With the Denver Broncos getting ready to play the Kansas City Chiefs on Christmas day, there is a real possibility they could come out of that game one step closer to going winless against their most hated rivals. Throw in the recent rivalry with New England, and you can call that 0-5.
As Ian St. Clair and I discussed this week on Mile High Report Radio, the offense has been putrid the last few weeks. If the trend continues, it seems more likely that this team is more 1980, and less 2015. This putridness should be insulting to Broncos fans.
Before training camp even started in 2015 Emmanuel Sanders and DeMarcus Ware stood in front of the media and said anything less than a Super Bowl win was failure. They were praised for their attitude, but that feeling seems to have slowly sulked away.
This late in the season talk of Super Bowl or bust seems ridiculous, and it is. However, there was an attitude about the Broncos in 2015 that has not been on display in 2016. So, what should fans be satisfied with? The Broncos will finish no worse that 8-8, not a losing record. Is that enough? The Broncos won 5 straight division titles. Was that enough? Ask John Fox.
Was losing to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl enough? Not even close. Why should Bronco fans accept the product on the field if it isn’t good enough to win it all? The argument, of course, is that winning in the NFL is hard. The system is rigged toward parity. Everyone gets a trophy, but really, there is only one trophy that will ever matter.
Are Broncos fans spoiled? Are fans who expect a confetti party and a parade every year unreasonable? The answer has to be yes, as winning it all is a rare and beautiful thing. But that doesn’t matter. If the expectation is not to win, than the game is pointless. Championships should not just be the hope, they should be the only acceptable outcome.
In an era of a systematic level playing field, asking for a championship every year might be excessive. That being said, the product on the offensive side of the ball is insulting. It’s an insult to the greatness of the defense, which has continued to hold opposing offenses to 18.8 points per game. It’s an insult to this exceptional fanbase that shows up every week, no matter what.
The blame game has been played so often this season, that pointing fingers now makes no sense. It is time to look forward. How can this be avoided in 2017? What will John Elway and Gary Kubiak do to ensure that Broncos Country won’t have to endure another season of offensive ineptitude?