Ranking the 10 best QB/Head Coach duos in NFL history

3. John Elway and Mike Shanahan, Denver

John Elway had been considered one of the greatest talents the game had ever seen from the time he was drafted in 1983. He carried the Denver Broncos on his shoulders, and he made his reputation when he led them on “The Drive” in the 1986 AFC Championship game in Cleveland.

That 98-yard fourth-quarter drive allowed the Broncos to tie the game and send it to overtime, and the Broncos won the game in the extra session. However, the Broncos lost three Super Bowls to the New York Giants, Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers, and Elway grew increasingly frustrated with Dan Reeves as his head coach.

Eventually, Reeves and the Broncos parted company, and Elway urged San Francisco offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan to take the job. Shanahan agreed, and the Broncos went on to win back-to-back Super Bowls over the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons.

Elway called it a career after the win over the Falcons, and his ability to close his career with two Super Bowl triumphs helped him become one of the game’s most legendary figures.

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