Broncos top seed but not best team
Give the Denver Broncos credit. Despite having an awful offensive line and a mediocre rushing attack for much of the season, Denver is 12-4 and the top seed in the AFC playoff picture.
In short, the road to Santa Clara will go through the Mile High City, something that is never easy for an opponent whether it is because of the altitude or the crowd noise. However, most people are looking past the Broncos as legitimate title contenders for one reason, and a fairly new one at that; they have no quarterback.
The AFC has some very good teams in the playoffs. With the exception of the Houston Texans, you could make a real case for any of the other teams to end up in the Super Bowl. The resume of the New England Patriots speaks for itself, the Cincinnati Bengals might have the most talented roster of any of the squads, and both the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers are excellent wild card teams that could go all the way.
In Denver, the defense has been nothing short of tremendous throughout the year. In fact, the defense is the only reason that this team is even in the playoffs, let alone enjoying home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
Yet, the offense has been awful. In Week 17 against the San Diego Chargers, the Broncos turned the ball over five times, leading to the benching of Brock Osweiler in favor of 40-year-old Peyton Manning in the third quarter. Manning came in and looked just like the guy who led the league in interceptions through the first 10 weeks of the season. He made some nice throws, and he put up some ugly ducks.
Overall, Manning finished 5-of-9 for 69 yards without a touchdown or interception. Manning hit some short targets, and he missed some open deep ones. It is hard to say that Manning looked good or bad. He really just looked like a backup quarterback coming in for an ineffective starter.
In the postseason, a team must have somebody who can get the job done at the quarterback position. Manning and Osweiler look absolutely incapable of playing a full 60 minutes without devastating their team’s chances. Against a defense like Kansas City’s, the Broncos would struggle to score 17 points. As good as their defense is, that probably results in them going home for the duration.
While Denver should be happy about its seeding, it should also realize that a Super Bowl run is probably a pipe dream unless Manning finds the fountain of youth. At this juncture, head coach Gary Kubiak is going to start Manning for better or worse, hoping that he can find the way to the promise land.
