The Denver Broncos were officially eliminated from 2023 NFL playoff contention on Sunday. Denver defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 16-9, but other results in the AFC knocked the Broncos out of playoff contention.
This marks the eighth straight year that Denver has failed to qualify for the postseason. Since winning Super Bowl 50 in 2015, the Broncos have gone through five different head coaches and 13 different starting quarterbacks.
Denver won the AFC West four years in a row while Peyton Manning was the team’s quarterback. They haven’t come close to a division title since Manning’s retirement, and they still haven’t found their long-term answer at QB.
The Broncos thought they finally had their Manning replacement when they acquired Russell Wilson in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks last year, but new coach Sean Payton benched Wilson last week. Nothing is official yet, but Wilson seems likely to be cut in 2024.
Denver may have found its long-term coach in Payton. Now he is tasked with solving the team’s quarterback dilemma. Payton will aim to find his QB and end the Broncos’ playoff drought in 2024.
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