Ranking the Broncos’ Three Biggest Non-AFC West Rivals
Divisional rivalries are built through familiarity and geography, but some of the Denver Broncos’ fiercest battles have come against teams outside the AFC West. Across multiple eras, Denver repeatedly collided with AFC heavyweights in meaningful regular-season matchups that often carried major implications in the race for conference supremacy.
The playoffs only intensified the animosity. Repeated postseason clashes, quarterback duels, and shifting power dynamics turned these matchups into defining rivalries that helped shape the AFC landscape for decades. With that in mind, here are the three biggest non-AFC West rivals in Broncos history:
3. Indianapolis Colts
The Broncos’ rivalry with the Colts is one of the most statistically balanced in franchise history. The teams have met 31 times, including the postseason, with Indianapolis holding a razor-thin 16-15 edge. Even more telling: across those 31 games, both teams have scored exactly 679 points.
In the early 2000s, the Colts were Denver’s postseason kryptonite. Indianapolis is 3-0 against the Broncos in the playoffs, a fact that still shapes the emotional weight of this matchup. When Peyton Manning quarterbacked the Colts, he posted a 6-2 record against Denver, reinforcing that era’s imbalance.
Ironically, the rivalry only grew more layered when Manning joined the Broncos in 2012. Denver went just 1-3 against Indianapolis (including playoffs) during Manning’s tenure – his only win against the Colts occurring in Week 1 of the 2014 regular season. Manning’s return to Indianapolis in Week 7 of the 2013 campaign was charged with emotion and symbolism, adding a deeply personal chapter to an already meaningful rivalry.
What makes this matchup worthy of the No. 3 spot is its competitive symmetry. The all-time scoring deadlock and near-even series record reflect how tightly contested these games have been. Even outside the postseason spotlight, the balance and quarterback-driven drama kept this rivalry relevant.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
Few non-divisional matchups in Broncos history combine longevity and postseason significance like Denver versus Pittsburgh. The teams have played 35 times, including the playoffs, with the Broncos holding a 20-14-1 all-time edge. And despite decades of clashes, the total scoring margin is almost nonexistent – a two-point difference across more than three decades of football.
The postseason history is equally compelling. Denver owns a 5-3 playoff record against the Steelers and has won four of the past five postseason meetings. The Broncos eliminated Pittsburgh in the 1997 AFC Championship Game, the 2011 Wild Card Round and the 2015 Divisional Round – each victory fueling a Super Bowl run or becoming an iconic franchise moment.
The Steelers, however, delivered one of the rivalry’s most painful blows in the 2005 AFC Championship Game, ending Denver’s season one step short of the Super Bowl. More recently, Pittsburgh has won the last three regular-season meetings, reminding everyone that this matchup rarely stays one-sided for long.
This rivalry endures because it resurfaces when the stakes rise. The near-even scoring totals, the Broncos’ playoff edge, and decades of meaningful games create a layered, resilient rivalry that transcends eras.
1. New England Patriots
No non-divisional opponent has defined the Broncos’ modern identity more than the Patriots. The teams have met 56 times, including the postseason, with Denver holding a 31-25 advantage. Even the scoring totals mirror the rivalry’s intensity: the Broncos have scored 1,246 points all-time against New England, while the Patriots have scored 1,221 points all-time against Denver.
The rivalry became the AFC’s defining storyline during the era of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Manning went 2-0 against Brady in the postseason as the Broncos’ starting quarterback, topping New England in the 2013 AFC Championship Game and 2015 AFC Championship Game. Overall, Denver is 4-2 against the Patriots in the playoffs and 2-1 in AFC Championship meetings.
But New England has delivered its share of damage. Brady edged the Broncos twice in the regular season during Manning’s tenure, and Denver’s lopsided playoff loss to the Patriots in 2011 reinforced New England’s dominance during its dynasty years. Most recently, the Broncos’ heartbreaking 10-7 loss to the Patriots in the 2025 AFC Championship Game added another high-stakes chapter to the rivalry.
What separates this matchup from the rest is its sustained relevance at the highest level. The sample size is larger, the playoff implications have been greater, and the quarterback duels carried historic weight. Since the early 2010s, when Denver has made a legitimate Super Bowl push, New England has either stood in the way – or been knocked down on the way there.
