With 4:16 left in Super Bowl 50, the Carolina Panthers faced 3rd and 9 on their own 25 yard line, down by six. Quarterback Cam Newton stood in the shotgun and looked across the line at the fierce Denver Broncos pass rush. Newton had been sacked five times so far, and on this crucial third down, he saw seven white jerseys inching anxiously towards the line of scrimmage. He snapped the ball, taking two quick steps back as he surveyed the field. None of his receivers were coming open, but unknown to Newton, linebacker Von Miller was. Tight end Ed Dickson began to lose safety T.J. Ward down the field, but as Newton went to throw him the ball, Miller slapped his arm, knocking the ball loose. The Denver Broncos would recover the ball at the four yard line, and eventually ice the game, winning the Lombardi Trophy.
This was a glorious moment for everyone who roots for the Broncos. It had been 17 years since the last time they had been successful in the big game, despite coming so close so many times. In 2013, they had the best offensive numbers of all time, but that didn’t save them from being clobbered by the Seattle Seahawks 43-8. They lost a heartbreaker to the Baltimore Ravens the year before on a fluke Hail Mary, and when they suffered an ugly blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts in 2014, it looked like the Broncos were done for. To finally get the championship, and against a red hot team like the Panthers, must have been second to only their wedding day.
Of course, if winning the Super Bowl is like getting married, then the honeymoon was very short and very unsatisfying. It started with Peyton Manning announcing his retirement. While Manning’s play had been downright terrible at points in 2015, it was still hard to see him go for Denver faithful. If that stung, then it must have burned when his assumed successor, Brock Osweiler, opted to leave Denver, signing a 72 million dollar contract with the Houston Texans instead. Free agency didn’t get any prettier for the Broncos. Defensive starters Malik Jackson and Danny Trevathan both signed monster contracts in free agency, and the only quarterback they’ve been able to acquire to fill Manning’s shoes is journeyman Mark Sanchez.
Despite how rough free was for the Broncos, it still wasn’t the biggest road block that has come up between the Denver Broncos and Super Bowl 51. In fact, the biggest obstacles that have been thrown in front of the Denver Broncos have nothing to do with the Broncos themselves. The sad fact is that while the Denver Broncos have lost some pieces, the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders have not. In fact, with the exception of the San Diego Chargers, the AFC West has gotten better.
The Kansas City Chiefs have kept the team’s core together, and despite Justin Houston’s injury and a couple of losses in free agency, they should only improve in 2016. Quarterback Alex Smith had one of the best years of his career in 2015, and he did so without the services of runningback, Jamaal Charles. The Chiefs play lights out defense and don’t make mistakes on offense, and while that’s something the Broncos could do last season, turnover machine Mark Sanchez likely won’t be able to duplicate that.
Meanwhile the Raiders managed to go crazy in free agency without recklessly spending, signing elite free agents to fill their greatest needs. The Raiders were a talented, young team last season, and without really losing any key players, have added the likes of Sean Smith, Kelechi Osemele, Bruce Irvin, and Reggie Nelson to fill holes. The last time that the Raiders and Broncos played, all-pro defensive end/linebacker Khalil Mack sacked Brock Osweiler five times and the Silver and Black stole a win in Denver.
Beyond the AFC West, the Broncos schedule does not look easy. The first game of the season is a Super Bowl 50 rematch with a Panthers team that hasn’t lost much on either side of the ball and should be hungry for revenge. After that, they face Andrew Luck and the Colts, who have beaten the Broncos the last two times they’ve played, including a 27-24 win in Indianapolis last year, which was Denver’s first defeat of the season. The scariest game on their schedule is a late game in December, where they host the New England Patriots. They managed to sweep a beat up Patriots squad in 2015, but Bill Belichick’s squad has been busy this off-season, and look to be better than ever. When it’s all said and done, the Broncos will have six games against teams that made the playoffs last season, and nine games against teams they played last season.
The Broncos defense, though not as powerful as it was last year, should still keep Denver in a lot of these games. But ultimately, it may not be good enough to carry an impotent offense like it did last season. The AFC West may be the most competitive division in the league and with a very tough schedule and no real answer at quarterback, a playoff run seems unlikely, let alone a Super Bowl repeat.
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