There is still a path to the AFC Playoffs despite a tough loss to the Chargers on Thursday Night Football.
Good morning, Broncos Country!
Now that it’s been a few days, not all is lost.
Yes, it sucks the Denver Broncos came up short in a game they probably should have won against the Los Angeles Chargers. Especially with how much was at stake. After all, Denver would have earned a berth in the AFC Playoffs with a victory.
Yet the Broncos (9-6) collapsed in the second to lose 34-27. As the game ended, it was a gut punch. But after a few days, there’s still reason for optimism. This doesn’t excuse the play or the coaching in the second half — or the end of the first half when the momentum switched for good. However, there is still a path for Denver to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Of course, the simplest way to address that is to win on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, a Broncos playoff berth can also happen before they even take the field. Should the Miami Dolphins and Bengals both lose today, Denver is in. That seems unlikely, especially for Cincinnati since the Cleveland Browns benched Jameis Winston. But stranger things have happened in the NFL.
If both of those things don’t happen, it’s on the Broncos to respond and show up better. Learn from the mistakes on Thursday. Take advantage of the opportunity. Grow as a team and coaching staff. The task won’t be easy, and that’s certainly true for the defense. Denver’s defense just got picked apart again, with Joe Burrow looming. Here’s hoping Riley Moss finds his way back to the Broncos secondary.
Denver’s loss to the Chargers sucks. But the road to the playoffs is still there.
As quarterback Bo Nix told the media after the game:
“Everybody in that locker room — every guy — wants to already play next week, I think, at this point. We’re all competitively frustrated. I think we’re excited for this opportunity. We know that this next one’s the most important, and we just want to go out next week and not feel this way again.”
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