Polumbus: After a disappointing season for the Broncos, what now?

The Denver Broncos put out a dismal performance against the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas Day, and now the defending Super Bowl champions will be sitting at home watching the playoffs with the rest of us.

Quarterback Trevor Siemian had one of his least effective performances of the season. Tackle Donald Stephenson had five penalties and gave up a handful of pressures. The Broncos’ defense was no match for a mediocre Chiefs offense.

Wide receivers Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders combined for only 4 catches on 11 targets, and the Broncos offense, which is supposed to live and die with the run, only attempted 14 rushes. Even with the game inexplicably still in reach at the beginning of the fourth quarter they still had to throw the ball.

Plenty of questions will be brought up this week. Some will call for the head coaches job. Some will call for the offensive coordinators job. Some will be calling for rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch to take the helm in Week 17. Some will call for this offensive line to be blown up.

After the game, tight end Jeff Heuerman said: “Like Coach Kubiak said, we’ll come back in on Wednesday, grown men get up, shave and go to work no matter what happened the day before. That’s how we’re going to go about our business. That’s how I’ve always done it. I think everyone here is going to do the same thing.”

So, what now?

There is one game left for the Broncos in 2016, but let’s be clear, 2017 starts on Wednesday. Lynch may get a chance to show what he has in the final game of the year, and other young players who might be in the mix for a starting job next year might get more reps.

General manager John Elway has proven time and again he is not afraid to shake things up in a major way when they don’t go the way he has envisioned.

I would imagine that changes are coming. Certainly, changes are coming from a roster standpoint. There will probably be a handful of new names on the offensive line. Potentially —although more than likely not — we might see a new quarterback at the helm next year. A new body will probably be playing tight end, and a new linebacker or two might be looking to compete.

Competition will be everywhere.

However, beyond the roster I expect Elway will shake things up on the coaching staff and scouting department as well. That is just the reality of the business. The NFL is a day-to-day job, and that goes for everyone in the building.

Kubiak is a very loyal coach to his staff and players. It is what I love the most about him. Honor him by handling your business like a professional, put out respectable results, and Kubiak will be loyal to you forever.

I have nothing but respect for that. I am grateful for that, but it looks like this offseason he may have to evaluate whether the results have been respectable or not. He just might even be told to cut loose some of those relationships if Elway does not view their results as respectable.

Something will change. I am sure of that.

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