Jake Plummer came in and played just long enough to say goodbye.
The Broncos’ starting quarterback the past three seasons and 11 games into a fourth, Plummer has told teammates and friends he won’t be back next season serving as mentor to Jay Cutler.
Plummer wouldn’t speak about his situation after the game, but he did shake hands with several teammates as he left the locker room in a manner dripping with finality.
Although Broncos coach Mike Shanahan left open the possibility of having his veteran quarterback return next season, Plummer most likely will seek a starting job elsewhere.
The Oakland Raiders and Minnesota Vikings are two possibilities. There is also the possibility Plummer may call it a 10-year, NFL career if he doesn’t find a match.
But either way, Plummer is finished with the Broncos. He’s probably not the only one after the Broncos fell short of the playoffs.
“This is a business, we all have to understand that,” Broncos tight end Stephen Alexander said. “There’s no guarantees. There are no guarantees for anybody. Who knows if I’ll be back here next year. I could have just played my last game for the Broncos, you never know.”
In his last game with the Broncos, Plummer came in for an injured Cutler in the second quarter. On his first play, Plummer handed off to Mike Bell, who gained 46 yards to the San Francisco 3-yard line.
Plummer passed two times, one of which was intercepted, and Cutler went back in for the second half.
1,000 yards to nowhere
Although Broncos running back Tatum Bell crossed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the first time in his career, he hardly felt like a player who had reached his personal goal Sunday evening.
Bell fumbled for the third consecutive game and again gave way to Mike Bell in the latter part of the game.
“A thousand yards don’t mean anything right now,” Tatum Bell said. “I played a terrible game. When they needed me most, I didn’t come through.”
Elam tops off best season
Making all three field goals from the near-automatic distances of 22, 21 and 22 yards, Jason Elam finished the season making 27-of-29 field goals for a career-best .931 field-goal percentage. However, he was edged for the NFL accuracy title by Baltimore’s Matt Stover, who made all four field goals Sunday against Buffalo to finish 28-of-30 for a .933 percentage.
Careful what you wish
The next time Shanahan is granted a wish, he might want to let someone else rub the genie’s bottle. Knowing before the game the only way his team could be eliminated from the playoffs is if Kansas City won and the Broncos lost, Shanahan nevertheless boldly said last week his wish was for the Chiefs to win. He wanted the pressure of having to beat the 49ers. The thinking was if the Broncos were to succeed in the playoffs, they had to be playing their best at regular season’s end.
The Chiefs won all right. Roughly four hours later, Poof! There went the season that at one time stood at 7-2, tied for the second-best record in the AFC.
“You want to play your best football this time of the year,” Shanahan said. “You play like we did today you’re not going to go very far in the playoffs. If we played like we did the last couple weeks we would have had a chance to do something special.”
No Al
Although tests have yet to reveal structural damage in his lower back, Broncos middle linebacker Al Wilson was debilitated the past week with severe muscle spasms that wouldn’t loosen up. He dressed for the game Sunday but didn’t play as he was replaced by Nate Webster.
“That’s the toughest game I’ve had to watch in a long time,” said Wilson, the Broncos’ defensive captain. “When they needed me out there to help our team, I couldn’t perform. That’s tough.”
For the second straight offseason, Wilson will need surgery to repair a broken thumb. Wilson said he will wait to see if he will play in the Pro Bowl in February. Wilson broke the thumb against Cleveland in October. He broke it at the end of the regular season last year.
Injured DBs
Cornerback Darrent Williams said he will wait about a month to see if his shoulder needs to be surgically repaired. He was was hurt in the second half of Sunday’s game and did not return.
Defensive back Curome Cox hurt his knee and missed most of the game.
2007 schedule
The Broncos, who finished third in the AFC West, have their schedule for next season. The dates and times of the game will be released in April.
Denver’s home games in 2007 will be Kansas City, Oakland, San Diego, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Green Bay and Minnesota. On the road, Denver will go to the AFC West teams, Buffalo, Houston, Indianapolis, Chicago and Detroit.
Draft order
Denver is expected to have the No. 19 pick in the April draft.
Brown opportunistic
After getting positive preliminary medical reports on his surgically repaired knee, defensive end Courtney Brown is hopeful he will be able to play next season. When Brown had surgery earlier this season, it appeared that his career likely was over.
“I’m entering the second stage of rehabilitation,” Brown said Sunday. “The doctors are optimistic and they think it’s better than we first thought. I haven’t started running yet, but it looks like I may have a chance.”
Inactives
Special-teams captain Keith Burns wasn’t active because of a broken bone in his hand. In addition to Burns, other inactive players were receiver Brian Clark, running backs Damien Nash and Cedric Cobbs, guard Chris Kuper, tight end Chad Mustard and defensive linemen Kenny Peterson and Antwon Burton.
To be signed
The Broncos are expected to sign 12 players to reserve-future contracts as soon as today, when the signing period begins.
Herrion remembered
Sunday’s game was the first visit to Invesco Field for the 49ers since the death of offensive lineman Thomas Herrion after an Aug. 21, 2005, preseason game.
Herrion, a first-year pro from Utah, collapsed after the 26-21 Broncos victory and was pronounced dead at 11:18 p.m. at a Denver hospital from a heart attack, approximately one hour after the game.
Gore’s strong finish
Workhorse running back Frank Gore finished with 153 yards on 31 carries and became the 49ers’ all-time single-season rushing leader. He entered the game with 1,542 yards and notched his ninth 100-yard game, also a single-season franchise record.
Making his accomplishments more impressive is the fact that Gore has had major reconstructive surgery on both knees.
“When I think of Frank, I think of a guy who has a lot of heart and passion to play this game and be a team player,” coach Mike Nolan said.
Wire to wire
Alex Smith became the first 49ers quarterback to take every offensive snap in a season.
“That was a goal of mine,” Smith said, a second-year pro and former overall No. 1 draft pick. “You can’t get better by being on the bench.”
Footnotes
Denver finished the season with an NFL-low 67 penalties, its fewest in a 16-game season. … For the first time in 11 seasons, safety John Lynch didn’t have an interception. … Rookie tight end Tony Scheffler started his second straight game. … Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper was on the sideline before the game.
Staff writer Tom Kensler contributed to this report.
