Tracy Porter (22) will be looking to celebrate after the Denver Broncos’ bye week (Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE).

Hope you enjoyed your week in Cabo.

The Denver Broncos are back to work on Monday to prepare for the high powered (and underrated?!?) New Orleans Saints who just might be the best 2-4 team of all time.

So with all that time to prepare since last Monday night’s historic win, how do the Broncos perform after the bye week?

Well, history is on the side of the Broncos.  Since the bye was established in 1990, the Broncos have gone 17-6 in the week following their bye week.  Only the Philadelphia Eagles have fared better (19-4) in their games following the bye.  And if history does have patterns and decides to repeat itself, Broncos fans will likely know early against the Saints, as typically the games are a boon or a dud with little room in between.

Of the  17 wins after the bye, there are instant classics like last year’s thriller and the world premier of “Tebow Time” against the Miami Dolphins.   Perhaps the 49-29 victory of the Kansas City Chiefs stands out as well as it was the only game the Broncos controlled all year in 2010.  Another that would fall in this category is the 2004 game against the Saints when Reuben Droughns rushed for 166 (with 51 coming on a touchdown run on the Broncos’ first play from scrimmage).  Essentially, when the Broncos win after the bye, they play a complete game on both sides of the ball and move on to the middle portion of the season with statement win.

Their losses on the other hand are anything but closely contested battles that go down to the wire.

In 2009, the Broncos were fresh off a 6-0 start only to set the pace for a terrible finish with a remarkably flat 30-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.  Now, the Broncos have never been known for playing well in Baltimore, so perhaps we can excuse that one and move on.

After starting the season 4-1, the Broncos were looking to shake back-to-back losses prior to the bye.  Their retort?  A franchise low 14 rushing yards and 111 receiving yards given up to some unknown Miami Dolphins wideout.  Hey, those are Brandon Marshall’s words not mine.  Ok, it was Greg Camarillo.  But still, it was perhaps one of the most lifeless performances you’ll see out of a Broncos team at home.  In both losses, nothing the Broncos tried worked from opening kickoff on.  The tone was set early.

The Denver Broncos and their fans will likely know what kind of game it will be very quickly based on history and the tenor of the game they bring next Sunday night against the Saints.

Though I suppose we all thought that at halftime of last week’s game.  We know how that went.

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1. Go to church – Confess all those football related sins and impure thoughts that you’ve had. If you secretly wanted to see Kyle Orton go down with an injury just so Tim Tebow could throw his first pass, head for the confessional now.

2.  Tailgate in your front yard – Fire up the grill and have a beer to cheer your neighbor on as he washes his car.

3. Develop an interest in NASCAR – Perfect your southern drawl by watching old clips of Jerry Jones.

4. Enter a competitive eating contest – Your stomach can surely expand more after all of the training you’ve done. In week one, some beer and chicken wings sent you reaching for the Tums. Now after eight weeks, you could swallow a plate full of poppers, fried chicken, and nachos without blinking an eye.

5. Work on your touchdown dance – The next time you trip over the dog and save your face from hitting the ground, a little celebration is warranted.

6. Pay the bookies – If you’ve bet on the Dallas Cowboys each week, you’re in deep and considering enrolling in the Witness Protection Program. Pay them now and keep the rest of your savings under the mattress.

7. Get reacquainted with your spouse/significant other – Ditch the team attire for the day, do one big chore around the house, and initiate a “date night”. You’ll be golden for the next eight weeks and the playoffs.

8. Hit the gym – All of the excess energy that would’ve been spent cheering on the Broncos needs to go somewhere. So does that “football fifteen” that you’ve put on.

9.  Watch your alma mater play  – Even if they are 1-7, it gives you the chance to relive to “glory days.”

10. Have a “sit-down” with your kids – There are all kinds of words that came out of your mouth that they’ve never heard before. Explain to them that you were watching an educational program about trucking.

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Kyle Orton hands the ball off to Knowshon Moreno on Sunday. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The sun is shining brightly in Colorado right now. Last night’s rain brought a redemptive cleansing wash over the city that’s built up a layer of Broncos’ dust. As I listened to the raindrops fall on the sidewalks of downtown Denver, I imagined the Broncos plane arriving in Denver this morning getting drenched and washing away all the bad from the team.  

There’s something about going into a bye week with four consecutive losses under the belt that can make you feel edgy. If Josh McDaniels and staff were looking forward to any R&R this week, that thought can go out the window. They will be watching game tapes from the first eight games of the season and looking at clips for their next opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs. They will evaluate the roles of different players and schemes and try to fix all that’s gone wrong during their 2-6 start to the season.

There is still a lot of season left. The Broncos play five of their six division games after the bye week. Coming close to sweeping those and winning one or two more against non-division opponents could actually give the Broncos a shot at winning the AFC West. Before we dive into the deep end head first, let’s just get this potential train wreck on the right track.

The things that need the most improvement are obviously the running game and the run defense. The Broncos are last in the league in rushing, averaging 67.3 yards per game. That’s 13.6 yards less than the 31st ranked rushing team, the Dallas Cowboys. Their run defense isn’t much better, ranked 31st in the league and allowing 154.6 yards per game. 

While those things are the primary issues staring us straight in the eyes, the team needs work in many other areas as well. Starting off on the right foot has become a major issue. It seems that the Broncos are always trying to catch teams from behind as soon as the game clock reads 14:59 in the first quarter. The Broncos have only scored one touchdown in eight first quarters of play. The team didn’t even score a point until the third quarter of Sunday’s game. The Broncos are giving teams a 25-meter head start in a 100-meter race.

The other issue is the Broncos inability to convert on third down. Because of the lack of rushing game, the offense finds themselves in a lot of third and long situations surrounded by a defense that’s anticipating the pass. Drives are cut short and red zone inefficiency becomes a problem because of the one dimensional nature of the Broncos’ offense in a short field. Balance, when they find it, will equal power.

Finally, the penalties this year have come at the most costly times. From game one in Jacksonville (facemasks) to game six against the Jets  (facemask) to game eight yesterday when two illegal blocks took two touchdowns awa, the Broncos have been digging themselves a hole and jumping in it with a blindfold on. They can’t come back from those costly mistakes which helps contribute to the division worst record that they own.

The season is only half over, but there’s a lot to correct over the next fourteen days. It appears that the real work is just beginning. 

As we get a small break during this rough season, take advantage and spend quality time with the loved ones around you this Sunday.

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