CINCINNATI — The fans were screaming “M-V-P!” Then they were yelling “O-M-G!”
The game was over. Then it wasn’t. It went off the rails. Then it went off the left upright. My word, it was unbelievable. The only thing that made any sense in context with the past eight years was the final result in overtime.
The Broncos remain wanting, yearning, stewing. They have pedaled the equivalent of the Tour de France the past two weeks on a stationary bike. They are stuck in place, every goal in sight, but agonizingly out of reach.
The Broncos still need one victory to reach the postseason for the first time since 2015.
They get their third shot next weekend at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. Normally, this is when the credits would roll, and we’d congratulate the Broncos on a surprising season, pat them on the head and hope for the best for next year. The Chiefs, in case you are unfamiliar, have beaten the Broncos 17 times in their last 18 meetings.
However, this matchup comes with a qualifier. The two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs have already secured the AFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs. All indications are that coach Andy Reid will rest his starters, meaning future Hall of Fame quarterback Patrick Mahomes will be replaced by Carson Wentz.
That is like an action movie going with Fred Flintstone as the leading man instead of The Rock.
So, yes, even as you grind your teeth, the Broncos have a good chance to finish this drill that began in April with weightlifting and workouts.
But reaching 10 wins has become a root canal. Denver held a 21-13 halftime lead over the Chargers last Thursday, and the offense vanished. The Broncos staged a breathtaking rally to send Saturday’s game into overtime — receiver Marvin Mims Jr. jumped over cornerback Mike Hilton for a 25-yard touchdown reception with eight seconds remaining — and failed to post a single first down on two drives in the extra period.
There is no need to call Will Hunting to solve the graph theory on the chalkboard. The math is easy. Win and the Broncos are in.
“Nothing has changed. We have to get to 10,” said coach Sean Payton, his voice hoarse. “You go out and compete. There is pressure every week. This is what we do it for, meaningful games. I think it’s important that you embrace it. It is something we will be excited about.”
In time, they will be. The next step is overcoming their nausea. If the Broncos fail to advance to the playoffs, the “Who Dey!” Bengals chant of 65,000 fans will ring in their ears for months. They had so many chances to change the outcome with a two-point conversion at the end of regulation, a scoring drive in overtime or even a first down. The latter represented the weird calculus involved. The Broncos would have qualified for the postseason with a tie, meaning they had a chance to run out the clock when they took over possession with 2:33 remaining in overtime.
“If the tie element didn’t sit in there, I would have probably been more comfortable (going for two at the end of the fourth quarter),” Payton admitted.
Sometimes, many times this season, you wonder how the Broncos landed in this position. Oddsmakers picked them to win five games. They are so much better than that, showing they can finally beat bad teams without Peyton Manning.
But, every now and then, like Saturday night, you wonder if the reframed expectations don’t fit. If we were not wrong about this team. If the Broncos are still in transition with their roster rebuild, still a year away, needing more offensive playmakers and fewer silly defensive penalties.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix remains the reason for hope and has been really good this season. But it’s not easy to pull off an upset on the road against Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow, the man responsible for the M-V-P chants, without a first-half touchdown, with an overtime interception and with a missed third-down connection with Troy Franklin on the final drive.
After the game, Nix stood at the 40-yard line for several minutes, waiting to congratulate Burrow and receiver Tee Higgins, who walked off the Broncos with a 3-yard touchdown. It was professional and showed sportsmanship, but Nix really wanted that to be him in front of the TV cameras. Now, there is no elasticity left, only a chance to etch his name in history.
Beat the Chiefs, something only one quarterback (Russell Wilson) has done since Manning retired following the Super Bowl 50 victory, and become the first rookie to lead Denver to the playoffs since John Elway in 1983.
“It doesn’t feel very good (to lose). You know it’s there. The only thing that comes out of games like this is you see us battle and compete really hard. It creates a good team. You won’t always be flat on your face. Eventually you keep competing and pull these games out,” said Nix, who threw for three touchdowns. “It’s been like this two weeks. We have to put everything into it and go win the game.”
Left unsaid as the Broncos filed out of the locker room was a simple truth: They don’t deserve to be in the playoffs if they cannot beat Wentz.
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