The Broncos finished a second straight season in last place Saturday with a 28-24 loss at home to the Chiefs. Denver (7-10) also finished 1-5 against the AFC West for the second year in a row.
Broncos coach Vic Fangio was asked in his postgame press conference why there is such a wide gap between his team and the rest of the division. Your answer focused on one area.
“Those three other teams have top-tier quarterbacks, which is obvious to everyone,” Fangio said. “We just have to improve a little.”
“We had a good game against the Chargers (a Week 12 win), last week it was the COVID game and we had a tough day (against LA). Close game with the Raiders the second time (a 17-13 loss in the Week 16) Obviously both games with the Chiefs, I think, were close (Denver lost 22-9 at KC in week 13).
“We are not there yet, but we are close. I think the base is there for this franchise to close the gap and become one more factor in this division.”
The Broncos haven’t won the West since 2015; they went on to win Super Bowl 50 that season. They haven’t had a winning record since 2016, when they were 9-7. In the past six seasons, Denver finished last in the division three times, third twice and second once.
The team hired Fangio as their head coach in January 2019 and signed him to a four-year contract with a fifth-year team option. His quarterbacks during his time in Denver have been Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, Brandon Allen, Jeff Driskel, Brett Rypien, Kendall Hinton and Teddy Bridgewater.
According to multiple reportsFangio could know on Sunday if he will return for a fourth season. He told reporters after Saturday’s loss that he had a conversation with general manager George Paton during the week.
When asked what the two men talked about, Fangio replied, “Everything.” Addressing ESPN Broncos reporter Jeff Legwold, he said, “I’ll be fine, Legs. Don’t worry about me.”