Record: 8-8
Points Scored: 370 (23.1)
Points Against: 448 (28)
Highlight: The Broncos raced to a 3-0 start with an explosive offense and some fun shootout victories. The Broncos opened the season with a 41-14 thrashing of the Oakland Raiders on Monday Night Football. They followed that with a thrilling 39-38 win over San Diego and a 34-32 win over New Orleans-both at Invesco Field. The San Diego game was the memorable moment of the early NFL season. A back and forth shootout saw Denver trailing 38-31 late in the fourth quarter. As Denver drove deep into Charger territory, Jay Cutler fumbled as he was attempting a pass on a rollout. Referee Ed Hochuli ruled the play an incomplete pass and not a fumble, which at that time was not reviewable. Denver got a second chance and Cutler hit Eddie Royal for a touchdown with seconds left. Mike Shanahan made the gutsy decision and decided to go for two and the win. Cutler hit Royal again and the Broncos won by a point. Denver's start earned them the reputation as one of the top offenses in the NFL, and many people considered them a serious Super Bowl contender.
Lowlight: Many people will point to Denver's season ending loss at San Diego as the lowpoint of the 2008 season, but for me the real low moment was the loss the week before at home to the 6-8 Buffalo Bills. The Broncos led the AFC West with an 8-5 record and they needed only one win in their final three games to win the division. San Diego was 5-8 and couldn't lose one game the rest of the way. SD won two in a row and was standing at 7-8 and putting the 8-6 Broncos on edge. Denver jumped out to a 13-0 lead on Buffalo in the first half, but ended up trailing 16-13 late in the third. A Cutler touchdown run gave Denver a 20-16 lead, but their defense failed them once again. Buffalo held a 30-23 lead late in the fourth, and Cutler's 4th down attempt to Brandon Stokely in the end zone was knocked away and Denver lost by seven. The Broncos blew a game that they should have won at home to a team that had nothing to play for. This was one of the most painful Bronco defeats I have ever witnessed.
What If?: If the Broncos could have won just one game out of their last three, then they would have finished 9-7 and won the AFC West. They would have opened at home against Peyton Manning and Indianapolis in the first round of the playoffs. Sure, they would have lost to the Colts, especially with their porous defense, but making the playoffs would have been a good accomplishment for the franchise at that point. Mike Shanahan would still be coaching the team today, and Jay Cutler would still be the QB. It would have been Cutler's first playoff appearance, and it would have given him a lot of experience going forward with his career in Denver. Shanahan would prove to fans that he was building a winner again, and he would have spent every dollar in free agency and every pick in the draft on rebuilding that defense. The Shanahan/Cutler combination would have been leading the Broncos into the new decade.
7) 2009 Denver Broncos-
Record: 8-8
Points For: 326 (20.4)
Points Against: 324 (20.2)
Highlight: The Broncos defeated Dallas, New England, and San Diego in a row to start out the season 6-0. Each game was exciting and the Broncos won each game in different fashion. A goal line stand help preserve the victory over the Cowboys 17-10. The Broncos rallied from a 17-7 hole in the second half to defeat the Patriots in overtime 20-17. The victory at San Diego will forever be known as "The Eddie Royal Game." Royal returned a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown in route to a 34-23 Denver victory. At 6-0, the Broncos were the talk of the NFL at that point of the 2009 season.
Lowlight: For the second year in a row, the Broncos stood at 8-5. For the second year in a row, Denver lost a crucial game at home to a sub-.500 team. This time it was the rival Oakland Raiders who derailed the Broncos playoff dreams. Denver lost 20-19 to Oakland on a last second touchdown pass by Jamarcus Russell. The loss dropped Denver to 8-6, and with a game at Philly the next week, it pretty much knocked Denver out of any realistic playoff opportunity.
What If?: If Denver could have just beaten both Oakland and Kansas City in the last month of the season, then they would have made the playoffs at 10-6. The Broncos would have been the 5th seed and taken on the Cincinnati Bengals in Cincy. The way that the Bengals were playing down the stretch, I would have given Denver a fair shot to beat them in Cincy. It would have been a great accomplishment for Josh McDaniels to make the playoffs in his first year as Head Coach.
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