san diego Perhaps it wasn’t as bad as the defending AFC champion New England Patriots’ or the preseason Super Bowl favorite Dallas Cowboys’ failure to make the playoffs — and it certainly wasn’t as ignominious as the Detroit Lions’ becoming the first NFL team to go winless in a 16-game season. But the Broncos did leave California with a piece of unwanted history Sunday night.
Denver’s 52-21 loss to San Diego was the team’s third consecutive defeat. And although they tied the Chargers in the AFC West at 8-8, it’s the Bolts who will advance to the postseason because of a superior division record. As a result, the Broncos become the first NFL team to blow a three-game division lead with three games to play.
“We had our opportunities to get it done, and we didn’t take advantage of them,” coach Mike Shanahan said of losing the division race. “But I told the team I was proud of the job they did all season.”
