Okay, raise your hand if you thought that the Broncos would make the playoffs after starting 1-4 and turning it over to Tim Tebow........
Okay, raise your hand if you thought the Broncos would lose at home to Kansas City and still back into the playoffs at 8-8............
All three scenarios played out this year in the conclusion to one of the weirdest Broncos seasons in my lifetime. The Broncos are the 2011 AFC West Champs, and they will make the playoffs at 8-8 after losing to Chiefs at home, but the Raiders lost at home to San Diego, so the Broncos clinched the division anyway. Before we get to the Broncos and their season, it is time to recap yesterday's terrible performance at home vs. the Chiefs.......
The game started out with my worst fears being realized. The Chiefs were moving the ball pretty effectively, and Dwayne Bowe was actually getting the best of Champ Bailey in their one-on-one matchup. Usually, Bailey shuts down Bowe when these two teams met, but Bowe really ate up Champ in the first half. Dexter McCluster was able to run effectively in the first half, and he scored a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead. The Broncos also dodged a bullet when Ryan Succop missed a 44 yard field goal, so Denver could have been down 10-0. From there, the Broncos defense really played well against Kyle Orton and the Chiefs offense. The other key point was the fact that Denver was able to run the ball very effectively with Willis McGahee, but Tim Tebow fumbled deep in Kansas City territory on a third down scramble. If Denver would have scored a touchdown there, then the game would have been 7-7, and maybe the Broncos would have been able to get things going in the second half. Down 7-0 at the half, the Broncos were able to move the ball a little bit, but everytime they did, their drives ended with third down failures. The Broncos got a break that they needed when Javier Arenas muffed a punt, and the Broncos recovered at the 20. Once again, the Broncos went nowhere, and they had to settle for a field goal. The fourth quarter played out like much of the second and third quarters, and the Broncos played field position. Unfortunately, there was no Tebow magic this time, and the Broncos final two drives ended in a punt, and an interception with 10 seconds left. The Broncos fall to 8-8, but with the Raiders losing to San Diego, the Broncos win the AFC West. It certainly wasn't the way that you draw it up, but the Broncos are in the playoffs for the first time since 2005. I said all week that this was Tim Tebow's moment, and I thought that he would play really well. He played absolutely dreadful (6-22 60 yards 1 Int), and he turned it over in a key moment in the first half. I was shocked at how tentative he played in such a big game. Granted, the play calling was too conservative, and the Broncos played not to lose, and it came back to bite them. It was a sad way to end this season, and Tebow's long term future is in serious jeopardy. The Broncos defense is not great, but it is obviously better than it was last year. There is some talent on this team, but they still have a long way to go, and it starts with Tim Tebow.
Here are my observations and quick thoughts on the game.........
1) Outside of the first few drives, Kyle Orton did nothing this game. I am so glad the Broncos moved on from Orton, and perhaps he stays in Kansas City, but I don't think Orton is a guy that can start and lead a team to the playoffs. Forget about winning this game in Denver, not having Kyle Orton as a QB anymore is a good thing for Broncos fans.
2) Chris Kuper's horrendous leg injury is a big loss for Denver. He was probably our most consistent offensive linemen, and it is a shame that he will not be able to play in his first playoff game since joining the Broncos in 2006.
3) Willis McGahee, 145 yards rushing, proved to be one of the best free agent signings in the offseason. Denver needs to grab a running back in the draft next year, hopefully in Round 2 or 3, but McGahee was a great addition to this team.
4) Denver's defense played well for most of the game, but if Dwayne Bowe didn't get hurt, the Broncos might not have been able to stop him. Also, Denver continues to struggle when teams spread them out and run the ball with quick hitters. McCluster's touchdown was a carbon copy of what the Patriots running backs, and C.J. Spiller did to them the previous weeks.
5) Von Miller again did not really do anything, and you have to think the hand injury really has put an end to his impact on this defense.
6) The thing that perplexed me about Tebow's fumble in the second quarter was that he wasn't even stripped or hit hard. The defender slapped at his arm and Tebow fumbled. Tebow has run the ball over a million times in his high school, college, and pro career, and he just inexplicably dropped the ball. That play bothered me the most about his game yesterday.
7) Tebow was bad yesterday, but their play calling was even worse. You can't just run the ball on first down, run the ball on second down, and then expect your quarterback to constantly pick up third downs. If your QB is Drew Brees, Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers, then you can probably get away with it, but it won't work if your quarterback is Tim Tebow.
8) I don't blame John Fox for not going for a 57 yard field goal right before the half because if Matt Prater misses it, then the Chiefs have really good field position and timeouts to get a score right before the half and make it 10-0. I do think that Fox should have went for it on fourth down in his own territory with about 3 minutes left in the game.
9) The Broncos do get the chance to play another game and will host the Wild Card game on Sunday at 4:30pm EST against the 12-4 Steelers in Denver. Stranger things have happened in the NFL playoffs (see Seattle over New Orleans last year), but you have to think that the Steelers will be able to put a whipping on them.
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