Can the Broncos Close?

Haven't we been here before as Broncos fans? Here we are watching the Broncos sitting at 8-6 and with a potential AFC West Title or playoff berth in their grasp. The truth is that we have been here before because the Broncos have been staring straight at the playoffs the last five years, and they have not gotten in one time. Not once. Zip. Zilch. Nil. If you don't remember or if you are new to Bronco Nation (Tim Tebow Supporters), then let me give you a trip down memory lane. In 2006, the Broncos were 8-6 and needed two wins in their final two games to make the playoffs. After a Christmas Eve win over Cincy 24-23 (The Bengals muffed a potential game-tying extra point late in the fourth quarter), all the Broncos needed to do was win at home over the 6-9 49ers. The result: Niners win 26-23 in OT in a game that Denver blew a 13-0 lead. Fast forward to 2008. If "The Drive" and "The Fumble" are apart of Denver lore, then "The Collapse" also has to be included. The Broncos were 8-5 and had a three game lead on the 5-8 Chargers with three games to play. One Broncos win would clinch the division. One San Diego loss would give the Broncos the title. Denver got blown out by a 12 win Carolina team to fall to 8-6, and the Chargers rallied from 21-3 down to defeat the Chiefs by one point. In Week 16, the Chargers trailed Tampa Bay going into the fourth quarter, but they took the lead and pulled away from the nine win Bucs. Denver hosted the 6-8 Bills. Denver took a 13-0 lead, but watched as Buffalo roared back to take the lead in the third quarter 16-13. After that it was a seesaw battle that saw Denver lose a heartbreaker 30-23. In the season finale, Denver traveled to San Diego and got waxed 52-21 to lose the division and complete the collapse. A year later, Josh McDaniels was the new head coach and Denver raced out to a 6-0 start and stood at 8-4 after 12 games. After a tough loss at undefeated Indy, the Broncos hosted a bad Raiders team that would only win five games that year at home. After letting JaMarcus Russell go right down the field to win it late, the Broncos fell to 8-6, and had to go to Philly and the 10 win Eagles the next week. In a hard fought game, the Broncos rallied late but the Eagles pulled it out with a 30-27 win. At 8-7, the Broncos still had a chance to make the playoffs the next week at home vs three win KC. Although they would need some help to get in, the Broncos still had a chance. Denver blew its' chance and the season ended in disaster as the Chiefs rolled the Broncos 44-24.

Think about that: Three different seasons the Broncos were on the doorstep to the playoffs, and each time they couldn't finish. Each season the Broncos were 8-6 heading into the final two weeks. Their record in those six games: 1-5. The Broncos lost their home finale to the 6-9 49ers, the 6-8 Bills, and the 3-12 Chiefs. In 2006, it was mainly a result of Mike Shanahan's decision to bench Jake Plummer and start rookie Jay Cutler with the Broncos at 7-4 and in control of the Wild Card. Blame Shanahan and a defense that wasn't the same after Al Wilson went down with a neck injury. In 2008, the blame goes to Shanny and that awful defense that was one of the worst in the NFL that season. The '08 collapse got Shanahan fired and eventually new coach Josh McDaniels got rid of Jay Cutler. In 2009, blame McDaniels, Kyle Orton, and a defense that wore down and fell apart at the end of the season.

The Broncos haven't been to the playoffs since the 2005 season. They should have been there three times in that span. All three of the seasons mentioned above should have been years that the Broncos didn't get in. Blame Mike Shanahan, Jay Cutler, Josh McDaniels, Kyle Orton and everyone else that was associated with those teams. From Pat Bowlen on down, everyone in the organization should get their brunt of criticism for failing to close those three years. Usually, it will take a team years before it gets a shot like that again. After the Broncos bottomed out at 4-12, McDaniels was sent packing, John Elway comes back as the new V.P of Football Operations, John Fox becomes the new head coach, and eventually Tim Tebow gets his chance at QB. This was supposed to be a year in which the Broncos took baby steps and rebuilt the organization. Who knew that the Broncos would find themselves in the same position they were in back in '06,'08,'09. Only three years after that devastating finish in San Diego, the Broncos can win the AFC West. They have a 5-9 Bills team on the road this week. That is followed up by a 6-8 Kansas City team, led by Kyle Orton, in Week 17 at home. If Denver beats the Bills this week, and KC beats Oakland in Arrowhead, then the Broncos are the AFC West Champs. If the Broncos lose this week, then they can still win the division with a win over KC. Everything is there for them. The Broncos can erase the horrible memories of 2006, 2008, and 2009 with an improbable division title this year. All they have to do is take care of business against teams with inferior records. Shanny, Cutler, Marshall, McDaniels, and Orton all failed at this exact spot. This time it is John Fox and Tim Tebow's turn. A coach whose teams were known for finishing hard at the end of seasons and a quarterback who is the true definition of being a winner will take their shot at getting this franchise back into the playoffs. Franchises don't recover from these types of collapses. Fox's leash as the Broncos head coach will be a lot shorter if he doesn't coach this team into the playoffs. Tebow's future will become very cloudy, and the Broncos could very easily draft a QB in the first round next year if he doesn't close this out.

The Broncos have two weeks to get it done. Tebow has a chance to end one of the most improbable Broncos seasons ever the right way and do something that Orton and Cutler could not do. He can also cement his status as the Broncos QB of the future. Fox has a chance to begin his own new legacy in the history of the Broncos. He can show everyone how great of a coach he is by getting this Broncos team into the playoffs. The message is simple: Get it done. By any means necessary, close this out. This is no other option.