Once again, Broncos Country mourns the loss of a Super season hero

Perhaps the best day of recent Broncos history wasn’t Super Bowl 50. Nor was it the parade that followed through downtown Denver two days later. Or even the 20-18 vanquishment of the New England Patriots in front of a frenzied Mile High crowd to clinch the club’s eighth conference championship.

No, it was the day that, more than any other, made those moments possible.

It was Jan. 3, 2016.

The day that Peyton Manning began as a backup quarterback for the only time in his pro career.

But Manning didn’t account for any touchdowns that day, although he quarterbacked a pair of drives to the end zone. His dramatic entry, with the Broncos trailing the San Diego Chargers 13-7 in the third quarter, is what most remember about that day.

Of course, in football, no one operates alone. And No. 18 was far from the only galvanizing force that powered the Broncos to a 27-20 win and the No. 1 AFC playoff seed with it. Shoot, Manning didn’t even throw a touchdown pass in the game.

Indeed, three Broncos ran toward the end zone that day.

And not even seven years later, two no longer walk the earth.

Demaryius Thomas opened the sun-drenched afternoon with a breathtaking, 72-yard catch-and-run down the west sideline. Hours later, as darkness encased the stadium, Ronnie Hillman closed out the work with a 23-yard dash off the right side to the north end zone.

Thomas and Hillman bookended the day that made it possible for the Broncos to stay at home for the AFC playoffs. And in two close wins that followed, that home-field advantage helped make all the difference.

Just over 12 months ago, Broncos Country lost Thomas due to complications from a seizure disorder. Wednesday, just four days before Christmas, it lost Hillman to a rare form of cancer.

Thomas was 33. Hillman was 31.

Their contributions went beyond that January 2016 day, of course. Thomas led the Broncos in receiving yardage during the team’s 2015 run to its third Lombardi Trophy. Hillman led the club in rushing.

And no Bronco found the end zone more often during that splendid regular season than Hillman. He led the Broncos with seven touchdowns. Hillman didn’t hit the consistent career heights of his teammate. But as he demonstrated in the 2015 season, he delivered when it mattered most.

They are huge reasons why massive rings sit on the fingers and in safe-deposit boxes of a few hundred people fortunate enough to be a part of the Broncos during their most recent world championship.

Six seasons of frustration since then might make Super Bowl 50 seem like a distant, fading memory. But the deaths of Thomas and Hillman make the passage of time feel as quick as their gallops toward the end zone on that cool January day.

The memories they crafted last a lifetime.

But tragically, the lifetimes of Thomas and Hillman were far too brief. They were blessed with everything but good health.

As quickly as they burst to the edge and found the end zone, they flashed through this life and are now gone.

And family, teammates and Broncos Country are again left to grieve for a beloved member of their ranks, lost when their life’s work should have been only beginning.

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