What do the Broncos have left to play for in 2017?

The Denver Broncos were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday after their 23-0 defeat of the New York Jets. While the win made many fans feel a little better, it did nothing for the outcome of the season. Now, the Broncos could make life difficult for their remaining opponents, but would that be the best thing for them to do?

The MHR Radio podcast started off with an interesting question. I asked Ian St. Clair if he would rather the Denver Broncos beat the Kansas City Chiefs and knock them out of the playoffs, or lose to the Chiefs and get a top 3 draft pick? A little game of “Would You Rather” left us with some interesting answers.

As far as beating the Chiefs, while knocking them out of the playoffs would be excellent bragging rights, it would be meaningless. As Ian said on the show, Broncos Country would likely be able to have their cake and eat it too, as the Chiefs don’t win in the playoffs anyway. So, losing, getting a top 3 prospect, and watching the Chiefs lose in the playoffs would be the best of both worlds.

Yes, this scenario is a few weeks away, and it is less likely to happen if the Broncos keep winning, but it raises an interesting question. What is more important to the longterm success of the franchise? Is it getting the team on a roll at the end of the season so that can carry over to 2018, or is it getting the best possible draft pick to build to the future?

If you are Vance Jospeh, you probably want to get on a roll in hopes of salvaging your job. If you are John Elway, you probably want to avoid that scenario. Think about it. Would you rather the Broncos win out and have Joseph back as the head coach, or lose out and come into 2018 with a new head coach?

Aside from the formality of playing football games, the Denver Broncos season has ended. Would you rather see veteran players like Von Miller and Demaryius Thomas pad their stats the rest of the way, or see young players get a chance to show what they can do? With nothing to gain, why not throw in the youths and see how they handle the pressure.

All winning does now is give the Broncos a lower first round draft pick. Over the last three games would you rather see their draft pick rise, or get some garbage time wins? This is not the normal scenario that Broncos Country finds itself in. However, here we are. What is best for the franchise moving forward? I say root for that.

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