Chiefs end Broncos playoff hopes, first missed postseason in Elway era
Dec 26, 2016, 1:34 AM | Updated: 7:23 am
Disappointment. Frustration. The pain of a season that at times could have yielded a postseason berth but instead ends on Christmas night with a playoff elimination at the hands of a longtime rival.
No, Sunday’s 33-10 loss to the Chiefs wasn’t how the Denver Broncos wanted to send off its 2016 — a year that started with this front office’s highest point with a Super Bowl 50 victory and now ends with its lowest.
For the first time since the 2010 season, the last season without John Elway as an executibe, the Broncos will not see the postseason.
“It’s real tough. This organization, all we know is how to get to the playoffs, how to win the division and how to try to get to the Super Bowl. Obviously, for us no longer be in the playoff picture, it’s tough for us,” linebacker Shane Ray said after the game.
“The feeling is tough. I don’t really know how to describe it. You can tell by everybody that this is not Bronco football. This is not what we’re used to.”
On a night they needed a win, the normally stellar Broncos defense suffered its worst breakdown of 2016, giving up a season-high 484 yards to a Chiefs offense that ranked near the lower-third of the NFL before Sunday’s game.
“We haven’t given up that type of ball movement in a while. I think we gave up over 300 yards in the first half. The amazing thing, it was still a 21-10 football game, head coach Gary Kubiak said after the game. “Disappointed. We didn’t play good in any phase to win the game.”
In arguably its worst start to a game in this season, Denver’s defense gave up 21 points in the first quarter, which would be enough points in the end to overmatch the Broncos’ 10-point output. By comparison, Denver had only given up more 21 points four times all season.
The Broncos needed a win to keep pace with the Miami Dolphins, who, at 10-5, secured the final playoff slot in the AFC with the Broncos loss.
But now, Denver will be relegated to playing spoiler, playing a direct role in who wins the AFC West next week. Beat the Oakland Raiders, and the Broncos give Kansas City a shot to win the division.
“We had a great run of five AFC West titles, I guess it’s time for someone else to win,” cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said after the game.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
