The Broncos snapped a two-game skid Sunday to clinch a Wild Card berth.
The Denver Broncos defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 18 to clinch a playoff berth for the first time since the 2015 season. While things looked bleak for the Broncos due to a late season skid, Denver earned the third Wild Card spot after finishing with a 10-7 record.
As the team prepares to play the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the playoffs, head coach Sean Payton fired back at Denver’s doubters.” You tune that stuff out because half those people don’t have a clue [about] what they’re talking about,” Payton said, per DNVR Broncos on X.
The Broncos missed a chance to clinch a playoff berth with Week 16’s loss to the LA Chargers. The team then lost again the following week to the Cincinnati Bengals. The two-game losing streak had some fans assuming Denver would miss out on the postseason. However, the team didn’t panic after the loss to the Bengals. Instead, Payton and company turned their attention to a must-win matchup against the Chiefs.
The Broncos shutout Kansas City on Sunday as Bo Nix impressed, completing 26/29 passes for 321 yards with four touchdowns and zero interceptions. Although the near flawless performance came against backups as the Chiefs rested many starters in preparation for the playoffs, Nix and the Broncos took care of business and punched their ticket to the postseason.
Bo Nix and the Broncos exceeded expectations in 2024
Denver selected Nix with the 12 overall pick in the 2024 draft. The rookie passer would go on to have an excellent season, completing 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,775 yards with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also added 430 yards and four scores on the ground.
Of course, Nix isn’t solely responsible for the Broncos turnaround. The team boasts the seventh-best overall defense in the league this season. And Denver has the third-best scoring defense in the NFL, allowing just 18.3 points per game.
The unit is led by cornerback Patrick Surtain II. The fourth-year pro surprisingly overtook T.J. Watt as the Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner late in the season. Payton offered up his support for Surtain as DPOTY, as he’s largely negated some of the best receivers in football.
Payton could also receive some hardware for his work this season as he’s considered one of the candidates for Coach of the Year. The Broncos have made the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons. The team finished with its best record since 2015, when Denver went on to win the Championship.
