Denver Broncos: Taking inspiration from 1997 Team
By Aric Manthey
The 1997 Denver Broncos are in town for their 25th anniversary. Can the current Broncos capture their winning ways?
Things haven’t gone our way, so far. I’d go as far as to say that no Bronco fan bet on the team being 2-4 through six weeks of the 2022 season. For a variety of reasons, the 2022 Denver Broncos have sputtered out of the gate.
I’ve gone on record suggesting ways to fix some of the team’s woes. Unfortunately, no matter how many words I put out into the universe, the powers at Dove Valley are unlikely to heed my advice. So where can this team turn to for advice? Well, they’ll have to look no further than some of the former players strolling the field this weekend.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Broncos’ first Super Bowl team. As part of the celebration, coaches and former players of that team will be in attendance for the game this weekend. The 1997 team was one full of talent, determination, and grit. A year removed from a painful Divisional Round loss to the upstart Jaguars, the ’97 Broncos were hellbent on capturing the elusive Lombardi Trophy.
This was a team that had all of the talent to jumpstart a dynasty, but had the humility of a downtrodden team. They had been served the proverbial “humble pie” vs an expansion team and were determined to not overlook anybody moving forward. The result was a championship team, full of hard-fought wins, battle scars, and smiles all around.
So what can this legendary team do to impart their wisdom on the struggling Bronco team? It’s acknowledging that their “Jags loss” has already come to pass.
Whether it was the pair of goal-line fumbles against the Seahawks, the ill-timed interceptions against the Colts, or the muffed punt return against the Chargers, the 2022 Broncos have already had their fair share of lowlights for the year.
It’s time that they take inspiration from a truly great team and realize their own potential for the rest of the season. This is a team that can (and should) be a playoff-caliber unit. Many teams have had similar (or worse) starts to their season, only to turn it around on the back half and make the tournament.
If the 2022 Denver Broncos are going to break the playoff drought, it needs to start with a charge this weekend. No championship team is without its warts. No team gets through a season unscathed. It’s time for this Bronco team to put their early season errors behind them and summon their cohesive talents to stack wins.
As the 1997 team strolls onto the field for a halftime celebration this weekend, we can all hope that their energy is transferred to the 2022 squad.
We know that this team has the talent. They clearly had the “energy” in the off-season, It’s time to put it all together and jumpstart the stalling engine. If we’re ever going to get back on the road to the playoffs, it has to start this weekend.
With an impending matchup against the Jaguars in London, we can only hope that the game is just as important as the one many years ago.