The Broncos–Patriots rivalry is a

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL)

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant ...

between the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

and New England Patriots (known as the Boston Patriots until 1971). Nowadays, the two teams do not play every year due to them playing in different intraconference divisions – Denver in the

AFC West The American Football Conference – Western Division or AFC West is one of the four divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). The division comprises the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las ...

and New England in the AFC East; instead, they play at least once every three years and at least once every six seasons at each team's home stadium when their divisions are paired up, sometimes more often if they meet in the playoffs, or if the two teams finish in the same place in their respective divisions.

History

The Broncos and Patriots met twice annually during the American Football League (AFL) years from 1960 to 1969 (with the exception of 1967 and 1969), and played in the first-ever AFL game on September 9, 1960. Since , the two teams have met frequently during the regular season, including nine consecutive seasons from 1995 to 2003. As of the end of the season, the two teams have met in the playoffs five times, with the Broncos owning a 4–1 record. The teams' postseason meeting in the 1986 AFC Divisional playoffs was John Elway's first career playoff win, while the teams' second postseason meeting in the 2005 AFC Divisional playoffs was the Broncos' first playoff win since Elway's retirement after the

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

season. The game was also notable for

Champ Bailey Roland "Champ" Bailey Jr. (born June 22, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, where he earned consensus All-Am ...

's 100-yard interception that resulted in a touchdown-saving tackle by

Benjamin Watson Benjamin Seth Watson (born December 18, 1980) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the New England Patriots 32nd overall in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft and won Super Bowl XXXIX with the Patriots over the Philadel ...

at the 1-yard line, although the Broncos would eventually score the touchdown shortly thereafter. This victory for the Broncos resulted in handing

Tom Brady Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. (born August 3, 1977) is an American football quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He spent his first 20 seasons with the New England Patriots organization, with which ...

his first ever postseason loss as a starting quarterback after beginning his postseason career 10–0, while also ending the longest postseason winning streak in NFL history, which is ten games. On October 11, 2009, the two teams met with former Patriots' offensive coordinator,

Josh McDaniels Joshua Thomas McDaniels (born April 22, 1976) is an American football head coach for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL career in 2001 with the New England Patriots, where he served as the offensive coo ...

as the Broncos'

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

. Both teams wore their

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

50th anniversary jerseys. The game featured a 98-yard drive in the fourth quarter, with a game-tying touchdown pass from

Kyle Orton Kyle Raymond Orton (born November 14, 1982) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for Purdue, where he started four straight bowl games. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Dr ...

Brandon Marshall Brandon Tyrone Marshall (born March 23, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was drafted by ...

, followed by an overtime drive led by Orton that resulted in a 41-yard game-winning field goal by

Matt Prater Matthew Phillip Prater (born August 10, 1984) is an American football placekicker for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Regarded as one of the best long distance kickers in NFL history, he held the NFL record for lon ...

. The two teams met in the 2011 AFC Divisional playoffs, with the Patriots blowing out Tim Tebow and the Broncos by a score of 45–10. The Broncos' rivalry with the Patriots later intensified when longtime Indianapolis Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning became the Broncos' starting

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

from 2012 to 2015. Manning and Patriots' quarterback

maintained a legendary

from until Manning's retirement after the season. Though Brady dominated Manning in regular season play, winning nine of twelve meetings (which includes winning all three meetings as a member of the Broncos), Manning won three of five playoff meetings and 3 of 4 AFC Championship Games (which includes going 2–0 in AFC Championship Games as a member of the Broncos), the last of which was a Broncos' 20–18 win in the 2015 AFC Championship Game. Since Manning's retirement, the teams have met four times, with the road team winning each time. New England won 16–3 in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

, 41–16 in

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, and 26–23 in

2023 Events Predicted and scheduled events * January 1 ** In the United States, books, films, and other works published in 1927 will enter the public domain, assuming there are no changes made to copyright law. ** Croatia will adopt the eu ...

. Meanwhile, the Broncos pulled off an 18–12 road upset in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

. The 2020 game was notable as it was the first Broncos–Patriots meeting since

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...

that Tom Brady was not the Patriots QB, as he signed with the

Buccaneers Buccaneers were a kind of privateers or free sailors particular to the Caribbean Sea during the 17th and 18th centuries. First established on northern Hispaniola as early as 1625, their heyday was from the Restoration in 1660 until about 1688 ...

after the 2019 season. In the 2020 matchup, Broncos starting QB

Drew Lock Andrew Stephen Lock (born November 10, 1996) is an American football quarterback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri and was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the second round ...

became the youngest QB ever to defeat

Bill Belichick William Stephen Belichick (; born April 16, 1952) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). Additionally, he exercises extensive authority over the Patri ...

Gillette Stadium Gillette Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium located in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is southwest of downtown Boston. It serves as the home stadium and administrative offices for both the New England Patriots of the National Foot ...

, as well as only the second QB ever to throw multiple interceptions in a road game against Belichick's Patriots and win the game.

Game results

All-time results , - ,

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Jan ...

, style=", , style=", Broncos
31–24 , style=", Broncos
13–10 , Broncos
2–0 , First meeting in the series is played at

Nickerson Field Nickerson Field is an outdoor athletic stadium in the Northeastern United States, on the campus of Boston University (BU) in Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium is owned by BU, and is the home field for some Boston University Terriers athletics pr ...

in Boston. Broncos placed in AFL Western Division and the Patriots are placed in the AFL Eastern Division. , - ,

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

, style=", , style=", Patriots
28–24 , style=", Patriots
45–17 , Tie
2–2 , , - ,

1962 Events January * January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand. * January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism. * January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wor ...

, style=", , style=", Patriots
33–29 , style=", Patriots
41–16 , Patriots
4–2 , , - ,

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

, Tie 1–1 , style=", Broncos
14–10 , style=", Patriots
40–21 , Patriots
5–3 , Patriots lose 1963 AFL Championship. , - ,

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

, style=", , style=", Patriots
39–10 , style=", Patriots
12–7 , Patriots
7–3 , , - , 1965 , Tie 1–1 , style=", Patriots
28–20 , style=", Broncos
27–10 , Patriots
8–4 , , - , 1966 , Tie 1–1 , style=", Patriots
24–10 , style=", Broncos
17–10 , Patriots
9–5 , , - ,

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

, style=", , style=", Broncos
26–21 , ''no game'' , Patriots
9–6 , , - ,

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

, Tie 1–1 , style=", Patriots
20–17 , style=", Broncos
35–14 , Patriots
10–7 , , - ,

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

, style=", , style=", Broncos
35–7 , ''no game'' , Patriots
10–8 , , - , - , , style=", Broncos
45–21 ,

Mile High Stadium Mile High Stadium (originally Bears Stadium until 1968) was an outdoor multi-purpose stadium located in Denver, Colorado from 1948 to 2001. The stadium was built in 1948 to accommodate the Denver Bears baseball team, which was a member of the ...

, Patriots
10–9 , First meeting since the AFL–NFL merger. First meeting in the series in which the Patriots played as the New England Patriots. , - , , style=", Patriots
38–14 ,

Schaefer Stadium Foxboro Stadium, originally Schaefer Stadium and later Sullivan Stadium, was an outdoor stadium in the New England region of the United States, located in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It opened in 1971 and served as the home of the New England Pa ...

, Patriots
11–9 , , - , , style=", Broncos
45–10 , Mile High Stadium , Patriots
11–10 , , - , - , , style=", Patriots
23–14 , Schaefer Stadium , Patriots
12–10 , , - , , style=", Broncos
26–19 , Mile High Stadium , Patriots
12–11 , , - , , style=", Broncos
27–20 , Mile High Stadium , Tie
12–12 , , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 1986 Playoffs , style=", Broncos
22–17 , Mile High Stadium , Broncos
13–12 , AFC Divisional Round. First postseason meeting in the series. Broncos lose Super Bowl XXI. , - , , style=", Broncos
31–20 , Mile High Stadium , Broncos
14–12 , Broncos lose Super Bowl XXII. , - , , style=", Broncos
21–10 , Mile High Stadium , Broncos
15–12 , Home team wins ten straight meetings. , - , - , rowspan="2", , style=", Broncos
9–6 , Foxboro Stadium , rowspan="2", Broncos
17–12 , , - , style=", Broncos
20–3 , Mile High Stadium , Marks the only time since the AFL–NFL merger that both teams have met twice in the regular season. , - , , style=", Broncos
37–3 , Foxboro Stadium , Broncos
18–12 , , - , , style=", Broncos
34–8 , Foxboro Stadium , Broncos
19–12 , Patriots lose Super Bowl XXXI. , - , , style=", Broncos
34–13 , Mile High Stadium , Broncos
20–12 , Broncos win Super Bowl XXXII. , - , , style=", Broncos
27–21 , Mile High Stadium , Broncos
21–12 , Broncos win 11 consecutive meetings. Broncos also win 11 consecutive home meetings. Broncos win

Super Bowl XXXIII Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos (who were also defending their Super Bowl XXXII championship) and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Atlan ...

. , - , , style=", Patriots
24–23 , Foxboro Stadium , Broncos
21–13 , Last meeting at Foxboro Stadium. , - , - , , style=", Patriots
28–19 , Mile High Stadium , Broncos
21–14 , Last meeting at Mile High Stadium. First time the Patriots win in Denver since 1968. , - , , style=", Broncos
31–20 ,

Invesco Field at Mile High Empower Field at Mile High (previously known as Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Invesco Field at Mile High and Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and commonly known as Mile High, New Mile High or Mile High Stadium) is an American football stadium ...

, Broncos
22–14 , First meeting at Empower Field at Mile High (previously named Invesco Field at Mile High, Sports Authority Field at Mile High, and Broncos Stadium). First start for

in the series. Patriots win

Super Bowl XXXVI Super Bowl XXXVI was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...

. , - , , style=", Broncos
24–16 ,

, Broncos
23–14 , First meeting at Gillette Stadium. , - , , style=", Patriots
30–26 , Invesco Field at Mile High , Broncos
23–15 , Down 24–23 and punting from their own 1-yard line with just under 3 minutes remaining in regulation, the Patriots elected to take an intentional safety to increase the Broncos lead to 26–23 but to take the free kick from their own 20-yard line in an attempt to get a defensive stop and better field position. The strategy worked as the Patriots forced a three-and-out and began their eventual game-winning drive beyond their own 40-yard line with just over 2 minutes remaining. Patriots'

David Givens David Lamar Givens (born August 16, 1980) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Notre ...

scored the touchdown with 30 seconds remaining. Patriots win Super Bowl XXXVIII. , - , , style=", Broncos
28–20 , Invesco Field at Mile High , Broncos
24–15 , , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2005 Playoffs , style=", Broncos
27–13 , Invesco Field at Mile High , Broncos
25–15 , AFC Divisional Round. Broncos hand

his first ever postseason loss after starting 10–0. , - , , style=", Broncos
17–7 , Gillette Stadium , Broncos
26–15 , , - , , style=", Patriots
41–7 , Gillette Stadium , Broncos
26–16 , , - , , style=", Broncos
20–17 , Invesco Field at Mile High , Broncos
27–16 , , - , - , , style=", Patriots
41–23 , Sports Authority Field at Mile High , Broncos
27–17 , Patriots lose Super Bowl XLVI. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2011 Playoffs , style=", Patriots
45–10 , Gillette Stadium , Broncos
27–18 , AFC Divisional Round.

throws postseason record 5 TD's as the Patriots advance. , - , , style=", Patriots
31–21 , Gillette Stadium , Broncos
27–19 , First meeting of the

Tom Brady–Peyton Manning rivalry The Tom Brady–Peyton Manning rivalry was a series of games that took place between 2001 and 2015 involving two quarterbacks in the National Football League (NFL): Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. It is considered by many to be the greatest indiv ...

in which Peyton Manning is the Broncos' QB. , - , , style=", Patriots
, Gillette Stadium , Broncos
27–20 , Patriots overcome 24–0 deficit in their overtime victory. Broncos lose

Super Bowl XLVIII Super Bowl XLVIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos and National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for th ...

. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2013 Playoffs , style=", Broncos
26–16 , Sports Authority Field at Mile High , Broncos
28–20 , AFC Championship Game. , - , , style=", Patriots
43–21 , Gillette Stadium , Broncos
28–21 , Patriots win

Super Bowl XLIX Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champions of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New England Patriots defeated the National Football Conf ...

. , - , , style=", Broncos
, Sports Authority Field at Mile High , Broncos
29–21 , Broncos hand the 10–0 Patriots their first loss of the season. Only meeting from 2012–2015 that Peyton Manning did not start as the Broncos' quarterback in the series. Broncos win

Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) cha ...

. , - style="background:#f2f2f2; font-weight:bold;" , 2015 Playoffs , style=", Broncos
20–18 , Sports Authority Field at Mile High , Broncos
30–21 , AFC Championship Game. Broncos get defensive stop on a game-tying two-point conversion attempt by the Patriots with 13 seconds remaining in regulation after

Stephen Gostkowski Stephen Carroll Gostkowski ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American football former placekicker who played for 15 years in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots. He was selected in the fourth round of th ...

missed a critical extra point early in the game. Last meeting in the

. , - , , style=", Patriots
16–3 , Sports Authority Field at Mile High , Broncos
30–22 , Patriots win

Super Bowl LI Super Bowl LI was an American football game played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 5, 2017, to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2016 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion New ...

. , - , , style=", Patriots
41–16 , Sports Authority Field at Mile High , Broncos
30–23 , Last start for

in the series. Patriots lose

Super Bowl LII Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the American Football Conferen ...

. , - , - , , style=", Broncos
18–12 , Gillette Stadium , Broncos
31–23 , , - , , style=", Patriots
26–23 , Empower Field at Mile High , Broncos
31–24 ,

's final win as Patriots head coach. Russell Wilson was benched three days after the game. , - , - , AFL regular season , style=", , Patriots 6–4 , Tie 4–4 , , - , NFL regular season , style=", , Broncos 13–6 , Patriots 7–6 , , - , AFL and NFL regular season , style=", , Broncos 17–12 , Patriots 11–10 , , - , Postseason , style=", , Broncos 4–0 , Patriots 1–0 , AFC Divisional playoffs: 1986, 2005, 2011. AFC Championship Game: 2013, 2015. , - , Regular and postseason , style=", , Broncos 21–12 , Patriots 12–10 , , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Broncos-Patriots rivalry Denver Broncos New England Patriots NFL rivalries New England Patriots rivalries Denver Broncos rivalries