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 01The Broncos began play in 1960 as a charter member of which league?
The AFL
They won the very first AFL game but went 39–97–4 over the league's ten seasons and never had a winning year in it.
Q 02Which team did the Broncos beat 13–10 on September 9, 1960, in the first game in AFL history?
Boston Patriots
Seven years later they became the first AFL team to beat an NFL side, edging Detroit 13–7 in a preseason game.
Q 03What notoriously ugly feature did the Broncos' original 1960 uniforms include?
Vertically striped socks
The mustard-yellow-and-brown kit was so despised that the socks were later burned at a public bonfire.
Q 04Which running back, 'the Franchise', is credited with keeping the team in Denver after signing in 1967?
Floyd Little
The Syracuse star was the first first-round pick to sign with the AFL Broncos and is now in the Hall of Fame; his 44 is one of three retired numbers.
Q 05What was the nickname of the Broncos defense that carried them to Super Bowl XII in 1977?
The Orange Crush
It shared its name with the soft drink; the team went 12–2 before losing 27–10 in the Super Bowl.
Q 06Who beat the Broncos 27–10 in Super Bowl XII, their first Super Bowl appearance?
Dallas Cowboys
Denver had reached the game by beating the defending champion Raiders in the AFC title game, igniting that rivalry in its modern form.
Q 07John Elway refused to play for which team that drafted him first overall in 1983?
Baltimore Colts
He threatened to play centre field for the New York Yankees instead; before him the Broncos had used over 24 starting quarterbacks in 23 seasons.
Q 08The head coach the Broncos hired in 1981 became the NFL's youngest ever. How old was he?
37
He and Elway reached three Super Bowls together but fell out over play-calling and the drafting of Tommy Maddox; the coach was fired after 1992.
Q 09How far did Elway drive the Broncos to tie the 1986 AFC Championship Game in Cleveland?
98 yards
Fifteen plays in five minutes and two seconds; Denver then won 23–20 in overtime, and did it to the Browns again the next year via 'The Fumble'.
Q 10Who beat the Broncos 55–10 in Super Bowl XXIV, the most lopsided Super Bowl ever?
San Francisco 49ers
It was the third Super Bowl defeat in four years, after 39–20 to the Giants and 42–10 to Washington.
Q 11Which coach, Elway's former offensive coordinator, returned in 1995 and led the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowls?
Mike Shanahan
He was fired after 14 seasons in 2008 as the longest-tenured and most successful coach in franchise history.
Q 12Terrell Davis, MVP of Super Bowl XXXII, was drafted in which round in 1995?
Sixth
The 196th pick out of Georgia ran for 157 yards and a Super Bowl-record three touchdowns against Green Bay while fighting a migraine that blurred his vision.
Q 13Which defending champion did the Broncos beat 31–24 in Super Bowl XXXII for their first title?
Green Bay Packers
Elway completed just 13 of 22 passes but famously helicoptered for a first down; Davis scored three touchdowns.
Q 21The Broncos signed Peyton Manning in March 2012 to a contract worth how much over five years?
$96 million
He had missed all of 2011 with neck problems; Denver promptly traded Tebow to the Jets.
Q 22How many points did the 2013 Broncos score, an NFL single-season record?
606
They also set the passing-yards record with 5,572; Manning threw 55 touchdowns, then were routed 43–8 by Seattle in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Q 23Peyton Manning's 2013 season set a record for touchdown passes. How many?
55
He also threw for a record 5,477 yards; both marks came in a season that ended with a fifth MVP award.
Q 14Lifting the Lombardi Trophy after Super Bowl XXXII, owner Pat Bowlen said what?
This one's for John!
It saluted Elway's long wait; Bowlen, who bought the team in 1984, entered the Hall of Fame in 2019 after ceding control during his battle with Alzheimer's.
Q 15Terrell Davis joined an exclusive club in 1998 by doing what?
Rushing for over 2,000 yards in a season
He was only the fourth player to do it; a knee injury the next year effectively ended his peak.
Q 16In Super Bowl XXXIII the Broncos beat the Falcons 34–19. Who was Atlanta's head coach that day?
Dan Reeves
Elway's old boss; Elway was MVP with 336 yards and an 80-yard touchdown to Rod Smith, then retired.
Q 17The Broncos were later punished for what relating to their 1996–98 seasons?
Circumventing the salary cap
They had deferred money to Elway and Davis outside the cap; the league took third-round picks in 2002 and 2005 and fined them nearly $2 million.
Q 18Which defending champion did the Broncos beat 27–13 in the 2005 playoffs?
New England Patriots
They were the first team to beat the Patriots in a Brady-era playoff game, then lost the AFC title game at home to Pittsburgh.
Q 19Which head coach's tenure (2009–10) ended amid a videotaping scandal and a franchise-record 4–12 season?
Josh McDaniels
He had traded Jay Cutler for Kyle Orton and started 6–0 in 2009; interim coach Eric Studesville then handed the ball to Tim Tebow.
Q 20Tim Tebow's 80-yard overtime touchdown pass to beat the Steelers in the 2011 playoffs went to whom?
Demaryius Thomas
It came on the first snap of overtime and set a record for the longest overtime play from scrimmage; Tebow threw for exactly 316 yards.
Q 24Which team did the Broncos beat 24–10 in Super Bowl 50?
Carolina Panthers
Wade Phillips's defense carried a fading Manning to a third ring in his final game; he retired that March.
Q 25Who was named MVP of Super Bowl 50?
Von Miller
The linebacker forced two fumbles that led to both Denver touchdowns; he was traded to the Rams in 2021 as the last non-specialist left from that roster.
Q 26Which former Elway backup coached the Broncos to Super Bowl 50, then retired for health reasons?
Gary Kubiak
He had been the offensive coordinator for the two 1990s titles; Vance Joseph followed and went 11–21.
Q 27How much did the Walton-Penner group agree to pay for the Broncos in June 2022?
$4.65 billion
The consortium includes Condoleezza Rice and Mellody Hobson; Greg Penner runs the club day to day.
Q 28Which Formula One driver is a minority partner in the Broncos' ownership group?
Lewis Hamilton
Rob Walton, the former Walmart chairman, leads the group; his son-in-law Greg Penner is CEO.
Q 29Releasing Russell Wilson in 2024 left the Broncos with how much dead-cap money, an NFL record?
$85 million
They had sent two firsts, two seconds and three players to Seattle for him two years earlier.
Q 30Which head coach was fired at 4–11 on Boxing Day 2022, before finishing his first season?
Nathaniel Hackett
A 51–14 Christmas Day loss to the Rams was the final straw; Sean Payton took over for 2023.