Week 15: 2015 @ Pittsburgh Steelers
This is the only loss on the entire list, but it’s an important one.
This was a gut-wrenching loss for the Broncos late in the 2015 season against a fellow playoff team in the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Brock Osweiler started this game as well as we have ever seen him play, throwing a pair of touchdown passes in the first quarter and rushing for a touchdown early in the second to give the Broncos a 20-7 lead.
He then threw another touchdown late in the second quarter to give the Broncos a 27-10 lead before the Steelers marched down the field to kick a field goal before the half, cutting the lead to 27-13.
As weird as it sounds, that field goal before the half really shifted the momentum Pittsburgh’s way. The entire second half belonged to the home team Steelers, who dominated through the air and defensively to finish out this game.
Why was this loss so critical for the Broncos? Why is it one of the most memorable games of the 2010s?
This was the last game the Broncos would lose in the 2015 season before they went on to win Super Bowl 50.
How does a team respond from a tough loss? You either let it derail your entire season or you learn from it and come back the next week and remember how good you are as a team.
This loss ignited the Denver defense. It also sub-consciously was likely a reason Gary Kubiak pulled a quick trigger on Osweiler in the team’s week 17 game against the Chargers that year.