Broncos missed a momentum building chance to be in first place

The Denver Broncos could’ve been all alone in first place atop the AFC West if they had beaten the Las Vegas Raiders.

That didn’t happen.

Following a heartbreaking 17-16 loss to their rival on Sunday, the Broncos seventh in a row to the Raiders, a peek at the early season standings isn’t a fun one.

The Chiefs lost to the Lions. The Chargers fell to the Dolphins. All the Broncos had to do was get past Las Vegas and they’d have seized a little momentum.

AFC West standings after Week 1:

– #Raiders 1-0
– #Chargers 0-1
– #Broncos 0-1
– #Chiefs 0-1 pic.twitter.com/N29Pb0W5BY

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 10, 2023

Sure, it’s just one week, but when’s the last time the Broncos had any momentum? It’s been six losing seasons in a row and seven without a playoff game. Even just seeing Denver atop the standings for once would’ve been a nice morale boost for the fanbase.

Instead, things could get ugly quick if Denver doesn’t beat Washington on Sunday. After that they head to hot and humid Miami to face an electric Dolphins team that hung 36 points on the Chargers.

If the Broncos can’t beat the Commanders, they’ll be staring 0-3 in the face. The chatter at that point if they should tank the season for a shot at a top-3 pick and their next QB would be tough to hear. It might not be wrong, but no one wants to think about draft picks in September.

The good news is the Raiders are headed to Buffalo this weekend. Sure, the Bills didn’t look great on Monday Night Football, but if they can rebound to beat Vegas, the Raiders will be 1-1. That means all the Broncos have to do to be tied for first come next Monday is defeat Washington.

There’s a glass half full way to look at this and a glass half empty. But no matter if you want to be positive or negative, a win last Sunday would’ve been huge for some elusive momentum.

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