The Mile High City is buzzing once again, as the Denver Broncos have punched their ticket back to the postseason for the first time since their triumph in Super Bowl 50. With a dominant 38-0 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, who opted to rest several key starters, the Broncos have secured the No. 7 seed in the AFC. Their reward? A trip to face the formidable Buffalo Bills during Wild Card Weekend.
This long-awaited postseason berth breaks what had become the longest playoff drought for a team following a Super Bowl victory. Since 2015, Broncos fans have watched their team cycle through fourteen starting quarterbacks and five head coaches. But this season, Denver has turned the corner, posting a solid 10-7 record and reaching double-digit wins for the first time since hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
Their path to the playoffs wasn’t without its challenges. After opportunities to clinch a berth in both Weeks 16 and 17 slipped through their fingers, with losses to the Chargers and Bengals respectively, Denver stood at the precipice of uncertainty. But Sunday’s shutdown of the Chiefs, a consummate team effort, propelled them past those hurdles.
It’s an organizational feat that harkens back to the days of Peyton Manning—long since canonized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame—and a defense-first squad led by Gary Kubiak that captured the NFL’s ultimate prize. Today, under the guidance of Sean Payton, now in his second year, and the burgeoning talent of rookie sensation Bo Nix, the Broncos have found their rhythm. Nix is the latest in a line of starters that includes notable names like Trevor Siemian, Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, and Russell Wilson, but he’s made his presence felt in a pivotal season for the franchise.
With the playoffs in full view and momentum on their side, Denver joins Kansas City and Los Angeles, representing the AFC West in the postseason. For the Broncos and their legion of supporters, the long wait is over, and a new chapter begins.
