Thirty-two years ago this Friday, on October 17, 1994, Joe Montana and John Elway met for the last time. At Mile High Stadium on Monday Night Football, Montana’s Kansas City Chiefs beat Elway’s Denver Broncos 31-28 when Montana found Willie Davis for a five-yard touchdown with eight seconds left. Montana threw for 393 yards and three scores. Elway answered with 263 yards, two touchdown passes and a rushing score of his own. It was the final duel between two quarterbacks who had defined the AFC West and the Super Bowl stage for more than a decade.
The Chiefs improved to 4-2. The Broncos fell to 1-5. Attendance was 75,151 on a 42-degree night with scattered clouds. For Marty Schottenheimer, it was also a first Mile High win after years of coming up empty in Denver.
Why the anniversary still matters in 2026
Modern Monday nights still sell quarterback stars. This one was the last time Montana and Elway shared a league field. Montana was in his second Kansas City season after leaving San Francisco. Elway was still building toward the late-1990s championships. One night in October closed a rivalry that had run through AFC title games, Super Bowls and highlight packages for years — and it ended on a two-minute answer drive.
The game: Chiefs 31, Broncos 28
The first quarter was scoreless. Then both offenses traded punches. Leonard Russell’s 12-yard run put Denver up 7-0. Marcus Allen answered with a seven-yard rush to tie it. Elway hit Anthony Miller for 27 yards and a 14-7 lead. Montana answered with a six-yard touchdown to J.J. Birden before halftime.
In the third, Montana found tight end Joe Valerio for a four-yard score and a 21-14 edge. Elway tied it again on a 20-yard pass to Jerry Evans. Lin Elliott’s 19-yard field goal made it 24-21 early in the fourth. Elway then engineered a go-ahead drive and scored himself on a four-yard run — 28-24 Denver with under two minutes left.
Montana still had the ball. He finished the night 34-of-54 for 393 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The last throw was the five-yard strike to Willie Davis with eight seconds on the clock. Elway finished 18-of-29 for 263 yards, two touchdown passes, no interceptions, plus 6 carries for 38 yards and the rushing score. Kansas City held the ball for 32:04; Denver for 27:56. The Broncos lost three of five fumbles.
| Quarter | Scoring play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd | Leonard Russell 12-yard rush (Jason Elam kick) | DEN 7–0 |
| 2nd | Marcus Allen 7-yard rush (Lin Elliott kick) | 7–7 |
| 2nd | Anthony Miller 27-yard pass from John Elway (Elam kick) | DEN 14–7 |
| 2nd | J.J. Birden 6-yard pass from Joe Montana (Elliott kick) | 14–14 |
| 3rd | Joe Valerio 4-yard pass from Montana (Elliott kick) | KC 21–14 |
| 3rd | Jerry Evans 20-yard pass from Elway (Elam kick) | 21–21 |
| 4th | Lin Elliott 19-yard field goal | KC 24–21 |
| 4th | John Elway 4-yard rush (Elam kick) | DEN 28–24 |
| 4th | Willie Davis 5-yard pass from Montana (Elliott kick) | KC 31–28 |
| Quarterback | Comp–Att | Yards | TD–INT | Rush |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joe Montana (KC) | 34–54 | 393 | 3–1 | — |
| John Elway (DEN) | 18–29 | 263 | 2–0 | 6–38–1 TD |
Watch the final duel
The league’s archive still carries the full Monday night broadcast, and a short highlight package reconstructs the late exchanges.
What came next
Montana played one more season in Kansas City before retiring. Elway stayed in Denver through Super Bowl XXXII and XXXIII. Their October 17 meeting remains the last shared box score — a 31-28 classic that still shows up whenever the Chiefs and Broncos renew the old AFC West argument on a prime-time slate.
For more October history on WhyNFL, read October 23, 1921: Packers’ first league win, October 22, 1939: the NFL’s first televised game and October 14, 1990: Montana and Jerry Rice in Atlanta. Follow today’s clubs on our Chiefs and Broncos pages.
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