2023 Denver Broncos season
Owner	Rob Walton[a]
General manager	George Paton
Head coach	Sean Payton
Home stadium	Empower Field at Mile High
Results
Record	8–9
Division place	3rdAFC West
Playoffs	Did not qualify
All-Pros	KR Marvin Mims(2nd team) S Justin Simmons(2nd team)
Pro Bowlers	RSMarvin Mims FSJustin Simmons CBPatrick Surtain II
Uniform
← 2022 Broncos seasons 2024 →

The2023 season was theDenver Broncos' 54th season in theNational Football League (NFL) and their 64th overall. It was also their third under the leadership ofgeneral managerGeorge Paton, their second under the ownership of theWalton-Penner family group and their first underhead coachSean Payton. During the off-season, the Broncos released longtime kickerBrandon McManus after spending nine seasons with the team.^[1] He was the last player from the2015Super Bowl 50-winning team still on the roster. His release made safetyJustin Simmons, who has been with the team since2016, the team's new longest-tenured player.^[2]

After a dismal 1–5 start, the team's first since1994, the Broncos started to surge, winning five straight for the first time since 2015 to improve upon their 5–12 record fromthe previous season. However, the Broncos won just two of their final six games, suffering their seventh consecutive losing season and missed the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season. This was the first time the Broncos ranked bottom 10 on offense and defense since the1992 season. After his worst statistical season in2022, quarterbackRussell Wilson improved his performance, but was benched for the team's final two games for financial reasons and was subsequently released thefollowing offseason where he joined thePittsburgh Steelers.

One of the Broncos' highlights of the season was their Week 8 win of 24–9 overdivision rival, defending Super Bowl champion and eventual-repeat championKansas City Chiefs. This win snapped a 16-game losing streak by the Broncos against the Chiefs, and their first win against quarterbackPatrick Mahomes. Meanwhile, one of the team's lowlights was a 70–20 loss in Week 3 to theMiami Dolphins.

The Denver Broncos drew an average home attendance of 76,388 in 9 home games in the 2023 NFL season, the 5th highest in the league.^[3]

On February 3,Sean Payton was named as the 20thhead coach in franchise history. Payton previously coached theNew Orleans Saints from 2006 to 2021, with the exception of2012, and the Broncos agreed to draft compensation with the Saints—see Draft section. Payton was the Broncos' seventh differenthead coach since2008, and their third since2018.^[4] He replacedNathaniel Hackett, who was fired on December 26, 2022, and replaced byJerry Rosburg on an interim basis for the last two games of the2022 season.^[5]

In the weeks that followed Payton's hiring, the Broncos underwent the following coaching changes:

Sources for this section: Denver Broncos' official website^[6][7]

All players listed below were signed to reserve/future contracts on January 9, unless otherwise noted. Each player was officially added to the active roster on March 15—the first day of the2023 league year.^[8]

Note: Unrestricted free agents who were originally Restricted free agents (RFA) had three accrued seasons whose contracts expired at the end of the previous season, and did not receive a qualifying offer before the start of the2023 league year on March 15.

Draft trades

Allundrafted free agents were signed prior to the team's rookie minicamp on May 12,^[79] unless noted otherwise.

Eyioma Uwazurike

On July 24,defensive endEyioma Uwazurike was suspended indefinitely by theNFL for violating the league's gambling policy. Uwazurike, the team's2022 fourth-round draft selection, bet on NFL games during his rookie season.^[107]

Kareem Jackson

SafetyKareem Jackson was suspended twice by the NFL for repeated violations of the league's policy on unnecessary roughness.

On October 23, Jackson was initially suspended four games following the Broncos' Week 7 win over theGreen Bay Packers after being ejected for a forceful blow to the head & neck area of Packers'tight endLuke Musgrave, when Musgrave was determined to be a defenseless receiver. Jackson was also ejected during the Broncos' Week 2 loss to theWashington Commanders for a similar hit on Commanders' tight endLogan Thomas, which resulted in Thomas suffering a concussion. Jackson was fined for a total of$89,670 for a series of illegal hits, including violations in three other games—Week 1 against theLas Vegas Raiders, Week 3 against theMiami Dolphins and Week 6 against theKansas City Chiefs.^[108] One day later (October 24), Jackson's suspension was reduced to two games following an appeal hearing.^[109][56]

On November 20, in his first game back from suspension, Jackson was hit with another four-game suspension for lowering his helmet onMinnesota Vikings'quarterbackJoshua Dobbs during the Broncos' Week 11 win over the Vikings. Jackson was not flagged for the hit, and he unsuccessfully appealed the suspension.^[110]

After he was a healthy scratch for the team's Week 16 loss to theNew England Patriots, Jackson was waived on December 25 following a roster exemption, and was claimed off waivers by theHouston Texans the following day.^[111]

Note: Intra-division opponents are inbold text.

The Broncos kicked off the2023 season against theirAFC West division rivalLas Vegas Raiders. This markedSean Payton's debut as the Broncos'head coach. The Raiders grabbed the early lead on their initial possession, with quarterbackJimmy Garoppolo connecting on a 3-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverJakobi Meyers. The Broncos responded on their first possession, with a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackRussell Wilson to wide receiverLil'Jordan Humphrey. However, placekickerWil Lutz missed wide-right on the extra point attempt — a miscue that would prove to be critical to the game's outcome. A 24-yard field goal by placekickerDaniel Carlson gave the Raiders a 10–6 lead early in the second quarter. The Broncos took their first just lead before halftime, with Wilson's second touchdown pass of the first half — a 5-yarder to wide receiverCourtland Sutton.^[143]

Lutz missed wide right on a 55-yard field goal attempt on the initial possession of the second half. The Raiders then marched down the field and faced a 3rd-and-goal from the Broncos' 6-yard line. However, Garoppolo was intercepted by safetyKareem Jackson in the end zone for a touchback, late in the third quarter. The Broncos then had a first-and-goal from the Raiders' 8-yard line; however, they failed to score a touchdown, and instead, settled for a 24-yard field goal by Lutz midway through the fourth quarter. The Raiders took a 17–16 lead six plays later, with another touchdown pass from Garoppolo to Meyers — from 6 yards out. The Broncos went three-and-out, and were forced to punt. The Raiders faced a 3rd-and-8 from their own 44-yard line with exactly three minutes left in the game. Meyers was stopped one yard short of a first down on a pass completion from Garoppolo; however, Jackson was flagged for an unnecessary roughness flag for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Meyers, giving the Raiders a first down. The Broncos' defense was unable to stop Garoppolo from scrambling for a game-clinching 8-yard first down run.^[143]

The Broncos took a 21–3 lead over theCommanders with touchdowns on each of their first three possessions, consisting of a 5-yard touchdown run by running backJaleel McLaughlin and two touchdown passes from quarterbackRussell Wilson — a 60-yarder to wide receiverMarvin Mims and a 16-yarder to wide receiverBrandon Johnson. However, the Broncos' offense would sputter for the remainder of the game and their defense was unable to stop the Commanders. After Wilson was strip-sacked by linebackerJamin Davis, the momentum shifted to the Commanders. QuarterbackSam Howell connected on a 4-yard touchdown pass to tight endLogan Thomas on a 4th-and-goal, with a two-point conversion that was initially ruled unsuccessful, but overturned by review. The Broncos' lead was narrowed to 21–14 just before halftime, with a 49-yard field goal by Commanders' placekickerJoey Slye, who missed from 49 and made from 44 in the first quarter.^[144]

After a Broncos' three-and-out to start the second half, the Commanders tied the game at 21–21, with Howell throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverTerry McLaurin. Following an interception of Russell, Slye missed wide-right on a 59-yard field goal attempt. The Broncos reached the red zone on the ensuing possession, but were forced to settle for a 31-yard field goal by placekickerWil Lutz. The Commanders took their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter, with running backBrian Robinson Jr. rushing for a 2-yard touchdown, then added to their lead, with another rushing touchdown by Robinson — a 15-yarder midway through the fourth quarter. After being outscored 32–3 since early in the second quarter, the Broncos found themselves trailing 35–24. A 32-yard field goal by Lutz on the first play after the two-minute warning pulled the Broncos to a 35–27 deficit. After burning all of their team timeouts and forcing a Commanders' punt, the Broncos had one last possession at their own 13-yard line and with 48 seconds remaining. With 3 seconds remaining, Wilson heaved a desperation hail mary pass that was caught by Johnson for a touchdown. The Broncos needed a two-point conversion to send the game to overtime. However, Wilson's pass that was intended for wide receiverCourtland Sutton fell incomplete.^[144]

The Broncos were overwhelmed by theDolphins, in an embarrassing 70–20 loss. The Broncos' defense surrendered franchise worsts in points (70), yards (726) and overall touchdowns in one game (10), and tied a franchise record for rushing touchdowns in one game (5). The 50-point loss was the third-worst margin of defeat in Broncos' franchise history, behind a 59–7 loss to theKansas City Chiefs in1963 and a 51–0 loss to theOakland Raiders in1967. Dolphins' quarterbackTua Tagovailoa threw for four touchdowns, with most of the help coming from running backsRaheem Mostert andDe'Von Achane, who each combined for eight of the ten total touchdowns. Broncos' quarterbackRussell Wilson threw for 306 yards and only one touchdown, while wide receiverMarvin Mims returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown.^[145]

The 70 points scored by the Dolphins was tied for the second-most in a single game inNFL history, only trailing a 72-point output by theWashington Redskins in1966.^[146]

The Broncos took the early lead over theBears on their initial possession, with quarterbackRussell Wilson connecting on an 18-yard touchdown pass with running backJaleel McLaughlin. The Broncos' offense would then sputter, failing to advance past their own 44-yard line on their next four possessions, and the Bears reeled off 28 unanswered points. The Broncos' defense yielded four touchdown passes to Bears' quarterbackJustin Fields—two to tight endCole Kmet, and one apiece to wide receiverD. J. Moore and running backKhalil Herbert. The Broncos trailed 28–7 with 4:10 remaining in the third quarter, but proceeded to score the final 24 points of the game. Wilson threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverBrandon Johnson near the end of the third quarter, followed in the fourth quarter by a 13-yarder to wide receiverCourtland Sutton. Then the Broncos' defense came up with a crucial turnover, with linebackerNik Bonitto forcing a strip sack and fumble off Fields, and linebackerJonathon Cooper returning the fumble 42 yards for a game-tying touchdown midway through the fourth quarter. The Bears then marched down the field, and faced a 4th-and-1 at the Broncos' 18-yard line with 2:57 remaining in the fourth quarter. However, instead of a go-ahead field goal, the Bears decided to go for a first-down, but turned the football over on downs when Fields was tackled for no gain by linebackerAlex Singleton. Five plays later, a 51-yard field goal by placekickerWil Lutz put the Broncos ahead to stay with 1:51 remaining in the game. The Bears attempted a rally, but after reaching their own 47-yard line, Fields was intercepted by safetyKareem Jackson for the Broncos' first win of the season.^[147]

Following a 30-yard field goal byJets' placekickerGreg Zuerlein, the Broncos grabbed the lead, with a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackRussell Wilson to running backJaleel McLaughlin. On the Broncos' next possession, Wilson was penalized for intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety. The Broncos led 13–8 at halftime, after two short field goals by placekickerWil Lutz—from 22 and 23 yards out, with a 26-yard field goal by Zuerlein in between. After the Broncos went three-and-out to start the second half, Jets' running backBreece Hall ran for a 72-yard touchdown—the first of 16 unanswered Jets points. Zuerlein added three more field goals—a 27-yarder in the third quarter, followed by 27- and 49-yarders in the fourth quarter. The Broncos trailed 24–13 midway through the fourth quarter, after two punts and a lost fumble in Jets' territory. A 3-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to tight endAdam Trautman, coupled with a successful two-point conversion by fullbackMichael Burton, pulled the Broncos to within a 24–21 deficit with 4:48 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Jets were attempting to run out the clock, and faced a 3rd-and-5 at the Broncos' 27-yard line; however, quarterbackZach Wilson was intercepted by cornerbackPatrick Surtain II near the goal line. With 2:14 remaining in the game, the Broncos attempted a rally, but Russell Wilson was strip-sacked by Jets' defensive tackleQuinnen Williams, and cornerbackBryce Hall returned the fumble 39 yards for the game-clinching touchdown.^[148]

The Broncos' defense limitedChiefs' quarterbackPatrick Mahomes to one touchdown pass and four field goals by placekickerHarrison Butker, but the defensive effort was wasted by a poor performance by the offense. QuarterbackRussell Wilson completed 13 of 22 passes for only 95 yards, and the Broncos trailed 16–0 at the 9:22 mark of the fourth quarter. Wilson finally got the Broncos on the scoreboard, with an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverCourtland Sutton that was initially ruled as an incomplete pass, but overturned by a booth review. The subsequent two-point conversion by running backJavonte Williams pulled the Broncos to within a 16–8 deficit with six minutes remaining in the game. However, Butker's fourth field goal of the game—a 52-yarder at the two-minute warning, put the game out of reach. It was the Chiefs' 16th consecutive win over the Broncos—a streak that endedtwo weeks later in Denver.^[149]

Midway through the third quarter, all of the scoring came by way of the placekickers—three field goals by the Broncos'Wil Lutz, and one by thePackers'Anders Carlson. The Broncos increased their lead to 16–3, with the game's first touchdown—an 18-yard pass from quarterbackRussell Wilson to wide receiverCourtland Sutton. However, the Packers' responded, with two touchdown passes by quarterbackJordan Love—a 16-yarder to wide receiverRomeo Doubs, followed by a 4-yarder to wide receiverJayden Reed that gave the Packers a 17–16 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Nine plays later, the Broncos re-claimed the lead, with Lutz's fourth field goal of the game—a 52-yarder with 3:54 remaining in the game. The Packers attempted a rally, but Love was intercepted by safetyP. J. Locke deep in Broncos' territory. The Broncos then ran out the clock.^[150]

The Broncos' defense forced five turnovers—three fumbles and two interceptions offChiefs' quarterbackPatrick Mahomes, and limited the Chiefs' offense to three field goals—all in the first half—in a 24–9 win. It was the first time sinceWeek 13 of the 2021 season (also against the Broncos) in which Mahomes did not throw a touchdown pass. Broncos' quarterbackRussell Wilson threw three touchdown passes—one apiece to running backJavonte Williams and wide receiversJerry Jeudy andCourtland Sutton. The Broncos held a 14–9 lead early in the fourth quarter, and after Chiefs' return specialistMecole Hardman muffed a punt, Wilson threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Sutton and placekickerWil Lutz later capped the scoring off with a 28-yard field goal with only 31 seconds remaining. With the win, the Broncos snapped a 16-game losing streak to the Chiefs, dating back to2015.^[151]

The Broncos' defense forced two turnovers off theBills' first two possessions—a fumble and an interception off quarterbackJosh Allen, but only got one scoring a play—a 40-yard field goal by placekickerWil Lutz. The Broncos added to their lead midway through the second quarter, with quarterbackRussell Wilson completing a pass to wide receiverCourtland Sutton along the side of the end zone that was initially ruled an incomplete pass, but ruled a touchdown after instant replay revealed that Sutton dragged his toes in bounds. However, Lutz hit the left upright on the extra point attempt. The Bills responded, and got on the scoreboard, with Allen connecting on a 22-yard touchdown pass to tight endDalton Kincaid, with a successful two-point conversion. Lutz added two more field goals—from 49 and 40 yards out, to give the Broncos a 15–8 halftime lead. The latter field goal occurred after another interception of Allen. After an exchange of punts to start the second half, Sutton lost a fumble at the Bills' 45-yard line, and the Bills capitalized, with running backLatavius Murray rushing for a 3-yard touchdown to tie the game midway through the third quarter. After a pair of punt exchanges, the Broncos reclaimed the lead with 5:10 remaining in the game. Wilson connected with running backJavonte Williams for a 3-yard touchdown pass. However, the extra point attempt was botched, leaving the score at 21–15. The Bills then drove down the field, and on the first play after the two-minute warning, Allen scrambled for a 6-yard touchdown run to give the Bills their first lead of the game.^[152]

Wilson engineered a comeback that was aided by two crucial penalties on Buffalo. First, the Broncos faced a 3rd-and-10 from the Bills' 45-yard line with 35 seconds left. A pass attempt intended for wide receiverJerry Jeudy was incomplete, but pass interference was called on Bills' cornerbackTaron Johnson at the 17-yard line. Following a quick kneel down, and without any timeouts, the Broncos rushed their field goal unit onto the field. Lutz missed the 41-yard attempt wide right; however, the Bills were flagged for having 12 men on the field, giving Lutz a second chance with only four seconds left. Lutz then redeemed himself—kicking the game-winning 36-yard field goal as time expired.^[152]

The Broncos' offense struggled for most of the game, settling for five field goals by placekickerWil Lutz through the early portion of the fourth quarter. Each field goal, for the exception of a 52-yarder just before halftime, was the result of the Broncos failing to score a touchdown in the red zone, and three of those field goals occurred afterVikings' turnovers. Defensively, the Broncos yielded two touchdowns to Vikings' quarterbackJoshua Dobbs—one passing and one rushing, as well as two field goals by placekickerGreg Joseph. The Broncos trailed 20–15 with 3:20 remaining in the game, when quarterbackRussell Wilson engineered a game-winning drive for the second consecutive game—a 10-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverCourtland Sutton in the back of the end zone, with an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt. The Vikings had one last possession with 1:03 remaining in the game, hoping to reach field goal range. However, after earning one first down at their own 36-yard line, and burning two timeouts in the process, Dobbs threw four consecutive incomplete passes, including a 15-yard intentional grounding penalty on 3rd down, ending the Vikings' rally attempt. With the win, the Broncos earned their first four-game winning streak since2016.^[153]

After achieving only one rushing touchdown the entire season, the Broncos jumped out to a 14–0 lead on a pair of rushing touchdowns—a 3-yarder by running backSamaje Perine in the first quarter, followed in the second quarter by a 2-yarder by quarterbackRussell Wilson. TheBrowns then scored 12 unanswered points—two field goals by placekickerDustin Hopkins late in the second quarter, followed by a 2-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackDorian Thompson-Robinson to tight endHarrison Bryant midway through the third quarter. Wide receiverAmari Cooper dropped what would have been the game-tying two point conversion in the end zone. However, the Broncos' defense held the Browns scoreless for the remainder of the game, and the Broncos added 15 more points—two short field goals by placekickerWil Lutz, an 8-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to tight endAdam Trautman, and Broncos defensive endZach Allen sacked Browns' backup quarterbackP. J. Walker in the end zone for a safety. With the win, the Broncos earned their first five-game winning streak since their2015 Super Bowl-winning season.^[154]

The Broncos' offense struggled throughout the first three quarters of the game, only managing a 34-yard field goal by placekickerWil Lutz late in the second quarter. The Broncos failed to advance past midfield on 6 of their first 7 possessions, excluding a kneel down just before halftime. The Broncos trailed 16–3 after three field goals byTexans' placekickerMatt Ammendola and a 3-yard touchdown run by running backDameon Pierce. The latter occurred after a personal foul on Broncos' linebackerAlex Singleton on Texans' quarterbackC. J. Stroud negated a false start on 4th-and-goal. The Broncos finally reached the end zone late in the third quarter, with quarterbackRussell Wilson connecting on a 45-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverCourtland Sutton. After forcing a Texans' punt, Wilson was intercepted by cornerbackDerek Stingley Jr. deep in Broncos' territory, giving the Texans a short field. The Texans took advantage of the turnover and added to their lead, with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Stroud to wide receiverNico Collins on the second play of the fourth quarter, with an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt. The Broncos responded, with a 5-play, 75-yard drive, culminating in a 1-yard touchdown run by Wilson to narrow the Texans' lead to 22–17. After forcing a Texans' punt, Wilson was intercepted again by Stingley, this one at the Texans' 27-yard line. After forcing one more Texans' punt, the Broncos had one more possession at their own 20-yard line at the 4:36 mark of the fourth quarter. With only 23 seconds remaining and no timeouts, the Broncos faced a 1st-and-goal at the Texans' 8-yard line after two successful 4th-down conversions. However, after two incomplete passes, Wilson's pass intended for tight endLucas Krull was intercepted by Texans' safetyJimmie Ward in the end zone for a touchback.^[155]

The Broncos' defense dominated the game, holding theChargers to 0-for-12 on 3rd down and 1-of-6 on 4th down with two turnovers. The Chargers were unable to take advantage of an early interception ofRussell Wilson deep in Broncos' territory, failing on a 4th-and-3 instead of kicking a field goal at the 6-yard line. The Broncos took advantage of an interception of Chargers' quarterbackJustin Herbert, with a 3-yard touchdown run by running backJavonte Williams, and added a 23-yard field goal by placekickerWil Lutz just before halftime. Herbert exited the game in the second quarter with a finger injury, and was replaced by backup quarterbackEaston Stick for the remainder of the game. The Broncos added to their lead in the third quarter, with Wilson connecting on a 46-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverCourtland Sutton. After a 3-yard touchdown run by Chargers' running backAustin Ekeler narrowed the Broncos' lead to 17–7 early in the fourth quarter, the Broncos put the game out of reach, with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to tight endAdam Trautman. With the win, the Broncos snapped an 11-game road losing streak against theirAFC West opponents.^[156]

The Broncos' offense struggled in the first half and never recovered from a 21–0 halftime deficit, in a 42–17 loss to theLions. The Broncos' defense surrendered five touchdown passes to Lions' quarterbackJared Goff and one rushing touchdown to running backJahmyr Gibbs. On the offensive side of the football, quarterbackRussell Wilson threw for one touchdown and ran for another, and placekickerWil Lutz added a 23-yard field goal, but the Broncos never got any closer than an 18-point deficit in the second half.^[157]

All three of the Broncos' first three possessions started inPatriots' territory—at the 6-, 46- and 25-yard lines; however, the Broncos were only able to achieve one scoring play—a 3-yard touchdown run by running backJavonte Williams. After forcing a strip sack and fumble off Patriots' quarterbackBailey Zappe on the game's first play from scrimmage, the Broncos failed to capitalize on a 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line and only gained four yards after starting at the 46-yard line. After a 33-yard field goal by Patriots' placekickerChad Ryland early in the second quarter, the Broncos reached the Patriots' 38-yard line, only for Williams to commit a fumble, ending the drive. Both placekickers—Ryland and the Broncos'Wil Lutz, missed long field goal attempts after the two-minute warning, leaving the score at 7–3 in favor of the Broncos at halftime. In the third quarter, the Broncos' offense struggled, with quarterbackRussell Wilson being sacked four times, the defense surrendered 20 unanswered points. First, Zappe connected on two touchdown passes—a 15-yarder to running backEzekiel Elliott (with a missed extra point attempt), followed by an 11-yarder to tight endMike Gesicki. The Broncos were victimized by a disastrous play on the kickoff following the latter touchdown, as return specialistMarvin Mims fumbled near the goal line, and safetyCody Davis scooped up the football for a 1-yard touchdown to give the Patriots a 23–7 lead. After a poor offensive performance for most of the game, Wilson threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter—a 3-yarder to tight endLucas Krull, followed by a 21-yarder to wide receiverBrandon Johnson—both with successful two-point conversions, to tie the game at 23–23 with only three minutes remaining in the game. After forcing a Patriots' punt, the Broncos' offense went three-and-out, giving the Patriots the football at their own 19-yard line with 58 seconds remaining in the game. However, after the Broncos called two timeouts on defense, the Patriots marched down the field, culminating in a 56-yard game-winning field goal by Ryland in the final seconds.^[158]

Each placekicker exchanged field goals—a 32-yarder by the Broncos'Wil Lutz in the first quarter, followed in the second quarter by a 36-yarder by theChargers'Cameron Dicker. Broncos' backup quarterJarrett Stidham, playing in place of the benchedRussell Wilson, connected on a 54-yard pass to wide receiverLil'Jordan Humphrey for the game's only touchdown. Lutz added a 43-yard field goal just after the two-minute warning, but missed wide-right on a 48-yard attempt in the final seconds of the first half, for a 13–3 Broncos' halftime lead. A 50-yard field goal by Dicker was the only scoring play of the third quarter, and Lutz countered with a 20-yarder early in the fourth quarter. A 52-yard field goal by Dicker narrowed the Broncos' lead to 13–6 with only 1:21 remaining in the game. The Chargers' onside kick attempt was unsuccessful, sealing the Broncos' win, and their first season sweep of the Chargers since2019. However, the Broncos were eliminated from postseason contention after thePittsburgh Steelers, andKansas City Chiefs both won their respective games which extends their playoff drought to eight seasons dating to2016.^[159]

In the Broncos' season finale, theRaiders took the early lead, with wide receiverJakobi Meyers running for a 5-yard touchdown. The Broncos responded early in the second quarter, with quarterbackJarrett Stidham connecting on a 24-yard touchdown pass to wide receiverJerry Jeudy. The Raiders then scored 17 unanswered points, starting with a 49-yard field goal by placekickerDaniel Carlson and a 3-yard touchdown pass from quarterbackAidan O'Connell to wide receiverDavante Adams before halftime. After a scoreless third quarter, O'Connell connected on a 33-yard touchdown pass to Meyers, for a 24–7 Raiders' lead. The Broncos' offense struggled after their initial scoring play, failing to advance past midfield on three possessions (excluding a kneel down before halftime), and turning the football over on down at the Raiders' 36-yard line on a 4th-and-3. The Broncos narrowed the Raiders' lead at the 10-minute mark of the fourth quarter, with running backJavonte Williams rushing for a 2-yard touchdown on a direct snap. However, the Broncos' defense was unable to prevent the Raiders from going on a 15-play, 72-yard drive that devoured nearly eight minutes, culminating in a 21-yard field goal by Carlson with 2:23 remaining in the game. The Broncos attempted a rally, but six plays into their final possession, Stidham was intercepted at the Raiders' 18-yard line with only one minute remaining in the game.^[160]

Source for this section: Denver Broncos' official website.^[161]

Source for this section:Pro-Football Reference.^[162]

Source for this section:Pro-Football Reference.^[163]

Source for this section:Denver Broncos.^[164]

On January 3, 2024,cornerbackPatrick Surtain II,safetyJustin Simmons andreturn specialistMarvin Mims were named starters for the2024 Pro Bowl Games.^[168] On January 9,fullbackMichael Burton was named as aPFF first-team All-Pro selection,^[169] and one day later (January 10), Surtain was selected to the second annualNFLPA Players' All-Pro team.^[170] On January 12, Mims and Simmons were selected as second-team All-Pros.^[171]