Broncos going all-blue in Week 3 … which has left them blue in recent years

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos announced in August that they would wear blue jerseys in Week 3. Thursday, they added that they would wear blue pants for Sunday night’s game against the 49ers.

All blues for #SNF 🥶🫡 pic.twitter.com/vTn3O8HURD

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 22, 2022

But blue-on-blue has ended with nights that rendered the Broncos sadder than sad in recent years.

How so? Consider this: Denver has a five-game losing streak when wearing blue pants with blue jerseys. The skid began with an inexplicable 15-12 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Dec. 13, 2015. You might remember that game for Khalil Mack’s 5-sack outburst, mostly at the expense of then-right tackle Michael Schofield.

Denver wore blue-on-blue two seasons later for a Sunday Night Football home game against the New York Giants. The Giants came into the game nearly out of wide receivers, but that didn’t stop them from defeating Denver 23-10. That loss started an eight-game losing streak that remains the Broncos’ longest since the AFL-NFL merger.

The blues returned 11 months later against Kansas City. That game is remembered for two things: a crucial no-call of delay of game on the Chiefs during what proved to be their game-deciding drive, and Case Keenum overthrowing the late Demaryius Thomas in the final seconds, costing the Broncos a game-winning touchdown. Denver fell in that memorable Monday night game, 27-23.

With all due respect, this was not called delay of game. https://t.co/0qjI27IZhv pic.twitter.com/OTbLlmA7qN

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) October 11, 2021

Losses in all-blue at Atlanta in 2020 and at home to Kansas City last January extended the streak.

But here’s one argument in favor of all-blue: The last time Broncos won in that ensemble, their opponent was San Francisco. Denver blasted the 49ers 42-17 in 2014, a night that saw Peyton Manning throw his 509th career touchdown pass, which set the NFL record at the time.

The Broncos introduced blue pants as part of their 1997 uniform overhaul. But after they made a preseason appearance that summer, the team tossed them in the closet. They wouldn’t make a regular-season debut until Week 3 of the 2003 season, when the Broncos went all-blue for a 31-10 Monday Night Football win over Oakland.

Denver’s all-time record in all-blue is 14-14, including a 13-13 mark at home.

Broncos record by uniform since the 1997 changes:

• Throwback orange jerseys, white pants: 1-0 (1.000)
• Brown jerseys, yellow pants: 1-0 (1.000)
• White jerseys, brown pants: 1-0 (1.000)
• Blue jerseys, white pants: 79-34 (.699)
• Orange jerseys, white pants: 54-30 (.643)
• “Color Rush” orange jerseys, orange pants: 3-3 (.500)
• Blue jerseys, blue pants: 14-14 (.500)
• White jerseys, white pants: 88-103 (.461)

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