By Nick Gustafson
The Broncos looked about as good as they possibly could in their loss to the Colts this past weekend. The Colts jumped out to an early lead that the Broncos would never overcome, but they did not give up. The Defense rallied and after allowing 3 quick scores kept Peyton Manning and the Colts in check for the majority of the game. Games like this in years past often went from bad to worse, ending in a blowout with the team quitting and giving up 40 points or more. This year’s Broncos fought it out tooth and nail and gave themselves a chance to win the game right up until the very end.
14 weeks into the season and it is becoming more and more clear just who this Bronco’s team is. They’re a group of hard working, motivated, and intelligent players with a common goal, that are still unfortunately a work in progress. The Defense seems to be coming along at a quicker pace than the offense which is traditionally the case, but that isn’t their only problem. Each week the Broncos seem to continually commit critical errors at very inopportune times which result in stalled drives or turnovers. The potential of the team is very apparent, but potential doesn’t win football games. Execution wins football games and the Broncos are too often not executing.
The Broncos will need to win at least 2 of their last 3 remaining games to stay in the tight playoff race in the AFC. They have one of the more favorable schedules to finish out the season and still mathematically have an opportunity to win their division. San Diego has 3 relatively tough games remaining on their schedule, but they are playing outstanding football right now and it’s tough to imagine them losing all of their remaining games a la the 2008 Broncos. The Broncos have shown that they can compete with any team in the NFL and it appears that their best football is still to come. If they can continue to improve and eliminate some of the mental mistakes that have been plaguing them all year they could be a very competitive team in the playoffs this year.
January 11th, 2010 at 1:46 pm
Hey Nick, Good job on your writing. Are you working on any other things i.e. fiction, poetry? My little brother was a closet writer and wrote a bunch of poetry and had started a novel but no one ever knew about it until we found his work after his death. Glad you are using your talent while your still kickin.
Your mom had written us and we do not have Hanna’s adress as yet and I had my back surgery (three levels) last tuesday and was holed up at Grandma’s until Sat. morning when I took the train home…..much smoother ride than I70 just twice as long. Got to sleep much of the way. God bless and keep up the good work
Gene