The obvious answer to what ails the lost-and-inept Broncos could be found, front and center on the Denver sideline, a little more than 30 minutes before a deflating and humiliating 30-6 loss to Kansas City.

Resplendent in orange as he stood near the 50-yard line at 5:47 p.m. Thursday, there was Peyton Manning, owner of the most brilliant football mind in town.

If Brittany Bowlen wants to return the Broncos to the glory established by her late, great father, her first major move after joining the franchise full-time will be to sit down with Manning and convince him to return to the franchise in a major leadership role.

If that means the end of John Elway‘s nine-season tenure as the director of football operations, so be it. While he deserves full credit and eternal thanks for shaping a roster that won Super Bowl 50, the team’s 13-26 record since the outset of the 2017 season is a strong indicator Mr. Elway is fresh out of winning ideas.

If we see one more dropped pass by tight end Noah Fant or another holding penalty by tackle Garett Bolles, both first-round draft picks by Elway, it will be too soon.

In a last-gasp opportunity to bring their playoff aspirations back from the dead, the Broncos played Thursday night as if they already had hotel rooms booked in Cancun for New Year’s Eve.

With a 2-5 record and a cringe-worthy offense stuck in the 1980s worse than Flock of Seagulls, the Broncos can’t get there, or anywhere near the playoffs, from here. After consecutive victories against the Chargers and Titans raised false hopes, Denver has quickly slipped back into a world of (stink), a phrase coined by coach Vic Fangio when his players opened the season with pratfalls stacked on top of miscues .

“That was a statement I regret making, right?” Fangio said. “You know, I still believe in these guys.”

Although reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes departed with a knee injury early in the second quarter, his Chiefs teammates joined him in the locker room shortly thereafter with 20 points on the board at intermission, in no small part because Fangio and his staff made some decisions so bone-headed it was nearly enough to make Broncos Country nostalgic for those infamous blank stares of former coach Vance Joseph

Early and too often, Fangio made the desperate choices of a coach convinced he was stuck with the inferior team on the field.

OK, maybe Fangio merely wanted to show aggression when going for two points after Denver scored a touchdown on the game’s opening drive. But it made zero sense to plow Phillip Lindsay rather than Royce Freeman into the teeth of the K.C. defense with the most unimaginative call imaginable on a two-point conversion try that failed miserably.

We’ll ignore the poor clock management during the final minutes of the first half, and instead ask: What was the logic behind the Broncos’ miserable excuse for a fake punt from their own 45-yard line? Punter Colby Wadman went down in a heap in what quickly became the meme for some of the worst offensive line play you will ever witness in an NFL stadium.

Poor, pitiful Joe Flacco was sacked eight times for a loss of 72 yards. When Fangio reviews the video, here’s betting he also counts at least 72 missed blocks against the Chiefs. Related Articles Kiszla: At this point in storied NFL career, is old Tom Brady any better than Broncos journeyman Jeff Driskel?

Kickin’ It with Kiz: How to fix Rockies? Start by sending Nolan Arenado and Jeff Bridich packing.

Kiszla: This bitter Nuggets loss to LeBron James will one day bear championship fruit for Jamal Murray

Kiszla: The best Broncos can hope to get from this lost NFL season is Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence

Kiszla: Hey, Fakers. The Nuggets just burst your bubble of invincibility with 114-106 victory

This game, as well as this season, was all over except for the orange tears when Tyreek Hill raced 57 yards for a touchdown, with cornerback Chris Harris Jr. in futile pursuit, to establish an insurmountable three-score lead for Kansas City.

So if I’ve done the math correctly, is it 10 more weeks in a Denver uniform for Harris? Or maybe less, if the Broncos move him prior to the Oct. 29 trade deadline.

“We want to win. We have a high standard in Broncos Country, and we haven’t been able to do it, so it’s frustrating,” Denver linebacker Von Miller said.

Elway is the greatest player in Broncos history.

But it’s time to send Elway to the showers and put Manning back in the game.