document_title: The Flash (season 4)

question_text: when does the flash season 4 episode 3 air

text: The Flash (season 4)

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original air date
Prod.
code
U.S. viewers
(millions)

70
1
"The Flash Reborn"
Glen Winter
Story by : Andrew Kreisberg
Teleplay by : Todd Helbing & Eric Wallace
October 10, 2017 (2017-10-10)
T27.13401
2.84[1]

Iris has been aiding Team Flash in Central City for six months, but refusing to grieve Barry. A flying Samurai with superpowers appears in Central City, threatening to destroy the city if the real Flash does not face him. Cisco reveals he has formulated a way to bring back Barry without destabilizing the Speed Force, and tracks down Caitlin for help. Against Iris' direction, Team Flash successfully returns Barry, who appears rambling random statements and continually writing symbols on walls. Wally engages the Samurai, but is defeated. Cisco deciphers Barry's writings and finds an apparently meaningless sentence. In an attempt to recover Barry's memories, Iris gives herself up to the Samurai. The plan works and Barry speeds away, rescuing Iris and defeating the Samurai, who is revealed to be a robot. Caitlin rejoins Team Flash, but is revealed to have been working for a mobster called Amunet at the bar, while also continuing to prevent the Killer Frost personality from emerging. The "Samuroid" is revealed to have been controlled by the Thinker, whose plan was to draw out the Flash for his next schemes.

71
2
"Mixed Signals"
Alexandra La Roche
Jonathan Butler & Gabriel Garza
October 17, 2017 (2017-10-17)
T27.13402
2.54[2]

When Barry, Joe, and Cisco report to a crime scene, they discover remnants of a mysterious code. Cisco presents Barry with a technologically advanced suit, intended to facilitate his activities. He tests it out, trying to save someone from a haywire car, caused by metahuman Ramsey Deacon. Gypsy arrives on Earth-1 for a date with Cisco, who is forced to cancel it so as to focus on Deacon. Acting on a suggestion from Caitlin, Iris signs her and Barry up for couples therapy to sort out their relationship. Deacon kidnaps a witness, who was previously a member of a tech team who sold him out of his idea. Barry and Wally go to save him, but Deacon uses his abilities to send Barry's suit haywire. On Iris's instructions, Barry throws lightning at himself, shorting out his suit. He then incapacitates Deacon, who is locked up in the meta wing of Iron Heights, revealed to be part of the Thinker's plan. Cisco finally goes out with Gypsy. Wondering how Deacon gained his powers being absent during the particle accelerator incident, Barry and Joe learn from Deacon that there are "others".

72
3
"Luck Be a Lady"
Armen V. Kevorkian
Sam Chalsen & Judalina Neira
October 24, 2017 (2017-10-24)
T27.13403
2.62[3]

In flashbacks, the Thinker observes Becky Sharpe, a woman with seemingly unending bad luck, and determines that she will be easily manipulated. In the present, Becky robs a bank, and gets away when Barry slips on marbles. Harry arrives from Earth-2, and tells Wally that Jesse has decided to break up in order to focus on her vigilantism. Cisco deduces that Becky is a metahuman with the power of favorable luck while inducing misfortune to others. Barry realizes that the portal he used to escape the Speed Force exposed an entire busload of people, including Becky and Deacon, to transformative dark matter. Harry informs Cisco that Jesse has expelled him from her crime-fighting team due to his attitude. Becky's powers expand out of control, reactivating the particle accelerator, which Harry deliberately allows, nullifying Becky's powers and leading to her incarceration. Cisco and Harry identify twelve new metahumans created on the bus, and the latter suspects that an unknown party has manipulated events surrounding Barry's return. Wally decides to leave on a journey to find himself. The Thinker is revealed to be spying on S.T.A.R. Labs through the "Samuroid" helmet. Joe learns Cecile is pregnant.

73
4
"Elongated Journey Into Night"
Tom Cavanagh
Sterling Gates & Thomas Pound
October 31, 2017 (2017-10-31)
T27.13404
1.99[4]

Gypsy's father, Breacher, attacks Cisco, vowing to hunt and kill him in 24 hours, allowing the romance should he survive. Team Flash learns that the bus driver was murdered and tracks down another passenger, Ralph Dibny, former corrupt CCPD detective exposed by Barry and currently an infamous private investigator. As two thugs attack Dibny, he is revealed to have the power to stretch. Caitlin stabilizes his powers with a serum. The team learns that Ralph has been blackmailing Mayor Bellows for adultery, with the latter revealed to have hired the thugs. Barry confronts Ralph for his actions while the latter scolds him, claiming to have been a "good cop". He later stops blackmailing Bellows, who still attempts to kill him while Breacher mistakes the former for a Plastoid, the species that invaded Earth-19 previously, and attacks him. Cisco intervenes and saves Ralph, whom Barry, having revealed his alter-ego, convinces to help arrest an escaping Bellows. Admiring Cisco's gallantry, Breacher allows the relationship. Barry recruits Ralph for Team Flash and learns that someone named DeVoe instructed Ralph to watch Bellows. Barry remembers that Abra Kadabra and Savitar both mentioned DeVoe. Meanwhile, Caitlin finds a message on her apartment door.

74
5
"Girls Night Out"
Laura Belsey
Lauren Certo & Kristen Kim
November 7, 2017 (2017-11-07)
T27.13405
2.38[5]

While failing to track DeVoe, Team Flash is visited by Felicity, who joins Iris's bachelorette party. Mocking Cisco's plans for Barry's bachelor party, Ralph takes the men to a strip club, where they learn that Cecile's daughter, Joanie, is working. Joe confronts her, who states she is only doing feminist research. Ralph incites a brawl, leading to the men's arrest until Harry posts bail. Meanwhile, Amunet's enforcer, Norvock, demands Caitlin's return and attacks the women when she refuses. Killer Frost emerges and repels him, later telling Iris that Caitlin accepted Amunet's employment in exchange for the means to control Frost. Learning that Amunet is holding a metahuman she calls "the Weeper", whose tears are a strong narcotic, prisoner and intends to sell him, Iris's party decides to stop her. Though Caitlin refuses to join, she attacks Amunet when seeing her friends in danger. Using a strong magnet, the team robs Amunet's metal shards, leaving her powerless. Iris dissuades Frost from killing Amunet, who promises revenge. Both parties refuse to tell each other about their adventures. Iris asks Caitlin to be her maid of honor while Joe convinces Joanie to tell Cecile about her research. DeVoe captures the Weeper.

75
6
"When Harry Met Harry..."
Brent Crowell
Jonathan Butler & Gabriel Garza
November 14, 2017 (2017-11-14)
T27.13406
2.46[6]

Barry trains Ralph to use his abilities, with Cisco making a stretchable suit for him. Another bus metahuman, a Lakota Sioux Native named Mina Chayton, who can animate statues, starts attacking Central City & stealing pieces of a Black Bison necklace, which she claims belongs to her tribe. When Barry and Ralph catch up to her, she attacks Barry with a caveman statue and attempts a getaway. Ralph chooses to stop her, but a little girl is injured in the process. Ralph regrets his actions, but is comforted by Barry. Chayton escapes CCPD, going after the last necklace piece held at the museum. When Barry and Ralph confront her, she brings a dinosaur skeleton to life. Barry arrests Chayton while Ralph saves a security guard from the skeleton. Later, Ralph reveals he mailed the necklace back to Chayton's tribe, before visiting the little girl in the hospital, using his abilities to entertain her. Meanwhile, Harry, trying to make friends, works with his doppelgangers of alternate Earths, The Council of Wells. They figure out that DeVoe is a man named Clifford DeVoe. Barry and Joe head to DeVoe's house, to find out that he is a middle-aged man in a wheelchair.

76
7
"Therefore I Am"
David McWhirter
Eric Wallace & Thomas Pound
November 21, 2017 (2017-11-21)
T27.13407
2.20[7]

Barry and Joe interrogate DeVoe and his wife to try and get more information. In flashbacks, DeVoe and his wife build a thinking cap to improve his brain capacity, powering it through the particle accelerator explosion. DeVoe's increased brain power accelerates his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, forcing his wife to build him a special chair to keep him alive. Barry discovers the camera in the Samuroid head and confronts DeVoe, who reveals his true identity, leading to Cisco dubbing him "The Thinker". Wally returns to Team Flash from Blue Valley.

77
8
"Crisis on Earth-X, Part 3"
Dermott Downs
Story by : Andrew Kreisberg & Marc Guggenheim
Teleplay by : Todd Helbing
November 28, 2017 (2017-11-28)
T27.13408
2.82[8]

Barry, Oliver, Sara, Alex, Martin and Jax wake up in a Nazi concentration camp on Earth-X, with power dampening handcuffs. The arriving SS-Sturmbannführer is revealed to be the Earth-X doppelgänger of Quentin Lance, who takes them away for execution, before they are saved by Citizen Cold (the Earth-X doppelgänger of Leonard Snart) and The Ray (Ray Terrill). Snart and Terrill take them to the underground headquarter of the Freedom Fighters, where the team meets the resistance movement's leader General Winn Schott (Winn Schott's Earth-X doppelgänger). They learned that the only way back to Earth-1 is through a temporal gateway in a Nazi facility, which Schott plans to blow up to strand Dark Arrow (Oliver's Earth-X doppelgänger) on Earth-1. Oliver disguises himself as Dark Arrow to infiltrate the facility, discovers the Nazi's doomsday device against parallel Earths is a militarized timeship called Wellenreiter, and saves a prisoner (who is Felicity's Earth-X doppelgänger) from Quentin. Barry and Ray battle the Freedom Fighters' Red Tornado to stop it from destroying the temporal gateway, while the rest of the team enters the facility. In attempting to reactivate the gateway's portal, Stein is shot and gravely wounded. Back on Earth-1, Thawne prepares to perform surgery on Kara to save Overgirl at S.T.A.R. Labs. Felicity and Iris try to stop him, but are captured.

This episode continues a crossover event that begins on Supergirl season 3 episode 8 and Arrow season 6 episode 8, and concludes on Legends of Tomorrow season 3 episode 8.

78
9
"Don't Run"
Stefan Pleszczynski
Sam Chalsen & Judalina Neira
December 5, 2017 (2017-12-05)
T27.13409
2.22[9]

While out Christmas shopping, Barry is ambushed and kidnapped by DeVoe while Caitlin is kidnapped from Jitters by Amunet. Iris claims they have to look for both of them, despite Wells' claim that they have insufficient time and resources and that they can only afford to search for one. Barry is held in DeVoe's lair. Caitlin is forced by Amunet to perform surgery on a metahuman named Dominic Lanse, who can read minds. They try to escape, but Amunet blocks their exit. Caitlin manages to briefly incapacitate Amunet, and she and Dominic flee the building they are being held in. Once outside, they are rescued by Cisco and Ralph, as Iris has chosen to focus on finding Caitlin. Barry manages to escape from DeVoe. Team Flash celebrates Christmas at the West house and Dominic joins them. Barry gets a security alert from his apartment. When he arrives, he receives a phone call from Dominic, who reveals that Amunet re-kidnapped Dominic and DeVoe has transferred his consciousness into Dominic's body. Barry discovers DeVoe's original body dead on his apartment floor and he realizes DeVoe has framed him for his "murder"; the police arrive, and Barry lets himself get arrested, not wanting to leave Iris again.

79
10
"The Trial of The Flash"[10]
Philip Chipera
Lauren Certo & Kristen Kim
January 16, 2018 (2018-01-16)
TBA
TBD

80
11
"The Elongated Knight Rises"[11]
Alexandra La Roche
Sterling Gates & Thomas Pound
January 23, 2018 (2018-01-23)
TBA
TBD

text: Kevin Smith will direct an episode of the season.[12]

text: Cast and characters[edit]

text: Main[edit]

text:
Grant Gustin as Barry Allen / Flash[13]
Candice Patton as Iris West[13]
Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow / Killer Frost[14]
Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon / Vibe[13]
Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West / Kid Flash[13]
Neil Sandilands as Clifford DeVoe / Thinker[15]
Tom Cavanagh as Harrison "Harry" Wells[13]
Jesse L. Martin as Joe West[13]

text: Recurring[edit]

text:
Danielle Nicolet as Cecile Horton[16]
Kim Engelbrecht as Marlize DeVoe / Mechanic[15]
Jessica Camacho as Cynthia / Gypsy[17][18]
Richard Brooks as Gregory Wolfe[19]
Hartley Sawyer as Ralph Dibny / Elongated Man[20]
Katee Sackhoff as Amunet Black / Blacksmith[21]

text: Guest[edit]

text:
Britne Oldford as Shawna Baez / Peek-a-Boo[22]
Mark Sweatman as Norvok[23]
Patrick Sabongui as David Singh
Dominic Burgess as Ramsey Deacon / Kilg%re[24]
Donna Pescow as Sharon Finkle
Sugar Lyn Beard as Rebecca Sharpe / Hazard[25]
Chelsea Kurtz as Mina Chayton / Black Bison[26]
Violett Beane as Jesse Chambers Wells / Jesse Quick[27]
Danny Trejo as Josh / Breacher[15][18]
Emily Bett Rickards as Felicity Smoak[21]
Riley Jade Berglund as Joanie[28]
Matt Afonso as Weeper[29]
Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen / Green Arrow and Dark Arrow[30]
Victor Garber as Martin Stein / Firestorm[30]
Caity Lotz as Sara Lance / White Canary[30]
Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers[30]
Franz Drameh as Jefferson Jackson / Firestorm[30]
Paul Blackthorne as Quentin Lance / Sturmbannführer
Jeremy Jordan as General Schott[30]
Juliana Harkavy as Dinah Drake / Black Canary
Melissa Benoist as Kara Zor-El / Kara Danvers / Supergirl and Overgirl[30]
Wentworth Miller as Leonard Snart / Citizen Cold[31]
Russell Tovey as Ray Terrill / The Ray[30]
Frederick Schmidt voices Metallo-X
Kendrick Sampson as Dominic Lanse / Brainstorm[32]
Anne Dudek as Tracy Brand[33]

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: The series was renewed for a fourth season on January 8, 2017,[34] earlier than usual for the series. Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg said on this, "The great thing about our dear friends at The CW and Mark Pedowitz picking the shows up as early as they did has allowed us to start building the schedules for next season."[35] In May 2017, it was announced that Aaron Helbing would not return as an executive producer for season four, with only Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Sarah Schechter, and Todd Helbing returning from previous seasons.[36] Todd Helbing and Kreisberg were slated to serve as the season's showrunners.[37][38] In November 2017, Kreisberg was suspended from his role as executive producer and showrunner on The Flash over allegations of sexual harassment.[39][40] By the end of the month, he had been fired, with his name eventually being removed from the credits from all shows he worked on. In addition, Berlanti would take additional responsibilities working with Helbing to co-showrun the season.[41]

text: Writing[edit]

text:
The way I see it is, time is non-linear and everything is happening at once in the Speed Force. In some ways he's had an awakening and he's had a rebirth. Our first episode is called 'Reborn,' and it is a rebirth for Barry, but he's kind of scrambled, too, because he's experienced so much so quick over the course of six months, even though for him it was an eternity. He's not Barry when we see him for the first time.

—Grant Gustin on the rebirth of Barry in season four.[42]

tag: div

text: In March 2017, Kreisberg confirmed that the main villain for the fourth season would not be a speedster, like the previous three seasons.[43] Executive producers Aaron and Todd Helbing also mentioned that there would be less time travel in the season, with Aaron saying, "We like playing with the timelines and the different time periods and future and past. For now, I think we’re going to focus on the present."[44] In June 2017, Clifford DeVoe / Thinker was reported to be the main antagonist of the season. He was first hinted in the third season episode "Abra Kadabra" when the titular villain mentions him among the Flash's greatest enemies, and again in the season finale "Finish Line" when Savitar mentions facing DeVoe but states that the Flash has not dealt with him yet.[45] At the series' San Diego Comic-Con panel, the speculation was confirmed, with Todd Helbing saying, "With three Speedsters in a row, this year it's the fastest man alive against the fastest mind alive."[16] He added that the writers were "making a conscious effort this year to get the fun quotient back up".[46]

text: Regarding the possibility of Wally West taking on the mantle of the Flash in Barry's absence, Keiynan Lonsdale said that "It's not something that's on my radar. I feel as though there is so much story to tell and Wally has so much growing to do... We need to see how these character realistically get to where they are headed for."[47] With the action picking up six months after season three, Kid Flash and Vibe are left to protect Central City, with Carlos Valdes saying "the team is sort of clutching at straws to keep the city together,... there is a unanimous feeling amongst the remaining members that it's just not the same without Barry... So in light of that, Cisco does whatever it takes to get his friends back."[48] Valdes also confirmed the return of Cisco's more lighthearted joking manner.[48] Candice Patton explained Iris West's larger role within Team Flash as "a way of distracting herself,"[48] adding that "[Iris] is forced to deal with that anger and resentment and abandonment by kind of focusing on protecting Central City... We're seeing a very different Iris, almost a very hardened Iris."[49] Kreisberg also hinted at some major growth for Iris this season, and noted that "the season premiere is all about Iris and Cisco, not Barry".[50]

text: In July 2017, Sterling Gates, DC Comics comic book writer, joined as a member of the fourth season's writing staff.[51] At the Television Critics Association press tour in August 2017, Pedowitz stated that the fourth season of The Flash is "going to try to find the lightness... of the Barry Allen of the first two seasons,"[52] and said that the show was likely "done with Speedster villains".[53] Later in the month, Kreisberg confirmed the return of Harry Wells from Earth-2, saying that "season 4 for Harry is really realizing what he's missing in his life and what it is he needs to become a better, more complete person, and so he's going to be going on a fairly epic emotional journey this season that is tied to the Thinker's plan," in addition to confirming the introduction of a new version of the Wells character.[54]

text: In September 2017, Helbing noted "There's a lot of love in the air this season," and compared Barry and Iris' reunion to "somebody going off to war for six months and coming back. There's a lot that Iris experienced that Barry didn't when he was gone, and it's really [about] the fun and the emotional component of making up that time when they weren't together." Helbing also explained that the Speed Force "let [Barry] deal with all of the baggage [from the past three seasons]. When he comes out, he's sort of left that all behind."[55] That month, Kreisberg also confirmed that Barry and Iris will be getting married this season,[56] while also revealing that the pair will be going to couples therapy since "[they] keep comically clashing inadvertently because [both are] used to being in charge, and so they wind up going... to work through it." He added, "The two of them with the therapist is some of the funniest stuff we have ever done on this show, but it also leads to a deepening of their relationship."[57]

text: Casting[edit]

text: Main cast members Grant Gustin, Candice Patton, Danielle Panabaker, Carlos Valdes, Keiynan Lonsdale, Tom Cavanagh, and Jesse L. Martin return from previous seasons as Barry Allen / The Flash, Iris West, Caitlin Snow / Killer Frost, Cisco Ramon / Vibe, Wally West / Kid Flash, Harrison Wells, and Joe West, respectively.[13] Cavanagh will portray Harry Wells from Earth-2 at the start of the season, without ruling out the possibility of introducing another incarnation of the Wells character later on.[48] Teasing the arrival of a new Harrison Wells, Cavanagh said, "We're going to start with Harry and then find a way, I think, to try and get a different version of Wells in there, be it some version of Harry or whatnot as the season's gaps present themselves."[58] Also returning from earlier in the series are Jessica Camacho as Gypsy,[17] and Anne Dudek as Tracy Brand.[33] Tom Felton, who joined the cast as Julian Albert in the third season, was revealed not to be returning to the series, although there is a possibility he could return if the storyline demanded it and Felton's availability permits.[59] Julian's absence will be addressed "pretty quickly — there's a reason why he's no longer with the team," said Helbing.[60] In the season premiere, Julian is revealed to have returned to London.[61] Kreisberg also confirmed that he had put on hold the planned return of Violett Beane as Jesse Quick due to the high number of speedsters on the show, but did not rule out a possible return in the future.[62] Beane eventually appeared as Jesse on the episode "Luck Be a Lady".[27] Britne Oldford, who previously appeared as Shawna Baez / Peek-a-Boo in the first season and the web series The Chronicles of Cisco, reprised her role in the season premiere.[22]

text: In July 2017, Neil Sandilands was announced to be cast as Clifford DeVoe, a metahuman genius who embarks on a seasonlong battle with the Flash in order to fix all that he deems wrong with humanity; while Kim Engelbrecht was announced as The Mechanic, Devoe's right hand and a highly intelligent engineer who designs devices for him; and Danny Trejo as Breacher, a bounty hunter from Earth-19 and the father of Gypsy.[15] Also in June, the series was looking to cast a role that "should put the visual effects department to the test",[63] with the role later revealed to be Ralph Dibny / Elongated Man, a metahuman with the ability to stretch his body to superhuman lengths and sizes.[64] Hartley Sawyer was cast in the recurring role that July as the fast-talking private investigator who after discovering his abilities will help Team Flash solve one of Central City's greatest mysteries.[20] The character was previously mentioned in the first season, as one of the fourteen people who seemingly died as a result of the particle accelerator explosion.[65] The next month, Katee Sackhoff was announced in the recurring role of Amunet Black / Blacksmith, who operates an underground black market of metahuman supervillains.[21]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Filming for the season began on July 4, 2017,[66] in Vancouver, British Columbia, and is set to conclude on April 21, 2018.[67] Kevin Smith will return to direct an episode in January 2018.[12]

text: Music[edit]

text: In August 2017, series composer Blake Neely and Nathaniel Blume began to compose the music for the fourth season.[68]

text: Arrowverse tie-ins[edit]

text: In May 2017, The CW president Mark Pedowitz officially announced plans for a four-show Arrowverse crossover event, crossing over episodes of the television series Supergirl, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Arrow.[69] The crossover will begin with Supergirl and a special airing of Arrow on November 27, 2017, and conclude on The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow on November 28.[70] In August 2017, Berlanti noted that it would be "a big life event for a few different people" that would bring them all together for the crossover, adding "There are many life events that happen."[71] Arrow actress Emily Bett Rickards appears as Felicity Smoak in the fifth episode of the season.[21]

text: Release[edit]

text: Broadcast[edit]

text: The season began airing on October 10, 2017, on The CW in the United States,[72] and on CTV in Canada.[73]

text: Marketing[edit]

text: In July 2017, cast from the series appeared at San Diego Comic-Con International to promote the season, where exclusive footage was shown.[74] During the panel, a trailer for the season was shown, with James Whitbrook at io9 feeling that despite the "grim" tone, there was "some fun signs of the team coming together to protect the city without [Barry],... Sprinkle in a few wacky things, like, say a goddamn Samuroid ripped straight from the comics, and ladies and gents, you've got a good season of The Flash lined up."[75] Ben Pearson with /Film felt seeing Iris West deal with the absence of Barry was "a nice change of pace for that character", but anticipated that "Barry [would] be back two or three episodes in at the latest."[76] Collider.com's Allison Keene also noted Iris "getting an actual storyline" with Barry gone, and similarly presumed that he "[would] be back in the fold by the end of the first episode" alike to Flashpoint in the third season. She added, "There are some new foes, lots of action, plenty of tech — it’s great!"[77]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Ratings[edit]

text:
No.
Title
Air date
Rating/share
(18–49)
Viewers
(millions)
DVR
(18–49)
DVR viewers
(millions)
Total
(18–49)
Total viewers
(millions)

1
"The Flash Reborn"
October 10, 2017
1.1/4
2.84[1]
0.7
1.92
1.8
4.77[78]

2
"Mixed Signals"
October 17, 2017
0.9/4
2.54[2]
0.8
1.82
1.7
4.36[79]

3
"Luck Be a Lady"
October 24, 2017
1.0/4
2.62[3]
0.8
1.84
1.8
4.46[80]

4
"Elongated Journey Into Night"
October 31, 2017
0.7/3
1.99[4]
0.7
1.79
1.4
3.79[81]

5
"Girls Night Out"
November 7, 2017
0.9/4
2.38[5]
0.8
1.84
1.7
4.22[82]

6
"When Harry Met Harry..."
November 14, 2017
1.0/4
2.46[6]
0.7
1.83
1.7
4.29[83]

7
"Therefore I Am"
November 21, 2017
0.8/3
2.20[7]
0.8
2.08
1.6
4.28[84]

8
"Crisis on Earth-X, Part 3"
November 28, 2017
1.0/4
2.82[8]
0.7
1.83
1.7
4.64[85]

9
"Don't Run"
December 5, 2017
0.8/3
2.22[9]
0.6
1.45
1.4
3.67[86]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 7.36/10 based on 13 reviews.[87]

text: Reviewing the first two episodes of the season, Allison Keene writing for Collider.com, felt the premiere "wipes the slate clean, fixing a lot of the issues that plagued the end of the last season, and setting up a much more toned-down storyline. Most importantly, it's brought back some fun." She added that with a "streamlined team," the core characters now have time to interact and have meaningful plot lines. On the second episode, Keene described it as "truly a delight" with the show taking "the time to focus on character relationships, and not just romantic relationships" and each character "feeling like a refreshed version of themselves, with new narrative purpose". She also highlighted the setup of the Thinker "as an Alchemy-like villain who manipulates evil metas into the Flash's path as part of some kind of masterplan", saying "The Flash is a series that truly works best as a procedural, with the team finding creative ways to bring down Villains of the Week."[88]


document_title: Denver Broncos

question_text: who did the broncos beat in the super bowl

question_tokens: who did the broncos beat in the super bowl

root

text: Denver Broncos

text: Franchise history[edit]

text: 1960–1969: AFL era[edit]

text: The Denver Broncos were founded on August 14, 1959, when Minor League Baseball owner Bob Howsam was awarded an American Football League (AFL) charter franchise.[8] The Broncos won the first-ever AFL game over the Boston Patriots 13–10, on September 9, 1960. On August 5, 1967, they became the first-ever AFL team to defeat an NFL team, with a 13–7 win over the Detroit Lions in a preseason game.[8] However, the Broncos were not successful in the 1960s, compiling a record of 39–97–4 in the league.[9]

tag: p

text: Denver came close to losing its franchise in 1965, until a local ownership group took control and rebuilt the team.[10] The team's first superstar, "Franchise" Floyd Little, was instrumental in keeping the team in Denver, due to his signing in 1967 as well as his Pro Bowl efforts on and off the field. The Broncos were the only original AFL team that never played in the title game, as well as the only original AFL team never to have a winning season while a member of the AFL during the upstart league's 10-year history.[11]

text: In 1972, the Broncos hired former Stanford University coach John Ralston as their head coach. In 1973, he was the UPI's AFC Coach of the Year, after Denver achieved its first winning season at 7–5–2. In five seasons with the Broncos, Ralston guided the team to winning seasons three times. Though Ralston finished the 1976 season with a 9–5 record, the team, as was the case in Ralston's previous winning seasons, still missed the playoffs. Following the season, several prominent players publicly voiced their discontent with Ralston, which soon led to his resignation.[12]

text: Red Miller, a long-time assistant coach was hired and along with the Orange Crush Defense (a nickname originating in the early 1970s, also the brand of the popular orange-flavored soft drink) and aging quarterback Craig Morton, took the Broncos to what was then a record-setting 12–2 regular season record and their first playoff appearance in 1977, and ultimately first Super Bowl, in which they were defeated by the Dallas Cowboys (Morton's former team), 27–10.[13]

text: In 1981, Broncos' owner Gerald Phipps, who had purchased the team in May 1961 from the original owner Bob Howsam, sold the team to Canadian financier Edgar Kaiser Jr., grandson of shipbuilding industrialist Henry J. Kaiser.[14] In 1984, the team was purchased by Pat Bowlen, who placed team ownership into a family trust sometime before 2004 and remained in day-to-day control until his battle with Alzheimer's disease forced him to cede the team to Joe Ellis in 2014.[5][6][15]

text: 1983–1998: John Elway era[edit]

text: Dan Reeves became the youngest head coach in the NFL when he joined the Broncos in 1981 as vice president and head coach. Quarterback John Elway, who played college football at Stanford, arrived in 1983 via a trade. Originally drafted by the Baltimore Colts as the first pick of the draft, Elway proclaimed that he would shun football in favor of baseball (he was drafted by the New York Yankees to play center field and was also a pitching prospect), unless he was traded to a selected list of other teams, which included the Broncos.[16] Prior to Elway, the Broncos had over 24 different starting quarterbacks in its 23 seasons to that point.[17]

text: Reeves and Elway guided the Broncos to six post-season appearances, five AFC West divisional titles, three AFC championships and three Super Bowl appearances (Super Bowl XXI, XXII and XXIV) during their 12-year span together. The Broncos lost Super Bowl XXI to the New York Giants, 39–20; Super Bowl XXII to the Washington Redskins, 42–10; and Super Bowl XXIV to the San Francisco 49ers, 55–10; the latter score remains the most lopsided scoring differential in Super Bowl history. The last year of the Reeves-Elway era were marked by feuding, due to Reeves taking on play-calling duties after ousting Elway's favorite offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan after the 1991 season, as well as Reeves drafting quarterback Tommy Maddox out of UCLA instead of going with a wide receiver to help Elway. Reeves was fired after the 1992 season and replaced by his protégé and friend Wade Phillips, who had been serving as the Broncos' defensive coordinator.[18][19][20] Phillips was fired after a mediocre 1994 season, in which management felt he lost control of the team.

text: In 1995, Mike Shanahan, who had formerly served under Reeves as the Broncos' offensive coordinator, returned as head coach. Shanahan drafted rookie running back Terrell Davis. In 1996, the Broncos were the top seed in the AFC with a 13–3 record, dominating most of the teams that year. The fifth-seeded Jacksonville Jaguars, however, upset the Broncos 30–27 in the divisional round of the playoffs, ending the Broncos' 1996 run.[12]

text: 1997-1998: Back-to-Back Super Bowl Champions[edit]

text: During the 1997 season, Elway and Davis helped guide the Broncos to their first Super Bowl victory, a 31–24 win over the defending champion Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII. Though Elway completed only 13 of 22 passes, throwing one interception and no touchdowns (he did, however, have a rushing touchdown), Davis rushed for 157 yards and a Super Bowl–record three touchdowns to earn the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award—this while overcoming a severe migraine headache that caused him blurred vision.[21] The Broncos repeated as Super Bowl champions the following season, defeating the Atlanta Falcons (led by Elway's longtime head coach Dan Reeves) in Super Bowl XXXIII, 34–19. Elway was named Super Bowl MVP, completing 18 of 29 passes for 336 yards, with an 80-yard touchdown to wide receiver Rod Smith and one interception.[20]

text: 1999–2011: Post-Elway era[edit]

text: John Elway retired following the 1998 season, and Brian Griese started at quarterback for the next four seasons. After a 6–10 record in 1999, the Broncos recovered in 2000, earning a Wild Card playoff berth, but losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. After missing the playoffs the following two seasons, former Arizona Cardinals' quarterback Jake Plummer replaced Griese in 2003, and led the Broncos to two straight 10–6 seasons, earning Wild Card playoff berths both years. However, the Broncos went on the road to face the Indianapolis Colts in back-to-back seasons and were blown out by more than 20 points in each game, allowing a combined 90 points.[12]

text: Plummer led the Broncos to a 13–3 record in 2005 and their first AFC West division title since 1998. After a first-round bye, the Broncos defeated the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, 27–13, denying New England from becoming the first NFL team ever to win three consecutive Super Bowl championships. The Broncos' playoff run came to an end next week, after losing at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship game, 34–17. The Steelers went on to win Super Bowl XL.

text: The Broncos' defense began the first five games of the 2006 season allowing only one touchdown—an NFL record, but struggled down the season stretch. Plummer led the team to a 7–2 record, only to struggle and be replaced by rookie quarterback Jay Cutler. Cutler went 2–3 as a starter, and the Broncos finished with a 9–7 record, losing the tiebreaker to the Kansas City Chiefs for the final playoff spot. Cutler's first full season as a starter in 2007 became the Broncos' first losing season since 1999, with a 7–9 record.

text: The 2008 season ended in a 52–21 loss at the San Diego Chargers, giving the Broncos an 8–8 record and their third straight season out of the playoffs. Mike Shanahan, the longest-tenured and most successful head coach in Broncos' franchise history, was fired after 14 seasons.[22]

text: On January 11, 2009, two weeks after Shanahan was fired, the Broncos hired former New England Patriots' offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as the team's new head coach.[23] Three months later, the team acquired quarterback Kyle Orton as part of a trade that sent Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears.

text: Under McDaniels and Orton, the Broncos jumped out to a surprising 6–0 start in 2009. However, the team lost eight of their next ten games, finishing 8–8 for a second consecutive season and missing the playoffs. The next season (2010), the Broncos set a new franchise record for losses in a single season, with a 4–12 record.[24] McDaniels was fired before the end of the 2010 season following a combination of the team's poor record and the fallout from a highly publicized videotaping scandal. Running backs coach Eric Studesville was named interim coach for the final four games of the 2010 season.[25] He chose to start rookie first-round draft choice Tim Tebow at quarterback for the final three games.

text: Following the 2010 season, Joe Ellis was promoted from Chief Operating Officer to team president, while John Elway returned to the organization as the team's Executive Vice President of Football Operations.[26] In addition, the Broncos hired John Fox as the team's 14th head coach. Fox previously served as the Carolina Panthers' head coach from 2002–10.[27]

text: Following a 1–4 start to the 2011 season, Tim Tebow replaced Kyle Orton as the Broncos' starting quarterback, and led the Broncos to an 8–8 record and the team's first playoff berth and division title since 2005. The Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round on a memorable 80-yard touchdown pass from Tebow to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas on the first play of overtime, setting a record for the fastest overtime in NFL history.[28] However, the Broncos were blown out by the New England Patriots in the Divisional round.[29]

text: 2012–2015: Peyton Manning era[edit]

text: In March 2012, the Broncos reached an agreement on a five-year, $96 million contract with former longtime Indianapolis Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning, who had recently missed the entire 2011 season following multiple neck surgeries.[30][31] This resulted in the Broncos subsequently trading incumbent quarterback Tim Tebow to the New York Jets.[32] The Broncos finished with a 13–3 record and the AFC's No. 1 seed in the 2012 playoffs, but were defeated by the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional round.[33]

text: Like 2012, the Broncos finished with a 13–3 record and the AFC's No. 1 seed in 2013. In the 2013 playoffs, the Broncos defeated the San Diego Chargers in the Divisional round and the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship. However, the Broncos were soundly defeated by the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII by a score of 43–8, the Broncos' first Super Bowl berth since winning back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998.[34]

text: Prior to the start of the 2014 season, the Broncos announced that Pat Bowlen, the team's owner since 1984, relinquished control of the team due to his battle with Alzheimer's disease, resulting in team president Joe Ellis and general manager John Elway assuming control of the team.[15] The Broncos finished the 2014 season with a 12–4 record and the AFC's No. 2 seed. However, the Broncos were defeated by the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional round of the 2014 playoffs, marking the third time in four seasons that the Broncos lost in the Divisional round of the playoffs. Quarterback Peyton Manning had been playing with strained quadriceps for the final month of the 2014 season.[35]

text: 2015: Super Bowl 50 Champions and Manning's Final Season[edit]

text: On January 12, 2015, one day after the aforementioned Divisional playoff loss to the Colts, the Broncos and head coach John Fox mutually agreed to part ways.[36] Fox left the Broncos with a .719 winning percentage in his four seasons as the Broncos' head coach—the highest in franchise history.[37] One week later, the Broncos hired Gary Kubiak as the team's 15th head coach. Kubiak served as a backup quarterback to executive vice president/general manager John Elway from 1983–1991, as well as the Broncos' offensive coordinator from 1995–2005.[38] Shortly after Kubiak became head coach, the Broncos underwent numerous changes to their coaching staff, including the hiring of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, under whom the Broncos' defense ranked No. 1 in the NFL during the 2015 season.[39] The Broncos finished with a 12–4 record and the AFC's No. 1 seed, despite Peyton Manning having his worst statistical season since his rookie year with the Indianapolis Colts in 1998[40] and backup quarterback Brock Osweiler filling in for Manning during the second half of the regular season due to Manning suffering from a foot injury. In the playoffs, the Broncos defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 23–16 in the Divisional Round, the New England Patriots 20–18 in the AFC Championship, and defeated the Carolina Panthers 24–10 in Super Bowl 50—the Broncos' third Super Bowl title.[41]

text: 2016–present: Defensive era[edit]

text: On March 7, 2016, quarterback Peyton Manning retired after 18 NFL seasons during a press conference at the team's Dove Valley headquarters.[42] Following Manning's retirement, the Broncos have undergone changes at the quarterback position, including the free agent departure of backup quarterback Brock Osweiler (who is now back with team after stints with the Texans and Browns) to the Houston Texans, the trade acquisition of Mark Sanchez from the Philadelphia Eagles and the selection of Paxton Lynch during the 2016 draft. Sanchez, Lynch and second-year quarterback Trevor Siemian competed for the starting quarterback spot during the off-season and preseason; however, Sanchez was released and Siemian was named the starter prior to the start of the season. The Broncos finished the season 9–7 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010. On January 2, 2017, coach Gary Kubiak announced his retirement, citing health as the main reason for retiring.[43] The Broncos would later hire Vance Joseph to be their new head coach on January 11, 2017.[44][45] The Broncos have since entered the era of their dominant defense consisting of the Ground Control, and the No Fly Zone.

text: Championships[edit]

text: Super Bowls[edit]

text:
Year
Coach
Super Bowl
Location
Opponent
Score
Record

1997
Mike Shanahan
XXXII
San Diego, CA
Green Bay Packers
31–24
12–4

1998
Mike Shanahan
XXXIII
Miami, FL
Atlanta Falcons
34–19
14–2

2015
Gary Kubiak
50
Santa Clara, CA
Carolina Panthers
24–10
12–4

Total Super Bowl championships won:
3

tag: table

text: AFC Championships[edit]

text:
Year
Coach
Location
Opponent
Score
Record

1977
Red Miller
Denver, CO
Oakland Raiders
20–17
12–2

1986
Dan Reeves
Cleveland, OH
Cleveland Browns
23–20 (OT)
11–5

1987
Dan Reeves
Denver, CO
Cleveland Browns
38–33
10–4–1

1989
Dan Reeves
Denver, CO
Cleveland Browns
37–21
11–5

1997
Mike Shanahan
Pittsburgh, PA
Pittsburgh Steelers
24–21
12–4

1998
Mike Shanahan
Denver, CO
New York Jets
23–10
14–2

2013
John Fox
Denver, CO
New England Patriots
26–16
13–3

2015
Gary Kubiak
Denver, CO
New England Patriots
20–18
12–4

Total AFC Championships won:
8

text: Rivalries[edit]

text: Divisional[edit]

text: The Denver Broncos have three AFC West rivals—the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers and Oakland Raiders. All teams, along with the Broncos, were charter members of the American Football League (AFL), with each team placed in the AFL Western Division. The Broncos were barely competitive during the AFL years (1960–69), going a combined 10–49–1 against the Chiefs, Chargers and Raiders.

text: Kansas City Chiefs[edit]

text: The Broncos have had several memorable matchups with the Chiefs, particularly during the years in which John Elway was the Broncos' starting quarterback (1983–98). The Broncos defeated the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the divisional round of the 1997 NFL playoffs, en route to their first Super Bowl victory. The Chiefs currently hold a 61–55 series lead over the Broncos, including the aforementioned 1997 divisional playoff game.

text: Oakland Raiders[edit]

text: The rivalry with the Raiders was ignited in 1977, when the Broncos advanced to their first Super Bowl by defeating the defending champion Raiders in the 1977 AFC Championship. The rivalry intensified in the mid-1990s, when Mike Shanahan was hired as the Broncos' head coach in 1995. Shanahan coached the Raiders in 1988 before being fired four games into the 1989 season. The Raiders currently hold a 63–52–2 series lead over the Broncos, including 1–1 in the playoffs.

text: San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers[edit]

text: Unlike their records against the Chiefs and Raiders, the Broncos currently have a winning record against the Chargers, with a 65–51–1 series lead, including 1–0 in the playoffs. The Broncos pulled off one of the largest comebacks in Monday Night Football history, when Peyton Manning led the Broncos from a 24–0 halftime deficit to a 35–24 win at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium during the 2012 season. The two teams met in the playoffs for the first time on January 12, 2014, at Denver's Sports Authority Field at Mile High, with the Broncos winning 24–17.

text: Seattle Seahawks[edit]

text: The Broncos had an old rivalry with the Seattle Seahawks, who were members of the AFC West from 1977–2001, prior to the Seahawks' move to the NFC West as part of the NFL's 2002 re-alignment.[46] During the 25 years in which the Seahawks resided in the AFC West, the Broncos went 32–18 against the Seahawks, including a loss at Seattle in the 1983 NFL playoffs. Since 2002, the two teams have split four interconference meetings,[47] and the two teams met in Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014, with the Seahawks winning by a score of 43–8.[48]

text: Historical[edit]

text: Aside from the aforementioned AFC West teams, the Broncos have had intra-conference rivalries over the years with the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots.

text: Cleveland Browns[edit]

text: The Broncos had a brief rivalry with the Browns that arose from three AFC championship matches from 1986–89. In the 1986 AFC Championship, quarterback John Elway led The Drive to secure a tie in the waning moments at Cleveland Municipal Stadium; the Broncos went on to win in 23–20 in overtime.[49] One year later, the two teams met again in the 1987 AFC Championship at Mile High Stadium. Denver took a 21–3 lead, but Browns' quarterback Bernie Kosar threw four touchdown passes to tie the game at 31–31 halfway through the 4th quarter. After a long drive, John Elway threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to running back Sammy Winder to give Denver a 38–31 lead. Cleveland advanced to Denver's 8-yard line with 1:12 left, but Broncos' safety Jeremiah Castille stripped Browns' running back Earnest Byner of the football at the 2-yard line—a play that has been called The Fumble by Browns' fans. The Broncos recovered it, gave Cleveland an intentional safety, and went on to win 38–33.[50] The two teams met yet again in the 1989 AFC Championship at Mile High Stadium, which the Broncos easily won by a score of 37–21.[51] Interestingly, the Broncos would not win the Super Bowl after any of the championship games where they beat the Browns.

text: Pittsburgh Steelers[edit]

text: As of the end of the 2015 season, the Broncos have met the Steelers in postseason play eight times, more than any other NFL team, with the Broncos owning a 5–3 playoff record vs. the Steelers.[52] Perhaps the most memorable postseason matchup occurred in the 1997 AFC Championship, in which the Broncos defeated the Steelers 24–21 at Three Rivers Stadium, en route to their first Super Bowl victory. Eight years later, the Steelers returned the favor at INVESCO Field at Mile High, defeating the Broncos 34–17 in the 2005 AFC Championship, and subsequently won Super Bowl XL.[53] In the Wild Card round of the 2011 playoffs, the Broncos stunned the Steelers 29–23 on the first play of overtime, when quarterback Tim Tebow connected with wide receiver Demaryius Thomas on an 80-yard game-winning touchdown pass.[54] The teams met again in the Divisional round of the 2015 playoffs at Denver, where the Broncos defeated the Steelers 23–16 on their way to a victory in Super Bowl 50.[55]

text: New England Patriots[edit]

text: The Broncos and Patriots met twice annually during the American Football League (AFL) years from 1960–69, and played in the first-ever AFL game on September 9, 1960.[56] Since 1995, the two teams have met frequently during the regular season, including nine consecutive seasons from 1995–2003.[57] As of the end of the 2015 season, the two teams have met in the playoffs five times, with the Broncos owning a 4–1 record.[58] The teams' first playoff match on January 4, 1987 was John Elway's first career playoff win,[59] while the teams' second playoff match on January 14, 2006 game was the Broncos' first playoff win since Elway's retirement after the 1998 season.[60] The game was also notable for Champ Bailey's 100-yard interception that resulted in a touchdown-saving tackle by Benjamin Watson at the 1-yard line.[61] On October 11, 2009, the two teams met with former Patriots' offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels as the Broncos' head coach. Both teams wore their AFL 50th anniversary jerseys.[62] The game featured a 98-yard drive in the fourth quarter, with a game-tying touchdown pass from Kyle Orton to Brandon Marshall, followed by an overtime drive led by Orton that resulted in a 41-yard game-winning field goal by Matt Prater.[63] The two teams met in the Divisional round of the 2011 playoffs, with the Patriots blowing out Tim Tebow and the Broncos by a score of 45–10.[29] The Broncos' rivalry with the Patriots later intensified when longtime Indianapolis Colts' quarterback Peyton Manning became the Broncos' starting quarterback from 2012–15. Manning and Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady maintained a legendary rivalry from 2001[64] until Manning's retirement after the 2015 season.[65] Though Brady dominated Manning in regular season play, winning nine of twelve meetings, Manning won three of five playoff meetings, the last of which was a Broncos' 20–18 win in the 2015 AFC Championship.[66]

text: Logos and uniforms[edit]

text: When the Broncos debuted in 1960, their original uniforms drew as much attention as their play on the field. They featured white and mustard yellow jerseys, with contrasting brown helmets, brown pants and vertically striped socks. Two years later, the team unveiled a new logo featuring a bucking horse, and changed their team colors to orange, royal blue and white. The 1962 uniform consisted of white pants, orange helmets, and either orange or white jerseys.[67]

text: In 1968, the Broncos debuted a design that became known as the "Orange Crush." Their logo was redesigned so that the horse was coming out of a "D." Additionally, the helmets were changed to royal blue, with thin stripes placed onto the sleeves, and other minor modifications were added. From 1969–1971, and again from 1978–79, the team wore orange pants with their white jerseys.[68]

text: The Broncos wore their white jerseys at home throughout the 1971 season, as well as for 1980 home games vs. the San Diego Chargers and Dallas Cowboys, the latter in hopes to bring out the "blue jersey jinx" which has followed the Cowboys for decades (it worked, the Broncos won 41–20). The Broncos wore their white jerseys for 1983 home games vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals, but would not wear white at home again for two decades — see next section.[68][69]

text: In 1994, in honor of the 75th anniversary season of the NFL, the Broncos wore their 1965 throwback uniforms for two games—a Week 3 home game against the Raiders, as well a road game at the Buffalo Bills the following week.[68]

text: The Broncos radically changed their logo and uniforms in 1997, a design that the team continues to use to this day. The new logos and uniforms were unveiled on February 4, 1997.[70] Navy blue replaced royal blue on the team's color scheme. The current logo is a profile of a horse's head, with an orange mane and navy blue outlines.[71] The Broncos' popular live animal mascot Thunder was the inspiration to incorporate a horse-head profile as part of the logo on the team's helmets.[72] During a February 4, 1997 press conference introducing the new logo, the team president and the art director for Nike, who were the creators of the new design, described it as "a powerful horse with a fiery eye and mane."[73]

text: The Broncos began wearing navy blue jerseys, replacing their longtime orange jerseys that had been the team's predominant home jersey color since 1962. This new uniform design features a new word mark, numbering font and a streak that runs up and down the sides of both the jerseys and the pants. On the navy blue jerseys, the streak is orange, with an orange collar and white numerals trimmed in orange, while on the road white jerseys, the streak is navy blue, with a thin orange accent strip on both sides, a navy collar and navy numerals trimmed in orange. When they debuted, these uniforms were vilified by the press and fans, until the Broncos won their first ever Super Bowl in the new design that same season. The navy blue jerseys served as the team's primary home jersey until the end of the 2011 season — see next section.[71]

text: In 2002, the Broncos introduced an alternate orange jersey that is a mirror image of the aforementioned navy blue jerseys, but with orange and navy trading places. Like the road white jerseys, the white pants with the navy blue streaks running down the sides are worn with this uniform. This jersey was used only once in the 2002 and 2004 seasons, and were used twice per season from 2008–2011. Mike Shanahan, the team's head coach from 1995–2008, was not a big fan of the alternate orange jerseys.[74] The Broncos previously wore orange jerseys as a throwback uniform in a Thanksgiving Day game at the Dallas Cowboys in 2001.[75]

text: The team also introduced navy blue pants in 2003, with orange side streaks to match with the navy blue jerseys. Though they were part of the uniform change in 1997 (in fact, they were worn for a couple of 1997 preseason games) and most players wanted to wear them, the only player who vetoed wearing them was John Elway, thereby delaying their eventual introduction.[76] From 2003–2011, these pants were primarily used for select prime-time and late-season home games (excluding the 2008 season), and since 2012, are used exclusively with the now-alternate navy blue jerseys — see next section.

text: On November 16, 2003, the Broncos wore their white jerseys at home for the first time since 1983, in a game vs. the San Diego Chargers. This was compensation for a uniform mix-up, after the teams' first meeting at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium in Week 2 earlier that season, when the Chargers were the team that was supposed to declare their uniform color. The Chargers were planning to wear their white jerseys, but the visiting Broncos came to the stadium in white, and were fined $25,000 by the NFL as a result. When the two teams met at INVESCO Field at Mile High later that season (Week 11), the NFL allowed the visiting Chargers to choose their uniform color in advance, and they chose navy blue, forcing the Broncos to wear their white jerseys at home.[76]

text: In 2009, in honor of their 50th anniversary season as one of the eight original American Football League teams, the Broncos wore their 1960 throwback uniforms (brown helmets, mustard yellow and brown jerseys) for games against two fellow AFL rivals—a Week 5 home game vs. the New England Patriots, as well as the following week at the San Diego Chargers.[77][78]

text: Beginning in 2012, the orange jerseys that served as the alternate colored jerseys from 2002–2011 became the primary home jersey, while the navy blue jerseys that served as the primary home jersey from 1997–2011 switched to alternate designation. The change was made due to overwhelming popularity with the fans, who pressured the Broncos to return to orange as the team's primary home jersey color.[71] Since the 2012 uniform change, the team has worn the alternate navy blue jerseys for at least one home game per season, with the exception of 2013, in which the Broncos wore their alternate navy blue uniforms for an October 6, 2013 road game at the Dallas Cowboys.[79] The team will either wear the navy blue or the white pants — with the orange side stripes — to match with the alternate navy blue jerseys. The team initially did not wear the white pants with the orange side stripes, until a November 1, 2015 game vs. the Green Bay Packers, in which the Broncos wore said design in order to match the uniform ensemble that was used during the team's Super Bowl XXXII win over the Packers.[80]

text: As the designated home team in Super Bowl 50, the Broncos — who have an 0–4 Super Bowl record when using their standard orange jerseys — chose to wear their white jerseys as the designated "home" team.[81]

text: In 2016, the Broncos' unveiled a new Color Rush uniform, which the team wore for a Thursday Night game at the San Diego Chargers on October 13, 2016. The uniform kit contained the following features: orange pants, which the team wore for the first time since 1979, orange socks and shoes, along with block-style numerals trimmed in navy blue that mirrored the team's 1968–1996 uniform style. Due to the NFL's one-helmet rule implemented in 2013, the helmets remained the same, with the team temporarily replacing the modern primary logo with the throwback "D-horse" logo.[82] The same uniform was used for a Thursday Night game against the Indianapolis Colts during the 2017 season.[83]

text: Super Bowl uniform colors[edit]

text:
Super Bowl
Opponent
Favorite
Jersey Color
Result

XII
Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys by 6

L 10–27

XXI
New York Giants
Giants by 9.5

L 20–39

XXII
Washington Redskins
Broncos by 3

L 10–42

XXIV
San Francisco 49ers
49ers by 12

L 10–55

XXXII
Green Bay Packers
Packers by 11

W 31–24

XXXIII
Atlanta Falcons
Broncos by 7.5

W 34–19

XLVIII
Seattle Seahawks
Broncos by 2

L 8–43

50
Carolina Panthers
Panthers by 5.5

W 24–10

text: Home field[edit]

text: For most of their history, the Denver Broncos played in Mile High Stadium. The AFL Broncos played at the University of Denver's Hilltop Stadium from time to time, including the first-ever victory of an AFL team over an NFL team: The Broncos beat the Detroit Lions on August 5, 1967, in a preseason game. The team has sold out every home game (including post-season games) since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, with the exception of two replacement games during the 1987 strike (but both were sold out before the strike).

text: During home games, the attendance is announced to the crowd, along with the number of no-shows (the fans subsequently boo the no-shows). The fans are also known to chant "IN-COM-PLETE!" every time the visiting team throws an incomplete pass.[84] The stadium's legendary home-field advantage is regarded as one of the best in the NFL, especially during the playoffs. The Broncos had the best home record in pro football over a 32-year span from 1974–2006 (191–65–1). Mile High Stadium was one of the NFL's loudest stadiums, with steel flooring instead of concrete, which may have given the Broncos an advantage over opponents, plus the advantage of altitude conditioning for the Broncos. In 2001, the team moved into Invesco Field at Mile High, built next to the former site of the since-demolished Mile High Stadium. Sportswriter Woody Paige, along with many of Denver's fans, however, often refuse to call the new stadium by its full name, preferring to use "Mile High Stadium" because of its storied history and sentimental import. Additionally, The Denver Post had an official policy of referring to the stadium as simply "Mile High Stadium" in protest, but dropped this policy in 2004.[85]

text: Prior to the 2011 season, Englewood, Colorado-based sporting goods retailer Sports Authority claimed the naming rights of Invesco Field, which became known as Sports Authority Field at Mile High.[86][87] However, in the summer of 2016, Sports Authority went bankrupt, and the Broncos have been seeking a new corporate sponsor for their stadium ever since.[88]

text: The altitude has also been attributed as part of the team's home success. The stadium displays multiple references to the stadium's location of 5,280 feet (1.000 mi) above sea level, including a prominent mural just outside the visiting team's locker room. The team training facility, the UCHealth Training Center (formerly known as the Paul D. Bowlen Memorial Broncos Centre), is a state-of-the-art facility located in Dove Valley, Colorado. With 13.5 acres of property, the facility hosts three full-size fields, a complete weight and training facility, and a cafeteria.[89][90]

text: In their more than half-century of existence, the Broncos have never been shut out at home, a streak of over 400 games as of the 2016 season.[91]

text: In late 2012, the Broncos announced that the stadium will receive $30 million upgrades including a new video board in the south end zone that is planned to be three times larger than the previous display. The renovations were finished before kickoff of the 2013 season.[92]

text: Statistics[edit]

text: Season-by-season records[edit]

text: Players of note[edit]

text: Current roster[edit]

text:
Denver Broncos roster

view
talk
edit

Quarterbacks

 6 Chad Kelly
12 Paxton Lynch
13 Trevor Siemian

Running backs

22 C. J. Anderson
23 Devontae Booker
33 De'Angelo Henderson
32 Andy Janovich FB

Wide receivers

11 Carlos Henderson
84 Isaiah McKenzie
10 Emmanuel Sanders
88 Demaryius Thomas

Tight ends

80 Jake Butt
82 Jeff Heuerman
83 Matt LaCosse
86 Austin Traylor

Offensive linemen

72 Garett Bolles T
64 J. J. Dielman G
76 Max Garcia G
79 Cyrus Kouandjio T
65 Ronald Leary G
60 Connor McGovern C
75 Menelik Watson T

Defensive linemen

99 Adam Gotsis DE
92 Zach Kerr DE
94 Domata Peko NT
95 Derek Wolfe DE

Linebackers

54 Brandon Marshall ILB
58 Von Miller OLB
53 Deiontrez Mount OLB
56 Shane Ray OLB
57 DeMarcus Walker OLB

Defensive backs

20 Jamal Carter SS
25 Chris Harris Jr. CB
39 Michael Hunter CB
27 Brendan Langley CB
34 Will Parks FS
38 Marcus Rios CB
29 Bradley Roby CB
31 Justin Simmons SS
26 Darian Stewart FS
21 Aqib Talib CB
35 Dymonte Thomas S

Special teams

 9 Riley Dixon P
 8 Brandon McManus K

Reserve lists

-- Kenny Bell WR (Future)
91 Paul Boyette DE (Future)
15 River Cracraft WR (Future)
-- Andreas Knappe OT (Future)
19 Jordan Leslie WR (Future)
59 Stansly Maponga OLB (Future)
30 Jordan Moore SS (Future)
89 Brian Parker TE (Future)
81 Tim Patrick WR (Future)
74 Jeremiah Poutasi G (Future)
49 Marcus Rush OLB (Future)
69 Jhaustin Thomas DE (Future)
-- DeShawn Williams DE (Future)

Unrestricted FAs

73 Allen Barbre G
28 Jamaal Charles RB
93 Jared Crick DE
51 Todd Davis ILB
85 Virgil Green TE
14 Cody Latimer WR
52 Corey Nelson ILB
17 Brock Osweiler QB
71 Donald Stephenson OT
77 Billy Turner G
97 Billy Winn DE

Restricted FAs

48 Shaquil Barrett OLB
16 Bennie Fowler III WR
61 Matt Paradis C

Exclusive-Rights FAs

50 Zaire Anderson ILB
41 Jerrol Garcia-Williams ILB
96 Shelby Harris DE
43 Joseph Jones ILB
42 Casey Kreiter LS
90 Kyle Peko NT
87 Jordan Taylor WR
68 Elijah Wilkinson OT

Rookies in italics
Roster updated January 17, 2018
Depth chart • Transactions
44 Active, 13 Inactive, 22 FAs
→ AFC rosters → NFC rosters

AFC East
BUF
MIA
NE
NYJ
North
BAL
CIN
CLE
PIT
South
HOU
IND
JAX
TEN
West
DEN
KC
LAC
OAK

NFC East
DAL
NYG
PHI
WAS
North
CHI
DET
GB
MIN
South
ATL
CAR
NO
TB
West
ARI
LAR
SF
SEA

text: Retired numbers[edit]

text:
Denver Broncos retired numbers

No.
Player
Position
Career

7
John Elway
QB
1983–98

18
Frank Tripucka
Peyton Manning
QB
1960–63
2012–15 †

44
Floyd Little
RB
1967–75

text: † Note: No. 18 was re-issued for Peyton Manning after Tripucka gave his approval; it was used by Manning from the 2012 season until his retirement after the 2015 season.[93] Manning's name was added to the retired number's banner as an honorable mention.[94][95][96]

text: Pro Football Hall of Famers[edit]

text:
Denver Broncos Hall of Famers

No.
Name
Position(s)
Season(s)
Inducted

24
Brown, WillieWillie Brown
CB
1963–66
1984

30
Davis, TerrellTerrell Davis
RB
1995–2001
2017

33
Dorsett, TonyTony Dorsett
RB
1988
1994

7
Elway, JohnJohn Elway
QB
General Manager
1983–98
2011–present
2004

65
Zimmerman, GaryGary Zimmerman
OT
1993–97
2008

44
Little, FloydFloyd Little
RB
1967–75
2010

84
Sharpe, ShannonShannon Sharpe
TE
1990–99,
2002–03
2011

text: Ring of Fame[edit]

text: The Broncos have a Ring of Fame on the Level 5 façade of Sports Authority Field at Mile High, which honors the following:

text:
Denver Broncos Ring of Fame

No.
Name
Position(s)
Seasons
Inducted

23
Goose Gonsoulin
S
1960–66
1984

87
Rich Jackson
DE
1967–72
1984

44
Floyd Little
RB
1967–75
1984

87
Lionel Taylor
WR
1960–66
1984

–
Gerald Phipps
Owner
1961–81
1985

12
Charley Johnson
QB
1972–75
1986

70
Paul Smith
DE
1968–78
1986

18
Frank Tripucka
QB
1960–63
1986

36
Billy Thompson
S
1969–81
1987

7
Craig Morton
QB
1977–82
1988

25
Haven Moses
WR
1972–81
1988

15
Jim Turner
PK
1971–79
1988

53
Randy Gradishar
LB
1974–83
1989

57
Tom Jackson
LB
1973–86
1992

20
Louis Wright
CB
1975–86
1993

7
John Elway
QB
General manager
1983–98
2011–present
1999

77
Karl Mecklenburg
LB
1983–95
2001

49
Dennis Smith
S
1981–94
2001

65
Gary Zimmerman
OT
1993–97
2003

27
Steve Atwater
S
1989–98
2005

30
Terrell Davis
RB
1995–2001
2007

84
Shannon Sharpe
TE
1990–99, 2002–03
2009

80
Rod Smith
WR
1994–2006
2012

66
Tom Nalen
C
1994–2007
2013

21
Gene Mingo
RB, K, RS
1960–64
2014

–
Dan Reeves
Head coach
1981–92
2014

80
Rick Upchurch
WR, RS
1975–83
2014

–
Pat Bowlen
Owner
1984–present
2015

1
Jason Elam
PK
1993–2007
2016

73
Simon Fletcher
LB/DE
1985–95
2016

47
John Lynch
S
2004–07
2016

—
Red Miller
Head coach
1977–80
2017

text: Super Bowl MVPs[edit]

text:
Super Bowl MVP Winners

SB
Player
Position

XXXII
Terrell Davis
RB

XXXIII
John Elway
QB

50
Von Miller
LB

text: Colorado Sports Hall of Fame[edit]

text: Staff[edit]

text: Head coaches[edit]

text: Current staff[edit]

text:
Denver Broncos staff

v
t
e

Front Office

Owner – The Pat Bowlen Trust
President/Chairman/CEO – Joe Ellis
President of Football Operations/General Manager – John Elway
Director of Football Administration – Mike Sullivan
Director of Player Personnel – Matt Russell
Senior Personnel Advisor – Tom Heckert Jr.
Senior Personnel Advisor – Gary Kubiak
Director of Pro Personnel – A.J. Durso
Director of College Scouting – Brian Stark
Director of Football Analytics – Mitch Tanney

Head Coaches

Head Coach – Vance Joseph

Offensive Coaches

Offensive Coordinator – Bill Musgrave
Quarterbacks – Mike Sullivan
Running Backs – Curtis Modkins
Wide Receivers – Zach Azzanni
Tight Ends – Geep Chryst
Offensive Line (Guards/Centers) – Sean Kugler
Offensive Line (Tackles) – Chris Strausser
Offensive Assistant/Quarterbacks – Klint Kubiak
Offensive Quality Control – Christopher Kragthorpe

Defensive Coaches

Defensive Coordinator – Joe Woods
Defensive Line – Bill Kollar
Linebackers – Reggie Herring
Defensive Backs (Safeties) – Marcus Robertson
Defensive Backs (Cornerbacks) – Greg Williams
Defensive Assistant/Defensive Line – Chris Beake
Defensive Quality Control – Charles Gordon
Pass Rush Specialist – Vacant

Special Teams Coaches

Special Teams Coordinator – Tom McMahon
Assistant Special Teams – Chris Gould

Strength and Conditioning

Strength and Conditioning – Luke Richesson
Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Mike Eubanks
Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Anthony Lomando
Assistant Strength and Conditioning – Cedric Smith

→ Coaching Staff
→ Management
→ More NFL staffs

AFC East
BUF
MIA
NE
NYJ
North
BAL
CIN
CLE
PIT
South
HOU
IND
JAX
TEN
West
DEN
KC
LAC
OAK

NFC East
DAL
NYG
PHI
WAS
North
CHI
DET
GB
MIN
South
ATL
CAR
NO
TB
West
ARI
LAR
SF
SEA

text: Radio and television[edit]

text: The Broncos' flagship radio station is currently KOA, 850AM, a 50,000-watt station owned by Clear Channel Communications. Dave Logan is the play-by-play announcer, with former Broncos' wide receiver Ed McCaffrey serving as the color commentator beginning in 2012, replacing Brian Griese.[97] Until 2010, preseason games not selected for airing on national television were shown on KCNC, channel 4, which is a CBS owned-and-operated station, as well as other CBS affiliates around the Rocky Mountain region. On May 26, 2011, the Broncos announced that KUSA channel 9, an NBC affiliate also known as 9NEWS in the Rocky Mountain region, will be the team's new television partner for preseason games.[98]

text: In 2011, the Broncos began a partnership with KJMN, 92.1 FM, a leading Spanish language radio station owned by Entravision Communications (EVC). The partnership also includes broadcasting rights for a half-hour weekly TV show on KCEC, the local Univision affiliate operated by Entravision Communications.[98]

text: Notable fans and in the media[edit]

text:
Tim McKernan, a.k.a. Barrel Man, began wearing a barrel in 1977 after making a $10 bet with his brother, Scott, that by wearing one he could get on television. McKernan won the bet, and the barrel he had painted to look like an Orange Crush soda can became his signature costume, and resulted in him becoming one of the Broncos' most recognized fans and a popular mascot. McKernan died on December 5, 2009.[99]
The animated television show South Park, set in Park County, Colorado, often mentions the Denver Broncos; show creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone both grew up in Colorado as devout Broncos fans.[100]
In The Simpsons episode "You Only Move Twice", Hank Scorpio gives Homer Simpson the Denver Broncos as a thank-you gift for helping him. Homer complains that he wanted to own the Dallas Cowboys, as the Broncos team that just arrived are playing very sloppy football on his front lawn (a reference to the team losing four Super Bowl appearances, three by significant margins including Super Bowl XII against Dallas). Incidentally, the Broncos were 13–3 in the 1996 season, and won the Super Bowl the next 2 seasons. In the episode, "The Bonfire of the Manatees", Homer picks the Broncos to win the Super Bowl over the Seattle Seahawks. The two teams later did play against each other in Super Bowl XLVIII which aired on Fox, the U.S. home of The Simpsons.
In the Mork & Mindy episode "Hold That Mork", Mork's character, played by Robin Williams, became the first male cheerleader in Broncos' history. As a member of the "Pony Express", he trotted out on the field at Mile High Stadium during an actual Broncos' game vs. the New England Patriots on November 11, 1979. The episode aired exactly two weeks later.[101]
Many former Broncos are now in broadcasting, including Shannon Sharpe, Mark Schlereth, Alfred Williams, Tom Jackson, Ed McCaffrey, Brian Griese, David Diaz-Infante, Terrell Davis and John Lynch.

tag: ul