Denver Broncos officially eliminated from 2023 playoffs
The Denver Broncos still have some games on their schedule, but their season is technically over. The team has officially been eliminated from playoff contention following their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. They have had six-straight losing seasons dating back to Super Bowl 50.
Denver actually almost made a full comeback despite falling way behind. It was a tremendous effort by the defense, who intercepted Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes three times. The Chiefs have now defeated the Broncos 14-straight times, dating back to 2015.
The 2022 season has gone so incredibly wrong for the Broncos, who have now lost five games in a row. Their most recent victory came in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars. If there is a silver lining for the 2022 season, it is that the team has been in some close games. They unfortunately have been losers of eight one-score games this season.
Each week is like a constant reminder of how bad this team can be but at the same time how much fight it can put up.
That is not the case every week, though.
Denver lost a game they should have won against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5, ending with a field goal in overtime.
Injuries are not an excuse but it cannot go unnoticed how many injuries they have had to go through this season, with Garett Bolles, Lloyd Cushenberry, Javonte Williams, Tim Patrick, Ronald Darby, Randy Gregory, Jonas Griffith, and Billy Turner all on injured reserve. That’s just a tough pill to swallow for this team.
Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson went down in Sunday’s game due to a concussion and it’s possible that he will miss next week against the Arizona Cardinals.
Nathaniel Hackett’s future with the Denver Broncos continues to be more clear.
Had the Denver Broncos lost to the Jaguars in London, I and many others expected head coach Nathaniel Hackett to be let go. That never happened as they went home with the win.
Losers of five straight, that victory just feels like a complete fluke at this point.
This season falls on Hackett. There is no way that he shouldn’t have been able to at least make the Denver Broncos look competent on a weekly basis. While they were competent against the Chiefs on Sunday, that’s just one week.
There needs to be positive consistency. That’s just not happening and here we are, with the Broncos failing to make the playoffs for yet another year in a row.