Perspective can wait, Broncos missing playoffs would be crushing

The Denver Broncos missing the playoffs this season would be heartbreaking.

Sure, maybe in a couple of months we can have perspective if that’s indeed the case. But perspective right now if the unthinkable happens? Absolutely not.

After the Broncos beat the Colts on Dec. 15, every model out there had the team comfortably north of a 90 percent chance to make the postseason. It was simple, win one of the final three games of the year and Denver was dancing for the first time since 2015.

Unfortunately, gut-wrenching losses against the Chargers and Bengals have put those plans on hold. If the Broncos can get their act together this Sunday against (likely) the Chiefs backups, those defeats will sting way less. And if they don’t, missed opportunities in Los Angeles and Cincinnati will be discussed all spring.

It’s okay to adjust expectations as a season goes on. Yes, no one predicted Denver would be 9-5 after 14 games. And they were. Once that happened, the playoffs had to be the only acceptable goal. Especially for a fanbase that hasn’t seen a postseason game since Super Bowl 50.

If Denver does collapse like it’s 2008 all over again, Broncos Country will have every right to be angry. They’ll think about blowing a 24-13 lead to the Chargers midway through the third quarter. They’ll also question head coach Sean Payton inexplicably not going for a two-point conversion and the win against the Bengals. It’ll also be fair to dwell on how pitiful Payton’s play-calling was in OT in Cincy.

Sure, come March or April or May we’ll realize the Broncos overachieved. Not many people expected rookie quarterback Bo Nix, the sixth QB taken in the 2024 NFL Draft, to have a winning season his first year in the league. But again, those are thoughts for months down the road.

Pretending like right now the Broncos missing the playoffs would be okay is silly. I promise, you’ll wake up on Monday, Jan. 6 in a very bad mood if it happens.

The good news? Denver still controls its own destiny.

Regular season losses can be devastating. What happened in L.A. and Cincinnati was hard to stomach. However, that’s the best part of defeat during the season. There’s always another game, unless it happens in the last one.

So this team can’t feel sorry for itself. Especially if Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones aren’t in uniform on Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High. Losing to Kansas City always hurts. Losing to their backups would be 100 times worse.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is one of the best in the NFL, but you have to ask yourself, does he even really want to win this game? The competitor in him probably does. The smarter side of him knows it’s a good idea to keep Joe Burrow and the Bengals out of the playoffs.

Mahomes has only lost three postseason games his entire career, posting an unfathomable 15-3 record. Two of those losses came to the best QB to ever do it in Tom Brady. The other one came to Burrow, who always plays the Chiefs tight and even knows how to top them on occasion.

The point is Kansas City is going to be far from motivated this weekend. Not only are their best players almost assuredly going to be in street clothes, but deep down they’d rather have Denver in the playoffs than Cincinnati.

That adds a layer of pressure to the task at hand for the Broncos. They have to win, they have to make the postseason and they have to avoid a season-ending meltdown that would sting for months.

Perspective can wait if Denver somehow loses on Sunday. Not making the playoffs after everything that’s gone right this year would linger and stink for a long, long time.

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