Denver Broncos miss out on shot to secure playoff berth with 34-27 loss to the Chargers in Los Angeles

The Denver Broncos missed out on a shot to end the second longest current playoff drought in the NFL with Thursday night's 34-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.  

Denver built a 24-13 lead in the third quarter but the Chargers took command of the game by scoring three late touchdowns.

"We had a fast start, I was encouraged by that," Broncos Coach Sean Payton said. "Then uncharacteristically this season, we didn't finish or play nearly well enough in the second half, both offensively and defensively."  

The Broncos record is now 9-6, and they still have a chance to make the playoffs in their two remaining games.

Broncos fans have had to endure eight seasons without a playoff appearance. The last time the Broncos were in the playoffs was in the 2015 season. That was Denver's Super Bowl 50-winning season. The Carolina Panthers also haven't been to the playoffs for eight seasons, and for the New York Jets, it's been 14 straight seasons without a playoff appearance.

Denver will get a longer-than-normal break before their Week 17 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals in nine days.

The Broncos still have an 86% chance of making the playoffs.