Orange Colored Glasses: it’s all downhill from here until it’s not
“Now is not the time to be overly analytical or for that matter terribly critical. There will be time enough for that later. The next month of Sundays is a time to relish what we have – a record setting team with an offense that will go down in the annals of Denver Broncos history. Let’s enjoy it.”
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An extended pre-season. That’s that the 2013 regular season was expected to be for your Denver Broncos as they emerged from their preparatory phase and began to play games that counted. Efficient as the Broncos would be offensively, only a few spots in their schedule threatened to test them. Their road trip to Indianapolis to face Peyton Manning’s old team (and his promising young replacement) was certainly one. That game would be Denver’s first loss and it’s first dance with adversity. The next bump in the schedule would be the three-game stretch during which they would face the once-undefeated Chiefs twice in three weeks with a visit to New England sandwiched in between. The Broncos are now through that trio of challenges having emerged with only two total losses on the season. It’s all downhill from here.
The Broncos have four games left. Two at home (Tennessee and San Diego) and two on the road (Houston and Oakland). The combined record of the squads left on the agenda is lousy; 16-32. It should be smooth sailing to the finish line. The Broncos should not lose another game. It’s more likely than not that they will end their “extended pre-season” with a record of 14-2 and enter the post-season as the top seed in the AFC. If that’s indeed the case then they will have the privilege of resting for a week at the outset of the playoffs while other teams battle to find out which of them will travel to Denver in the second week.
That’s when things will get tough again for the Denver Broncos. Whether it’s Kansas City that makes another trip here or whether it’s Baltimore, Cincinnati or even Indianapolis that come to Mile High for the second week of the post-season, memories of 2012 are bound to haunt the Broncos. They will have been in that spot before – coming off a bye into the divisional round and hosting a team they’re favored to wallop. It will be January and most likely cold just like last year. Peyton Manning and his diminished capacity in foul weather will be what folks talk about all around the NFL … again.
That’s why these next four games should be for enjoying.
Now is not the time to be overly analytical or for that matter terribly critical. There will be time enough for that later. The next month of Sundays is a time to relish what we have – a record setting team with an offense that will go down in the annals of Denver Broncos history. Let’s enjoy it.
Any Indianapolis fan will tell you that, aside from one glorious season, every year ended in disappointment under Peyton Manning. Those folks see us wring or hands in doubt and nod sympathetically. “We could have warned you”, they telepathically tell us.
Yesterday’s win in Kansas City was an important one. The Broncos are now masters of their domain. But the fact of the matter is that the Chiefs are no better that a middling AFC team. The 9-0 record they amassed said no more about them than the three straight games they have now lost. They got a little lucky for awhile but in the final analysis they aren’t any better that the Tennessee Titans, the San Diego Chargers or even the Miami Dolphins. They could easily have a record of .500 or worse had circumstances not unfolded the way that they did.
The Broncos should have throttled them.
Far be it for me to take away from a Broncos win only reason s to be critical. Denver showed some good things yesterday. But they also showed weaknesses – serious ones. They could not rush the passer, they could not contain the runner, they allowed an eight-minute stifling drive in the fourth quarter and worst of all Peyton Manning was inconsistent and at times looked downright shaky. The Broncos won by a touchdown yet in some ways looked even worse than they did losing by a field goal in New England.
Kansas City should never have been allowed to score four touchdowns. They just aren’t that good. For the Broncos to “steal one” against those guys is not at all a good sign for the post-season.
So have fun. Grab some snacks and watch every one of these next four games with your family and friends. Relish the tail end of the regular season, the “extended pre-season” because once the playoffs start the games (or game) will be difficult to watch.
The Broncos might be just good enough to break our hearts again.
It’s all downhill from here until it’s not.
