Mile High Report
Our one day to mourn the Broncos’ frustrating loss to the Patriots — and along with it another trip to the Super Bowl — has come and gone, and it’s time to move on.
But before we — and the team — do that, it’s important to remember this feeling.
And use it.
“I expect it to fuel me just the same as the Buffalo loss last year, if not more,” Jonathan Cooper said on Monday. “Honestly because being that close, not getting there, just sets a fire in you. I’m not going to let that taste leave my mouth. I’m just going to get right back to work.”
Many of us have voiced over the last 36 hours that the most aggravating part of Sunday’s outcome wasn’t just losing the game. It was losing a game the Broncos should have won. A game they could have won. A game they were winning — even despite the odds of playing with a very untested backup QB thrust into the starting role just seven days prior.
Many factors played into the implosion, but the bottom line is that the Patriots didn’t beat the Broncos. The Broncos just lost it.
The feeling I had after the game was identical to the one I felt in 1996 when the No. 1 seed Broncos lost the divisional playoff to the upstart and underdog Jaguars after going into halftime with a big lead. At the time, John Elway called the loss the biggest of his career.
The silver lining was that it humbled the team and fueled a revenge tour to get to Super Bowl XXXII the very next season, beating the Jags along the way.
Will the 2026 Broncos find the same motivation for a Super Bowl run next season? Let’s hope so.
Many players speaking to reporters after Sunday’s devastating loss seem to have the same mindset as Elway 30 years ago.
Left tackle Garett Bolles, who has experienced all of Denver’s losing seasons since 2015, acknowledged he’s still “pretty angry and frustrated.”
“There were a lot of tears that came down my face yesterday. I’ve been here for a long time and to get that close hurt really bad,” Bolles said. “But at the same time, I know exactly where this team is going. I know the future that we have. I know the players that we have in this building.”
Bolles noted that the team is young with a winning quarterback and “the best offensive line in football” — all important building blocks for next season.
“This team is full of winners, full of dog mentalities. This team is young and humble and hungry,” he added. “We have a lot of money this offseason to be able to go get some key players. I’m excited for that. I’m excited for where this team’s going.”
Malcolm Roach said last year the team had to prove to itself that it belonged in the playoffs. The loss to the...
