As the Broncos continue their push for the top seed in the conference and a divisional title, the team seemingly has hit a roadblock. The Broncos have hit what appears to be a horrible development for their season: playing down to the competition. This happened at times in their wins over the Giants and Raiders, but it hit a head in their most recent performance against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Coming into the game, the Broncos were a heavy favorite on the road, arguably their biggest spot as a road favorite in some time. The Broncos entered talking all week about needing to re-find their footing, and just about fell on their face in the first half. Against a third-string quarterback and a handful of practice-squad replacements, the Broncos appeared to be their match.
The Broncos entered the game with the inside track on the conference’s top seed and needed to play this young and feisty team with some urgency. Sean Payton’s team struggled with penalties, drops, and tackles, all of which plagued them against the Jaguars last week. If the Broncos are going to make a deep run after the new year, they’ll need to figure out how to buck this incredibly troubling trend.
The Broncos need to stop playing down to their opponents
First, credit is given to the Chiefs for their effort against the Broncos. Having to face any Andy Reid team on the road is a tough task, and the Chiefs very much looked the part of a classic Andy Reid coached team. Given the absurd amount of injuries around the roster right now, especially Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs more than did their part in showing up prepared against the Broncos.
The issues lie in the fact that the Broncos appeared to be the less prepared of the two teams. The Broncos were by far the sloppiest of the two teams, committed more penalties, and simply did not appear to be up to the challenge of needing to win a big game on the road late in the year. The Broncos managed to leave Kansas City with a win, but it just might be fair to feel less confident in them than ever.
The Broncos have had this issue all year, but they surely did not play up to a scorching-hot Jacksonville team last Sunday in Denver. Instead, the Broncos played down to a lowly Chiefs team on Christmas and almost ruined the holiday for millions of fans across the country. If the Broncos have their eyes set on a deep January run, they're going to need to find their footing again.