The Buffalo Bills knocked the Denver Broncos out of the NFL playoffs on Sunday with a 31-7 victory at home. Following the game, here are five quick takeaways for the Broncos.
1. Bo Nix needs more weapons: Nix had a promising rookie year, and he didn’t have a bad game on Sunday, but it’s clear that he needs more support. The rookie QB had several passes dropped on Sunday, and he led the team in rushing yards (43), as he has on more than one occasion this season. Denver needs to add a dynamic receiver, a pass-catching tight end and a productive running back on offense.
2. Denver needs to upgrade two spots on defense: Alex Singleton will be 31 and coming off an ACL injury next year, and Cody Barton and Justin Strnad are both scheduled to become free agents in March. The Broncos need to upgrade the position with a coverage linebacker in 2025. Denver also needs a to add a starting-caliber safety to push P.J. Locke across from Brandon Jones.
3. Sean Payton’s offense came up short: The Broncos’ defense will receive much-deserved criticism for Sunday’s failings, but the offensive struggles should not be overlooked. Denver was just 2-of-9 on third down with only 224 net yards on offense. The team’s running backs combined for a grand total of 35 rushing yards. There’s only so much Payton can do when receivers are dropping passes and running backs aren’t finding room to run, but only mustering seven points in a playoff game was a big offensive failure.
4. Vance Joseph seems unlikely to leave: Payton, of course, isn’t the only coach who had a bad day at the offense. Joseph’s unit allowed 471 net yards of offense, including 210 yards on the ground. After a strong start, the Broncos’ defense allowed 31 points to the Bills, 30 points to the Bengals, 34 points to the Chargers and 32 points to the Browns down the stretch. Joseph is a candidate for at least head coach job this offseason, but it’s hard to imagine him landing a promotion after the defense finished the year like that.
-5. The Broncos’ season overall was a success: Nobody wants to hear it today because the pain of the loss is so fresh, but Denver had a successful season overall. Playing with a rookie quarterback, the Broncos overcame a big salary cap deficit in 2024 and made the playoffs with a 10-7 record. The postseason came to an end with a dud, but the team is still trending in the right direction going into 2025.
Offseason mode begins now for Denver. The Broncos have 19 players scheduled to become free agents in March, and the team holds seven picks to use in the 2025 NFL draft in April.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: 5 takeaways from Broncos’ playoff loss to the Bills
