Although the Broncos missed the NFL playoffs, a big winner of the Super Bowl was John Elway.

Here’s why: Denver did not hire Kyle Shanahan as its head coach.

Be glad, Broncos Country. Given a choice, Denver tabbed Vance Joseph to replace Gary Kubiak on the sideline, leaving one of the NFL’s more dysfunctional franchises, the San Francisco 49ers, to fill its vacancy with Shanahan, the son of the mastermind. I know it’s early, but that’s the best news of the year for the Broncos in 2017 and beyond.

After Atlanta suffered the biggest collapse in Super Bowl history, botching a 25-point lead in no small part because Shanahan mismanaged the clock in ways that would shame a high school coach, he has spent the past week explaining how he blew it.

“I don’t know if I used those exact words, but that sounds like how I talk,” said Shanahan, whose play-calling in the fourth quarter was head-scratching, especially when the Falcons had a first down at New England’s 22-yard line with four minutes, 40 seconds remaining in the game and somehow managed to punt rather than pad an eight-point lead with a field goal by Pro Bowl kicker Matt Bryant. Related Articles September 15, 2020 Kiszla: The Nuggets did what? How Joker and his little buddy Jamal shocked the Clippers and the NBA world (again).

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“I did believe we had a very good chance to win that game, especially at the end, and we didn’t get it done. When you use the words ‘I blew it,’ I don’t look at it that way. I believe we missed an opportunity and we didn’t get it done. I’ll go back through every play for the rest of my life.”

Elway did not blow it. As has become increasingly apparent during the past week, hiring Shanahan could well have been a decision Elway would have regretted for the rest of his life.

Yes, there are legitimate questions whether Joseph was a great hire, from the dry-mouth discomfort he has shown in front of the media during his early days on the job in Denver to his awkward departure from the University of Colorado more than a dozen years ago amid allegations of sexual assault, an accusation Joseph steadfastly denies.

Without doubt, Joseph will be under intense scrutiny and immense pressure to produce no fewer than 10 victories in his first season as a head coach. Fail to make the playoffs, and Joseph will be on the hot seat faster than you can say Wade Phillips, who was unceremoniously dumped by Broncos owner Pat Bowlen after going 16-16 with a loss in the postseason from 1993-94.

Joseph, however, has put himself in position to succeed, by bringing back Mike McCoy as offensive coordinator and elevating Joe Woods, one of the brightest, rising stars in the league, to defensive coordinator. Elway likes his head coach to be a big-picture problem-solver, rather than a football technocrat.

So maybe we got a real good hint at one reason why Shanahan didn’t land the Broncos gig. He’s already acting like Josh McDaniels. At age 37, Shanahan wants to prove he’s the smartest man in every room, from team meetings to the sideline, declaring he will call plays for San Francisco and will serve as his own offensive coordinator. Ut-oh. That smells like trouble.

The Niners staff assembled by Shanahan has such a strong scent of Colorado influence there must be a marijuana joke in there somewhere. His assistant head coach is Jon Embree, who bombed out when given a shot to rebuild the Buffaloes. The wise-old head is Bobby Turner, 67, who spent 15 seasons as the running backs coach for the Broncos, while 27-year-old T.C. McCartney, the grandson of CU’s legendary football coach, brings the youthful enthusiasm.

What’s more, the new general manager in San Francisco is former Broncos safety John Lynch, who made a crack last week about young Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch looking lost when he was forced to call plays in an NFL huddle.

The same as Lynch is destined to be compared, for better or worse, to Dallas star Dak Prescott, every success or failure by Joseph will be measured against the work Shanahan does for the Niners.

Here’s why I’m betting on Joseph: He’s a first-time head coach who’s smart enough to understand he doesn’t know it all. That’s a humbling lesson I’m afraid Shanahan will have to learn the hard way.