ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- When the confetti floated to the ground at Levi's Stadium after the Denver Broncos' Super Bowl 50 victory, it capped a season that resulted in their eighth Super Bowl appearance and third NFL championship.
The Broncos finished that 2015 season with a fifth consecutive AFC West title, winning 50 regular-season games and going to two Super Bowls over a four-year span. Those four seasons served as the cherry on top of nearly four decades of success.
Little did the Broncos or their fans know that following that joyous February evening in 2016, football karma, broken-mirror luck and ill-fated decisions awaited them.