Orange Blush

Was I dreaming or did John Elway make a comeback without me knowing. Did the Broncos really start the season 6-0? The Broncos' miraculous start to the season was a mirage, we knew that. But the 6-0 start gave fans a realistic expectations. The expectation was to make the playoffs. Afterall, no team in history has ever started 6-0 & NOT made the playoffs. The Broncos are gonna be in, Josh McDaniels will look like a genius, & everyone will be in a festive mood. It's not like a team that has quality wins like the ones Denver had is gonna suddenly fall apart right? They'd have to lose something like 7 of their next 9... & that's just crazy!!! RIGHT?!?!?

7 losses out of their next 9 games later, the Broncos are looking to out do the Giants, for most pathetic team to close the season. If you take a look at 4 of the teams Denver beat during the 6-0 start, you'll see that 4 of those 6 victories came against playoff teams like Dallas, New England, @ San Diego, & @ Cincinnati. So how do you go from 6-0 to not even controlling your own destiny to reach the playoffs? By losing 7 of 9, including 4 straight following the hot start. With humiliating losses to the turmoil ridden Redskins & a home loss to the hated rivals Oakland Raiders. The biggest difference between the Broncos start & humiliating finish is their defense. While 6-0 they allowed less the 12 points per game, while dismantling teams in the 2nd half of games. During the 2-7 free fall the defense has allowed nearly 24 points per game. While the Broncos can still get in, they don't tiebreakers over the Steelers or Ravens (because of head to head losses) & need the following to happen:

• A Ravens loss at Oakland and a Texans win vs New England.
• A Ravens loss and a Steelers loss at Miami.
  
• A Jets loss at home vs Cincy and a win by the Texans.
• Or a loss by the New York Jets, along with either a Ravens loss or Steelers loss (not both if the Jets loss).

In 3 of the 4 scenerios, the Broncos need the Raiders to Just Win Baby. Nothing says desperation like the phrase "we need a Raiders win." What is likely to happen is Al Davis will order the Raiders to loss on purpose, to eliminate Denver out of spite. It's not so far fetched. Afterall, we've already seen the Colts throw a game this year.