The Next Chapter
It has been a season in which the unexpected has become the norm, the unthinkable has come to pass time and time again.
After five games, the Broncos were 1-4. Now, they are in the playoffs for the first time in six years.
Go figure.
And when you figure whatever it is you figure, let me know what you figured. Because I have no idea what has gone on this year and what will happen against the Steelers on Sunday.
The Time is Now
If the Broncos consider themselves a team worthy of making the playoffs, they will have the chance to prove it Sunday when they host the Kansas City Chiefs. If the Broncos win, they will capture the AFC West title, amazing as that may be.
If the Broncos lose, then they’ll have to hope the Chargers defeat the Raiders. If that happens, the Broncos will still win the division and advance to the playoffs.
But they don’t want to back in. They want to go in having taken care of their business.
They have the opportunity to do just that.
Still on Track
Normally, the Broncos overcome a slow start by finishing with a flurry and recently, with a win.
Sunday against the Patriots, the Broncos started strong but then faded, thanks in large part to three second quarter turnovers which the Patriots turned into 13 points, en route to a 27-16 halftime lead.
Losses are hard enough to take. Losses in which a team feels its own mistakes played a pivotal role are even tougher to swallow.
Yet, despite falling to the Patriots, the Broncos are still in good shape to make the playoffs. They are still on track to win the division.
Getting His Kicks
They are often the forgotten men, taken for granted and the butt of jokes.
But when they’re needed, it’s often in a game-on-the-line situation.
Such is the life of NFL placekickers.
The Broncos can be thankful that they have Matt Prater, one of the best clutch kickers in the business. A lot of different people are sharing in the credit for the Broncos’ midseason resurgence, but Prater often gets overlooked.
How Far Can They Go?
After Sunday’s win over the Vikings, the Broncos found themselves tied for first in AFC West.
Oh, this season is getting really interesting.
How far can the Broncos go? I won’t hazard a guess because I wouldn’t want to limit them. I’m certainly not looking at the price of plane tickets to Indianapolis in February at this point. But I wouldn’t be surprised by anything that happens the rest of the season, however long it lasts.
After the win over the Vikings, defensive lineman Elvis Dumervil offered a key to future success when he spoke with 850KOA Radio about the Broncos’ being tied for first place.
“It’s hard to get to that spot and even harder to remain there,” Dumervil said. “We have to continue to work. I think we have four more games left. We have three at our hose so we have to take care of business.”
Playing as a Team
A football coach that I respect a great deal (and someone who has forgotten more football than I’ll ever dream of knowing) once told me that football is the greatest team sport.
The Denver Broncos are proving to be a perfect example of just how true that is.
The Broncos’ overtime win over the Chargers on Sunday proved to be another example of how well they are playing together as a team. When they need a play on defense, somebody makes one. When they need a big play on offense, someone steps up to provide it. When it’s time for the special teams to come through, someone does just that.
One Never Knows
There is an adage in baseball that when one never knows what one will see in any given game.
It’s one thing to say that in baseball, when there is a game virtually every day. But you don’t usually hear that phrase uttered when talking about a football team.
Until now.
Welcome to the world the 2011 Denver Broncos are living in. You never know what you’ll see when they take the field.
Giving The ‘D’ Its Due
Sometimes it’s easy to overlook the guys who are doing the dirty work.
The Broncos defense deserves some big-time kudos.
The unit that was much-maligned earlier in the season has turned things around and is now a major reason the Broncos have won three of their last four games.
What has changed? Several things.
Seeing What DevelopsIn the microwave world of the NFL, there doesn’t seem to be much time for anything.
Until now.
Normally, the pressure on a team to win now borders on ridiculous. Granted, no team wants to struggle but please, there are a lot of good coaches, players and teams in the league.
The good teams are trying to get better and the bad ones are as well. Many of the bad teams go for the quick fix. The Broncos have been there, done that and don’t even have the T-shirt anymore because it didn’t work.
Plenty To Work On
Broncos’ head coach John Fox has been beating the drum all week: The entire team must improve. That includes all the coaches and all the players, not just the starting quarterback.
“We have to improve as a football team,” Fox said. “We need to improve as coaches. We weren’t very good last time out and we’ve got something to prove this time out.”
Count offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, who has received his share of play-calling criticism this week, as among those who hope to have learned from the first time the Broncos played the Raiders back in week one.