The Denver Broncos missed out on a golden opportunity to clinch their first playoff berth since 2015 with a heartbreaking loss on national television against the Los Angeles Chargers.
After a hot start from the Broncos offense, they jumped out to a 21-10 lead and had full control of the game. It all started to crumble down once there was a fair catch interference at the end of the first half that led to the Chargers getting three points and making it a one-possession game.
Denver would get outscored 21-6 in the second half by Los Angeles and lose 34-27 and officially get swept by Jim Harbaugh in his first year with the Chargers.
While this loss was devastating for a lot of fans, let me remind many why this game was flexed into Thursday Night Football and Sean Payton's reasioning behind it.
Sean Payton's plan will materialize next week against the Cincinnati Bengals
When this divisional game got flexed into Thursday night, Payton wanted and loved the idea for his team.
This allowed the Broncos to get extra rest and preparation for the following week when they travel to Cincinnati to play the Bengals.
Yes, the ideal thing was to not blow a double-digit lead and clinch the playoff berth against the Chargers, but Payton knew which game was more important (in terms of preparation and rest) down the stretch.
He saw the landscape of the playoff picture and understood the implications and importance between the Week 16 and 17 game for Denver.
So the reason why Payton wanted this TNF game flexed in was because of the mini bye they get before going to Cincy
— Jordan Lopez (@JordanTLopez) December 20, 2024
Everyone had this game circled (rightfully so), but he knows that Bengals game is where it’s at
Get the extra rest and preparation we wanted and we march forward
Again, this is not an excuse to lose and blow the game against the Chargers in front of everyone watching. He would have loved to just win the game on Thursday and clinch a spot in the postseason.
But if we can step back a bit after the loss, let’s put into perspective what Payton had planned coming up for the game coming up against the Bengals because he wanted to be prepared for any and all outcomes that could appear for his team, regarding what it will take to get into the playoffs.
Everyone had this game circled, and rightfully so. It's a prime-time game and a chance to get back to a place Denver hasn't been since 2015.
But when planning what he wanted to do for the team and what he thought was best down the stretch, relative to scheduling, Payton knew the Bengals game was the one to get.
It gives Denver a mini bye week and extra time to prepare for the showdown with Joe Burrow and the Bengals.
I understand that fans don't want to read and hear about this right now after losing a game they should not have, but this is the reality of the situation.
Denver still has a very high probability of making the playoffs and can still even clinch a spot on Sunday if the Colts, Bengals, and Dolphins all lose. Plus, Denver still controls their own destiny all the way until the last game.