Denver Broncos

WhatIfSports Super Bowl power rankings: how does Denver compare to past champs?

Published Feb. 24, 2016 12:45 p.m. ET

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The Denver Broncos upended the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, meaning the team has just one more test: WhatIfSports.com's Super Bowl power rankings. Using our NFL simulation engine, we put the 2015 Broncos to task against some of the best teams in Denver and NFL history.

2015 Broncos vs. Past Denver Super Bowl Participants

The Super Bowl is familiar territory for the Broncos' franchise. The club's first appearance followed the 1977 season, a 27-10 defeat to Dallas in Super Bowl XII with Craig Morton at quarterback. John Elway's arrival in Denver in 1983 signaled a wave of success, with Super Bowl trips following the 1986, 1987 and 1989 seasons, but each ended in a loss. The Broncos were finally crowned champions with a 31-24 victory over Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXII. The team wasted no time chasing a second title, beating Atlanta in Super Bowl XXXIII the following year, which turned out to be Elway's final game. Under Peyton Manning, Denver reached two Super Bowls, falling to Seattle following the 2013 season before defeating Carolina this year.

How do the 2015 Broncos compare to their Super Bowl predecessors? We simulated a round-robin tournament with every Denver Super Bowl participant. Each team played 101 matchups against every other team in the field. Check out how the squads fared, ranked by winning percentage: 

Elway who? Manning's two Super Bowl participants topped all five of Elway's squads. Surprisingly, it was a runner-up that captured the best winning percentage in the tournament, with the 2013 Broncos winning 81.6 percent of their games. The 2013 team averaged 34.9 points in the simulation -- the most by a large margin -- and finished in second in points allowed with 24.1.

2015 Broncos vs. Every Super Bowl Champion

While the Super Bowl 50 champs are built to compete against some of the best teams in Denver history, how do the 2015 Broncos measure up against past Super Bowl winners from throughout the league? We again deployed our NFL simulation engine to find out. We simulated a round-robin tournament with all 50 Super Bowl champions, playing every team in 101 head-to-head matchups against every other team. Check out the results:

The 2015 Broncos placed 18th in the tournament, winning 54.4 percent of their games. After edging out the 1998 Broncos in our Denver-only tournament, the tables were turned this time around. The 1998 Broncos won 57.0 percent of their games for a ranking of 14th. The 1997 Broncos placed 35th with a 46.0 winning percentage.

As in past years, the 1999 St. Louis Rams are the team to beat. "The Greatest Show on Turf" cruised to an 80.7 winning percentage with a simulation-best 32.8 points per game.   

For additional content, view our Super Bowl runner-up power rankings or NFL archive.

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