Do the Broncos have the NFL right where they want them?
Nov 17, 2017, 12:00 AM | Updated: 9:18 am
Since following up a Week 5 bye with a home loss to the 1-8 New York Giants, it hasn’t exactly been a peachy month and a half for the Denver Broncos.
After giving New York it’s only win of the season, Denver proceeded to drop four more in a row, including a 41-16 thumping at home last weekend at the hands of the New England Patriots.
But having run the gauntlet of what’s likely to be the most difficult part of its 2017 schedule, could Sunday’s home matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals be a turning point for the Broncos season?
“DMac, are you saying the Broncos got them right where they want them? They’ve got the league right where they want them, right? They’re playing coy,” said Mike Pritchard as “The Drive” co-host made his “glass half full” pitch on Thursday.
“The rest of the schedule could not fit better,” DMac said, arguing that after the Bengals game Denver plays a slew of sub-.500 teams, which could be “the tipping point” for a playoff run that could hinge on the season finale against Kansas City Chiefs.
“Boy, are you going to be down on the team that’s just won five games, six games in a row? What are we, 3-6, right? So, we’ve got seven games left,” DMac said.
“Seriously. If we win six games in a row, are you going to be counting them out against the Chiefs?”
Earlier on Thursday, Sandy Clough called the stretch a “test for Vance Joseph,” that the next handful of games could determine the coach’s and the franchise’s future.
“The Broncos will be favored in four of those five games. They will be favored on Sunday,” Clough said. “They are favored against Cincinnati here. They will be favored at Miami in early December. They will be favored here against the Jets on Dec. 10. And they will be favored the following Thursday night in Indianapolis against the Colts.
“If they continue to lose, if they lose four of these next five or all five of these games, then, against that kind of opposition, you would really begin to wonder.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
