Reminder: Nothing in the NFL is guaranteed.
With 11-games this season won in come from behind fashion, it was bound to catch up to the Broncos sooner or later. It’s easy to attribute Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars on a slow start, mistakes, or trigger happy referees-the same things that have plagued them all season. They weren’t able to get out of it this time.
Two games separate the regular season from the postseason. The Broncos needed this to remind themselves that miraculous, last-second victories are nothing to rely on. That may get you through the regular season, but in the playoffs, you can’t expect to thrive like that. Letting teams hang around like they did with the Jaguars can’t happen with everything is on the line.
The Jaguars game reminded the Broncos that they can still be beat. They need to do the little things to make sure Sunday’s outcome doesn’t become the norm. Passes need to be caught, costly penalties need to be eliminated, pressure needs to be applied to the quarterbacks, and the overall level of play has to be better.
As the Broncos head into their Christmas Day game against a severely hobbled Chiefs team, they still sit atop the NFL with a 12-3 record. However, the cushion they had built into the their record is gone as they are now tied with the Patriots and Seahawks. There is no no more room for error.
Sunday’s loss to the Jaguars was just the slap in the face that the Broncos needed as they gear up for postseason play. It was a not-so-gentle reminder that the players on the other team are paid, too, and they want to win just as much. It’s better Denver is reminded of that now than in the divisional round of the playoffs.
Category: General Sports
