Broncos insist season isn’t lost despite depressing three-game losing skid

The Broncos’ final play of the game against the Jets Sunday was the perfect metaphor for this season - so close but yet so far.From the three-yard line White Emmanuel Sanders Jersey , Case Keenum threw an end zone pass to Courtland Sutton in a desperate attempt to score that was just short and instead landed in the hands of Marcus Maye, who returned it 104 yards.Sutton, who was not about to give up the touchdown points to his defender, chased Maye all 104 yards downfield, tackling him at the one and saving a pick-six.“I wasn’t about to let him score,” said the rookie wideout who snagged the Broncos’ first touchdown early in the game. “I did what I thought I had to do. I knew he was closing in on the end zone and had to figure out a way to get him down.”That is now John Elway, Vance Joseph and the rest of the team trying to run down a season that had promise of scoring and now is just hoping to chase one opponent down before it completely gets away.“We didn’t finish well. We didn’t finish well. We have too many long third downs, which stops drives, and once we get into the red zone, we haven’t been good,” said Vance Joseph with the understatement of the day. It’s the only thing the coach can say, of course, after losing in every phase of the game.“So again, we have to coach and play better. Case has to play better, all of us — it’s all of us,” the coach said. “We have to go back and regroup and play our best football next Sunday. That’s all we can do.”He’s not wrong. But it’s hard to believe even the players are buying their promises to play better.A dejected Von Miller knows his play is not up to standard.“I feel like it doesn’t matter what scheme you put me in, I’ll be able to be successful. These last couple of weeks, I just haven’t been able to do it,” said Miller who had a blocked pass and a tackle for a loss - but no sacks and not nearly enough pressures. “I have got to play better. I have to make plays for my teammates. I have to rush the passer better. I have to play the run better. I’m not doing anything too good right now.”Chris Harris Jr., who accounted for two of the defense’s eight blocked passes, is equally frustrated.“I’m a winner, I want to win more than anybody. I’m frustrated. But, it’s football. You have to rally the troops and get back in the win column,” he said. “We have too much talent to score only 16 points and give up 34.” Actually doing that seems to be the problem, but Harris Jr. is ready to play any scheme, any position to turn the defense around. Part of that might be reminding his fellow cornerback, Bradley Roby, how not to get torched while covering a wide receiver.“Too many big plays. We have to rally the troops and start from square one. We have to figure out who wants to be here and who wants to change this. I’m all in. I want to win,” he said. “I don’t care who we play. Whoever I have to guard, line them up, I’m ready to do my thing.”Derek Wolfe, who watched his first career interception go for naught after Keenum and the offense squandered good field position, did not hold back his frustration. Saying he is tired of “talking about the same shit the last two years,” Wolfe added that he has “already forgotten about this game” and the team won’t have trouble regrouping.“Absolutely we can,” he said, noting great energy last week and to start the game. “We will watch the film and see what we did well, see what we did badly.”Tackling, for one. But coaching for another.While Joseph said the Broncos “are not there yet” for making any defensive coaching changes, there are clearly issues from the head coaches to the coordinators that are impacting the players’ performance.“We have to coach better so they can play better, but we pay our players to play also, so it’s not just coaching Youth Brandon McManus Jersey , it’s all of us involved,” Joseph said. “So I am not going to stand up here after a loss like that and start blaming our coaches or our players. It starts with me, and we have to coach and play better. Coaches coach and players play.”Again, Joseph is not wrong. But the inability to fix the player problems falls on coaching during the week and scheming during the game. When Roby can’t keep up with his man, something should change. When Case Keenum can’t get a third-down conversion on a pass, quit throwing the ball. The disconnect is costing the Broncos, preventing them from translating success in practice to scores and stops in the game.“Todd Bowles is known for rushing the passer and doing things to confuse quarterbacks and pass protections,” Keenum said about his performance. “There were a few new things, but it’s no excuse. I’ve got to do better identifying that stuff and getting the ball out on time. I pride myself on getting the ball out on time and there’s definitely some instances where I didn’t (today).”Keenum, known for his leadership on field and in the locker room, is going to have only a handful more opportunities to prove to his team that he can handle this role.Otherwise the promises from frustrated players at the podium now will be nothing more than hollow cliches in the near future.Thomas and Sutton still see hope.“You can’t be mad. You can’t be upset because you have a chance to go back and try to fix it, said Thomas, who had a 105-yard reception, two-touchdown game that didn’t matter. “It’s frustration because of the players and the guys you have around and the coaches that you go to work with week in and week out. You know what we can do and what we haven’t been able to do yet. It’s just a little frustration. You try to go out and fix it and be better next week.”For Sutton, it’s never giving up, just like his chasing down of Maye to prevent a meaningless six points for New York but a metaphorically crucial six for Denver.“The ‘Any Given Sunday’ mentality is a real thing. I think as soon as we figure out how to get that first win, we will flip that switch and have a good rest of the season,” he said. “But ultimately, we just have to come in and get back to work and figure out how to flip that switch. We have to switch it fast before it’s too late.”If the Broncos don’t want to watch their season run away down the sideline, they’d better find that “how to play/coach better” manual real quick. These Five Things I Know Are True:#1. If Elway and Joseph had Patrick Mahomes on the roster, he’d still be on the bench behind Alex Smith/Case Keenum, because they’re too spineless to take a shot with a young and unproven signal caller.#2. If Vance Joseph and John Elway think it’s the right thing to do, odds are it’s the wrong thing to do. Bench the #3 guard in the NFL? Yeah, and our run game suffered. Keep trotting out Keenum? Yeah, and watch us keep sucking. Trade Talib? How’s that working out for you? Don’t want to pay Wade to be our DC? Our once proud defense is now a neutered puppy.#3. The fans are speaking, and the Broncos need to listen. 9,100+ no shows says something. Now do it again the next home game against Houston if VJ is still our coach and Keenum is still our QB. The fans are the customers. There is no TV revenue if the fans aren’t watching. Elway needs to be reminded of this. The fans pay their salary. If the fan base goes away, so too does football.#4. John Elway needs to do the unthinkable: He needs to mend fences with Mike Shanahan and bring him back as a head coach (not GM) but definitely have input with him. Elway needs to never meddle with the coaching and decision making again. He’s crossing into the Jerry Jones territory, and it’s a bad look. Shanahan is no “yes man” and he’s not really in a position to say “I want all GM duties as well” seeing he’s failed at that the last few time’s he’s been given it. People said Elway wouldn’t bring back Kubiak, but he did. People said Elway wouldn’t bring back Wade Phillips, but he did. People say he won’t bring Shanahan back... ball’s in your court John. Rumor has it, Mike still lives in Denver!#5. The tired people saying “If the Broncos really thought they had a player in Chad Kelly, wouldn’t they be playing him by now?” NO! Vance Joseph is incompetent and John Elway can’t evaluate QBs to save his damn life!Want to know why Kelly is the one? Look no further than because VJ and Elway aren’t playing him! The enemy of my enemy is my friend! So when the most incompetent HC in Broncos history, and the GM who thought Paxton F’ing Lynch, Brock Osweiller, and Case Keenum were the answers thinks that Kelly isn’t the truth, well, that should point to the fact that Chad Kelly is a true franchise guy. And the fans are now demanding a change. **BONUS #6** Lets curb this “Suck for the Duck” nonsense. Honest to God anyone who says that at this point has zero clue about football. You MUST find out what you have in Chad Kelly before you start tanking a season for a draft choice QB.This is Kelly’s 2nd year and he now has a chance to see what he can do. What would NFL history look like if after Drew Bledsoe went down, instead of “seeing what they have” in their “never gonna be anything late round QB” and just “sucked for David Carr”, the Patriots just trotted out their backup QB in Damon Huard? See where I’m going here? Give your damn potential star QB a freaking chance before you start “sucking for ANYBODY” in the upcoming draft. To already say such moronic things is a bad look! Don’t be the franchise who never gave Tom Brady a shot... Don’t be the franchise who never gave Chad Kelly a chance.Now onto the rankings. Remember, I’m ranking teams as they stand TODAY. Not a culmination of last year or the last decade. If they look like they are world beaters today Youth Bradley Roby Jersey , they’ll be ranked high regardless of what their record is. After-all, if we went by record alone, then Power Rankings wouldn’t exist!1. Los Angeles Rams:They are the last undefeated team in the NFL. They’re almost like Muhammad Ali; They’ll just keep beating on you and beating on you without landing the knockout blow until late in the fight. Almost a “lull you to sleep” tactic. They just do so many things right, even if it isn’t always the sexy 30 point blowout.2. Kansas City Chiefs:I predicted 42-43 Patriots victory, so this came as no surprise. I can’t knock the Chiefs down for losing on the last drive of the game in Foxboro. 30 seconds is too much time to leave Brady, much less 3 minutes. The Chiefs are for real, and honestly, they very well might be in the Super Bowl. They aren’t your dad’s Chiefs anymore.3. New England Patriots: I hesitantly expected this victory for them. I knew it would be close and high scoring. They didn’t disappoint, and Tom Brady once again proved that he’s one of the all time greats. 4. New Orleans Saints:The Saints improved on their standing via a bye week. It’s not a hard thing to do when the teams that were ahead of them (Jacksonville) laid an egg. If the offense stays nuclear hot and the defense can find its form, I can see this team in the NFC Championship game again.5. Los Angeles Chargers:The Chargers are looking really dangerous... really dangerous.6. Baltimore Ravens: Do you know what’s impressive? Shutting an NFL team out! It’s incredibly difficult to do, but they did it. For that, you’re ahead of the next few teams that all deserve this spot just as much.7. Minnesota Vikings:Should they be higher? Maybe, but I mean, the Cardinals were beating them at one point.8. Jacksonville Jaguars:Be lucky I still think you’re not as bad as the performance you just had against the Cowboys. I mean 40-7? Really?9. Philadelphia Eagles:The Eagles need consistency. I think by now we can all agree this team isn’t anywhere near the team they were last year, but they are still dangerous. They just don’t look like a hungry team anymore, and the more I see them, the more I am reminded of when they won the Super Bowl how they said (paraphrasing) “I’d rather win 1 super bowl than 5 like the Patriots because we had fun winning this one.” Meaning they don’t want to put in the hard work to win, and right now, it shows.10. Green Bay Packers: So Rodgers says his knee had a setback, yet he wasn’t on the injury report. Interesting. Letting the Niners take them to the edge is worrisome, especially at home. 11. Pittsburgh Steelers:This team can still be dangerous, but I still just don’t fully trust them yet. Illegal pick play to end the game that wasn’t called or not, they can still be dangerous!12. Cincinnati Bengals:Are we finished calling me out yet Bengal fans? You had your chance, and you blew it.13. Atlanta Falcons:FINALLY a victory! This team is loaded with talent but struggles to put it all together on the field at the same time for a full 60 minutes. Its time to build on this victory.14. Carolina Panthers:15. Seattle Seahawks:This is what the Broncos v Jets game should have looked like. You stomp your opponent when they’re down, you don’t roll over and get your asses handed to you.16. Miami Dolphins:Don’t get use the Brocktober magic Miami. He’s usually good for a game, maybe a game and a half before he reminds you of who he is. 17. Cleveland Browns:Once Baker Mayfield slipped on that first down marker, he was gimpy and never the same. I’m not saying they’d have beaten the Chargers had he not gotten hurt, but you never know. 18. Washington Redskins:I’m not all that impressed, but a win is a win is a win. 19. Dallas Cowboys:Was this the team and Jason Garrett responding and changing their course? Or was this a blip on the radar and they now go back to Suckville?20. Chicago Bears:This team isn’t built to play timid, so why were they coached to do so? Was this like those old Folgers commercials? “We secretly switched their normal coffee with Folgers” but this was changing their coaching staff with the Broncos coaching staff?21. Detroit Lions:Fresh off the Bye... lets see how they do. 22. Tennessee Titans:Seriously, no points? Be lucky you’re not 32 for that pathetic ass performance.23. Houston Texans:It wasn’t pretty, but they’ve won three in a row. The division is up for grabs, and they’re trending the right direction.24. New York Jets:From 1-3 to 3-3. Your welcome Jets fans for sparking their success.25. Indianapolis Colts:Looks like it’s the Pre-Manning Colts all over again. Andrew Luck is no Peyton Manning. Where is Irsay with his 1 championship ring to knock on the table and say 1 of those isn’t good enough for the star wars numbers? haha26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: You guys played some good ball on offense, but that defense...27. Buffalo Bills:This game was a bust from the word “pregame warmups” I mean “go” am I right Kelvin Benhamin? 28. New York Giants:I’m not gonna knock their drafting of Barkley, because that dude is a stud. But I am beginning to think they’ll keep playing Eli just to see if they can secure that #1 draft pick next year. They’re trying for that Aikman/Smith QB/RB combo in back to back years... just with the RB first. So like the Rams with Gurley/Goff I suppose.29. San Francisco 49ers:Good fight they showed against the Packers, that alone keeps them off the bottom of these rankings.30. Arizona Cardinals:They won in their defeat. Not really, but if Sunday was any indication, the Broncos are likely to lose to this team, which is why they’re ranked higher than Denver 31. Denver Broncos:So who gets canned first? Vance Joseph or Joe Woods when theywake up Friday after 5 straight losses? And will they use the “semi-bye” week to get Chad Kelly ready to go toe-to-toe with Patrick Mahomes?32. Oakland Raiders:I mean, at least the Broncos aren’t the Raiders.