Sean McDermott Fired: 2025 Denver Broncos are Soul Stealers
Sean McDermott was fired on Monday, and the Buffalo Bills are yet another team whose soul was stolen by the Denver Broncos.
Sean McDermott has been fired by the Buffalo Bills following their 33-30 loss to the Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round.
Buffalo is the only team to ever make the Divisional Round six straight years and not win a Super Bowl. His time had come, apparently.
But it was the Broncos who pushed McDermott over the edge of the cliff.
Denver Broncos stole the soul of many teams in 2025
Denver wasn't supposed be a good team in 2025, they surprised everyone, and when the Broncos beat teams, they stole their souls.
On Saturday night, Josh Allen cried at the podium after the Broncos overtime heroics pushed Denver into the AFC Championship Game and sent Allen to the couch.
Meanwhile, McDermott complained to the press after the game the his Bills were robbed.
"It’s hard for me to, and I’ve had a chance to look, it’s hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled," McDermott complained. "If it is ruled that way, then why wasn’t it slowed down just to make sure that we have this right?...We have the ball at the 20 [-yard line], maybe kicking a game-winning field goal right there, so I’ll just leave it that. I’m saying it because I’m standing up for Buffalo, dammit. I’m standing up for us. What went on, that is not how it should go down in my estimation. These guys spend three hours out there playing football, pouring their guts out to not even say, ‘Hey, let’s just slow this thing down.’ That’s why I’m bothered.”
And now McDermott is out of a job.
The play McDermott was whining about was Ja'Quan McMillian's incredible interception. If Brandon Cooks catches that ball, the Bills are kicking the game-winning field goal.
Instead, McMillian made the play of the year for the Broncos. It was one of the greatest plays in the history of the NFL, in fact, when you put in how much was riding on that completion versus the interception.
[Highlight] McMillan rips the ball away from Brandin Cooks (replays)
by u/Large_banana_hammock in nfl
If the Broncos go onto win the Super Bowl, this play is a huge reason why. There have been many season-defining plays, but this one stands out as the best.
By rule, that was an interception. Cooks didn't possess the ball through the ground, and McMillian ripped it away.
Of course, it wasn't just that play that made Allen cry at the podium. The superstar quarterback—who everyone in every pundit's chair said was going to win the game—turned the ball over an incredible four times, fumbling twice, with two picks.
And while firing their head coach is the surest sign of the Broncos stealing a team's soul, Denver's done so all year long.
Broncos stole the Eagles hearts in Week 5
Rewind to Week 5. Denver was 2-2, and the Philadelphia Eagles were 4-0. They had won 10 straight games dating back to last season.
They were the reigning Super Bowl Champions and hosted the Broncos in Philly. It was supposed to be an easy win.
Instead, Denver hung in and took over in the second half.
Down 17-3 in the fourth quarter, Bo Nix and the offense mounted an incredible comeback, scoring 18 in the final frame to win 21-17.
Defensively, Denver stepped up and forced four straight punts by the Eagles late in the game. Nik Bonitto and McMillian both got sacks on separate drives. It was the first time Philly's offensive struggles—which bothered them all year after that—surfaced.
And the Broncos offense answered with a touchdown, touchdown, and field goal to win the game.
It was, to that point, the Broncos biggest win since Super Bowl 50. And the reason why this newsletter was created.
Rich Kurtzman
The Eagles went on to lose their next game to the Giants before finding their footing again. But they were never the same after the Broncos loss.
Giants flop after Broncos comeback
What Denver did to the Giants was insane.
The Broncos came back from 19 points down, and even when the Giants fought back, Denver found ways to score and win.
Bo Nix set an NFL record with four touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone, and the Broncos beat New York 33-32 on the same day Demaryius Thomas was enshrined in the Ring of Fame.
Rich Kurtzman
New York went on to lose 8 straight games after their loss to the Broncos in mid-October.
Denver crushed the Chiefs hopes of making the playoffs
In probably the most-satisfying win of the year, the Broncos ended the Chiefs hopes of making the playoffs.
Going into the game, Denver was 8-2 and Kansas City was 5-4. The game was in the Mile High City, and yet, no one thought the Broncos were going to win. KC was still favored to beat the Broncos that day.
Whoops.
Denver was determined. Not just the players on the field, but the fans in the stands.
Mile High Stadium was electric that day. It was a throwback to the old stadium and the heyday of the Broncos.
Denver led 6-0 early, and then led again at 13-6. But Kansas City took the lead 19-16 when Patrick Mahomes threw a touchdown to Travis Kelce. With any hope, that will be the last touchdown Kelce ever scores against the Broncos.
Denver's defense again stepped up, held the Chiefs to back-to-back 3-and-outs—including Ja'Quan McMillian's incredible sack on 3rd-and-long—and the offense executed on two different drives to win 22-19.
Even after the loss, the Chiefs somehow found a way to beat the Colts in overtime the next week, but then K.C. 6 straight to end the season and lost Mahomes to a torn ACL.
Broncos ended Packers hopes of a Super Bowl
In the Broncos 34-26 win over the Green Bay Packers, Denver won their signature game of the season.
Packers fans will say the injury to Micah Parsons turned the tide.
But what really happened was Patrick Surtain picked off Jordan Love in a beautiful play on the ball. That play actually changed the momentum of the game. Down 23-14, Denver scored when Bo Nix hit Courtland Sutton in the end zone to make it 23-21.
And when the Broncos were driving again, Bo Nix's juke injured Parsons, sadly.
Denver went on to win 34-26, and finally proved to everyone they were legitimate contenders.
The Packers lost their last three regular season games after the loss to the Broncos, and also lost to the Bears in the playoffs when Chicago mounted an insane comeback.
The Broncos stole the Packers soul.
Next up: The Patriots
The Denver Broncos will now face the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. It's the third time the teams have gone toe-to-toe in the championship for the Lamar Hunt Trophy, with the Broncos wining the previous two times.
Rich Kurtzman
All-time, the Pats are 0-3 against the Broncos in the playoffs. And Denver is 8-2 in AFC Championship Games.
Of course, this is a different set of circumstances.
The Patriots have some peoples' favorite for MVP in Drake Maye as their quarterback. Denver's quarterback, Bo Nix, was injured on the third-to-last play against the Bills; the Broncos will start Jarrett Stidham instead.
Stidham hasn't played a snap in the regular season the last two years.
Because of all that, the Patriots opened as 4.5-point favorites, then the line moved to 5.5. That means bettors believe the Pats will win by 8.5 points, considering the 3 points for home field advantage.
Simply, the Pats are the overwhelming favorites to make it to Super Bowl LX.
Beating them would almost certainly steal their souls, just like all the others Denver's collected this year.
Ironically, Stidham was drafted by the Patriots in 2019; this could even be a little revenge game for him against New England.
The Broncos (14-3) face the Patriots (15-3) at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m. MT.
Thanks for reading! Please subscribe to a paid tier to keep The Broncos Blitz alive.
