The Denver Broncos' season ended Sunday with a loss to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Divisional Round, and cornerback Chris Harris is not too happy about it. Harris told the Denver Post, "I feel like the season was a waste of time, like we wasted all of our hard work."
The Broncos revamped much of their team after the loss to Seattle in last year's Super Bowl, adding Emmanuel Sanders as an Eric Decker replacement for Peyton Manning while bringing in DeMarcus Ware and Aqib Talib to shore up the defense. That defense was excellent for the majority of the season, finishing second in yards per play allowed and fourth in DVOA.
That defense was torn up early in the game by Andrew Luck on Sunday before clamping down for most of the second half. If anything failed the Broncos late in the season, it was their offense, but there was even an explanation for that, as Peyton Manning was reportedly playing with a torn quad for the final month of the season. It remains to be seen if Manning will return next year.
Harris, meanwhile, himself had an excellent year; he was Pro Football Focus' No. 1 graded cornerback this season. Of corners who played at least 25 percent of their team's snaps, only Vontae Davis and Tharold Simon allowed a lower passer rating on throws in their direction. Harris finished with three interceptions and didn't allow a single touchdown.
Harris was also given an extremely well-deserved five-year, $42.5 million contract extension in December that made him the sixth-highest paid cornerback in the league.
