Broncos 2015 Playoffs Storylines

The Broncos enter the 2015 Playoffs as the #1 seed for the third time in four years. It is the fourth straight year with a bye, and it will be the fifth consecutive year that they will be playing in the Divisional Round of the NFL Playoffs. There are only eight teams left, and the Broncos have a chance to make it to the Super Bowl and win a third Lombardi Trophy. It has been a very strange year for the Broncos, but once again the Broncos sit in position to go the Super Bowl with homefield advantage throughout the AFC bracket. Here are the storylines for the Broncos as they prepare for their matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers and a run at Super Bowl 50...

1) Orange Crush: The Broncos defense finished #1 overall, #1 against the pass, #1 against the run, and #1 in sacks in 2015. Their defense has been the best in the NFL all year long. They have carried the Broncos to a 12-4 record, and now it is on them to put it all together in the playoffs. Make no mistake: If the Broncos are going to get to and win the Super Bowl, the defense will have to play the way they did all year long and carry them there. They say that defense wins championships, and the Broncos have a Super Bowl caliber defense, but they have to prove it in these big moments. It is on them.

2) Offensive Consistency: No matter who the QB was for the Broncos this year, their offense was inconsistent all year long. They had trouble running the ball at times. Their offensive line has struggled to protect a key moments. Their running backs were up and down, and their receivers dropped way too many key passes. They struggled in the red zone, and there were times where they would go 3 and out in stretches of games. It was certainly frustrating to watch this team on offense at times, and if it wasn't for their defense, then they probably wouldn't even be in the playoffs. The Broncos only scored 30 or more points once as an offense this year. That doesn't sound like the recipe for a Super Bowl winning team. They have to somehow find a way to put together a complete, solid, and mistake-free game to have any chance of going deep in the playoffs. It is hard to see them becoming an offensive juggernaut in the postseason, but they have to be consistent on all levels. If they do that, then they will give themselves a great shot of advancing to the Super Bowl.

3) The Sheriff's Last Ride: Peyton Manning gets the start in the Divisional Round, and he had his worst season as a pro since his rookie year in 1998. Whether it was the result of a nagging foot injury that finally sidelined him for six weeks or the fact that he is a 39-year old aging QB, no one really knows for sure why he struggled. Maybe the rest will help him. Hopefully, Manning is feeling as healthy as he can be, and he can play at a high enough level to help the Broncos win. Can Manning put together two solid games in a row at home to send himself and the Broncos to Super Bowl 50? That will be the question on everyone's mind as the playoffs begin. Perhaps this will be the fitting way for Manning to end his career. A year in which he struggled the most just seems to come together for one last glorious run to a Super Bowl victory, and he rides off into the sunset with another Super Bowl under his belt. It doesn't seem likely, but sometimes sports can create moments like this. Peyton needs to somehow be Peyton one last time.

4) Battle Tested or Battle Scarred?: This is the fourth straight year the Broncos have had a bye. They exited the playoffs in awful fashion the last three years. The loss to Baltimore in 2012, the destruction at the Super Bowl in 2013, and the no-show effort in the loss to the Colts in 2014. Twice, they had a bye and lost in that first game at home. Do those experiences help them in any way this year in the playoffs? Or do the Broncos now have the stigma of faltering in the biggest games? One way or another we will find out. I certainly think that the playoff experience is a positive, and if the Broncos advance all the way to the Super Bowl, then I'm sure that will be one of the reasons why they did. Being in big games helps teams prepare for other big games down the road. In addition, to the playoff games in the past few years, Denver played in many close, playoff-type games this year against some high quality teams. Has that prepared them for this playoff run? Let's hope that is has.

5) Pressure Mounting: Whatever Peyton Manning decides to do after this season, there is a very slim possibility that he will be playing for the Broncos next year. This is his fourth year in Denver and this is probably the last shot they have with the Hall of Famer to win the Super Bowl. They are 12-4 and have the #1 seed, so they are not a long shot to win the title, and they have a lot of pressure to win-and win this season. This team has a lot of key free agents, and they won't be able to sign them all, so this team will be very different next year. The whole franchise will be different when Manning leaves, no matter who the QB is next year. They have been on top of the AFC the last four years, but they still don't have one Super Bowl title to show for it. They went out in their first playoff game to Baltimore in 2012 in the Rahim Moore debacle. They got buried and destroyed by the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII, and they went out in a whimper in the Divisional Round at home to the Colts last year. They have a reputation of faltering in these huge games, and they have to find a way to get it done this year. It won't ever be the same for this franchise going forward from here.