The Denver Broncos had an impressive 2025 season, securing the No. 1 seed for the AFC playoffs with a 14-3 record. Denver then lost starting quarterback Bo Nix to a season-ending ankle injury in the divisional round, and they lost the AFC Championship game by seven points to the New England Patriots with a backup quarterback.
It was a familiar scenario for linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who played with the San Francisco 49ers when they lost quarterback Brock Purdy to an elbow injury early in the 2022 NFC Championship game against the Philadelphia Eagles. San Francisco lost that game 31-7. The Broncos played a much closer game against the Patriots, but the loss left a similar sting.
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“A lot of guys were hurt and a lot of guys are hurt still,” Greenlaw said after Denver’s season ended. “It’s definitely a tough feeling. I told the guys that I have been in this position before, too. Quarterback goes down and you are in the AFC or NFC Championship. You’re trying to find a way, and you come up short. I told them that the next year we went to the Super Bowl. We have the talent in the room and talent in the building to get it done.”
After losing Purdy in the 2022 playoffs, the 49ers bounced back and reached the Super Bowl in 2023. San Francisco fell just short in Super Bowl LVIII, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 25-22, but Broncos players could follow a similar trajectory in 2026. After losing Nix in 2025, Denver will aim to rebound with a Super Bowl berth in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: Dre Greenlaw shares perfect Super Bowl motivation