Broncos beat the Jets: Whoopee

What’s worse than winning when it doesn’t matter? Winning when it may cost you in the future.

Welcome to the 2017 Denver Broncos, who beat the putrid New York Jets 23-0.

Hey, at least Vance Joseph can say his team had a great week of practice and there’s a modicum of truth to it. As some on Twitter said: How awesome would it be to hear him say the team had a terrible week of practice? At least the Broncos ended their historic eight-game losing streak and won’t match the franchise record of 11. We also may have found a team that’s worse than Denver in the Jets.

Few wins in Broncos history feel so hollow. One that comes to mind is the Week 17 defeat of the Oakland Raiders last season. The similar trait of both losses? It may screw Denver out of a better pick in the NFL Draft. To add some more reality to this “win,” the Broncos were still eliminated from the NFL playoffs. So Sunday’s result really doesn’t mean a damn thing.

On the positive front:

Von Miller became the first player in Broncos history to get six, 10-sack seasons, and Demaryius Thomas passed Shannon Sharpe for second place in team history in receiving yards and touchdowns. Thomas now trails only Rod Smith in both categories. It’s also the first Denver shutout since Nov. 20, 2005, against the Jets.

That takes all of the good out of this win. As it stands now, the Broncos still pick No. 5, but who knows what happens the last three games of the season, especially on Thursday against the Indianapolis Colts. Even worse: What happens if this game gives life to Joseph’s tenure in Denver and he stays for 2018?

At least Joseph and his team can feel good for a few days, even if it may screw the franchise in the future.