DENVER — The Broncos’ season is over after they fell flat in their return to the playoffs Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
It was an anticlimactic end to a surprisingly successful season. The Broncos weren’t expected to make the playoffs with a rookie quarterback and an NFL record $85 million salary cap hit from the Russel Wilson albatross contract. Instead they won 10 games behind a staunch defense and strong play from quarterback Bo Nix.
So, should fans be disappointed in the season’s outcome, or feel good about expectations exceeded? The Denver7 sports team sat down to discuss.
Nick Rothschild said it’s OK – perhaps healthy, even – for the loss to sting.
“I appreciate the optimism, but I think it's OK – both as Broncos players and Broncos fans – to let that disappointment linger, at least for a little bit,” Nick Rothschild said. “Look, they gave you all the reason to be optimistic that they could hang in the game against Buffalo. They came out firing. They looked really good through the first quarter, even the first half, and they just could not hold on to that, and they just were up against a much better team.”
“So I think part of this growth process for the Broncos is that you have to go through this disappointment. You have to feel it. You have to embrace it, and then we'll come out on the other side and figure out how to move forward.”
Ten wins is nothing to sneeze at, but the team’s 2-8 record against teams that finished the year with a winning record showed the Broncos had some fatal flaws. Among them, Lionel Bienvenu says, were an inconsistent running game – Nix was Denver’s leading rusher with 430 yards – and a lack of production from the tight end position.
“As you said, Lionel, nobody expected this team to be here, right? But they made it, and they will learn a lot from this game” Bradey King said. “Specifically, moving forward what they need to do to beat teams like the Bills. They need more consistency.”
“Sean Payton said he's already thinking about those missing parts, and hopefully making the playoffs will just be the beginning. That will just be the minimum standard moving forward.”
Rothschild said another consolation is that the team achieved what it did in a bleak salary cap situation.
“You played the whole year with an arm tied behind your back with the Russ contract, too,” he said. “I think that's the part where you can really say, ‘OK, whatever, the season is a wash. We should just feel good about it because you were doing it at the biggest disadvantage in sports, not the same amount of money as other teams had.’”
Need more reason for optimism? The Broncos also have a full slate of seven picks in the upcoming NFL Draft – no 5th or 7th round selections, but three 6th-rounders instead – after a couple of years being hamstrung by the Russell Wilson trade and Sean Payton contract, and most of the core roster under contract for next season.
Hear the rest of the Denver7 sports team’s reflection on the 2024-25 season and outlook for the Broncos’ future in the video player above.