Mile High Monday: The Broncos playoff chances aren’t completely gone

The Denver Broncos had multiple opportunities to beat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, but they fell short in a game that had a playoff atmosphere. It was a gut punch for Broncos fans who were excited about the team making a playoff run. It was confirmation for Broncos fans who knew this team wasn’t good enough to make the postseason.

I like that Denver is on the verge of deciding on their coaching staff’s future. Make the playoffs by winning three in a row, and Vic Fangio is saved. Lose just one more game, and Fangio might be fired in season, but most certainly after the season he will be relieved of his duties.

I also like contemplating life and sports when driving around with the top down on my old Jeep TJ! The following is a result of those trips during the week.

Buckle up, let’s take a ride through my thoughts.

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Playoff Chances Shot?

The game against the Bengals had big implications for the Broncos playoff chances. Both teams had 7-6 records entering this game. Both teams were on the outside looking in if the playoffs were to start today. While they were hoping one of the top seven in the AFC would falter in Week 15, these teams had to get the win to keep themselves in the hunt.

Before this game, the Broncos had about a 21 percent chance to make the postseason. After this game, the Broncos chances are around 10 percent to make the dance. Meanwhile, the Bengals have eight wins and are two more wins away from getting to the magic number of “10” where a playoff berth is likely.

Now, the Broncos aren’t out of it. Cue the Jim Carrey meme from “Dumb and Dumber” – “So you’re telling me there’s a chance.” There is a chance, but it’s going to be extremely difficult to get there.

The Broncos have three divisional games coming up to round out their season. They have games against the Raiders, Chargers and Chiefs and cannot drop a single game. It’s a tough road, and it’s against teams that know them well. While the Raiders game seems winnable because they are floundering, the other two games are incredibly tough on paper.

Yes, the Broncos beat the Chargers earlier this year and could do so again. Yes, the Chiefs could have the AFC wrapped up in Week 18 and rest some starters. However, do you think this team with these coaches and all these injuries can do it?

Now, #Broncos must win out in order to sniff the postseason. LVR. LAC. KCC going to be tough to get 2 of those, let alone 3. @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) December 20, 2021

Can they win three in a row? Sure, anything is possible, but I don’t think that’s likely. Best case scenario is this team ends with nine wins in 2021. That’s an improvement from previous seasons to be sure, but it’s not going to be enough for this coaching staff to keep their jobs.

I could be totally wrong – I hope I’m wrong because I believe in the players – but it’s best for the Broncos if they move on from this staff, and that means missing the playoffs is the way to do that.

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Little Things Mean A Lot

For whatever reason, there are a lot of Broncos fans who love Drew Lock. I’ve never quite seen anything like it, as Lock rarely does anything to make people love him so. Just search Twitter and see how any critique of Lock will be met with heated resistance with fools proclaiming you give Teddy Bridgewater a pass but are too hard on poor old Lock.

It’s all hogwash. Lock isn’t the answer. It doesn’t matter if he missed out on one million reps during 2020, and it doesn’t matter he had to split reps with Bridgewater in training camp. Listen to me carefully when I say – he doesn’t fit.

The dirty secret in the NFL is that it’s all about fit. Mac Jones is a fine rookie quarterback, but those moaning about the Broncos passing on him need to know he doesn’t fit in Denver. There were only two teams, New England and New Orleans, who should have been considering Jones and he found the right fit with the Patriots – thus, he’s playing good football most weeks.

Lock doesn’t fit the Pat Shurmur system and by now this staff likely ruined any chance he had to be “the man” in the NFL. I said during training camp that Lock was on the verge of becoming Blaine Gabbert – another Missouri quarterback (and former first-round pick) who floundered in the NFL. He’s not even playing up to Gabbert’s levels.

So, why does he struggle so? Lock’s mechanics as a passer are poor. They’ve always been poor, and it’s something I talked to him about back at the Senior Bowl when he came out of college. He still throws off his back foot when he doesn’t need to. He still doesn’t lead his receivers consistently. He still is careless with the football. Until those things change, and until he finds a place that fits his skill set (think West Coast/Shanahan offense like Green Bay), Lock will continue to put out bad film.

Once again its the little things with Drew Lock. Doesnt set his feet on throw to Patrick that could've been another TD. Doesnt lead Sutton over the middle to move the chains. Careless with the ball. I know, he missed 1MM reps. Gonna likely start next week #Broncos @1043TheFan

— Cecil Lammey (@CecilLammey) December 20, 2021

With Bridgewater banged up, there’s a good chance Lock starts in Week 16 against the Raiders. Because the Raiders are so bad and trending down, don’t be surprised if Lock looks better next week. Don’t fall for the illusion that Lock deserves another chance. This team needs to overhaul the quarterback position overall – not just Lock but Bridgewater also.

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Manning FTW!

The Broncos are going to have new ownership next spring. Things are in motion right now behind the scenes, and we’re going to learn more when the new league year gets here. Until then, we’re left to speculate who could be involved in the purchase of the Broncos.

One fan-favorite name to emerge is Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. A report from Jason LaCanfora indicates Manning is interested in purchasing the Broncos as part of an ownership group. LaCanfora is hit-or-miss with his reporting, but this news comes as no surprise to any of us around the team.

Manning would bring back the standard the Broncos used to have. Fans would rejoice that they have a new owner who knows football. Most importantly, Manning cares about this team and this community. The good will this downtrodden Broncos team would get would be off the charts if Manning is their owner.

Name some random billionaire who buys the team, and fans would like the fresh start – but there would be trepidation. The egos on some of these team owners (most?) is off the charts, and some get in the way of team operations even though they never played the game, coached the game or scouted in the game. Manning would be different.

With general manager George Paton leading the way and with Manning’s guidance, this team could return to the former glory they used to have.

Broncos likely only mere months from being under new ownership. What could that mean? https://t.co/popOUZsQOD

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 19, 2021

So, what would it mean if Manning was part of an ownership group for the Broncos? It would mean everyone would be excited about the ownership chance. It would also mean free agents would flock to the Mile High City to play for Manning. That’s what I call a win-win-win situation for the Broncos, their fans and the community.

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It’s a Juggernaut!

It’s not easy being in the movie business. It’s certainly not easy in the movie business when a pandemic has ravaged our planet. However, even with cases of the Omicron variant surging it didn’t stop the new Spider-man “No Way Home” movie from breaking records.

Over the opening weekend, “No Way Home” earned around $253 million. That’s the third-highest opening for any movie, and it could push for No. 2 if the weekend numbers come back a little bit higher. No matter how you slice it, “No Way Home” is a hit.

I won’t get into spoilers here, but just know this is one of those “event” movies that everyone is going to be talking about. No matter how much you love Marvel movies, this is a movie for all ages and all sorts of people. The audience for this move has skewed younger, but it’s also rating well no matter who is coming out of the theater.

I’ve been to a few movies during the pandemic. I love the movies, and there are some which need to be seen in the theater. There are COVID policies at all theaters that make most people feel safe, and this is the type of movie you don’t want to miss. If you don’t feel safe, then certainly stay home and wait for this to come out on streaming services. Whenever you see this movie, I have a feeling you will really enjoy what they’ve done.

WOW#SpiderManNoWayHome made $50m Thursday nite thanks to hype and shows starting at 3pm!

Very good chance it will open overall with $200+ million at this rate, and that’s just domestic!#MovieMath Sunday! pic.twitter.com/zCFjie7fb8

— Grace Randolph (@GraceRandolph) December 17, 2021

What did you think of “No Way Home” and did it live up to your expectations? Hit me up on social media and let me know!

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