It’s time to find out what the Broncos are, as playoff test looms

The Chiefs were held up on the tarmac at Kansas City’s airport on Saturday for four-plus hours, delaying their flight to Denver for Sunday’s game against the Broncos. They could’ve stayed. Heck, they might’ve.

That’s how bad the back-to-back defending champs looked in Week 18. They were a total no-show, allowing the Broncos to roll to a 38-0 victory in their season finale.

As a result, Denver is returning to the postseason for the first time since Super Bowl 50. A nine-year playoff drought has come to an end, with the Broncos securing the No. 7 seed in the AFC.

That’s a big accomplishment, for a lot of reasons. The nearly decade-long absence from the postseason is at the top of the list. Getting there with a rookie quarterback is certainly part of the equation. Pulling it off while absorbing $89 million in dead cap is semi-remarkable.

Kudos to Sean Payton for leading his team to the playoffs. Thumbs up to George Paton for assembling a post-Russell Wilson roster than can compete. And a tip of the cap to the players, as the Broncos have certainly overachieved this season.

It’s already been a success. No matter what happens on Sunday in Buffalo, the 2024 campaign has been a positive.

Ten wins is impressive. Getting to the postseason isn’t easy. Ending two streaks of futility (no winning season since 2016 and no playoff appearance since 2015) is important.

But… it’s time to turn the page. Now, it’s all about the game against the Bills. It’s the point where everyone needs to start wondering if the Broncos can compete in Buffalo.

Anyone who answers that question with an affirmative is a homer. Anyone who goes the opposite way is a hater.

The reality is that the Broncos remain a total mystery. After 17 games, it’s still hard to figure out what exactly this Denver team brings to the table.

Yes, they’ve won 10 games. That’s impressive. But their path to those victories wasn’t exactly impressive.

The Broncos beat every team in the NFC South (28-40), The Raiders (4-13) twice, the Colts (8-9), the Jets (5-12) and the Browns (3-14) prior to beating the Chiefs backups on Sunday. That’s not impressive. At all.

Denver has beaten one team with a winning record (Tampa Bay at 10-7) outside of the Kansas City junior varsity all season long. They’ve lost to a bunch of teams who were going to the playoffs or knocking on the door, however.

Seattle (10-7), Pittsburgh (10-7), Los Angeles twice (11-6), Kansas City (15-2), Cincinnati (9-8) and Baltimore (12-5) provided the losses. Those are all good teams.

In other words, the Broncos beat bad teams, which is no crime, and lost to bad teams, which is also understandable. They’re the tale of two extremes.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s actually a statement of where the Broncos are, as they rebuild on the fly.

Denver isn’t elite, but they also aren’t a bottom feeder. They’re somewhere in the middle.

Or so it seems.

But that’s the beauty of sports. That’s the thing about the playoffs.

It’s understandable that some people (hand raised) are still unsure of the Broncos. They haven’t beaten anyone. So the skeptics have a point.

But they can also be proven wrong. Sunday in Buffalo provides that opportunity.

In 2021, Mac Jones led the Patriots to the playoffs with a 10-7 record. The rookie quarterback got bounced by the Bills in a 47-17 rout.

Will Bo Nix face the same fate? Or can Denver make it a game in western New York?

Sunday didn’t provide any answers to those questions. Neither did the entire regular season.

After 17 weeks, the Broncos are still a mystery. There are reasons to believe they’re good. There’s also evidence that they’re a fraud.

Which one are they? Who knows?

That’s the beauty of the playoffs. It’s a win-and-advance situation. It’s one-and-done.

Denver can shut up the naysayers. They can prove that the 38-0 beatdown of the hapless Chiefs meant something on Sunday.

The Broncos can also prove the skeptics right. They can lose another game against a good team, continuing their pattern from the season.

How will it go? Who knows?

But the opportunity for Sean Payton to prove everyone wrong is there. The chance for Bo Nix to show he’s the franchise QB for years to come is for the taking.

What are the Broncos? It’s time to find out.

Follow @jamesmerilatt