Throwing it back: Photos from the Broncos' best season openers

After winning the franchise's first conference title game in 1977, the Broncos' mounted their defense in 1978 against their opponent in that game, the hated Oakland Raiders. Once again, the Orange Crush defense proved too tough, and the Broncos hounded Hall of Fame quarterback Ken Stabler into a two-interception, zero-touchdown game, (AP Photo/File)

In the 1981 season opener, the Broncos and Raiders once again fought a defensive duel, as neither team scored in the second half. But the Broncos' nine points was too much for Oakland to overcome, as the defense brought down Raiders QB five times.

Behind 96 yards and a touchdown from Sammy Winder, the Broncos opened their 1983 season with a win in John Elway's first game. But the game was a forgettable one for the future star, as he was benched for Steve DeBerg after just eight passing attempts.

Despite 141 yards from Bengals WR Cris Collinsworth (right), the Broncos recovered from a fourth-quarter deficit to get a narrow win at home.

John Elway & Co. eked out a narrow victory after falling behind 13-7 in the second half, as Reggie Rivers scored from 1 yard out for the game-winning touchdown.

In a commanding win to open the Broncos' first Super Bowl championship season, John Elway and the Broncos scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to put a 9-3 game out of reach to 19-3.

In the Broncos' first game since winning Super Bowl XXXII, the championship game MVP, Terrell Davis, scored two touchdowns to kick off the season and begin a winning streak that wouldn't end until December.

The Broncos' 31-20 win over the Giants marked not just the opening of the 2001 season but also the opening of the franchise's new stadium, now known as Empower Field at Mile High.

The Greatest Show on Turf couldn't find its footing at Mile High, as the defending NFC champion Rams fell to the Broncos without scoring a single touchdown through the air. Meanwhile, Brian Griese threw for two touchdowns and Jason Elam kicked three field goals.

Champ Bailey's first game as a Bronco in the 2004 season opener was one to remember. The Hall of Famer picked off Trent Green once and helped force him to complete only 50 percent of his passes, and the Broncos included him a little on offense, as he caught an 11-yard pass.

After falling behind 14-6 in the third quarter, the Broncos rebounded to win the game behind an acrobatic touchdown catch from Brandon Marshall and then a last-second game-winning field goal by Jason Elam.

A low-scoring affair in which the Broncos could not reach the red zone suddenly got a jolt of excitement in the final 30 seconds of the fourth quarter with Denver in desperate need of a scoring drive despite having the ball at their own 13-yard line. After a first down pass to WR Brandon Marshall was incomplete, QB Kyle Orton looked his way again on second down with 28 seconds left. The ball would not find its way to Marshall this time either, but after it was deflected, WR Brandon Stokley plucked it out of the air and scored the game-winning touchdown.

In Peyton Manning's first career game with the Broncos, he and the team showed signs of what was to come, as he threw two touchdowns, including a 71-yard catch-and-run by Demaryius Thomas.

Though the defending Super Bowl champion Ravens were scheduled to play the 2013 Kickoff Game at home, they were forced to travel to Denver due to a Baltimore Orioles game scheduled for the same day. Broncos fans couldn't have been more pleased, as the game provided them an opportunity to see Peyton Manning throw an NFL record-tying seven touchdowns. (AP Photo/Joe Mahoney)

After building a 24-0 lead in the first half after Peyton Manning found TE Julius Thomas for three touchdowns, the Broncos found themselves having to fight off the surging Colts late in the game. Indianapolis had a chance to mount a scoring drive late, but rookie CB Bradley Roby, the team's first-round pick, deflected a pass intended for Reggie Wayne on fourth down to clinch the win. Photo by Gabriel Christus

In a memorable opener to the 2015 season that concluded with a Super Bowl 50 victory, the Broncos were led by four field goals by Brandon McManus and a pick-six by Aqib Talib. Still, the Ravens were down just six points in the last two minutes as they hoped to mount a comeback. But when the Ravens looked to the end zone for a touchdown from the red zone, former Raven Darian Stewart ended the game with an interception. Photo by Ben Hays.

In a thrilling rematch of Super Bowl 50 to kick off the 2016 season, the Broncos eked out a close win as the Panthers missed the last-second game-winning field goal try. Photo by Gabriel Christus

The Broncos picked up another season-opening win in close fashion in 2017 against the Chargers. Trevor Siemian had a touchdown run as the Broncos built a 24-7 lead, but after two fourth-quarter touchdowns from Los Angeles, the Broncos secured victory when Shelby Harris blocked a game-tying field goal attempt. Photo by Gabriel Christus

Von Miller had one of the best games of his career to open the 2018 season, recording three sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, four quarterback hits, seven tackles and three tackles for loss as the Broncos won their seventh consecutive season opener. Photo by Gabriel Christus