KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Just minutes after the Denver Broncos were officially eliminated from the playoff race with a 23-3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium that also guaranteed the team's third consecutive losing season, it was clear the struggles have finally gotten to the one guy who has routinely been the biggest optimist in the locker room: All-Pro linebacker Von Miller.
"I'm sorry, I don't even know what to say," Miller said. "I don't know how we got to this point, I don't know how we win like this, I really don't know what to say. ... Whenever we play hard and come up short, it's definitely defeating. ... It just defeats my soul to go out there and play the way we play and lose the way we lose."
From Miller's rookie season in 2011 to Peyton Manning's final year in the NFL, 2015, the Broncos were kings of the AFC West with five consecutive division titles, two Super Bowl trips and a Super Bowl 50 win for which Miller was voted the game's MVP. However, the Chiefs have now won four consecutive division crowns, including this year's. And Sunday's loss was the Broncos' ninth in a row to Kansas City.
At 5-9, the Broncos are guaranteed their third consecutive losing season and fourth consecutive playoff miss. If they don't win both of their last two games -- they have home games against Detroit and Oakland to close out the season -- they will also have three consecutive seasons of double-digit losses for the first time since the 1960s.
Miller turned 30 years old in March and is in his ninth season. He has referenced his age plenty this season, including Sunday, and has dealt with a knee sprain in recent weeks that kept him out of the Broncos' 23-20 win over the Chargers earlier this month.
"[It's] tough, 30 years old, going out there dealing with whatever issues I'm dealing with, and still coming up so short," Miller said. "It's tough dealing with these last couple years, especially with that type of standard, when [he and cornerback Chris Harris Jr.] came into the league [in 2011]."
Miller organized a team dinner Nov. 17 in the hours after the Broncos' 27-23 loss to the Minnesota Vikings -- a game in which the Broncos had built a 20-0 lead, and Denver's offense finished the game at the Minnesota 4-yard line -- and, at the time, said it was an indication that better days were coming.
He has also consistently said this season the Broncos have "great players, great coaches" and that "I love my coaches," as the Broncos had won three of their past five games before Sunday's loss.
"I don't really have answers, I've tried, we have tried, everything, from team bonding, coming in early, working hard at practice, film," Miller said. "I really don't know, emotions still high right after the game."
Miller did say Sunday he believes the Broncos have found their quarterback of the future in rookie Drew Lock. Lock was under siege most of the day, finishing 18 of 40 passing in a snowstorm for 208 yards and an interception. Lock was battered for much of the second half by the Chiefs' pass rush and was sacked twice.
"Drew is definitely the future, it's everybody around, it's guys got to get open, offensive line has got to block, got to run the ball, just cliché little stuff. Drew's doing what he needs to do, defense has to stop the run, got to rush the passer, got to play tight coverage," Miller said. "I sound like a broken record, saying the same thing. We found a quarterback, we got a great quarterback, everybody else got to come along, offense, defense, special teams, you can't just lean on one guy. It's the pros, you just can't lean one guy to do it all, it's got to be a collective effort.
"We got to come up with it. I guess, for me, it just looks different from my lens, I'm 30 years old, I've been playing in the league nine years, I'm ready to hit the gear, I'm ready to go again, I'm ready to bring whatever we had in the past back. I want that back."
Asked if he had lost hope overall, Miller said: "No, I'm not losing hope, I still have this vision, I'm just telling you how I feel after this game. It just doesn't feel good at all."