For the Broncos, this season and beyond is riding on the Chiefs game
Oct 15, 2019, 7:08 AM
Well, they’ve done it. The Broncos have managed to take two wins over two teams with a combined 4-8 record, pumping new life into what was fast becoming a season to forget.
Instead of focusing on whether the Broncos should consider tanking and selling off whatever veteran they could, there is renewed talk of a playoff run.
It all comes down to the Kansas City game on Thursday. The question is, should it? Should one game basically dictate the direction the Broncos go in the rest of the way?
I have no problem putting everything into this game. Think of the upside.
A Denver win would be their third in a row. It would point to obvious momentum. It would put the Broncos right back in the hunt for the AFC West title.
Talk of making the playoffs would be appropriate as the AFC is shaping up to be a very mediocre conference where it’s easy to see one, or two 9-7 teams getting in. A win would validate John Elway’s Friday proclamation that the Broncos are in the winning now business and nobody is on the trading block.
And oh by the way, contrary to the popular opinion held before the season, K.C. is not invincible and catching them on a Thursday night after being run roughshod over for the second straight week is the perfect time to pick off a win over the Chefs.
A win would prove Vic Fangio is the right guy to coach this team. It would prove his defense is legit once it was given time to gel. A win would clearly establish Joe Flacco as “The Guy” for the rest of the year and would relegate Drew Lock to a redshirt season.
That’s with a win.
With a loss?
It would represent a blown golden opportunity to pick off a vulnerable Chiefs team. It would lead us to look at these last two wins as merely picking up a couple of “fool’s gold” wins against bad Chargers and Titans teams.
At 2-5 and facing a trip to Indy, it would lead to more calls to make drastic moves at the trade deadline and go all in on a full youth movement/rebuild. It would lead to increased calls to go with Lock so the Broncos would have a good idea what they had in the kid should they need to explore drafting another QB next spring. It would lead to added scrutiny of whether Elway is the right man for this job.
Simply put, this game is the difference between a possible 9-7 playoff season or a 5-11 road to nowhere.
No pressure, huh?
