Getty INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 02: Drew Lock #3 of the Denver Broncos looks on after completing a pass over the Los Angeles Chargers in the second quarter of the game at SoFi Stadium on January 02, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
No Matter what happens for the Denver Broncos in Week 18 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver will miss the postseason for the sixth straight season and the third consecutive season under Fangio.
After the Los Angeles Chargers eliminated the Broncos from playoff contention in Week 17, several players voiced their frustrations over how the season ended while lamenting over what could’ve been.
“It’s such a well-built team; it’s a Super Bowl team,” said running back Melvin Gordon III at the day-after press conference. “You just sit back and just get so frustrated because we’re so much better than our record show, and we know that. For us to be sitting here not having a chance at the playoffs, all that work you put in the offseason, it’s tough, to say the least.”
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Broncos’ Players Agree On Team’s Biggest Hurdles
Currently, among NFL teams, only the New York Jets have a longer active playoff drought than the Broncos.
Without a postseason berth for another season, it was predictably a hot topic of conversation for Broncos’ players after the Charger’s loss.
“In the NBA, you play to get to the playoffs; in the MLB, you play to get to the playoffs; in the NFL, the only thing that matters is the playoffs,” said quarterback Drew Lock during the after-game press conferences. “You can do really good things throughout the year, sure, but your main goal is to make it to the playoffs, so technically, we didn’t do what we wanted to do this year.”
Noah Fant, who caught six passes for 92 yards, including a touchdown from Lock Sunday against the Chargers, was able to find a silver lining to the season. However, ultimately he laid the blame for missing the playoffs on the players.
“I would say it shows improvement from last year, obviously last year late in the season, we weren’t really playing for playoff contention,” Fant told the media. “But, it is also disappointing honestly, we got to figure out a way to get into the playoffs, that’s the biggest thing.”
Kicker Brandon McManus hit a 61-yard field goal Sunday, marking one of the bright spots in the loss to the Chargers. Speaking to the media after the game, McManus expressed frustration over missing the playoffs again.
Respect the leg.
Brandon McManus is good from 61 yards out! #BroncosCountry
📺: #DENvsLAC on CBS
📱: NFL app
“Obviously, it’s disappointing; I think it’s about six years now missing the playoffs,” McManus said to the media. “When you lose a lot of division games, it doesn’t help. It’s what we’ve done the past bunch of years. We gave ourselves a chance. Obviously, we didn’t do enough to win enough games down the stretch here.”
The Broncos have four losses by eight points or less this season, two of which came against the Cincinnati Bengals and Las Vegas Raiders in back-to-back weeks late in the season.
Safety Justin Simmons expressed his feelings about the team’s inability to win close games, which he believes was crucial in the Broncos missing the postseason.
“There’s a certain barrier that I’ve noticed that we just haven’t gotten over, and it’s when it comes down to it, you got to find ways to win the close games,” Simmons said during the postgame press conference. “When you put yourself in a corner like that, and you don’t find a way to win close games, that’s when things get out of hand. We’ve been in close games throughout most of the season; we just didn’t win them.”
Gordon III’s Future With Broncos ‘Up in the Air’
Wrapping up the final year of a two-year $16 million contract, per Spotrac, Gordon III will be an unrestricted free agent at the season’s end.
Gordon was unsure when asked about his future during Monday’s day-after press conference.
“I don’t know my future; it’s really up in the air, haven’t talked about it much with anybody,” Gordon said. “If this will be my last game here in a Denver Broncos uniform, I’m hoping to make it a special one.”
Heading into the final week of the season, Gordon III has 808 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 191 attempts on the ground. Through the air, Gordon III has 27 receptions for 207 yards and two scores, according to Pro Football Reference.
Broncos/Chiefs Flexed to Saturday
The NFL announced several schedule changes for Week 18, including the Broncos/Chiefs game being flexed to Saturday afternoon on ESPN.
The NFL announced that #KCvsDEN has been flexed to Saturday, Jan. 8, at 2:30pm MT.
Two other games were also moved; Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys will now take place on Saturday night, while Raiders vs. Chargers will move to Sunday Night Football.