I’ve gone through so many different coaches … and so many different quarterbacks, but to be in this moment … it’s the sweetest.”
The Denver Broncos are back in the playoffs for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.
It’s been a Von time coming. “I love him dearly. I think the world of him,” Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles said with a grin Sunday after Denver’s playoff-clinching curb-stomping of the Kansas City Chiefs when asked about a reunion with Bills pass-rusher and Broncos legend Von Miller next Sunday.
The last time the Denver Broncos played in a playoff game, Von Miller took home Super Bowl MVP honors after totaling 2.5 sacks and forcing two fumbles in a 24-10 win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50. Nine years later, the Broncos have now returned to the postseason and they are set to play against the Buffalo Bills — and Von Miller.
It’s all love between Von Miller and the Broncos. In preparation to face his former team in the wild-card round on Sunday, Buffalo’s veteran edge rusher doesn’t want to act like he has hatred toward Denver.
We’ve been through the ugly," Sutton said. "For us to be able to see this other side of it, and to be able to have this opportunity to continue this legacy of this season, man, this is really dope.”
The Denver Broncos are back in the playoffs after nine years, and fans across Colorado are preparing for a road matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
Receiver Emmanuel Sanders won a Super Bowl with the Broncos in 2015 with Gary Kubiak, whose stern-father leadership blended perfectly with an experienced team. Sanders played for Payton on the Saints in 2020, which marked the coach’s last postseason appearance when he knocked out the Bears and lost to the Tom Brady-led Buccaneers.
The Broncos turned a must-win game into a rout. And don’t think for a moment that it wasn’t earned. They absolutely deserve this playoff berth.
It starts with ownership, the coach and the QB. But solid defense and special teams were also major contributors to the Broncos' turnaround.
The last time the Broncos were in the playoffs, McLaughlin was a 14-year-old kid watching Von Miller take down Cam Newton and his Panthers in Super Bowl 50. “I was from North Carolina, so of course I was watching Cam,” McLaughlin said Sunday. “But my gosh, that guy, Von Miller, was unbelievable.”