Chris Harris Jr. Down On His Play This Season, But Wants To 'End With A Good Note'

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The always confident Chris Harris Jr. has been down on his recent play. This season the Denver Broncos cornerback has constantly shadowed the opposition's top receiver all over the field.

Harris has just one interception this season — against Tennessee on Oct. 13. He needs one more for his eighth straight season with multiple picks, which would tie the team mark held by Mike Harden (1981-88).

Maybe it's the pressure of a contract year. Maybe it's not having fellow cornerback Bryce Callahan, who's been sidelined all season. But Harris hasn't been the same.

"I had to carry a lot of the load," said Harris, whose Broncos will host Detroit (3-10-1) on Sunday. "But I'm supposed to be able to handle that. Been able to handle that all along. The last couple of games, just haven't played (like) myself."

Safety Justin Simmons came to his defense.

"I wouldn't necessarily say he's had a down year," Simmons said. "Maybe statistically not as great as he would have liked, but he's been an intricate part of what we've been doing."

Broncos pass rusher Von Miller showed his emotion after the Chiefs loss by saying it "defeats my soul to go out there and play the way we play and lose the way we lose."

That's just frustration surfacing. Harris feels the same way about the extended playoff drought since the Broncos won Super Bowl 50.

"I mean, of course it's been hard the last four years," Harris said. "Me personally I've been able to overcome that and be able to shine. This year, I just haven't been able to do that. It's something that I'll try to look in and see what I can do to get better next season."

, whose team's loss Sunday in Kansas City guaranteed a third consecutive losing season for the Broncos (5-9) and pushed their playoff dry spell to four years. "Other than that, all those other guys are worthy for sure."

These could be the last two games of his career with the Broncos.

"Go out there and try to give my best, play hard," Harris said. "Try to end with a good note."

(© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)