The Broncos playoff revenge tour will have a familiar feel
“Aside from the fact that the Broncos will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs for their run this time, their schedule will have a familiar feeling for fans in that each of their AFC opponents will be one that had beaten them at some point in the regular season.”
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On January 7, 1997 the Jacksonville Jaguars ended the Denver Broncos’ post-season run in the divisional playoff game at Mile High Stadium. They handed Denver a crushing 30-27 defeat, terminating their quest for a championship.
The following season, on November 16, 1997 the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos 24-22 at Arrowhead Stadium. Three weeks later, on December 7, the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Broncos 35-24, handing them their third loss on the year.
In the post-season the Broncos got their revenge. They smoked the Jaguars at home in the Wild Card round then hit the highway to topple both Kansas City and Pittsburgh on their way to Super Bowl XXXII and their very first Lombardi Trophy. Denver’s quest through the playoffs was a revenge tour.
In making it Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 the Broncos will once again need to avenge their losses.
Their first playoff opponent (on January 12, 2014) will be the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts, who will topple Kansas City this weekend in the Wild Card round, beat the Broncos 39-33 back on October 20. This time Manning will have his way. He and his “Star Wars numbers” will too much for the Colts to handle. The Broncos will blow Indy out at Mile High, earning the privilege of advancing to the AFC Championship game … against the New England Patriots.
The Patriots beat the Broncos in overtime 34-31 on November 24. That game was in New England. This time the Pats will travel to Denver and this time they will be beaten – by a score not unlike the one they won with at their place. The Broncos will have their revenge.
Aside from the fact that the Broncos will have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs for their run this time, their schedule will have a familiar feeling for fans in that each of their AFC opponents will be one that had beaten them at some point in the regular season.
It’s rare in this NFL era for the top seeds in each conference to make it all the way to the Super Bowl. The Broncos will do precisely that, though. They will play for all the marbles in February and there’s a very good chance that they will face the Seattle Seahawks.
