Denver Broncos

On January 14, 2006 in a divisional playoff game between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos, Bailey broke the record for the longest non-scoring interception return in the playoffs. With the Patriots poised to score, Bailey intercepted a pass from Tom Brady in the end zone and returned it 100 yards to the 1 yard line, where he was hit by Patriots tight end Benjamin Watson and fumbled the ball out of bounds. The Patriots challenged, in the hope that the ball was fumbled through the end zone, but there was not enough evidence to overturn the call, and the play stood. The Broncos scored a touchdown on the next play. The play was considered the most crucial of the contest, which the Broncos would go on to win, hence ending the Patriots' quest for a historic third straight Super Bowl title.

Champ Bailey set a career high for interceptions in 2006 with 10.

His ability to shut down one side of the field is known and respected league wide. Against the Baltimore Ravens on October 9, 2006 on Monday Night Football, Bailey recorded a drive ending interception in the endzone seconds before the half. The interception is linked to the firing of Jim Fassel On October 17, 2006. Fassel, the offensive Coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens at the time eight days earlier, selected the fly route targeted at Bailey. The play irritated several Raven defensive players including Ray Lewis simply because it seemed senseless to test Champ with a lob pass. Any score before the half would have been crucial since both teams were struggling to score, at the time Baltimore had a three to zero lead. Baltimore would end the game with only three points. After being thrown at and asked if surprised by McNair's decision, Bailey said "A little," Bailey then smiled. "And they paid for it."

Against the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks on December 3rd 2006, The Seahawks did not test Bailey once in the first half. The first time Matt Hasselbeck threw in Bailey’s direction, the cornerback intercepted a deep throw intended for Darrell Jackson. Hasselback was not surprised saying in an interview following the game, "I've thrown him interceptions in my career, who hasn't? He's a great corner, a great cover guy and just a very, very talented guy."

In the 2006 NFL Season, Champ Bailey has entered his own level of play at cornerback, widely considered far and away the best in the position. On top of his usual solid tackling skills, he had 10 interceptions through the season (tied for the NFL lead with Asante Samuel), several coming in clutch situations around the goal line. Bailey has been noted on many occasions by sources such as NFL.com and ESPN as the best cornerback in the league and as close to a shutdown corner as you can get.

In 2007, he was, along with San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson and Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, a unanimous choice for the All-Pro team.