The Denver Broncos are heading into the offseason having ended two protracted streaks: an eight-year playoff drought and a nine-year search for a foundational quarterback.

Few will give these Broncos, led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix, a chance at upsetting a Bills squad making its sixth consecutive playoff appearance. Don't tell Sean Payton his upstart club has not shot.

Since 2016, the Broncos have had seven different Week 1 starters in nine seasons. Nix pulled the emergency brake on the carousel.

In 1983, the Denver Broncos went on the road to Seattle and lost a wild-card playoff game 31-7. There was a rookie quarterback named John Elway who played that day.

In his second year as Denver Broncos head coach, Sean Payton delivered the club's first winning season since 2016 and its first playoff berth since 2015. The Broncos went 10-7 in a season where the NFL at large and the oddsmakers predicted they'd be cellar-dwellers yet again.

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There was a rookie quarterback named John Elway who played that day ... his tenure), lessons learned (a sideline spat with coach Sean Payton), bumps (four games with two or more interceptions ...

RELATED: Broncos podcast: How can Sean Payton’s team pull an upset Sunday ... least tuck away on a zip drive — the worst pass in John Elway’s career. As general manager he liked Allen ...

In his second year as Denver Broncos head coach, Sean Payton delivered the ... quarterback to be named the Week-1 starter since John Elway in 1983 — but the Oregon product also went on to ...

The Denver Broncos took a quantum leap forward in 2024 under the stewardship of head coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton. In Payton's second year with the club, the oddsmakers set Denver's win-total over/under at 5.5.

Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos made a surprising decision on Friday, and rumors of their next steps have already surfaced.