where the Bills would defeat the Miami Dolphins 44-34 in the Divisional Round, then destroyed the Los Angeles Raiders 51-3 in the AFC Championship Game to earn a trip to Super Bowl XXV, where they would fall to the New York Giants 20-19 as Norwood missed a potential game-winning 47-yard field goal in the final seconds.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Elway & Broncos Knock off Montana & 49ers in Infamous "Snowball Game"

 Broncos quarterback John Elway threw for 215 yards and two TDs in leading Denver to a comeback win over the 49ers in 1985.

When the San Francisco 49ers traveled to Mile High Stadium to take on the Denver Broncos in week 10 of the 1985 NFL season, they knew they had a daunting task ahead of them as they would have to deal with the noise from nearly 75,000 Bronco fans.

Little did they know that one fan would have a impact on the game not by making noise but by throwing an object onto the field.

The Broncos came into the game atop the AFC Western Division with a 6-3 record while the defending Super Bowl champion 49ers came in with a 5-4 record, hoping to get a win to make up some distance on the 1st place Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Western Division.

Both teams were led by future Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks as San Francisco was led by two-time Super Bowl MVP Joe Montana while Denver had third-year sensation John Elway at the helm.

Two days before their showdown, seven inches of snow fell in Denver forcing the field crew at Mile High Stadium to try and get as much snow off the field before the Broncos' showdown with the 49ers on Monday Night Football.

The crew got the playing field clear but the stands were still filled with snow as the temperature at kickoff was 17 degrees with a wind chill of 9 degrees.

It was a scene reminiscent of the Broncos' last Monday Night Football appearance when they defeated the Green Bay Packers 17-14 in a blizzard(To read about that game, click on the link which is highlighted here: https://oldschoolsportsblog.blogspot.com/2017/08/nfl-old-school-game-of-week-broncos.html).

The 49ers got the ball to start the game as they drove from their 20-yard-line to the Denver 41-yard-line until they were forced to punt when Max Runager shanked the punt as the kick only went one yard to give the Broncos the ball at their 40-yard-line.

While the shanked punt did not immediately hurt the 49ers as the Broncos went three-and-out on their first possession of the game, it come back to haunt after the 49ers went three-and-out on their ensuing possession to give Denver the ball at the San Francisco 37-yard-line.

From there, running back Sammy Winder would carry the ball two straight times for six yards to set up 3rd & 4 when Elway found Steve Watson for 13 yards and a 1st down which was followed by two more runs by Winder for 10 yards to give Denver a 1st & goal at the 49ers' eight-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by Winder on 1st down and a three-yard catch by the running back on 2nd down, Elway found another Denver running back, Gene Lang, for a three-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 7-0 lead with 4:47 left in the first quarter.

The Broncos would have their own special teams miscue later in the quarter when 49ers linebacker Ron Ferrari partially blocked a punt to give San Francisco the ball at the Denver 40-yard-line.

Montana would hit tight end John Frank for 14 yards to start the drive which was followed by three straight running plays that picked up 18 yards until Montana threw two straight incomplete passes to force the 49ers to settle for a 26-yard field goal on the first play of the second quarter to cut the Broncos' lead to 7-3.

49ers quarterback Joe Montana completed 17 of 40 passes for 222 yards and threw one TD.

Following an exchange of punts, the Broncos had the ball at their 42-yard-line facing a 2nd & 1 when Elway handed the ball off to Winder, who ran up to the line of scrimmage then tossed it back to Elway on a flea flicker as the third-year quarterback hit Vance Johnson for 50 yards to give Denver a 1st & goal at the San Francisco eight-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Broncos were in the end zone again as Elway connected with Watson for a six-yard touchdown to increase the Denver lead to 14-3 with 8:59 left in the second quarter.

Later in the quarter, the 49ers would be given a great opportunity to score their first touchdown of the game as center Glenn Hyde's 4th down snap went over the head of punter Chris Norman, who managed to get on the football before he was touched by Ferrari to give San Francisco the ball at the Broncos' four-yard-line.

After a two-yard run by Derrick Harmon, Montana lofted a pass to the back of the end zone intended for running back Earl Cooper, who bobbled the ball before making the catch, only to land out of bounds to make the pass incomplete and bring up 3rd down where fullback Roger Craig dropped a Montana pass to set up 4th down.

Instead of taking a 19-yard field goal to make it 14-6, head coach Bill Walsh decided to go for the touchdown as Montana handed it off to Craig who was tackled by Broncos defensive end Andre Townsend one yard short of the end zone to give the ball back to Denver at its one-yard-line.

The Broncos would drive to their 31-yard-line before they had to punt the ball back to the 49ers who took over at their 39-yard-line with 1:43 left in the first half and three timeouts.

The drive got off to a good start as Montana completed a 33-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Jerry Rice to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Broncos' 28-yard-line as the next three San Francisco plays picked up nine yards to set up a 4th & 1 at the 19-yard-line when Walsh decided to go for the 1st down.

This time, Walsh's gamble would pay off as Montana handed it off to Craig, who ran for eight yards and a 1st down at the Denver 11-yard-line.

Two incomplete passes and a nine-yard run by Craig would set up 4th & 1 at the Broncos' two-yard-line when Walsh decided to send in the field goal unit to give the 49ers some points before halftime.

That is when a Broncos fan made his or her presence felt as a snowball landed right in front of holder Matt Cavanuagh just as center Randy Cross snapped the ball distracting Cananaugh just long enough to make him bobble the snap.

The former University of Pittsburgh quarterback tried to gather himself and find an open receiver but ended up throwing an incomplete pass to give the ball back to the Broncos who took over at their two-yard-line and took a knee to run out the clock in the first half with Denver on top 14-3.

After the Broncos punted on their opening possession of the second half, the 49ers got the ball at their 32-yard-line when Montana connected with Mike Wilson for a 44-yard completion to put San Francisco at the Denver 24-yard-line as Craig ran for 11 yards on the next two plays to set up Montana's 13-yard touchdown pass to Wilson to cut the Broncos' lead to 14-10 with 10:41 to go in the third quarter.

It would not take long for the 49ers to get the ball back as Elway was intercepted by Lott on the Broncos' next play from scrimmage to give San Francisco possession at the Denver 40-yard-line.

The 49ers would run the ball five straight times, picking up 34 yards until the drive stalled at the Denver six-yard-line forcing San Francisco to settle for another field goal attempt by Wersching.

This time, no snowballs were thrown as Wersching calmly made the 22-yard field goal to cut the Denver lead to one point at 14-13 with 7:28 left in the third quarter.

The Broncos would then drive 54 yards in nine plays to set up 1st & goal from the 49ers' nine-yard-line when running back Gerald Wilhite carried the ball on three straight plays picking up eight yards to bring up 4th & goal at the one-yard-line.

Denver head coach Dan Reeves decided to go for the touchdown as Elway handed the ball off to Winder, who was stopped at the line of scrimmage by Lott to keep the Broncos out of the end zone and give the ball back to San Francisco.

The 49ers would go three-and-out to punt the ball back to the Broncos, who took over at the 49ers' 45-yard-line where Elway completed a 14-yard pass to Johnson on the final play of the third quarter, which was followed by three straight incomplete passes, forcing Denver to attempt a 48-yard field goal by Rich Karlis.

Karlis' kick was long enough but wide left and no good to give the ball back to the 49ers who took over at their 31-yard-line with 14:40 left in the fourth quarter.

Both teams would trade punts until the 49ers got the ball again at their 37-yard-line with 5:30 to go in the game when Montana completed a 13-yard pass to Craig followed by a 16-yard completion to Rice to give the 49ers a 1st down at the Denver 34-yard-line.

After the next three plays picked up six yards, Wersching was called on to attempt a 45-yard field goal, which he made to give the 49ers their first lead of the game at 16-14 with 3:36 left in the game.

Following a 25-yard return by Lang on the ensuing kickoff, the Broncos took over at their 30-yard-line as the drive began with a two-yard run by Wilhite, followed by a false start penalty and an incomplete pass to bring up 3rd & 13 from the Denver 27-yard-line.

That is when Elway scrambled around in the pocket before firing a long pass intended for Watson, only for the pass to hit the right shoulder of 49ers free safety Dwight Hicks, who was defending the Denver receiver,  and fall incomplete.

However, because Hicks never turned around until the ball hit him, he was called for face guarding or pass interference, giving the Broncos a 1st down at the 49ers' 31-yard-line following the 42-yard penalty.

Two more incomplete passes would set up another 3rd down situation for the Broncos when Elway was able to dodge a safety blitz by Lott and fire a 22-yard pass to Watson to give Denver 1st & goal at the 49ers' nine-yard-line.

The Broncos would run three more plays netting only two yards before calling on Karlis to attempt the go-ahead field goal which he made from 24 yards out to give Denver a 17-16 lead with 1:27 remaining.

Rich Karlis(3) would make the game-winning field goal in the infamous "Snowball Game".

The 49ers would get one last chance as they began their next possession at their 20-yard-line but could not pick up a 1st down as the clock ran out with the Broncos on top 17-16.

While the loss to the Broncos did not keep the 49ers out of the playoffs as they finished with a 10-6 record, it did have an effect on their seeding as San Francisco finished one game back of the Rams for the NFC West division title.

If the 49ers had defeated Denver, they would have finished in a tie with the Rams and won the NFC West based on their division record which was better than Los Angeles and would allow San Francisco to earn the #2 seed and a first round bye in the NFC playoffs.

Instead, the 49ers were forced to travel to the Meadowlands where they would fall to the New York Giants 17-3 in the NFC Wild Card Game.

As for the Broncos, they would miss the playoffs despite finishing with a 11-5 record as Denver would finish one game back of the Los Angeles Raiders for the AFC West division title and would lose out on tiebreakers for a Wild Card spot to both the New York Jets and the New England Patriots.

While the "Snowball Game" did not have an significant effect on the Broncos' season, it did change their stadium policies as the organization announced that if any fan threw a snowball onto the field, they would be ejected from the stadium and possibly be banned from attending any more Broncos games.

Three days later after the incident, an anonymous fan apologized for throwing the snowball in an article that was published in the San Francisco Examiner.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Elway to Smith Hail Mary Gives Broncos Win over Redskins

 

Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith makes the game-winning touchdown catch as time expired in the Broncos' 1995 game against the Washington Redskins.

Every NFL player remembers their first career catch, but perhaps no had a better first career catch than Denver Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith when he caught made his first career NFL reception in the Broncos' game with the Washington Redskins in week 3 of the 1995 NFL season.

The Broncos entered the game with a 1-1 record under first year head coach Mike Shanahan, who had been the Broncos' offensive coordinator during two of Denver's three trips to the Super Bowl in the late 1980s.

Denver was led by future Hall-of-Fame quarterback John Elway, who was beginning his 13th season in the NFL, still looking for his first Super Bowl ring.

Little did he know, but he had a future star lining up behind in rookie running back Terrell Davis, who would soon becoming the stud running back Elway would need to capture the Vince Lombardi Trophy which had eluded throughout his career.

The Redskins also came in with a 1-1 record under second-year head coach Norv Turner, who had been the playcaller for the Dallas Cowboys' back-to-back Super Bowls in 1992 + 93 before becoming the head coach of the Redskins.

Turner hoped he had found his quarterback of the future in second-year quarterback Gus Frerotte, who had been selected in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL draft, but beat the Redskins' first round pick, Heath Shuler, for the starting job to begin the 1995 season.

To help Frerotte, the Redskins had signed running back Terry Allen in the offseason, to give Washington a strong presence in the backfield.

While many figure that Elway, Davis, Frerotte, Allen, or even Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe would have an huge impact on the week 3 game, nobody thought Smith was going to make a difference.

Smith had been signed by the Broncos after going undrafted following the 1994 NFL Draft where he did not catch a single pass during the entire season.

Smith made the team again in 1995 but was still at the bottom of the depth chart as the Broncos entered their Week 3 game against the Redskins in front of a sellout crowd at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

After the Broncos were forced to punt on their opening possession, the Redskins got the ball at their 17-yard-line from where they would drive to the Denver eight-yard-line as Frerotte completed his first four passes for 66 yards to set up 1st & goal.

However, the Broncos defense would hold as the Redskins to a field goal attempt by Eddie Murray from 30 yards out, only to have Murray's kick hit the right upright and no good to give Denver the ball back at its 20-yard-line with 6:49 to go in the first quarter.

From there, the Broncos would hold the ball for the rest of the first quarter as Denver would drive to the Washington four-yard-line where they had a 1st & goal as the second quarter began.

But the Redskins would hold Denver to just one yard on the next three plays, forcing the Broncos to settle for a 20-yard field goal by Jason Elam to give the Broncos a 3-0 lead with 13:14 left in the second quarter.

Broncos quarterback John Elway would complete 30 of 47 passes for 327 yards and throw two TDs.

The Redskins would be given good field position to begin their ensuing possession as return specialist Brian Mitchell returned the ensuing kickoff 37 yards to the Washington 43-yard-line.

Then after Allen ran for a combined 25 yards on two of the next three plays, Mitchell came in and ran for a 36-yard touchdown to give the Redskins a 7-3 lead with 10:53 to go in the second quarter.

The Broncos would take over at their 27-yard-line where after Davis picked up seven yards to start the drive, Elway connected with Rod Bernstine for a 38-yard gain to give Denver a 1st down at the Washington 28-yard-line.

Seven plays later, the Broncos were in the end zone as Bernstine punched it in from the one-yard line to give Denver a 10-7 lead with 5:54 remaining in the second quarter.

Following a Washington three-and-out, the Broncos got the ball at their 39-yard-line where they drove 61 yards in eight plays as Elway completed four of five passes for 47 yards on the drive, culminating with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Davis to increase the Denver lead to 17-7 with 1:50 left before halftime.

The Redskins would get the ball at their 23-yard-line with a chance to cut into the lead before halftime, only to have Frerotte be intercepted on the Redskins' first play from scrimmage as Broncos defensive end Dan Williams deflected the ball at the line of scrimmage, allowing for linebacker Elijah Alexander to come away with the pick and give Denver the ball at the Redskins' 30-yard-line.

After Elway threw an incomplete pass on 1st down, he connected with Davis for a 15-yard completion and a 1st down at the Washington 15-yard-line when Davis would get the ball on back-to-back plays, with the second carry going for a six-yard touchdown to increase the Broncos' lead to 24-7 with 44 seconds left in the first half.

The Redskins were probably thinking they would just take a knee to end the first half but after Mitchell returned the ensuing kickoff 38 yards to the Washington 39-yard-line, Turner decided to try and go for some points as the Redskins had all three timeouts left.

Frerotte would hit Henry Ellard for 11 yards to give Washington a 1st down at the 50-yard-line, then connected with Michael Westbrook on a 45-yard bomb to give the Redskins 1st & goal at the Denver five-yard-line with 18 seconds remaining.

Frerotte would then a five-yard touchdown pass to running back Marc Logan to cut the Broncos' lead to 24-14 with 11 seconds left in the first half as Elway would take a knee to run out the clock as the two teams went into the locker room for the halftime break with the Redskins set to get the ball to start the second half.

Starting at their 27-yard-line, the Redskins gave the ball to Allen, who ran for 12 yards to begin the second half, then was stopped for no gain to set up 2nd & 10 when Frerotte hit Logan for 18 yards, then found Ellard for 28 yards to give Washington a 1st down at the Broncos' 15-yard-line.

Allen would carry the ball on the next two plays for eight yards to set up 3rd & 2 when Frerotte found Leslie Shepherd for a seven-yard touchdown to bring the Redskins to within a field goal at 24-21 with 11:01 to go in the third quarter.

Following the ensuing kickoff, the Broncos would drive from their 21-yard-line to the Redskins' 46-yard-line until a holding penalty and a quarterback sack pushed the Broncos back 19 yards to their 35-yard-line as they were forced to punt the ball away.

That is when Mitchell struck again as he returned the ensuing punt 52 yards to the Denver 42-yard-line where the Redskins would begin their next possession.

Redskins return specialist Brian Mitchell had 290 all purpose yards as he returned five kickoffs for 188 yards, returned a punt for 52 yards, caught a pass for 14 yards, and ran for a 36-yard touchdown.

The drive started with a 22-yard run by Allen which was followed by five more runs by Allen for 12 yards plus an illegal contact penalty on the Broncos to set up a 20-yard field goal by Murray which tied the game at 24 with 2:52 left in the third quarter.

Having seen their 17-point lead disappear, the Broncos looked to respond on their next possession which began at their 22-yard-line as Elway would hit three passes in a row for 20 yards before handing it off to Aaron Carver who ran for 14 yards to give Denver a 1st down at the Washington 44-yard-line as the third quarter came to an end.

Three plays later, the Broncos were faced with a 4th & 2 at the Redskins' 36-yard-line when Shanahan decided to neglect a potential 53-yard field goal and go for the 1st down.

However, Elway's pass for Carver fell incomplete to give the Redskins the ball at their 36-yard-line with 13:30 left in the fourth quarter.

The Redskins would go three-and-out on their next drive, forcing them to punt the ball back to the Broncos who took over at their 20-yard-line.

Once again, Elway would begin the drive with three straight completions, this time totaling 33 yards to put the Broncos in Redskins territory where Davis would run for six yards to give Denver a 1st down at the Washington 41-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Broncos would be faced again with a 4th & 2 situation when again Shanahan would go for the 1st down.

This time, Shanahan's gamble was successful as Elway handed the ball off to Davis, who ran for seven yards and a 1st down at the Washington 26-yard-line.

From there, the Broncos would run the ball for the next five plays, ending with an one-yard touchdown run by Davis to give Denver a 31-24 lead with 4:53 left in the fourth quarter.

Broncos running back Terrell Davis would carry the ball 13 times for 68 yards and score two touchdowns, while catching seven passes for 61 yards and scoring another TD.

The Redskins would get another great return from Mitchell, who returned the ensuing kickoff 56 yards to give Washington the ball at the Broncos' 40-yard-line.

However, the Redskins' drive would get off to an auspicious start as Allen was dropped for a one-yard-loss on 1st down, which was followed by a quarterback sack by Broncos linebacker Keith Burns that dropped Frerotte for an eight-yard loss, setting up 3rd & 19 when Frerotte connected with Mitchell for 14 yards to set up a do-or-die 4th & 5.

That is when Frerotte found tight end Coleman Bell for six yards and a 1st down at the Broncos' 29-yard-line, which was followed by a 20-yard pass from Frerotte to Westbrook to give the Redskins a 1st & goal at the Denver nine-yard-line.

Frerotte would throw an incomplete pass on 1st down, then connected with Logan for eight yards to set up 3rd & goal from the one-yard-line when Frerotte fired a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Scott Galbraith that with the extra point tied the game at 31 with 67 seconds left in regulation.

But 67 seconds plus one timeout in his pocket was just enough time for Elway to try to pull off another late game miracle.

The Broncos would get the ball at their 20-yard-line as Elway began the drive with a seven-yard completion to Davis followed by a 19-yard completion to Ed McCaffrey for a Denver 1st down at the Broncos' 46-yard-line as Elway called timeout with 46 seconds left.

Elway would then hit Davis for four yards and then Glyn Milburn for seven yards for another Denver 1st down at the Redskins' 43-yard-line when Elway spiked the ball to stop the clock with 15 seconds left.

But when Elway threw back-to-back incomplete passes, the Broncos were faced with a 4th & 10 at the Washington 43-yard-line with six seconds left.

Shanahan could have sent Elam to attempt a potential 60-yard field goal but he decided to go for the touchdown even though Sharpe, Bernstine, and Anthony Miller all were out of the game.

Enter Smith, who was sent in the game and lined up as the lone receiver on the left side where he would be covered by future Hall-of-Fame cornerback Darrell Green.

Lined up in the shotgun, Elway took the snap and evaded the Redskins' pass rush to step up in the pocket and fire a pass from the Denver 45-yard-line toward the end zone looking for Smith.

With Green on his back, Smith leapt up at the goal line to make the catch and then fell into the end zone as time expired for the 43-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a incredible 38-31 win.

The Redskins would end up finishing with a 6-10 record, giving them their third straight losing season while the Broncos would go on to finish with a 8-8 record.

However, the groundwork was set for the Broncos to future success as Denver would go 39-9 over the next three regular seasons and win back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 + 98 with Davis as the catalyst as he would rush for over 1,500 yards those three seasons to help give Elway the Super Bowl rings he had been searching for his career.

As for Smith, he pretty much spent the rest of the 1995 season on the bench as he would catch only five more passes for 109 yards but would break out in 1997 as he would catch 70 passes for 1,180 yards and 12 touchdowns as he would go to a fantastic 12-year career, spending all 12 seasons with the Broncos, and finishing with 849 receptions for 11, 389 yards and 65 touchdowns, where he currently ranks first all-time in all three categories in Denver Broncos history.

NFL Old School Game of the Week: Elway Throws 2 TD Passes in Last 2 Minutes For Comeback Win over Chiefs

John Elway would pull another rabbit out of his hat as he brought the Broncos back from a two-touchdown deficit to defeat the Chiefs in Week 5 of the 1992 NFL season.

Hall-of-Fame quarterback John Elway is known as one of the greatest clutch quarterbacks in NFL history as he lead the Denver Broncos to 46 game-winning drives in the final minutes of the game and 35 4th quarter comebacks.
One of Elway's favorite teams to torment were the Kansas City Chiefs in which he lead the Broncos to six 4th quarter comeback wins.
One of his most famous came in Week 5 of the 1992 NFL season in a showdown for 1st place in the AFC West.
The Broncos entered the game with a 3-1 record and were hoping to get back to the Super Bowl, one year after losing to the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game.
Led by head coach Dan Reeves and with Elway in his prime, the Broncos were Super Bowl contenders entering the 1992 season.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs entered the contest with the Broncos with an identical 3-1 record.
Under head coach Marty Schottenheimer, the Chiefs had experience an renaissance of winning as Marty had lead the Chiefs to three straight winning seasons and back-to-back playoff berths after nearly two decades of mediocrity as the Chiefs had only two winning seasons and one playoff berth between the years 1974 and 1988.
After both teams punted on their opening possessions of the game, the Broncos got the ball at their 12-yard-line and were able to drive to the Kansas City 36-yard-line thanks to Elway's right arm as he completed three passes for 29 yards and ran it once for six yards.
But a false start penalty and three straight incomplete passes forced the Broncos to punt the ball back to the Chiefs, who took over pinned back at their six-yard-line.
The Chiefs were able to drive to midfield when Krieg threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Willie Davis to put Kansas City on the scoreboard as the Chiefs took a 7-0 lead with 12:12 left in the second quarter.
Following the Chiefs touchdown, the Broncos took over at their 17-yard-line and put together a 12-play, 60-yard drive which saw Elway complete three of four passes for 34 yards and running backs Gary Green and Reggie Rivers combining for 24 yards on four runs.
The drive was capped off with a 41-yard field goal by David Treadwell to cut the Chiefs' lead to 7-3 with 5:10 left in the first half.
After an exchange of punts, the Chiefs took over at their 22-yard-line with 1:25 left before halftime and two timeouts in their pocket.
A 34-yard pass interference penalty on Broncos strong safety Dennis Smith put the Chiefs at the Broncos' 23-yard-line with 45 seconds to go.
But after a false start penalty and a sack of Krieg would force the Chiefs to settle for a 44-yard field goal by Nick Lowery as time expired in the first half to give the Chiefs a 10-3 lead after 30 minutes of play.

Chiefs quarterback Dave Krieg completed 22 of 31 passes for 301 yards and throw one touchdown pass.

The Chiefs got the ball at their 20-yard-line to start the second half but it took them just three plays to get to the Broncos' 22-yard-line as Krieg hit Davis for 23 yards to start the drive which was followed by a one-yard run by Barry Word and then a 19-yard pass from Krieg to J.J. Birden that became a 34-yard play when Dennis Smith was called for a late hit on the play.
It appeared that the Chiefs were going to have a 1st & goal at the Denver five-yard-line after Krieg threw a 17-yard pass to Birden, but offsetting holding penalties on both teams negated the play, meaning the Chiefs had to replay 1st & 10 at the 22-yard-line.
From there, the Chiefs would only gain four more yards, forcing them to call on Lowery again to kick a 36-yard field goal, which he made to increase the Kansas City lead to 10-3 with 11:19 left in the third quarter.
The Broncos got the ball at their 20-yard-line for their next drive and after two straight incomplete passes to begin the drive, Elway would connect with Arthur Marshall for 21 yards and a 1st down, which was followed up by a 48-yard pass to tight end Reggie Johnson which put Denver at the Kansas City 11-yard-line.
But the Chiefs defense stiffened and forced the Broncos to settle for another field goal, a 22-yarder to Treadwell which cut Kansas City's lead to 13-6 with 7:51 left in the third quarter.
The Chiefs would begin their next drive again from the 20-yard-line and behind the right arm of Krieg were able to drive to the Broncos' 26-yard-line as Krieg completed four passes to four different receiver for a total of 53 yards.
But after two straight running plays netted no yards and a quarterback sack by Broncos linebacker Karl Mecklenberg, Lowery was called on again to kick another field goal, this one from 49 yards out.
This time, Lowery could not come through as his kick sailed wide right, keeping the score 13-6 and giving the ball to the Broncos at their 31-yard-line.
On the first play of the drive, Elway hit tight end Shannon Sharpe for 48 yards to give the Broncos a 1st down at the Chiefs' 21-yard-line, only to have Elway get sacked on the next play by Chiefs defensive end Neil Smith for a nine-yard loss.
The Broncos would be forced to settle for a 36-yard field goal attempt by Treadwell, which sailed wide left, only to have Kansas City be called for running into the kicker, drawing a five-yard penalty and giving Treadwell a second shot at making a 13-9 game as he attempted a 31-yard field goal.
But Chiefs nose tackle Dan Saleaumua blocked the kick which was picked up by Chiefs cornerback Albert Lewis whose 12-yard return gave Kansas City the ball at their 31-yard-line just 19 seconds into the 4th quarter with Kansas City still hanging on to a 13-6 lead.

Chiefs kicker Nick Lowery would account for 13 of the Chiefs' 19 points with four field goals and an extra point.

The Chiefs' next drive got off to an auspicious start as a holding penalty pushed them back 10 yards but on 2nd & 14 from the Kansas City 25-yard-line, Krieg hit running back Barry Word for a 14-yard pass play that got 15 yards added on to after Mecklenberg was called for roughing the passer giving the Chiefs a 1st down at the Broncos' 44-yard-line.

Three plays later, the Chiefs were faced with a 4th & 1 situation at the Broncos' 35-yard-line when Schottenheimer decided to go for the 1st down, instead of attempting a 52-yard field goal.
Christian Okoye got the one yard needed for the 1st down and after a 16-yard pass from Krieg to Davis on 3rd & 3, the Chiefs had a 1st down at the Broncos' 11-yard-line.
But like they had for most of the game, the Denver defense bended but did not break as they held the Chiefs to just two more yards and forced them to call on Lowery to kick a 26-yard field goal, which he made to make it a two-score game at 16-6 with 6:16 to go in the game.
It appeared the Broncos on their way to defeat when on the next play from scrimmage, Elway was sacked by Smith for the third time in the game, this time forcing a fumble that was recovered by Smith to give the ball to Chiefs offense at the Broncos 16-yard-line with a chance to put the game away with a touchdown.
However, the Chiefs could only pick up one yard, forcing them to call on Lowery again, who made a 33-yard field goal to increase the Kansas City lead to 19-6 with exactly 5 minutes to play.
Despite the two-touchdown lead, the Chiefs knew the game wasn't over, especially with Elway on the other side.
But a two-touchdown deficit with five minutes to go seem like an impossible task, even for Elway.
If the Broncos were to win, they would need a touchdown as quickly as possible as they took over at their 20-yard-line.
Going to a no-huddle offense, Elway began the drive with a eight-yard pass to Sharpe, followed by an incomplete pass, then a four-yard pass to Sharpe for a 1st down at the Denver 32-yard-line.
After another incomplete pass, Elway would hit Mark Jackson for back-to-back passes totaling 14 yards and another 1st down at the Denver 46-yard-line.
Elway would go back to Sharpe for a nine-yard pass on the next play from scrimmage then after an incomplete pass, the Broncos crossed up the Chiefs with a draw play to Rivers, who picked up eight yards for a Broncos 1st down at the Chiefs' 37-yard-line.
Elway connected with Sharpe again for nine more yards, then hit Jackson for eight yards for a 1st down at the Kansas City 20-yard-line.
Elway would threw an incomplete pass on 1st down then would get sacked by Chiefs defensive end Leonard Griffin forcing a 3rd & 15 situation as the two-minute warning hit.
That is when Elway lofted a pass down the right sideline that was caught by Jackson for a 25-yard touchdown which with Treadwell's extra point cut the Chiefs' lead to 19-13 with 1:55 left in the game.

Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe would be Elway's favorite target in the game with nine catches for 118 yards.

Expecting an onside kick, the Chiefs were surprised when kicker Brad Daluiso kicked it deep which was received by Dexter Carter who only returned it five yards to the Kansas City five-yard-line with 1:50 left.
The Chiefs needed just one 1st down to put the game away and seemed in good position to get that 1st down after two straight runs by Word picked up seven yards setting up a 3rd & 3 situation.
But a false start penalty and a run by Word that not only gained zero yardage, but stopped the clock as Word was shoved out of bounds, lead to the Chiefs punting the ball back to the Broncos from their seven-yard-line.
Bryan Barker got off a 48-yard punt but Marshall would return the kick 28 yards to the Kansas City 27-yard-line with 1:17 left and one timeout in the Broncos' pocket.
Elway would hit Marshall for 11 yards on 1st down, then hit Marshall again for four yards leading him to burn the Broncos' last timeout with 43 seconds left as Denver faced a 2nd & 6 from the Chiefs' 12-yard-line.
That is when Elway fired a pass for the right corner of the end zone that was caught by Vance Johnson for his first and only catch of the game, a 12-yard touchdown that  sent the crowd at Denver's Mile High Stadium into a frenzy.
With Treadwell's extra point, the Broncos had a 20-19 lead with 38 seconds to go.
The Chiefs took over at their 20-yard-line, hoping to drive far enough to call on Lowery to attempt a game-winning field goal.
The drive got off to a great start as Krieg hit Davis for 30 yards on the first play of the drive to give the Chiefs a 1st down at midfield.
However, Krieg would threw straight incomplete passes forcing a do-or-die 4th down & 10.
Krieg would complete the 4th down pass to Birden, but only for six yards, forcing the Chiefs to give the ball back to the Broncos, who took one knee to run out the clock and come away with the 20-19 win.
It seemed that the comeback win over the Chiefs would spark the Broncos to another AFC West title as they were in 1st place after 11 weeks of the season with a 7-3 record.
But a four-game losing streak and then a Week 17 loss to the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium, would not only keep the Broncos out of the playoffs with a 8-8 record, it ended the Dan Reeves era in Denver as he was fired in the offseason after 12 years as the Broncos head coach.
Like I wrote above, the Chiefs would get revenge in Week 17 by blowing the Broncos out 42-20 to earn a Wild Card spot with a 10-6 record, only for Kansas City to lose in the Wild Card to the AFC West champion San Diego Chargers 17-0.
Elway would remain in Denver for six more years, eventually ending his 16-year career with back-to-back Super Bowl wins.
Ironically in his final season, Elway would direct one more 4th quarter comeback win over the Chiefs, leading the Broncos from a 10-point 4th quarter deficit and to a 35-31 win as he hit Shannon Sharpe for the game-winning touchdown in what would be his 35th and final 4th quarter comeback win.
Below, are highlights of the 1992 Chiefs-Broncos game: