For the first time in eight years, the Denver Broncos made it to the NFL play offs! The last time the Broncos went to the playoffs was the 2015 season with Hall-of-fame quarterback Peyton Manning. They ended up going to Super Bowl 50 against the Carolina Panthers and winning the trophy with a score of 24-10.
The Broncos would not qualify for the playoffs for eight years after their stunning Super Bowl 50 win, leading them to have the second longest active playoff drought in the league. In those eight years they went through 13 different starting quarterbacks, 4 head coaching changes, and 1 change in ownership. Finally, in the 2024 season, they found their quarterback and, even though we technically found him in 2023, their head coach.
In the 2024 offseason, the Broncos chose to draft rookie quarterback Bo Nix from the University of Oregon, and acquired Zach Wilson from the New York Jets. This led to a quarterback battle between Nix, Wilson, and current Broncos backup, Jared Stidham for the job of starting QB. Nix earned the position respectably. With Bo Nix, future Hall-Of-Fame head coach Sean Peyton, and a wicked defense, the Broncos won 10 games and lost 7, marking their first winning season in what was also eight years. This record got them third in the AFC West and the 7th seed in the NFL Playoffs.
On Sunday, January 12, the Broncos play the Bills in the Wild Card round at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo, New York. The weather in Buffalo will be cold, but that is no advantage for the Bills.
Although the Bills are favored to win, Broncos Country still Bo-lieves that their team will beat the odds and pull out a win this weekend. “I believe that they will win because our defense is looking great, and the last time Buffalo lost at home was against us.” said 9th grader Olivia Grinfeld who has been rooting for the Broncos since she was 6.
When Sunday came, everyone gathered around their TVs in their gear, and the watch party was set at Empower Field at Mile High. The kickoff happened, and the Broncos scored on the opening drive of the game! Bo Nix threw a 44 yard touchdown pass to former Oregon teammate, Troy Franklin! Broncos country gets their hopes up, and the hopes were still alive through the entire first half when defense was able to keep the game close. Punter Riley Dixon even threw a 15 yard trick play pass on fourth down to get Denver a first down! Everything was looking as bright as the sun shining in Buffalo! Then came the second half.
The Bills scored all the points in the second half, shutting out Denver. Their offensive line was able to hold off our defense, and their defense held Denver’s offense to the very end. The final score was 31-7, Bills. All of Denver’s hopes and dreams crushed. Are they though?
Let’s still keep in mind the season the Broncos had. For the first time in eight very long years, the Broncos had their first winning season, finally beat their divisional rival, the Raiders, found their star quarterback, and made the play offs. Even though they lost to the Bills, the Denver Broncos turned something that started to seem impossible to Broncos Country into a possibility. I call that a win.
Our team is still young with many rising stars and tons of room for improvement. The future is very bright for Denver, and I expect many winning years to come. Remember Broncos Country, you just have to Bo-lieve!
