Feb. 7 will forever hold a special place in Denver Broncos fans’ hearts.

That’s because Feb. 7, 2016 was the date of Super Bowl 50, a dominant defensive win for Denver. And really, it was an historic milestone for many reasons.

But first, let’s rewind to that season, and that game for a bit of nostalgia.

Unlike during their previous Super Bowl wins in 1997-1998 (Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII), and unlike their Super Bowl XLVIII loss to the Seahawks, that 2015 team was built defense-first.

Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware, Shaquil Barrett, Chris Harris, Aqib Talib and TJ Ward plus Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall in the middle; that defense was stacked from the line of scrimmage to the secondary. Add on top of it that Wade Phillips — unworried about losing games by being to aggressive — was calling the plays and, man, it was probably the best defense in the history of the Broncos.

That’s no slight to the 1977 Broncos, or any other team. But, those Broncos put up insane numbers in an era which has been heavily tilted to award the offense.

Denver allowed the fewest yards that year, they recorded the most sacks (52) and allowed a mere 3.3 yards per rush. That run defense was so potent — with the help of Malik Jackson and Derek Wolfe inside — that they kept 11 opponents under 100 yards rushing that year, including a streak of five straight such games in November and December.

Let’s rewind a little bit further, though, so we don’t miss some of the best games of that year.

Week 2

Early in the season, the Broncos knocked off the Chiefs in Kansas City. That game was a nail-biter and the Chiefs took a touchdown lead with only 2:27 to go, but Peyton Manning constructed a 10-play, 80-yard drive complete with the game-tying touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders. Then, with only 27 seconds to play, Marshall forced Jamaal Charles to fumble and Bradley Roby returned it for the game-winning score. The defense forced 5 turnovers that day, including two interceptions by Alex Smith.

Week 8

Following the Broncos’ bye week, and sitting at 6-0, they looked legit to Broncos Country, but not to everyone in the national media. On top of that, they faced the Green Bay Packers, who were also 6-0.

And ironically, in the battle between Aaron Rodgers in his prime and an aged Manning, the star of the game was Ronnie Hillman. The backup running back scored twice with 60 yards while C.J. Anderson ran for 101 yards and one score of his own. Neither Manning nor Rodgers threw a touchdown, and Rodgers was notably uncomfortable all night, being sacked three times. Miller and Ware each had one, the Broncos won easily, 29-10.

Week 12

The 9-1 Broncos hosted the perfect 10-0 Patriots at new Mile High Stadium in a game for the ages. It was a snow game and a hard-fought battle which saw the Pats take a 21-7 lead early in the 4th quarter. Tom Brady threw all three touchdowns for New England to that point, but Manning wasn’t about to let Tom “Terrific” walk out of Denver a winner.

Er, make that Brock Osweiler. The Broncos, led by their backup QB, scored 24 points in the final quarter and overtime, including C.J. Anderson’s incredible game-winning run in the snow.

AFC Championship

The Broncos and Patriots met once again, this time with Manning at the helm of the offense.

But the story of that game, much like the entire season, was the defense. Miller recorded 2.5 sacks and Wolfe (1.0) and Ware (0.5) all helped take down Tom Brady a total of 4 times in that game. Brady not only looked human because of the otherworldly pass rush, but because he threw two picks in the game as well. And then, even when Brady and the Pats scored, they went for the 2-point conversion to tie, the pass was batted down.

Super Bowl 50

Yes, the Broncos played the Carolina Panthers. And that may not seem impressive, but one has to remember that Cam Newton was an unstoppable force that season, both on the ground and through the air.

Newton was the NFL MVP in 2015, with 35 passing touchdowns and only 2 interceptions along with another 10 rushing touchdowns. He was insanely good that year, and the Panthers had lost a mere one game all season long.

But at 17-1, they faced a superior Broncos team at 14-4 entering the contest.

In fact, many said for years it was the game Von Miller broke Newton, and the argument has proven to be true going forward. Newton has never resembled the player he was that year, and Miller humiliated him that day.

The Broncos jumped out to a 3-0 lead, and then Miller strip-sacked Newton, which was recovered by Malik Jackson for the touchdown and 10-0 lead in the first quarter.

The Panthers battled back the Jonathan Stewart capped off a drive to bring the game to 10-7, Broncos still in the first. Then, the game slowed down quite a bit.

Denver’s Brandon McManus kicked a 33-yard field goal before halftime for the 13-7 lead, and then he added another — this time from 30 yards to push the lead to 16-7. After a Newton interception and a punt, the Panthers were able to put more points on the board when Graham Gano kicked a 39-yard field goal.

Anderson was crucial during the game, as Andrew Mason remembers here:

But late, Miller struck again. He strip-sacked Newton again, and the Broncos took over at the 4 yard line where Anderson was able to pound the ball home and give Denver the 24-10 lead after Manning connected with Bennie Fowler for the 2-pointer.

And that was about it.

At the end of the game, Miller was name Super Bowl MVP, deservedly so. For Manning, it was the final game of his career and a fitting end to one of the greatest careers in NFL history. And now, Miller’s been traded away too.

And for the franchise, it was the final time the Broncos have been in the playoffs. It was a magical run, an incredible journey and a wonderful Super Bowl win. Let’s hope Denver — who’s into a new era completely with George Paton as GM and now Nathaniel Hackett as head coach — get back to the playoffs sooner rather than later.