The Lead
In just a few days, former Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas will officially be inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame during the team's Alumni Weekend.
As the organization honors Thomas and his Super Bowl 50 teammates this weekend, we're looking back at Thomas' terrific career in Denver. While there are too many great moments to list them all, we've highlighted some of Thomas' very best performances as he officially joins a group of Broncos legends.
A bright spot
The Broncos' performance in Super Bowl XLVIII was one that most would like to forget, as Denver fell to the Seahawks in a lopsided game. Thomas, though, continued to fight despite a difficult result. In the loss, he recorded 13 catches for 118 yards and a touchdown, and he battled despite absorbing big hits. Thomas reportedly played through a separated shoulder to set the Super Bowl record for receptions.
A career day
In a career that included three dozen 100-yard games, Thomas' most productive outing came early in the 2014 season. In a Week 5 matchup with the Cardinals, Thomas caught eight passes for a career-high 226 yards and two touchdowns. The performance still stands as the most receiving yards in a single game in franchise history, and it sparked a run of seven consecutive 100-yard games for Thomas. On an afternoon in which he averaged more than 28 yards per reception, Thomas' most impressive play was an 86-yard touchdown reception that extended Denver's second-quarter lead.
One-hander vs. KC
In a career full of great catches, perhaps none was better than a one-handed snag against the Chiefs in 2012. In Peyton Manning's first season, he looked for Thomas in the back of the end zone, and Thomas rose to stab the ball out of the air. Thomas got both feet in bounds, absorbed the contact and recorded the touchdown.
509
When Manning set the all-time passing touchdown record, Thomas was at the receiving end of the record-breaking throw. On "Sunday Night Football" against the 49ers in 2014, Thomas ran a perfect route to the front right corner of the end zone and dragged his feet to complete the catch. Thomas earned a special footnote in history and took a Wilt Chamberlain-esque picture with Manning following the game in which they held up a piece of paper with 509 written on it.
Mile High Magic
Thomas had plenty of memorable plays — a long touchdown vs. the Chargers in 2015, a two-touchdown performance against the Ravens in 2013, acrobatic catches against the Lions, Saints and others — but they all pale in comparison to one of the top moments in NFL history. In the wild-card round of the 2011 playoffs, Thomas caught a slant from Tim Tebow on the first play of overtime, stiff-armed Ike Taylor and took off toward the south end zone for an 80-yard touchdown. The crowd roared at Empower Field at Mile High as Thomas cruised into the end zone and toward the tunnel. In a moment, the game was over — and Thomas took his place in NFL lore.
[Editor's note: These moments were initially compiled and published by the author when Thomas entered the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.]
