Denver Broncos are Underdogs Once Again: Let the Haterade Flow
By Steven Kriz
The Denver Broncos are Underdogs once again—what a shocking development.
The Broncos defense took front and center stage during Super Bowl 50, as they stole the entire show, leading the Broncos to their first Super Bowl victory since John Elway walked away from the game in May of 1999. The defense embarrassed the Panthers that night, and the offense tagged along for the ride. The Broncos were a better team in 2015 than the Carolina Panthers, despite the fact that they were underdogs going into that February game. The Broncos
wouldn’t have had it any other way—the outside doubt, the perception that they couldn’t hang fueled them throughout the entire season. Most teams shy away from public perceptions, saying that they don’t read the things being wrote, or listen to the noise. The Broncos aren’t most teams; they read everything, hear everything, and it fuels the fire inside and pushes them to levels of greatness they couldn’t otherwise reach.
The Broncos are Super Bowl Champions, winning on the laurels of a great defense, excellent special teams, and a ball control offense that simply does just enough to not screw it all up. Despite all of this, the only thing being said is that Peyton Manning is gone, and the Broncos top two quarterbacks have thrown zero NFL passes. The narrative is garbage.
In the first game since the Super Bowl, the Broncos find themselves matched up once again with the big bad Carolina Panthers, and they are underdogs once again. This time however, they aren’t at a a neutral site, they get the good home cooking that Sports Authority Field at Mile High has to offer. The fans will be loud and rowdy, and the Broncos will be riding high, coming off an emotional celebration. This team feeds off of emotion, good and bad. Disrespect them, they are going to prove you wrong—give them a banner, watch them go chase another one.
“I want them emotional.” Coach Kubiak said following Tuesday’s pracice. “They work hard to be emotional. They paid the price all week long, I trust them and let them play. Our guys are—usually if they’re not talking out there a little bit, something’s wrong. I want them to be themselves and go play and have fun.”
There is no doubt that emotions will be running high in this game; not only from the Super Bowl Celebration before the game, but just as much because of the constant doubt. The only thing the Broncos heard last year in the playoffs was that they weren’t good enough to get the job done. All they did was go out and win the Super Bowl—the greatest prize of all. The only thing they have heard this offseason is that cannot do it again—what happens next is yet to be seen, but the lack of respect is astounding.
The notion that the quarterbacks on the Broncos roster can’t get it done is ridiculous. Good riddance; these Broncos don’t win that way. This team is not about Star Wars numbers. For anyone taking note, in Super Bowl 50, Peyton Manning was 13-23 for 141 yards, 0 TD’s, 1 INT and 1 fumble lost good for a total QBR of 9.9. The Broncos won the game by 14 points. With an improved offense line, and improvement by the running backs, there is no way to think that these Broncos won’t be better, on this night and all year long.
Another popular one is the Broncos defense is going to take a step backwards this season. Is that so? Neither Malik Jackson, nor Danny Trevathan were even in the top-5 most important players on the Broncos defense a year ago. Younger players on this team such as Shane Ray, Shaq Barrett and Bradley Roby should be even better than they were a year ago. T.J. Ward says the Broncos defense is
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ahead of where they were this time last year—he’s not lying. This is year two of the system, meaning less thinking, more playing. To predict a sharp decline from the defense is foolish, and lazy analysis—they can be better than they were a year ago, not worse.
The Broncos are out to prove to the world that they are still an elite team, worthy of a Super Bowl pick. They can start that tonight by handling the Panthers in the same way they did in February, when the stakes were the highest, despite the label of underdog. They can prove the the national media that they aren’t going away anytime soon—that is until the media dubs them underdogs yet again next week.
With the way that they play, and the way that they win, there will always be doubters. But that is something that this team needs to be successful—it drives them. The same doubters that say the Broncos can’t win another Super Bowl are the same ones that told Chris Harris Jr. he had no place in this league. Without
them, he doesn’t become one of the premier cornerbacks in the entire NFL. The same doubt fuels Brandon Marshall and earned him a big time paycheck this offseason—something he could have only dreamed of when he was being cut multiple times by the lowly Jaguars.
Tonight, the spotlight of the football world shines on Denver, Colorado. The quest to change the narrative begins tonight in the same way it ended a year ago. Vegas has set their spread, leaving the Super Bowl Champions underdogs on their home field. The Broncos know this, and they will be ready—will you?