1982 Denver Broncos season

The 1982 Denver Broncos season was the team's 23rd year in professional football and its 13th with the National Football League (NFL). The Broncos played only nine games this season, owing to the strike imposed by the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). The Broncos were looking to improve on their 10–6 record from 1981. But due to many injuries plus the strike, the Broncos only won two games and lost seven. This was their worst record since 1971, their first losing season since 1975, and their first with fewer than three wins since 1964. Both of the Broncos’ wins came against interconference teams, and the team only won one home game the entire season, against the reigning Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers. Their only other win was against the Los Angeles Rams. The Broncos went winless against AFC foes in 1982, although all their non-division AFC games^[i] were cancelled by the strike.

1982 Denver Broncos season
Owner	Edgar Kaiser
General manager	Grady Alderman
Head coach	Dan Reeves
Home stadium	Mile High Stadium
Results
Record	2–7
Division place	12th AFC
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
← 1981 Broncos seasons 1983 →

NFL Draft

Main article: 1982 NFL Draft

1982 Denver Broncos draft
Round	Pick	Player	Position	College	Notes
1	21	Gerald Willhite	RB	San Jose State
2	50	Orlando McDaniel	WR	LSU
4	106	Dan Plater	WR	BYU
5	131	Sammy Winder *	RB	Southern Mississippi
7	189	Alvin Ruben	DE	Houston
9	243	Keith Uecker	OT	Auburn
10	274	Ken Woodard	LB	Tuskegee
11	300	Stuart Yatsko	G	Oregon
12	327	Brian Clark	G	Clemson
Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Personnel

Staff

1982 Denver Broncos staff

Front office Owner – Edgar Kaiser General Manager – Grady Alderman Director of Player Personnel – John Beake Coordinator of College Scouting – Carroll Hardy Coordinator of Pro Scouting – Reed Johnson Head coaches Head Coach – Dan Reeves Assistant Head Coach/Defense – Joe Collier Special Assistant – Marvin Bass Offensive coaches Offensive Coordinator/Wide Receivers – Rod Dowhower Running Backs – Nick Nicolau Offensive Line – Jerry Frei

Defensive coaches Defensive Line – Stan Jones Linebackers – Bob Zeman Defensive Backs – Richie McCabe Special teams coaches Special Teams/Tight Ends – Fran Polsfoot

^[2]

Roster

1982 Denver Broncos roster

Quarterbacks (QB) 17 Steve DeBerg 10 Mark Herrmann 7 Craig Morton Running backs (RB) 41 Rob Lytle 24 Rick Parros 46 Dave Preston 47 Gerald Willhite 23 Sammy Winder Wide receivers (WR) 83 Wade Manning 82 Orlando McDaniel 80 Rick Upchurch 81 Steve Watson Tight ends (TE) 85 Ron Egloff 88 Riley Odoms 87 James Wright

Offensive linemen (OL) 54 Keith Bishop G 64 Billy Bryan C 62 Tom Glassic G 60 Paul Howard G 76 Ken Lanier T 71 Claudie Minor T 70 Dave Studdard T 67 Keith Uecker G Defensive linemen (DL) 77 Greg Boyd DE 79 Barney Chavous DE 68 Rubin Carter DT 75 Rulon Jones DE 72 Don Latimer DT 66 Brison Manor DE

Linebackers (LB) 58 Steve Busick 56 Larry Evans 53 Randy Gradishar 57 Tom Jackson 59 Mark Merrill 58 Rob Nairne 50 Jim Ryan 51 Bob Swenson Defensive backs (DB) 43 Steve Foley CB 31 Mike Harden FS 22 Aaron Kyle CB 49 Dennis Smith 37 Steve Trimble 20 Louis Wright CB Special teams (ST) 3 Rich Karlis K 11 Luke Prestridge P

Rookies in italics

Preseason

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	August 14	at Los Angeles Rams	W 33–20	1–0	Anaheim Stadium	57,482
2	August 21	Miami Dolphins	W 17–14	2–0	Mile High Stadium	77,465
3	August 28	Minnesota Vikings	W 27–17	3–0	Mile High Stadium	73,371
4	September 4	at New York Jets	W 20–13	4–0	Giants Stadium	43,820

Regular season

Main article: 1982 NFL season

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Result	Record	Venue	Attendance
1	September 12	San Diego Chargers	L 3–23	0–1	Mile High Stadium	73,564
2	September 19	San Francisco 49ers	W 24–21	1–1	Mile High Stadium	73,899
—	September 26	at New Orleans Saints	Cancelled due to the NFLPA Players' strike †
—	October 3	Pittsburgh Steelers
—	October 10	at New York Jets
—	October 17	at Houston Oilers
—	October 24	Los Angeles Raiders
—	October 31	Buffalo Bills
—	November 7	at Seattle Seahawks	Postponed until January 2, 1983 due to the NFLPA Players' strike
—	November 14	at Kansas City Chiefs	Cancelled due to the NFLPA Players' strike †
10	November 21	Seattle Seahawks	L 10–17	1–2	Mile High Stadium	73,996
11	November 28	at San Diego Chargers	L 20–30	1–3	Jack Murphy Stadium	47,629
12	December 5	Atlanta Falcons	L 27–34	1–4	Mile High Stadium	73,984
13	December 12	at Los Angeles Rams	W 27–24	2–4	Anaheim Stadium	48,112
14	December 19	Kansas City Chiefs	L 16–37	2–5	Mile High Stadium	74,192
15	December 26	at Los Angeles Raiders	L 10–27	2–6	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	44,160
16	January 2, 1983	at Seattle Seahawks	L 11–13	2–7	Kingdome	43,145
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1 (Sunday, September 12, 1982): vs. San Diego Chargers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chargers	3	3	10	7	23
Broncos	0	3	0	0	3

Week 1: San Diego Chargers at Denver Broncos – Game summary

at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado

• Date: September 12
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. MDT
• Game attendance: 73,564
• Referee: Jim Tunney
• TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert (play–by–play) and Jim Turner (color commentator)
• ^[3][4]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SD	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
DEN	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SD DEN 1 Chargers 50-yard field goal by Benirschke 3 0 2 Broncos 40-yard field goal by Karlis 3 3 2 Chargers 24-yard field goal by Benirschke 6 3 3 Chargers 40-yard field goal by Benirschke 9 3 3 Chargers Fitzkee 18-yard touchdown reception from Fouts, Benirschke kick good 16 3 4 Chargers Muncie 10-yard touchdown run, Benirschke kick good 23 3 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 23 3

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

Chargers	Game Statistics	Broncos
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Individual stats

Week 2 (Sunday, September 19, 1982): vs. San Francisco 49ers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
49ers	14	7	0	0	21
Broncos	7	7	0	10	24

Week 2: San Francisco 49ers at Denver Broncos – Game summary

at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado

• Date: September 19
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. MDT
• Game attendance: 73,899
• Referee: Chuck Heberling
• TV announcers (CBS): Pat Summerall (play–by–play) and John Madden (color commentator)
• ^[5][6]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SF	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
DEN	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SF DEN 1 49ers Solomon 46-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Wersching kick good 7 0 1 — — — Broncos Upchurch 67-yard punt return for a touchdown, Karlis kick good 7 7 1 49ers Moore 1-yard touchdown run, Wersching kick good 14 7 2 Broncos Parros 4-yard touchdown reception from DeBerg, Karlis kick good 14 14 2 49ers Clark 24-yard touchdown reception from Montana, Wersching kick good 21 14 4 Broncos Upchurch 37-yard touchdown reception from DeBerg, Karlis kick good 21 21 4 Broncos 18-yard field goal by Karlis 21 24 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 21 24

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

49ers	Game Statistics	Broncos
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Individual stats

Week 10 (Sunday, November 21, 1982): vs. Seattle Seahawks

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Seahawks	0	0	7	10	17
Broncos	0	7	3	0	10

Week 10: Seattle Seahawks at Denver Broncos – Game summary

at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado

• Date: November 21
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
• Game attendance: 73,966
• Referee: Jerry Seeman
• TV announcers (NBC): Charlie Jones (play–by–play) and Len Dawson (color commentator)
• ^[7][8]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
SEA	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
DEN	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP SEA DEN 2 Broncos Willhite 15-yard touchdown run, Karlis kick good 0 7 3 — — — Seahawks Interception returned 31 yards for touchdown by Scholtz, Johnson kick good 7 7 3 Broncos 21-yard field goal by Karlis 7 10 4 Seahawks 25-yard field goal by Johnson 10 10 4 Seahawks Largent 34-yard touchdown reception from Zorn, Johnson kick good 17 10 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 17 10

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

Seahawks	Game Statistics	Broncos
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Individual stats

Week 11 (Sunday, November 28, 1982): at San Diego Chargers

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	3	7	7	3	20
Chargers	0	17	3	10	30

Week 11: Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers – Game summary

at Jack Murphy Stadium • San Diego, California

• Date: November 28
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
• Game attendance: 47,629
• Referee: Jerry Markbreit
• TV announcers (NBC): Don Criqui (play–by–play) and John Brodie (color commentator)
• ^[9][10]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
DEN	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
SD	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP DEN SD 1 Broncos 27-yard field goal by Karlis 3 0 2 Chargers Winslow 3-yard touchdown reception from Fouts, Benirschke kick good 3 7 2 Chargers 41-yard field goal by Benirschke 3 10 2 Chargers Winslow 28-yard touchdown reception from Fouts, Benirschke kick good 3 17 2 Broncos Upchurch 16-yard touchdown reception from DeBerg, Karlis kick good 10 17 3 Broncos DeBerg 6-yard touchdown run, Karlis kick good 17 17 3 Chargers 18-yard field goal by Benirschke 17 20 4 Broncos 38-yard field goal by Karlis 20 20 4 Chargers Winslow 2-yard touchdown reception from Fouts, Benirschke kick good 20 27 4 Chargers 42-yard field goal by Benirschke 20 30 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 20 30

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

Broncos	Game Statistics	Chargers
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Individual stats

Week 12 (Sunday, December 5, 1982): vs. Atlanta Falcons

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Falcons (3–2)	7	7	10	10	34
Broncos (1–4)	14	3	3	7	27

Week 12: Atlanta Falcons at Denver Broncos – Game summary

at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado

• Date: December 5
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
• Game attendance: 73,984
• Referee: Gene Barth
• TV announcers (CBS): Jack Buck (play–by–play) and Hank Stram (color commentator)
• ^[11][12]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
ATL	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
DEN	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP ATL DEN 1 Falcons Andrews 8-yard touchdown run, Luckhurst kick good 7 0 1 Broncos Winder 3-yard touchdown run, Karlis kick good 7 7 1 Broncos Watson 6-yard touchdown reception from DeBerg, Karlis kick good 7 14 2 Falcons Miller 9-yard touchdown reception from Bartkowski, Luckhurst kick good 14 14 2 Broncos 31-yard field goal by Karlis 14 17 3 Broncos 26-yard field goal by Karlis 14 20 3 Falcons Andrews 86-yard touchdown reception from Bartkowski, Luckhurst kick good 21 20 3 Falcons 51-yard field goal by Luckhurst 24 20 4 Falcons 51-yard field goal by Luckhurst 27 20 4 Falcons Andrews 2-yard touchdown run, Luckhurst kick good 34 20 4 Broncos Wright 6-yard touchdown reception from DeBerg, Karlis kick good 34 27 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 34 27

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

Falcons	Game Statistics	Broncos
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Individual stats

Week 13 (Sunday, December 12, 1982): at Los Angeles Rams

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	14	3	10	27
Rams	7	14	0	3	24

Week 13: Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Rams – Game summary

at Anaheim Stadium • Anaheim, California

• Date: December 12
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
• Game attendance: 48,112
• Referee: Bob McElwee
• TV announcers (NBC): Phil Stone (play–by–play) and Gene Washington (color commentator)
• ^[13][14]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
DEN	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
RAM	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP DEN RAM 1 Rams Guman 1-yard touchdown run, Lansford kick good 0 7 2 Rams Tyler 1-yard touchdown run, Lansford kick good 0 14 2 Rams Cromwell 17-yard touchdown run, Lansford kick good 0 21 2 Broncos Upchurch 51-yard touchdown reception from DeBerg, Karlis kick good 7 21 2 Broncos Parros 7-yard touchdown reception from DeBerg, Karlis kick good 14 21 3 Broncos 47-yard field goal by Karlis 17 21 4 Broncos 18-yard field goal by Karlis 20 21 4 Broncos Parros 2-yard touchdown run, Karlis kick good 27 21 4 Rams 39-yard field goal by Lansford 27 24 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 27 24

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

Broncos	Game Statistics	Rams
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Individual stats

Week 14 (Sunday, December 19, 1982): vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Chiefs	3	7	10	17	37
Broncos	0	13	3	0	16

Week 14: Kansas City Chiefs at Denver Broncos – Game summary

at Mile High Stadium • Denver, Colorado

• Date: December 19
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
• Game attendance: 74,192
• Referee: Jim Tunney
• TV announcers (NBC): Marv Albert (play–by–play) and Bob Trumpy (color commentator)
• ^[15][16]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
KC	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
DEN	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP KC DEN 1 Chiefs 47-yard field goal by Lowery 3 0 2 — — — Chiefs Interception returned 56 yards for touchdown by Harris, Lowery kick good 10 0 2 Broncos Willhite 2-yard touchdown run, Karlis kick no good 10 6 2 — — — Broncos Upchurch 78-yard punt return for a touchdown, Karlis kick good 10 13 3 Broncos 44-yard field goal by Karlis 17 16 3 Chiefs 19-yard field goal by Lowery 20 16 4 Chiefs 22-yard field goal by Lowery 23 16 4 Chiefs Carson 33-yard touchdown reception from Kenney, Lowery kick good 30 16 4 — — — Chiefs Interception returned 43 yards for touchdown by Barbaro, Lowery kick good 37 16 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 37 16

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

Chiefs	Game Statistics	Broncos
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Individual stats

Week 15 (Sunday, December 26, 1982): at Los Angeles Raiders

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	0	0	0	10	10
Raiders	3	24	0	0	27

Week 15: Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Raiders – Game summary

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, California

• Date: December 26
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
• Game attendance: 44,160
• Referee: Red Cashion
• TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg (play–by–play) and Merlin Olsen (color commentator)
• ^[17][18]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
DEN	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
RAI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP DEN RAI 1 Raiders 19-yard field goal by Bahr 0 3 2 Raiders Allen 4-yard touchdown reception from Plunkett, Bahr kick good 0 10 3 Raiders King 5-yard touchdown run, Bahr kick good 0 17 2 Raiders Allen 51-yard touchdown reception from Plunkett, Bahr kick good 0 24 2 Raiders 36-yard field goal by Bahr 0 27 4 Broncos 31-yard field goal by Karlis 3 27 4 Broncos Watson 18-yard touchdown reception from Herrmann, Karlis kick good 10 27 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 10 27

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

Broncos	Game Statistics	Raiders
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Individual stats

Week 16 (Sunday, January 2, 1983): at Seattle Seahawks

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	2	0	7	2	11
Seahawks	3	0	0	10	13

Week 16: Denver Broncos at Seattle Seahawks – Game summary

at Kingdome • Seattle, Washington

• Date: January 2
• Game time: 2:00 p.m. MST
• Game weather: indoors (dome)
• Game attendance: 43,415
• Referee: Fred Wyant
• TV announcers (NBC): Phil Stone (play–by–play) and Gene Washington (color commentator)
• ^[19][20]

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
DEN	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
SEA	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring information Score Plays Yards TOP DEN SEA 1 Seahawks 22-yard field goal by Johnson 0 3 1 Broncos Brown tackled in end zone for a safety by Boyd 2 3 3 Broncos Herrmann 6-yard touchdown run, Karlis kick good 9 3 4 Seahawks 34-yard field goal by Johnson 9 6 4 Broncos Krieg tackled in end zone for a safety by Chavous 11 6 4 Seahawks Carr 19-yard touchdown reception from Krieg, Johnson kick good 11 13 "TOP" = time of possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 11 13

• Point spread:
• Over/Under:
• Time of Game:

Broncos	Game Statistics	Seahawks
	First downs
	Rushes–yards
	Passing yards
	Passes
	Sacked–yards
	Net passing yards
	Total yards
	Return yards
	Punts
	Fumbles–lost
	Penalties–yards
	Time of possession

Individual stats

Standings

AFC West
view talk edit	W	L	T	PCT	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	STK
Los Angeles Raiders(1)	8	1	0	.889	5–0	5–1	260	200	W5
San Diego Chargers(5)	6	3	0	.667	2–3	5–3	288	221	L1
Seattle Seahawks	4	5	0	.444	2–1	3–5	127	147	W1
Kansas City Chiefs	3	6	0	.333	2–1	3–3	176	184	W1
Denver Broncos	2	7	0	.222	0–6	0–6	148	226	L3

AFC v t e
#	Team	W	L	T	PCT	PF	PA	STK
Seeded postseason qualifiers
1	Los Angeles Raiders	8	1	0	.889	260	200	W5
2[a]	Miami Dolphins	7	2	0	.778	198	131	W3
3[a]	Cincinnati Bengals	7	2	0	.778	232	177	W2
4[b][c]	Pittsburgh Steelers	6	3	0	.667	204	146	W2
5[b][c]	San Diego Chargers	6	3	0	.667	288	221	L1
6[c]	New York Jets	6	3	0	.667	245	166	L1
7	New England Patriots	5	4	0	.556	143	157	W1
8[d]	Cleveland Browns	4	5	0	.444	140	182	L1
Did not qualify for the postseason
9[d]	Buffalo Bills	4	5	0	.444	150	154	L3
10[d]	Seattle Seahawks	4	5	0	.444	127	147	W1
11	Kansas City Chiefs	3	6	0	.333	176	184	W1
12	Denver Broncos	2	7	0	.222	148	226	L3
13	Houston Oilers	1	8	0	.111	136	245	L7
14	Baltimore Colts	0	8	1	.056	113	236	L2
Tiebreakers
Miami finished ahead of Cincinnati based on better conference record (6–1 to Cincinnati’s 6–2). Pittsburgh finished ahead of San Diego based on better record against common opponents (3–1 to Chargers' 2–1). Conference tiebreak was initially used to eliminate New York Jets. Pittsburgh and San Diego finished ahead of New York Jets based on conference record (Pittsburgh and San Diego 5–3 against Jets’ 2–3) Cleveland finished ahead of Buffalo and Buffalo ahead of Seattle based on conference record (4–3 to Buffalo’s 3–3 to Seattle’s 3–5).

Notes

1. The Broncos were scheduled to play the Steelers and Bills at home and the Jets and Oilers — who finished 1–8 — away.^[1]