The Broncos season ended in Buffalo on Sunday at the hands of the #2 seed Bills by a score of 31-7. This was result was not a surprise and the Broncos were heavy underdogs going into the game, but the finality of the season ending is always tough. It was a great season for the Broncos. 10-7 and a playoff berth for the first time in 8 years is something to be proud of. Rookie QB Bo Nix leading us to the playoffs and establishing himself as the guy going forward is also something to be excited about. So many critics around the NFL picked Denver to finish last in the AFC West, not win more than 5 games, and possibly picking in the Top 3 of next year's NFL Draft. Denver exceeded all those expectations and turned their rebuild into a reboot and made the playoffs ahead of schedule. It still doesn't take away from some of the sting from the loss in Buffalo on Sunday. It should fuel the Broncos all offseason and get them ready to take a bigger step next year. Here are my thoughts and observation on the game.....
1) You can't ask for a better start than what the Broncos did on their opening drive. Denver gets the ball first and scores a touchdown in five plays to take an early 7-0 lead. Bo Nix hit Troy Franklin (finally) on a deep route for a 43 yard TD to give Denver the early score. What a way to start the game and after an eight year playoff drought, this was so exciting. It was a great moment that unfortunately did not last too long.
2) After Buffalo stormed back to take a 10-7, a key moment in the game happened. Sean Payton called for a fake punt from the Denver 43 on a 4th and 8. Punter Riley Dixon hit Marvin Mims for a 15 yard gain and a first down at the Buffalo 42. Unfortunately, Denver punted three plays later and never capitalized on the fake punt. I thought that was a real key moment in the game.
3) After getting the ball at their own 8 right before the half, I thought another key moment happened in the game when the Broncos drove the ball to the Bills 32 yard line, but Will Lutz missed a 50 yard field goal attempt when the kick hit the right upright and was no good. Instead of going into halftime tied at 10, the Broncos still trailed.
4) After Buffalo kicked a field goal to make it 13-7 in the 3rd quarter, a key Troy Franklin drop on third down forced a three and out for Denver. I thought there were some key drops in the game, and Franklin's drop was big there.
5) The next key turning point of the game was on the Bills next drive they had a 4th and 1 from the Denver 24. Josh Allen kept buying time and they threw a TD pass to Ty Johnson in the back of the endzone. Johnson dove to catch on the end line and it looked questionable. You really couldn't get a good look to see if it was incomplete and it was close, but the called stood and it was a TD. The Bills converted a 2 point conversion and it was 21-7 with 3:06 to go in the 3rd quarter. That was essentially the game right there.
6) The Bills added another Josh Allen TD pass on the first play of the 4th quarter to make it 28-7. Denver only threatened one more time, but they turned it over on downs in Buffalo territory midway through the 4th. A game that was 13-7 and Buffalo facing a 4th and 1 with only 3:06 left in the 3rd quarter, turned into a blowout 31-7 game in a matter of moments.
7) The Broncos were just no match for Buffalo. The Bills controlled the time of possession (41:43-18:17), they outgained Denver 471 to 224, and had 26 first downs to Denver's 13. The Bills were in control of the game throughout even though it was only a six point game in the 3rd quarter.
8) The Broncos came in as heavy underdogs, and really no one was picking them to win the game. They exit the playoffs with a blowout loss to a legitimate Super Bowl contender. They got a taste of the playoffs, but the key is to now somehow get a home playoff game, or be a higher seed as a wild card and get a more favorable opponent.
9) There is nothing like the feeling of a NFL playoff game when your favorite team is in it. All week the excitement and anticipation builds. By the time the game starts, you feel like your team is going to win. You think about the game from every angle all week long whether you are at work, home, or driving around town. This week was the same for me as a Broncos fan. I knew Denver was heavy underdogs and it was a longshot to pull off the upset, but the anticipation was there all week. Just waking up on Sunday morning knowing that Denver was going to be playing a playoff game was so awesome. I brought back an old routine I used to do on playoff gamedays: I played NFL Films music in the background as I was doing things around the house getting ready for the game. I played Broncos 2024 highlights on the TV in the hours before the game. At 12:30, a half an hour before kickoff, I ran to the store with my sons to buy them a pack of iced tea for the game. It was great walking into Key Food with all our Broncos gear on and then rushing right back home. The best part of this gameday was experiencing a Broncos playoff game with my sons, Anthony and Nicholas. They were so excited and we were so pumped getting ready for the game to start. It was really special. Then the game started, and the Broncos scored five plays into the game, and it was one of those awesome moments that I wish I could bottle up. Although it didn't end the way we had hoped, I'll always remember the moments leading up to the game starting with my family. To see my boys getting ready for a Broncos playoff game is good enough for me.
10) The Broncos now head into the offseason, and there will be time to preview that down the road. Today, it is time to reflect on the season we had this year. The 2024 season was a success, and I will be looking back very fondly at this year in the offseason. The Broncos got back to the playoffs, found their QB of the future, and set themselves up with cap space and draft picks to build on this year. For the first time in eight years, it feels like the Broncos are actually heading in the right direction as a franchise. Go Broncos!
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