In a move that was widely expected around the league, the Denver Broncos have fired head coach Vance Joseph, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

The Broncos fell to the Los Angeles Chargers in their season finale on Sunday, ending their 2018 campaign with a record of 6-10. This actually marked the first time Denver had back-to-back losing seasons since 1972, as the Broncos also won just five games in 2017.

That is quite a statistic, and the fact that Joseph was the one who had the dubious distinction of achieving likely played a role in his demise.

Well, that, and his questionable decisions throughout the year.

Joseph spent just two years with Denver, taking over for Gary Kubiak.

The Broncos actually got off to a 2-0 start this season, but things quickly unraveled, as Denver then proceeded to lose four straight games and six of its next seven to fall to 3-6.

A three-game winning streak from late November into early December briefly vaulted them back into playoff contention, but a devastating road loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 14 quickly put an end to any slim hopes the Broncos had of making the postseason.

Denver has actually not made the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl during the 2015-16 campaign. At that time, the Broncos had made the playoffs five years in a row (under the lead of quarterback Peyton Manning for four of those seasons), also making it to the Super Bowl during the 2013-14 season before falling to the Seattle Seahawks.

Denver ended its 2018 campaign with a four-game losing streak.