Orange Colored Glasses: the next game is the waiting game
“Hopefully the Broncos will host two more games at Mile High – not one. Each of the three teams that beat Denver during the regular season is a potential post-season match-up for them.”
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That was fun.
The regular season finale for the 2013 Broncos went precisely as planned. Denver came out hot, held the Raiders to nothin’ in the first half and absolutely rolled on offense, racking up four touchdown passes for their record-owning quarterback and amassing just enough yards to sneak away with Drew Brees’ single-season record, too.
Neat and tidy. Broncos 34, Raiders whatever. The second half was so dull that most fans watched the dramatic endings of the Packers / Bears and Chiefs / Chargers games rather than watching the final minutes tick by.
Even though Oakland is awful (the only AFC West team not to make the playoffs) it was gratifying that the Broncos were able to dictate every aspect of the game. Don’t forget that they were on the road and don’t forget that the Raiders were featuring a mobile quarterback. Denver’s defense played every bit as impressively as its offense. The shutout they posted in the first half was as meaningful to Denver’s longer term prospects as anything Peyton Manning was able to do.
With two weeks off until their next game it was nifty that the Broncos were able to leave folks feeling a little more upbeat about their defense. Nobody doubts that they can throw numbers up onto a scoreboard when they need to. Stopping other teams has been another story. Yesterday we saw signs of growth. We saw something resembling a pass rush. We saw enough good stuff from the defense to feel a little better about the next game on Denver’s schedule … the waiting game.
Hopefully the Broncos will host two more games at Mile High – not one. Each of the three teams that beat Denver during the regular season is a potential post-season match-up for them.
The first home playoff tilt will be with San Diego, the sixth seed, if the Chargers can get past the Bengals in Cincinnati – which doesn’t seem terribly likely. It’s more likely that Denver will host the winner of the Chiefs / Colts game in round two and that the Patriots will host Cincinnati.
The Colts are favored at home over the Chiefs. Assuming that the early Vegas line (-2.5) is correct then the Broncos will open their post-season “revenge tour” facing Andrew Luck, Jim Irsay and company again – only at home this time. Manning would be afforded the opportunity to put up “Star Wars Numbers” and send his replacement home amid questions of whether or not he can get it done in the big games.
With the Colts now dispatched, the Broncos should host the winner of the Bengals at Patriots game. That will be the Patriots.
Yes, it’s shaping up that the Broncos will host the Patriots in the AFC Championship game just like we have all assumed they would all along. If that turns out to be the case then Denver’s revenge tour will continue – just like it did in 1997. The Orange and Blue will have a chance to vanquish two rivals who beat them in the regular season on their way to the Super Bowl.
Meanwhile … a week of rest, a sigh of relief, a chance to make some plans. For Denver the focus during the bye will be on defense and for the fans in Broncos Country what the Broncos managed to do against the Raiders will be a source of encouragement.
