Three straight losses have left the Broncos tied with the Chargers in the AFC West. I agree with Broncos’ Head Coach Josh McDaniels, who this week said Sunday’s game against San Diego won’t decide the division title and won’t knock either team out of the playoff race.
I agree with that. There is no chance the season will end on Sunday. In that sense, it is not must-win, do-or-die or any other overused term.
At the same time, there have been several disturbing developments during the Broncos’ three-game losing streak. The offense has sputtered, the defense isn’t playing as well as it did earlier in the season, and now some injuries are creeping in.
Sunday’s game against the Chargers is a home game against a division foe. Those are critical. The stakes are magnified. The winner only gets a leg up and the loser still has time to recover. But it would much better to end the losing streak and get the leg up.
In the first six games we not only expected the Broncos to play well, we expected them to win. Throw in a little adversity and all of a sudden things don’t line up with our expectations.
The crazy part is that if we knew the Broncos would be 6-3 after nine games, I think many of us would have taken that in a heartbeat. In fact, I don’t just think that, I guarantee it.
But with their great start, the Broncos raised the level of expectation of those who pull for the team.
Here is what I expect the rest of the season:
1 – I EXPECT THE BRONCOS TO PLAY HARD. I know, this doesn’t count for much in pro football. But there is no way this team will pack it in. I’m not sure how many games they’ll win but I know they’ll continue to prepare hard, work hard and play hard.
2 – I EXPECT THE BRONCOS TO BE IN THE HUNT FOR THE AFC WEST TITLE THE ENTIRE SEASON. I don’t know which team will win it, but I don’t see the Broncos completely collapsing. Is it possible? Of course it is possible. But it is also possible for them to win five or six of their remaining seven games. After all, they did start 6-0.
3 – I EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED. We talked about this a couple of months back. On the one hand, not having any idea what will happen is tough. It can be maddening. On the other hand, it is fun. There is something compelling about not having a good feel for what will happen in any given game.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.”
I guess it is a cliché for a reason. In the Broncos’ case, the future comes one game at a time, with San Diego up next.
The Broncos simply need a win. It doesn’t matter how they get it. I expect that if they beat the Chargers, it won’t come easy.
What are the keys for beating the Chargers and what are your expectations for this game and the rest of the season? As always, thank you for reading and posting your thoughts.
Best,
Mike
Tags: Head Coach Josh McDaniels, San Diego Chargers, Week 11
I’ll be at the sports bar like every Sunday, so my cat, dog and wife, I don’t know why I typed it in that order!?LOL, can enjoy life without having to share it with a fanatical maniac. All the kids are gone, the youngest one is 26, so no more alienation worries to them …
I am now going to get the beer!! Tom Jackson just picked the bolts, Wife going to her mothers. Its me the dogs and the beer. Dam the TV. It s game on in the FTR House. Bolts are going down!
FTR
YYYEEEEAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HERE YOU GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!
Adam Shefter is the only one at ESPN to pick the Broncos, what a guy, that’s loyalty for you. Disappointed about Tom though, I guess the three losses did him in, didn’t want to chance it to look stupid on the show for a 4th time in a row…
If Simms has a slow start it will be like Orton all year except last week, so no biggie. However, we must run the clock on the ground, on the first drive and every drive after that, do not stray from it or abandon it if we’re down a score or two. STICK WITH IT THIS TIME, AND PLEASE MAY HILLIS BE INVOLVED. Thank you.
I also e-mailed above post to McD. LOL.
Broncomania 56
I am a long time fanatic like yourself. My wife usually will watch the game with me. But I have been in game mode since I woke up. She said “My god you would think we were playing the raiders or something”
So I guess I am posting as FTC for the day. HA
GO BRONCOS like Baylin said YYYEEEAAAAHHHHH. Thats not in spell check Humm.LOL
FTR
There would be nothing better than turning this season around today with Hillis giving us a boost to do so. It would do incredible amount of good to both the team and the fans. Can’t think of a better scenario.
i hate ohio! they’re playing the bengals vs. raiders game here. nobody wants to see that game. i hate how the nfl does there scheduling. they should make in-season changes and play the games with the most playoff implications. Im pretty upset. anywhere or way i can watch this game online?
run the ball, stop the run, hold onto the ball, force turnovers, put our starters on special teams and we win!
Very tough game today. I hope everybody doesn’t try to play bigger then the team. If everybody does their job we will win. Toss the ball deep a few times to loosen up the Charger defense. Hell yeah, it’s about time Hillis got a chance!
Bleed Orange and Blue!!!
McDanielsDomain09,
Go to Hooters and watch the game there they have the sunday nfl ticket.
I only hear horror story from people who have watched games online, you pay, yet you may miss the first and 4th quarter, you get it for free, you’ll be lucky to get to see any of the game. Afraid I don’t have good news for you on that front. Sports bar/restaurants is the best bet, you don’t have to be of drinking age, you can just have a soda and a burger and every game in front of you, it’s worth the drive anywhere if you are a true Bronco fan. That’s how I always do it. Not the burger/soda thing, LOL.
Mike and Tom had a agreement. They were gonna pick their true Teams(Chicago and Denver) opponents. To see if it will change the fortune of them. We’ll see if it works.
The need for a strong commitment to and big contribution from the running game is one area where I think we all can agree. Keep the pressure off of Simms’ arm early, help the defense to rest in the second half… And with Jordan out, plus Correll dinged, maybe Hillis will get that chance we’ve all been hoping for. (Can Llyod play special teams, if McD is so concerned about Peyton there?)
I think I did see that kid, as well, baylinorcrush – wearing an orange Marshall jersey, right? Yeah, you can tell he’s passionate already.
Also on Countdown, they said that Orton will be the #2 QB today – so I guess he must be considered impaired, but not completely unable? To clear up some of the confusion from last week – and if I’m wrong about this, anyone feel free to correct me – the #3 QB is listed as the “emergency quarterback”, with different rules than other “inactive” players. Emergency QBs _can_ be brought into the game, unlike other players on the inactive list. But – if he’s brought in in the first three quarters, the #1 and #2 QBs cannot return to the game. If he doesn’t play ’til the fourth, all can be used. Correct? With last week’s game, there seemed to be confusion among the fans about whether Brandstater could play or not; it seems like a good time to clear this up.
I don’t care how much they try to down play this game it is do or die. I see a favorable, yet hard schedule for the Broncos. The chargers have a little bit easier schedule the rest of the season. We need this win. We need the D to step up and the offense to give them some rest. IF we fire on all cylinders today we win by alot. I am tired of hearing how much talent the Chargers have. They are coming into OUR HOUSE!! Let’s go out there and tear em up.
Thanx Broncsfan83 thats actually exactly what im going to do in about 2 hours
6-4
thanks Mc Daniels
Fire simms
Could it be time to start grooming young Brandstater?
2009 is over
mediocrity, inconsistence, are the broncos today