Denver Broncos 2023-24 NFL Season Recap

Denver Broncos NFL Season Recap

The inaugural season of the Sean Payton era in the Mile High City is one Denver Broncos fans won’t look upon fondly. It kicked off with brutal losses to the Raiders and Commanders by a grand total of three points. Then the Broncos first road game of the NFL betting season resulted in the Miami Dolphins dropping a 70-burger on their heads which went on to skew their defensive stats the remainder of the year. Though Denver battled back from a 28-7 third quarter deficit to log its first win of the season in Week 4 at the Chicago Bears, the exhilarating triumph was then followed up by successive defeats to the Jets and Chiefs.

The Broncos still put forth one of their best efforts of the season in that loss to division rival Kansas City. That helped pave the way for what Broncos fans hoped was a huge turnaround. For the next five weeks, Russell Wilson and Co. gave their tortured fan base some hope after ripping off five straight wins and covering the closing NFL odds all but once in defeating the Packers, Chiefs, @Bills, Vikings, and Browns. Four of those games however came in the comforts of their own digs with some absurd turnover luck aiding Denver in victory. The regression monster reared its ugly head in Week 13, and it wasn’t of the positive variety with Wilson throwing three picks which led to Denver dropping a 22-17 decision as field goal road dogs to the Houston Texans. From there, Denver would amass just two wins over its final five games with each coming against the AFC West rival Chargers with the first coming in the game Justin Herbert was lost for the season.

Following an unacceptable loss to the New England Patriots in a game Denver closed touchdown home favorites, Wilson was benched. Though Payton said it was to put a jolt into a struggling offense, the decision to do so was truly contractual regardless of what the coaching staff or upper management stated was the reason. In the end, the Broncos played to a losing record for the seventh straight season, and failed to exceed their season win total a fourth straight time. Making the season that much more miserable, Denver was only able to cover the closing NFL odds six times. Never truly expected to make much noise for division bragging rights, Denver’s playoff drought increased to eight seasons since hoisting the Lombardi following Super Bowl 50.

Denver Broncos 2024 Offseason

As many unknowns about what the Broncos will do to improve the roster throughout the offseason, the one thing NFL bettors do know is that Russell Wilson won’t be a part of the plans. Payton and the front office are serving up some top notch lip service with the regular season just wrapped, but we’re not stupid – Payton wasn’t a fan of what he saw on the field so No. 3 won’t be back in the Mile High City – Book it!

With that, it’s highly likely Denver’s QB of the future isn’t currently on the roster. This season saw a number of backups take over starting roles, so the Broncos could ultimately go the free agency route. However, four premiere quarterbacks are expected to go in the first round of the NFL Draft and Denver’s No. 12 pick could go a long way in formulating a package worthy of catapulting them up the draft board should it choose to do so. Whether it’s in the draft or via free agency, there will be a new field general picked up this offseason that Payton will attempt to mold into the specimen that can best lead his offensive attack.

While Denver’s defense showed improvement in the middle of the season after getting healthy, the unit still gave up a ton of yardage (No. 29) and failed to move the needle in either the sack or turnover departments. With that, the Broncos are in dire need of help up and down the defensive roster. From the secondary to the linebackers to the defensive line, Denver must load up on defensive help regardless of only possessing six total picks. Kansas City was none too impressive in taking home bragging rights an eighth straight time. With that, the Broncos could only be a few impactful players away from giving Mahomes and Co. a run for their money.

Denver Broncos Schedule & Results

Founded in 1960 as charter members of the American Football League, the Denver Broncos did not post a winning record until 1973. In the franchise's early years, the Broncos were known for their hideous brown and yellow uniforms that included vertical socks. Even when they went to orange and blue in the mid-1960s, the team was still bad and ran on a shoestring budget. The biggest claim to fame for the Broncos was their win over the Detroit Lions in a 1966 exhibition game. It was the first exhibition game between the AFL and NFL and a shocking upset.

Led by the Orange Crush defense, Denver finally made the playoffs and the first Super Bowl in 1977, losing to the Dallas Cowboys.

In 1983, the franchise's fortunes changed forever with the arrival of first round draft choice John Elway. Elway rewrote the Broncos record book as a Hall of Fame quarterback. Elway and the Broncos lost three Super Bowls before finally winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy in 1997 and 1998 before Elway retired to become a team executive, which he is to this day.

Indianapolis Colts import Peyton Manning led the Broncos to two Super Bowls, including their last Super Bowl championship in 2015, and retired after the game. Since then, the Broncos have not had a credible quarterback. Until the arrival of Russell Wilson in 2022. Or so they thought.

Denver Broncos Past Seasons (2000)

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