The losers list should probably be bigger, but I’m all out of negativity.

Well, it wasn’t what most of Broncos Country expected. Then, it was kind of exactly what most of Broncos Country expected. When the Denver Broncos finished the 2021 season against the Kansas City Chiefs, they fought hard, but couldn’t come away with the surprise win.

It was a fun game to watch, but there were also some moments that most of us would prefer to forget. There are several changes on the horizon at Dove Valley. In the meantime, there are some winners and losers that have to be discussed from the Week 18 loss.

Winners

Drew Lock

In the first half Lock had the Broncos in the lead. Using his legs, he found the end zone twice. His second TD run was a 23-yard scramble on 3rd and 7 that saw the lane open up. He took advantage on both of his TD runs, punching it in, and breathing a little life into Mile High Stadium. He protected the football throughout the game, and didn’t have an interception. It was a solid first half for Lock, and in a season plagued by 3 and outs, the Broncos only had two the whole game.

Melvin Gordon

Gordon was consistent most of the game. He carried the ball 12 times for 110 yards. A huge chunk of those yards came on the Broncos first possession of the second half. Gordon took a handoff 47 yards to the house, answering the Chiefs second half opening TD drive, and giving Denver back the lead. I know he had the fumble, but I don’t blame him. He was getting trucked as he was getting the ball. Not sure how anyone could blame him for that.

Tim Patrick

Patrick was solid as a possession receiver. He hauled in six catches for 95 yards. Patrick was a nice security blanket for Lock in the passing attack.

Michael Ojemudia

The Broncos secondary was without 3 starters. Ojemudia stepped in and led the team in tackles. He had two passes defensed, and was one of the best defensive players on the field. He hasn’t seen much of the field this season, but he took over in the secondary for Denver and played great. He might be a guy who played himself into contention for a starting job in 2022.
The whole secondary played well, and deserves a mention here. With Kareem Jackson, Ronald Darby and Patrick Surtain II out, they still made life difficult for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs receivers.

Caden Sterns

Sterns was all over the field, and had several tackles. He has played well most of the season. Again, with the defense struggling to stay healthy, Sterns has been able to play well in difficult spots.

Baron Browning

Browning has played well most of the year. He had 5 tackles, 3 solo tackles, and one pass defense. It was a nice showing in a game where the defense had to play well to keep the offense in it.

Jonas Griffith

Griffith has been a pleasant surprise. He has been an impact player in every game he has played. He also had 6 tackles and was all over the field.

The Defense

I know they gave up 28 points, and they had a chance to stop Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense in the end. I know that it is easy to look at that as a loss, but they harassed Mahomes the whole game. Shelby Harris had a sack. The defense had 5 QB hits. They gave the offense a chance.

Stephanie Lewis

This is a special shout out winner. Stephanie is a listener of the MHR Radio Podcast. Ian and I talked about getting out your BINGO card with all the Broncos clichés. She created not one, but 4 that she tweeted out. There were also 30 other iterations of the BINGO card. And when you are copied by 104.3 The Fan, I guess you are doing something right. We definitely appreciated the effort.

Losers

Joe Ellis

This guy has done an excellent job ruining this franchise. What a disappointment he is to the memory of Pat Bowlen. As the Broncos completed their 6th season in a row without a playoff appearance, and their 5th losing season in a row, you can bet Ellis has cashed every single one of the checks that he definitely did not earn. He will be gone soon, and it won’t be soon enough.

Vic Fangio

It’s all just typical Broncos BS. Fangio is a great defensive coordinator, but once again, he shows that he is just not a good head coach. He had a chance to go for the tie in the 4th quarter, and instead he sent Brandon McManus out there to kick a meaningless field goal. It was indicative of his inability to understand situational football. It’s too bad, because he does great work with the defense, but they still can’t win, and he was a big part of that.

I’m sure there are people that belong on this list. I’m all out of negativity at this point, so this is going to have to be the end of the Losers list.

Let us know who I missed. I’m sure the list is long.