For the first time since 2010, the Broncos have been left out of the NFL postseason. The cool kids have gone into the other room to play ‘Spin the Bottle’ while Denver is left twiddling their thumbs and picking their nose.

It wasn’t all bad.

The Broncos started their season off in much of the same way they ended the previous one. The ‘No Fly Zone’ was a nightmare for opposing quarterbacks while the anemic offense did just enough to squeak by. Denver started off by winning seven of their first 10 games, including a 4-0 start.

Sitting at 7-3, the Broncos had a 76 percent chance of punching their ticket to the playoffs for the sixth consecutive time, but only one win in the last month has left Denver hosting an entirely meaningless game against the Raiders this weekend.

All the Broncos needed this season was one more win to make this weekend’s matchup against Oakland at the very least important. Let’s take a look at four individual plays that singlehandedly left Denver on the outside looking in.

1. Russell Okung’s holding penalty in San Diego

The Broncos offense was historically bad this season. The last time Denver went three consecutive games scoring ten points or less was in 1966. Star Wars had yet to blow the minds of mankind, the moon had never seen human interaction, and no soul had grooved to the Electric Slide – boogie woogie woogie.

Many of the Broncos’ trials and tribulations this season can be attributed to the pitiful performance of their offensive line on a weekly occurrence. They have been atrocious in nearly every facet of the game, and have been the main component hampering success, but none more so than Russell Okung’s holding penalty on Thursday Night Football.

With the Broncos getting worked over for nearly 60 minutes by Philip Crybaby Rivers and his gangly bunch, Denver was well on their way to making a potential fourth quarter comeback after C.J. Anderson singlehandedly took on the entire San Diego secondary. With the addition of a possible two-point conversion, Anderson’s touchdown not only brought the Broncos to within a field goal, but also gave them all of the momentum.

Sadly, however, the little yellow hanky made its appearance. Okung was flagged for holding and all of Anderson’s hard work was expunged. Two plays later, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas fumbled and Denver walked away completely empty handed.

Even though the Broncos were able to tack on a field goal one drive later, their efforts came too little too late as they incurred their second loss of the season. No one can be certain, but if Okung was able to avoid holding during Anderson’s remarkable touchdown, the Broncos very likely could have found a way to escape San Diego with a victory.

2. Bennie Fowler’s touchdown against the Chiefs

Easily the most excruciating loss of the season came at the hands and feet of Chiefs’ rookie Tyreke Hill in Week 12. Hill exploited the Broncos with both a kickoff and rushing touchdown, and added a receiving touchdown for good measure. The most aching part is that not only one, but several individual plays would have completely changed the outcome of the game if they went a little differently.

Aside from Alex Smith and the substandard Chiefs’ offense marching 75 yards in under three minutes to tie the contest, which included both a fourth down and two-point conversion, the Broncos had a chance to add to their lead while leaving Smith almost no time on the clock. With just over three minutes remaining in a one-score game, Broncos’ quarterback Trevor Siemian connected with wideout Bennie Fowler for a 76-yard touchdown.

All is well and fun in an eight point game, but the long touchdown left way too much time for the Kansas City offense to put together a game-tying drive. It could have all been avoided if Fowler had done one thing – taken a knee.

It is hard to ask anyone not to score a touchdown when there is nothing but green grass ahead of you, especially one so incredibly unexpected on a third down deep in their own territory, but if Fowler simply takes a knee at the one yard line, the clock would nearly expire.

Considering Kansas City had no timeouts left, the Broncos would have simply needed to run the clock down and kick a field goal. This would have left somewhere in the ballpark of 30 seconds left for the Chiefs to attempt a game winning touchdown drive. With Captain Check-down at the helm, that’s nearly an impossible task (then again I thought the same thing with the Broncos up eight).

Unfortunately, the ‘No Fly Zone’ allowed an emergency red-eye, and the Broncos were forced into overtime.

3. Brandon McManus missed 62-yard field goal in overtime / Cairo Santos banked in winner

The loss to the Chiefs was arguably the turning point to the Broncos’ season. The emotional rollercoaster sent the defending Super Bowl champions into a tailspin for which they never recovered from. Aside from Fowler’s decision to take the eight point lead over running the clock out, the Broncos had another opportunity to win the game behind the leg of kicker Brandon McManus.

After a pair of traded field goals in overtime, the Broncos were sitting at the Kansas City 44 yard line with just over one minute remaining. In a fairly aggressive move, Denver threw a deep ball to Fowler on third down. Although the catch would have been a remarkable one, Fowler was unable to pull it in and the Broncos were faced with a conundrum.

The failed third down attempt put coach Gary Kubiak in a nightmare situation – punt for the near certain tie or kick for the win/loss. Kubiak pushed all his chips to the center of the table and the Broncos lined up for a 62-yard field goal.

A long field goal in cold weather is always a low percentage play, but the unbelievably strong leg of McManus made it seem much closer to a 50/50 ball. Unfortunately for Broncos Country, McManus took a divot fit for a nine iron. The ball sailed way left of the target and Kubiak’s big gamble failed miserably.

The Broncos had one last hope of escaping the night with a tie. All they needed was a botched 33-yard field goal by Chiefs’ kicker Cairo Santos, and they were mere inches away of getting it.

The kick bounced its way off the uprights causing many conflicting reactions. Some celebrated while some hung their head in agony.

Called the bank shot… just forgot to tell Colquitt. CHIEFS WIN!! pic.twitter.com/3N9Zv2HICJ — Cairo Santos (@cairosantos19) November 28, 2016

The field goal found its way through and sealed the Chief’s very unlikely victory in Denver. If McManus can find a way to drill home that 62-yard field goal, the Broncos would have won in arguably the most dramatic fashion ever.

An emotional victory like that not only impacts the win column, but creates a momentum that can be carried on throughout the rest of the season. The Broncos season could look a whole lot different if that kick finds its way through the uprights.

4. Bennie Fowler’s dropped touchdown in Tennessee

I know it might seem like this is a crush on Fowler session, but I actually really like his game. He has just unfortunately been on the front lines of some very key and influential moments throughout the Broncos’ season. Even the good moments have had their unpleasant twists and turns.

Aside from Fowler’s touchdown and difficult dropped catch in overtime against the Chiefs – both of which would have likely won the game for the Broncos – the wide out from Michigan State had a far more detrimental mishap in Tennessee.

After giving up some points early on, the Broncos were able to settle down in the second half after an Aqib Talib scuffle with Titan’s wideout Harry Douglas in retaliation for a dirty block on Chris Harris. Although the scuffle resulted in an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Broncos and ultimately lead to a Tennessee field goal, the ‘No Fly Zone’ came out in the second half like a completely different monster.

The Broncos offense, however, was pushing the bounds of borderline atrocious. They converted on a pitiful three of their 11 third down opportunities and the Denver rushing attack posted 18 total rushing yards. Yet even after the lousy afternoon offensively, the Broncos still had a chance to leave Tennessee with a one-point win.

Down six points with just under five minutes left in the contest, Denver was marching. On a second and goal from the 16-yard-line, Siemian fired the ball for what should have been the game-winning touchdown pass. The ball zipped right through Fowler’s hands and bounced off his face mask. Fowler tumbled to the ground as he watched the ball gracefully fall out of reach.

Siemian could not have placed the ball better if he were to have walked it over to Fowler, but for some reason he inexplicably took it off the face.

The Broncos finished the drive settling for a 34-yard field goal and were officially defeated after an A.J. Derby fumble on the ensuing drive. With how well the Broncos defense had played throughout the second half, it seems nearly impossible that the Broncos would have lost that game.

An NFL season is full of one-play swings, but that is what makes it so great. There are plenty of plays that went in the Broncos’ favor and could have taken a win off of the board, but these four individual plays could have changed Sunday’s meaningless matchup to one of great importance.