Broncos must seize the moment, accept massive gift Chargers gave them

Christmas hasn’t ended yet for the Denver Broncos.

Not even close.

The Broncos got one more gift on Monday from the Los Angeles Chargers. Head coach Jim Harbaugh announced that QB Justin Herbert, and potentially other starters, won’t play in Denver on Sunday.

With so much on the line in Week 18, this is absolutely massive news for the Broncos. They can earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC against a lot of backups from Los Angeles. Trey Lance, come on down, your present is facing one of the best defenses in the league.

However, nothing is given, and Denver must seize the moment.

As has been pointed out, the difference between two and three home games to go to the Super Bowl is massive. The Broncos desperately need to earn a first-round bye while the rest of the AFC beats each other up in the wild card round.

The Broncos dodged Jayden Daniels in Washington, but still only beat backup Marcus Mariota by one point. Last week, the Chiefs were without Patrick Mahomes, but played to a 13-13 tie until the final moments when Bo Nix broke it with a clutch touchdown pass to RJ Harvey.

So just because Herbert is in street clothes, doesn’t mean the game will be a laugher.

However, the Broncos have done that once this year. All the way back in Week 4 the Bengals were forced to play Jake Browning at Empower Field at Mile High. Denver tossed him around and Cincinnati scored three lousy points in a 28-3 drubbing.

That’s the film head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph should be showing around the facility this week. The Broncos defense has made life tough for a backup QB once before and it’s time to do that again.

Lance is largely thought of as a bust and for good reason. The San Francisco 49ers liked him a lot when they traded up to No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft to select him. If he couldn’t make it work with Kyle Shanahan in the Bay Area, Lance is destined to hold a clipboard for most of his career.

At the end of the day, this game shouldn’t be close. The oddsmakers have already moved the spread by several points and the Broncos find themselves as double-digit favorites. Blow them out of the water, early, much like Denver did to Kansas City’s backups in Week 18 a season ago.

This team is due for another runaway, and oh how sweet it would be if Payton could pull QB Bo Nix early if the Broncos are up three or four touchdowns. We don’t want to see Jarrett Stidham on the field often, but if this one gets out of hand, that’s what may happen.

Just think about the favor Harbaugh is doing the Broncos. He’s handing them the No. 1 seed on a silver platter, all they have to do is take it.

Style points haven’t really been a thing for Denver this season, but a victory on Sunday needs to have them. It sure would make the players feel good going into a bye week and then the divisional round in the middle of January.

A Super Bowl appearance has started to feel like a real possibility for a couple of months, but now it’s so close Broncos Country can taste it. These opportunities don’t come around often, so hopefully the guys are up for the task.

While fans in New England and Jacksonville (other contenders for the No. 1 seed) are annoyed, the Mile High City is still soaking in the holiday season. The gifts just keep on coming in Denver.

Let’s make sure this one is unwrapped in the form of a convincing win.

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