For the first time since they won Super Bowl 50, the Denver Broncos are returning to the NFL playoffs.
Following their 38-0 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, the Broncos have clinched the seventh and final seed in the AFC’s playoff race.
Here’s a sampling of how fans and pundits reacted to Denver ending it’s eight-season playoff drought.
We #BeatTheChiefs!
WE’RE PLAYOFF-BOUND!!!!! pic.twitter.com/oftkAYWMqQ
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) January 6, 2025
The @Broncos have clinched the final playoff spot!@budlight #EasyToCelebrate pic.twitter.com/k6LQwQ4hRS
— NFL (@NFL) January 6, 2025
THE @Broncos ARE BACK IN THE PLAYOFFS pic.twitter.com/CxiaBDo3ij
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) January 6, 2025
Bo had the @Broncos playing Madden against the Chiefs 🎮 pic.twitter.com/9kKDW4h7Jd
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) January 6, 2025
Congratulations, Denver!!!
— Adam Rank (@adamrank) January 6, 2025
Congrats @Broncos for clinching a spot in the #NFLPlayoffs The drought is over and this team #Bo-lieves Go Broncos!!
— Jake Plummer (@snakestakes) January 6, 2025
The Denver Broncos are playoff bound for the first time since Super Bowl 50 🧡💙pic.twitter.com/XGTiyNZfxP
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) January 5, 2025
The Denver #Broncos have made the playoffs despite a league-high $89M of total dead cap, and the largest single season dead cap hit in NFL history (Russell Wilson, $53M).
— Spotrac (@spotrac) January 5, 2025
THE BRONCOS ARE GOING TO THE PLAYOFFS pic.twitter.com/YTzPhF1tfS
— Ryan🐴 (@RyansBurner13) January 5, 2025
Bro deserved to taste them playoffs !!! Congrats Broncos https://t.co/alOL1RE2BK
— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisJr) January 6, 2025
The Broncos are back in the playoffs!!!#BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/ABheenLEuF
— Dustin (@GaleCrew12) January 5, 2025
I’m ready to say it…
THE DENVER BRONCOS ARE GOING BACK TO THE PLAYOFFS 🐴
— RK (@RyanKoenigsberg) January 5, 2025
Playoffs pic.twitter.com/qniU4Ogti4
— Parody Sean Payton (@FauxBroncosHC) January 5, 2025
Streets are saying Broncos to the playoffs pic.twitter.com/s4stg78prJ
— DNVR Nuggets (@DNVR_Nuggets) January 5, 2025
Great to see the Broncos back in the playoffs!
And Nix is ROTY and Payton is COTY!! pic.twitter.com/p497j5nXQc
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) January 5, 2025
You know what they call the person who finishes last in their medical-school class?
Doctor.
And you know what they call the last team to qualify for the postseason?
A playoff team.
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 5, 2025
For anyone out there complaining about the @Bengals not making the playoffs because the @Chiefs aren’t playing anyone in week 18 tell Cincinnati September matters too:
*2024 0-3 then 1-5
*2023 0-2 then 1-3
*2022 0-2 then 2-3All the games count the same amount. Start better
— trey wingo (@wingoz) January 5, 2025
The Denver Broncos rode the QB carousel for years…Bo Nix had the best rookie season in team history.
Hadn’t had a 1,000 yd WR since 2019…until today.
No double digit sack artist since 2018…now they have two.
No playoffs since 2015…now they’re in.
The Broncos are BACK!
— Zach Bye (@byesline) January 5, 2025
@Broncos headed to the playoffs!
— Todd Davis (@BamBamDavis51) January 5, 2025
Absolute dominance in a must win game in front of their home crowd. So proud of this team. #BroncosCountry
— Ryan Edwards (@redwardsradio) January 5, 2025
Just gonna put this out into the universe…that it would be really cool if the Broncos could whip the Chiefs like this in 2 weeks in KC…
— JoelDreessen (@JoelDreessen) January 5, 2025
Feel safe to hit this with @OldTakesExposed
Excited to see where you put this tattoo when I see you at the NFL Combine, Jarrett lol https://t.co/kaH7wI9YUP
— Ryan Edwards (@redwardsradio) January 5, 2025
I wouldn’t want to see this team in the playoffs #broncos #milehigh https://t.co/YgBQP2RLgp
— T.J. Ward (@BossWard43) January 6, 2025
Broncos 38, Chiefs 0 — FINAL
The Broncos did exactly what a good team should do to an opponent’s B side — they ripped it to shreds. Bo Nix threw 4 TD passes & set a franchise single-game record for comp %.
Most importantly, Denver’s playoff drought is OVER.
Denver is 10-7.
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 6, 2025
With how popular advanced stats and graphs are (especially when it comes to diminish Nix), here’s a advanced stat for those analytical people:
Bo Nix just led the Denver Broncos as a rookie to their first playoff berth since 2015
And you can see it on this graph here 😁 pic.twitter.com/aeR004EvKj
— Jordan Lopez (@JordanTLopez) January 5, 2025
I asked Sean Payton in the preseason if he had a motivational compartment for a ‘middle finger’ toward the coaching lists that dismissed him & outlets that ranked Denver’s roster last in the NFL.
“I have two middle fingers”
Flip your birds Sean. pic.twitter.com/GPOY1RIWgx
— Zach Bye (@byesline) January 5, 2025
3255 days, pic.twitter.com/nnhNkwtdjR
— T (@TimContic) January 6, 2025
The Legend of Bo Nix has only just begun
— RK (@RyanKoenigsberg) January 5, 2025
THE BRONCOS ARE BACK pic.twitter.com/yovQa4WlcG
— RK (@RyanKoenigsberg) January 6, 2025
The Broncos’ 38-point win over the Chiefs is their largest win over Kansas City in the history of the rivalry.
— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) January 6, 2025
Everyone: “The Broncos will be lucky to win 5 games this season.”
The Broncos this season: pic.twitter.com/6KL9UQO6aL
— Lindsay Bebout (@lindsaybebout) January 6, 2025
The Broncos are going to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season when they won their last Super Bowl title with Peyton Manning at quarterback. Their turnaround is because of Sean Payton, Bo Nix and the elite defense they have!!#BroncosCountry #NFL
— Tadi Abedje (@realTadiAbedje) January 6, 2025
The drought is over 🥹 #BroncosCountry
13 starting QBs after Peyton Manning, and the 14th was Bo Nix.
3,775 passing yards, 29 passing TDs, 430 rushing yards, 4 rushing TDs, 1 receiving TDAbove all, led the Broncos to their first playoff berth since 2015
Thank You, Bo Nix. https://t.co/uo2nZfglIQ— Andy 🦬 (@CUandyy) January 6, 2025
Bo Nix next Peyton Manning https://t.co/HbQdCyYc0Z
— 𝔸𝕁 (@__jahwrldd) January 6, 2025
All I know is Sean’s already beaten these bums with a worse QB. 🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/cptvvgtwzj
— Frankie Abbott (@FrankiesFilm) January 6, 2025
The last time the Broncos made the playoffs in 2015, they were coached by Gary Kubiak and quarterbacked by Peyton Manning. Kubiak stepped down following the 2016 season and Manning retired during the 2016 offseason. Denver had six-straight losing seasons after Kubiak left the team.
The Broncos snapped their losing streak under new coach Sean Payton in 2023, and they are now returning to the playoffs with rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
Denver is now set to go on the road to face the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the NFL playoffs. The Broncos will be considered a big underdog.
