ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Forty-nine wins and four division titles were not enough to keep John Fox and John Elway together.

Less than 24 hours after the Denver Broncos’ 24-13 divisional-round loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the Broncos and Fox parted ways in what was termed by the team a “mutual agreement.”

In the moments after Fox’s four-year tenure ended, reports emerged that the team also was set to part ways with the entire coaching staff, including two coordinators who interviewed for other teams’ coaching positions during the first-round bye: defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and offensive coordinator Adam Gase.

It marked a stunning end to a four-season run in which Fox rebuilt the Broncos from the ashes of a 4-12 finish in 2010 to four consecutive division titles. But in three of those years, the Broncos advanced only as far as the divisional round, losing twice at home in the postseason. In the last two playoff defeats, the Broncos looked unprepared and were physically dominated.

In the hours before Sunday’s kickoff, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that Fox might be fired if the Broncos lost to the Colts. After the game, The Denver Post reported that the notion had never been discussed by Broncos management, which gave him a three-year contract extension after the 2013 season.

That extension tore up the final year of his initial four-year contract and would have kept him tied to the team until 2016. But that would have meant that in 2015 Fox was coaching for his job, since it was unlikely that Elway and the Broncos would have gone into 2016 with a lame-duck coach.

Historically, the Broncos have not been shy about dismissing coaches with multiple years left on their contracts. That was the case with Mike Shanahan in 2008 and Josh McDaniels in 2010. Had Washington not hired Shanahan in 2010, the Broncos would have been left paying three coaches in the 2011 season.

But in this case, Fox could have been swayed by the uncertainty of the quarterback position for the 2015 season if Peyton Manning chooses to retire.

Brock Osweiler has been considered the franchise’s quarterback of the future since Elway used a second-round pick to select him in 2012, but he has been inconsistent in the preseason and limited regular-season work. Even with Manning struggling with a partially torn quadriceps muscle the last month, there was never a serious notion that the team would turn to Osweiler.

Six years ago, Fox also had two years left on his contract with Carolina. With no extension coming from owner Jerry Richardson and Jake Delhomme fresh off his playoff meltdown in the 2008 divisional-round loss to Arizona, Fox needed a winning season to have a chance at an extension.

With Delhomme still in a funk, Carolina limped through the 2009 season and finished 8-8, and no extension came. Fox was a lame-duck coach for a disastrous 2-14 season that followed a budget-slashing offseason by Richardson in advance of the 2011 lockout.

There was little to no chance the Broncos would have repeated Richardson’s decision to keep Fox around for a lame-duck season in the last year of his contract.

Now, the Broncos could face a massive overhaul — at quarterback and on the sideline. Their assistant coaches have been given permission to look for other jobs, although all remain under contract. Del Rio and Gase have interviewed for other jobs, and Del Rio appears to be in the Raiders’ sights.

Potential candidates for the Broncos include Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson and Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, although he indicated Sunday that he was not a candidate for any other jobs. Elway could consider some college coaches as well.

REPORT CARD VS. COLTS

–PASSING OFFENSE: D-plus — Peyton Manning’s thigh injury affected his accuracy on deep passes, and that proved fatal to the Broncos. After Manning hit Julius Thomas for a 32-yard gain early in the contest, Indianapolis repeatedly allowed Emmanuel Sanders to get open on go routes and hitch-and-go routes, but time after time, Manning overshot the speedy receiver. With the deep pass out, Indianapolis’ safeties and linebackers were free to concentrate on short and intermediate routes, and they met Broncos receivers as soon as they caught passes, preventing them from any substantial yardage after the catch.

–RUSHING OFFENSE: B-minus — As the Broncos fell behind, they had to turn away from the ground game that had powered them in the last six weeks of the season. They finished with just 88 yards on 20 carries, with C.J. Anderson providing 80 yards on 18 attempts. Anderson was solid and had perhaps his best run of the season on a determined, 7-yard gain on fourth-and-1 at the end of the third quarter that came after he was contained in the backfield and then doubled back to escape and keep a drive alive. Anderson appears to have sealed the job for the foreseeable future, but Sunday it wasn’t enough to help the Broncos win.

–PASS DEFENSE: C-minus — Andrew Luck didn’t beat the Broncos deep, but he diced them up with short- to mid-range passes that capitalized on the soft cushion left by defenders such as cornerback Aqib Talib, who was beaten short by T.Y. Hilton throughout the game. Rahim Moore and Bradley Roby each intercepted passes, but both were deep shots that were essentially punts in terms of their impact on field position.

–RUSH DEFENSE: B — For the most part, Denver contained Daniel Herron, with linebackers Brandon Marshall, Steven Johnson and Todd Davis preventing him from reaching the second level. His longest gain was just eight yards. But a 20-yard scramble by Andrew Luck got the Colts out of a first-and-15 and helped set up a field-goal attempt, and the Colts were later able to rush for three first downs on an eight-minute, 14-second drive that was the backbreaker.

–SPECIAL TEAMS: B-minus — Omar Bolden’s hustle punctuated the day and nearly led to a game-turning fumble on a Josh Cribbs punt return that was overturned by instant replay. Kicker Connor Barth was perfect, and Brandon McManus had good distance on the kickoffs that he didn’t intentionally squib. But the Broncos’ return game was a complete non-factor as all but one punt or kickoff was unreturnable.

–COACHING: D — The pre-game report from FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer that the Broncos might fire John Fox if the Broncos lost hung in the air. But tactical issues doomed the Broncos far more than any speculation about the coach. Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio failed to adjust his coverage to account for T.Y. Hilton, leaving Aqib Talib on the Colts’ leading receivers, even after Hilton repeatedly feasted on the 10-yard cushion Talib yielded. Offensive coordinator Adam Gase didn’t have many options once Peyton Manning showed — repeatedly — that he could not throw deep accurately.