The Denver Broncos are living in a world of... superlatives

“We are living in a world of suck” may be one of the greatest post-game quotes of all time.

Emmanuel Sanders encapsulated his feelings on the 2019 season in a few powerful words that could also be interpreted as a cry for “please trade me to a good team.”

And, though things look grim for the Broncos this season, there are signs from this “defeated” team that the future looks at least a bit brighter than the present.

No one will disagree when I say that starting 0-3, not being able to score more than 20 points in each of the last seven games, continuing a disturbing trend of sacklessness and suffering “death by inches” for three straight weeks, is not fun for players, coaches or fans.

It’s not enjoyable to make excuses for our favorite athletes, and nobody likes having negative feelings about our beloved team. Fortunately for me, I had my own experience during the game which changed my perspective on....everything.

My wife and I are expecting our first baby in February and as her belly grows (and mine - for other reasons), I always hope to feel a few little kicks from the wee thing. Since most people say they don’t feel anything externally until around the 28th week I didn’t have a lot of hope that I would get any kicks now in the 22nd week. So, you can imagine my surprise when, as we watched the game (my German wife has become a fantasy football nut and huge Broncos fan), I felt what could be nothing other than some baby movement. It was, in fact, right after the Risner/Lindsay touchdown, and I am 100 percent confident that the awesome little future Broncos fan was high-fiving me from the womb.

Anyway, the personal highlight along with the joy from the Dalton Risner and Phillip Lindsay play really put me in a better mood about my favorite football team. I know that they won’t make the playoffs and that they were never likely to in 2019, but that’s OK. This eye test tells me that they are moving in the right direction.

Everyone knows I don’t love Joe Flacco, but he has shown signs of being really quite good in this offense and would be even better if given a bit more time by his offensive line. The youngsters on offense are brilliant and really play with a passion that warms my heart.

I love watching Courtland Sutton block down field and that route he ran on the big reception in the second half was insanely good.

Lindsay continues to ball out, and Freeman (if he can stop cutting outside) is a perfect Robin to the Aurora native’s Batman.

Dalton Risner is mean and nasty and smart, and I love him deeply. Noah Fant still looks like he is figuring things out sometimes but that can be expected from a rookie TE, and he also shows signs of brilliance that give me a lot of hope for his future.

The offensive scheme looks really solid, and I imagine it would be even better with a slightly more athletic QB - which could speak well for Drew Lock and Rich Scangarello in the years to come.

The defense has not been great. There are a few players to praise but there are few to really panic about either. Vic Fangio defenses often struggle early on, and I have faith that in 2020 they will have things figured out.

There are still plenty of questions to be answered, however:

• Should Sanders be traded while the Broncos can get something in return?
• Is ILB, WR or OL a bigger issue to focus on in the draft?
• Should Drew Lock get a chance to show his stuff when he comes back in Week 7?

Baby Gillikin’s high-five reminded me that this is a game and that we have a team which is a few pieces away from being competitive but appears to be on the right track for the future. I’m going to enjoy the rest of the season as much as I possibly can, and though I will absolutely continue to criticize honestly and expect better things from the Denver Broncos, I’m going to take joy in the fact that - thank goodness - I am not an Oakland Raiders fan.

For all of my thoughts on the Broncos loss to the Packers and my outlook on the season going forward, check out the podcast linked above!

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