The Denver Broncos lost their season finale to their bitter AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders, 23-14. Not only were the Broncos stopped from reaching their first winning record since 2016, but they also failed to snap their losing streak against the Silver and Black, who have now won eight straight meetings.
With loss comes another step down in NFL.com's power rankings, where Denver dropped down one spot. Here's what Eric Edholm had to say about Denver’s season and all its theatrics.
Broncos Rank: 23
Sean Payton’s first season in Denver was a wild one, unfolding like a classic three-act play. Act 1 saw the Broncos stumble out to a 1-5 start, with the introduction and exposition of a team apparently still in rebuild. A funny thing happened in Act 2, however, as Denver won six of seven games to thrust itself into the playoff picture, providing a major plot turn after the miserable start. But as any good playwright knows, one surprising twist is rarely enough, and in the midst of a 1-3 skid that saw Denver drop from the postseason race, Payton benched Russell Wilson in what was all but the final denouncement for your 2023 Broncos. The near-.500 record might provide some solace for a franchise that hasn’t had a winning mark since 2016, but it was disappointing how it unfolded in real-time. What comes next -- especially at QB -- offers some titillating possibilities, as Jarrett Stidham likely didn’t do enough to lock up the starting job next season without some kind of challenge.
Act 1 of the Broncos’ 2023 season wasn’t exciting, as such a poor start will constrict all the life out of a fanbase. The defense looked terrible, and while Russell Wilson had solid output, it was more as an individual as opposed to a reflection of offensive success.
The audience was thinning out when the curtain rose for Act 2, and rightfully so. With how the Broncos' season started, it’s hard to stick around knowing your team might be picking in the top five of the draft.
However, the Broncos’ defense took control of the narrative by terrorizing opposing offenses and taking the ball away at a historic rate. The offense still didn’t look pretty, but Wilson and Courtland Sutton kept the Broncos chugging along.
Act 3, unfortunately, was not as inspiring, and it included a plot twist. The defensive takeaways regressed heavily, forcing Denver to rely on the offense to put up points, which blew up in the team's face. Outside of beating the hapless Los Angeles Chargers twice, the Broncos looked abysmal on all fronts from Week 13 on.
Wilson and the offense still weren't clicking, and the defense started missing tackles. The Broncos lacked the turnover output, and on top of that, Wilson and the team engaged in a PR battle after he was benched due to inconsistent play and injury guarantees.
In Stidham’s two starts in relief of Wilson, he didn’t impress, but no one was expecting him to come in and save this franchise. What's most upsetting was how eerily similar Stidham's numbers were to Wilson’s.
The Broncos are set to be back on the quarterback carousel this offseason, although they never really got off. Will Denver look to the draft? Maybe pick up a veteran or trade for one?
With Payton calling the shots, he’ll get the man best suited to fit an offense around. This team will look quite different when training camp starts next year.
Broncos Country is in for another unpredictable offseason, with likely another quarterback leading the charge.
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