With their 27-17 humbling at the hands of the Redskins, the Broncos will enter their next game not having won in a month. That's what three straight losses and a bye will do for a team.
Suddenly, the best start in the NFL is looking like its worst collapse.
The Broncos now have a daunting road ahead of them, and they face the prospect of doing it without their starting quarterback. Kyle Orton's ankle sprain is disturbing for multiple reasons: One, his in-pocket mobility is greatly reduced. Two, the left foot on a right handed quarterback is the plant foot. If Orton's feeling pain in that ankle, the torque created from chucking a football won't feel nice. Three, Chris Simms just doesn't have the reps to come in and be effective, despite what some others think (and put in print this past week).
Broncos fans, right here and now is when the team will either rally together, or come unraveled.
Once the league's best second-half defense, the Broncos are now getting hammered into submission after intermission. As the players said last week, it's not a matter of conditioning. If it isn't, then they're either getting outcoached, or physically dominated. Neither is an overly joyous prospect.
The worst part about all of this: the Redskins were supposed to be the cushion that broke the Broncos fall. Instead, the team is still plummeting, heading into a monstrous matchup against the Chargers, followed by an incredibly short week and a Thanksgiving night game against the Giants. The Broncos then play at Kansas City to open December (Broncomaniacs, you know no matter how bad the Chiefs are, "Arrowhead in December" is a headache inducing phrase), then travel to Indianapolis.
Uh oh.
Granted, a win Sunday cures all ills. However, the question is: Can it cure an ankle?
Suddenly, the best start in the NFL is looking like its worst collapse.
The Broncos now have a daunting road ahead of them, and they face the prospect of doing it without their starting quarterback. Kyle Orton's ankle sprain is disturbing for multiple reasons: One, his in-pocket mobility is greatly reduced. Two, the left foot on a right handed quarterback is the plant foot. If Orton's feeling pain in that ankle, the torque created from chucking a football won't feel nice. Three, Chris Simms just doesn't have the reps to come in and be effective, despite what some others think (and put in print this past week).
Broncos fans, right here and now is when the team will either rally together, or come unraveled.
Once the league's best second-half defense, the Broncos are now getting hammered into submission after intermission. As the players said last week, it's not a matter of conditioning. If it isn't, then they're either getting outcoached, or physically dominated. Neither is an overly joyous prospect.
The worst part about all of this: the Redskins were supposed to be the cushion that broke the Broncos fall. Instead, the team is still plummeting, heading into a monstrous matchup against the Chargers, followed by an incredibly short week and a Thanksgiving night game against the Giants. The Broncos then play at Kansas City to open December (Broncomaniacs, you know no matter how bad the Chiefs are, "Arrowhead in December" is a headache inducing phrase), then travel to Indianapolis.
Uh oh.
Granted, a win Sunday cures all ills. However, the question is: Can it cure an ankle?
