Monday, November 21, 2005
NFL: Jets at Broncos
I was tempted to start this post out with a joke equating the Jets’ on field woes to the infamous French military prowess, but decided it wouldn’t be fair. After all, at least the Jets have an excuse to be in a surrendering mood: they’re running out of bodies to send out into the field. Consider this: I’m fairly sure that the Jets have gone through five quarterbacks so far this season. They went through three of them yesterday.
The Jets are the ultimate bad luck team. The injuries have made this a sort of lost season for them, but, sadly, they can’t just call off the rest of the games. They actually have to show up every week and go through the motions of losing. That has to be awfully damned demoralizing.
I don’t mean this as a knock against the team. I’ve always liked Herm and the Jets and I thought at the beginning of the year that they had a chance at a playoff spot. But when you have the quarterback problems that they’ve had combined with numerous, and serious, injuries to the rest of the team, it’s hard to find a way to win. A road win against a surging Broncos team would have soothed their seriously bruised dignity.
Didn’t happen.
The Broncos took the game 27-0 even though the offense seemed to go to sleep somewhere in the second quarter and only roused themselves late in the third--a typical Broncos mid-game slumber that usually allows opposing teams the sense that they are somehow getting back into the game. The Jets, though, couldn’t even get the ball past the Broncos’ twenty yard line and only ran ten offensive plays on the Broncos side of the field during the entire game. Five turnovers (compared to just one for the Broncos) and four sacks made it tough for the Jets to find a rhythm--and so did the mid-game change from Brooks Bollinger who left the game with a head injury, to Testaverde, who threw multiple interceptions, fumbled the ball, and then left the game late with an ankle injury.
The Jets only managed a paltry 22 yards of running yards and 173 yards passing while the Broncos piled up 196 yards rushing and 208 yards in the air.
Ouch.
What does it mean that when the Broncos, playing at home, beat a vastly inferior team? Not much in the sense that they should have won this game. On the other hand, championship teams win the games that they’re supposed to win and pick up a few surprises along the way. The Broncos are right where I expected them to be at eight wins. Only I expected them to take the entire season to get there and they made it with six games to go.
They’ve won all six home games and split their road games and they’ve managed to maintain their lead over the rest of the AFC West--a tenacious group of football teams that, with the exception of the Raiders, refuses to fall back far enough to let the Broncos get a breather. It’s tough luck for the Broncos, then, that they are about to hit the toughest part of their schedule with four of the final six on the road and three of the final six against AFC West opponents.
It wasn’t a meaningless game in that the Broncos needed to win it in order to come a step closer to having a playoff game in Denver this year. But the Jets were never in this one and never really tested the Broncos.
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Comments & Trackbacks
The test coming up this thursday should be a good one. The Cowboys are so streaky and unpredictable this year. Who knows whether they’ll show up for this one or not?
I expect the Cowboys to be tough--in fact, I expect them to win. The Cowboys have had a few bad games, but at the end of last season I was telling everyone who would listen that Dallas was a real team again. I feel vindicated. Thanksgiving in Dallas is going to be tough.
Parcells has done a heck of a job.
Oh, yeah, although I expect Dallas to come out on top, I do think that the Broncos will make it a game and that my boys even have a chance at winning. It’s just that they’ll need to play one of their best games of the year and not have their typical third quarter let-down.
It all depends on which Drew Bledsoe shows up. And, of course, which Jake Plummer.
I know what you mean. I like Plummer--even through his bad years, he’s fun to watch and has moments of football brilliance--but eight games into the interception-less streak and I can’t help but wonder when last year’s Plummer is going to show up and make an ugly left-handed toss out of his own endzone.
Not entirely fair, but still…
Personally, I’m looking down the schedule for the other two teams in the division. Well, there’s only two that matter these days. (Odds of the final win/loss total in parentheses)
KC has a schedule that, on any other year, would seem to be a tough row to hoe. This year, it seems almost average for the AFC West. Four home games, two in the division plus Cinci and the Pats. The two division games are absolutely must-win for the denizens of Arrowhead, period, ad infinitum, ad astra, forever, omayn. Which, of course, doesn’t mean they WILL win them as the Broncs and Bolts are still dangerous on the road, even in the darkest shadow of Arrowhead… Might as well call it Mordor for visiting teams. The game against the Pats… Well, I’m highly doubting that the Chiefs can take the Patriots, even on their home turf. And the Bengals have a while to cool down from that moral drubbing the Colts just handed them, but they’ll still be tough. And the away games are evenly split between gimmes and tough. The Giants won’t put up much of a fight, even at home; they just aren’t at the same caliber as the Chiefs this year. And then those ever-mercurial ‘Boys? Well, it all depends on which team decides to show up, doesn’t it. I’m under the impression that the ‘Boys will hit the post-season on a high note, even as they’re hanging up the pads for the playoffs. Odds: 8-8 (3-2), 9-5 (10-1)
San Diego doesn’t have it much easier, even though it seems like a 3-3 split in any given scenario. At the ‘Skins then hosting the Raiders and Dolphins come about as close to gimme-games as they come, yet there’s a long and grueling slide towards the possible post-season appearance, and therefore a good time for Antonio Gates to get back to healthy. At Indy is never a good thing to see on the Bolt’s schedule, particularly for a Chargers fan, but that’s a punishment we’ve been getting used to for the last three years. At KC is, again, one of the most difficult games for anyone in the AFC West, regardless of how good of a team comes to the dance. And then the absolute must-win for the Chargers: Denver Claus is coming to town a bit late, bringing a smack-down to all the good Baby Blue Boys for the final regular season game. Odds: 8-8 (15-1), 9-5 (2-1), 10-6 (15-1)
And Denver? Well, it’s a good thing they had the easy part of their schedule already. They’re going to need that two-win cushion. Dallas is always a threat on Thanksgiving, regardless of whether they have Bill Parcells or Bobo The Clown. Already covered KC, Baltimore is almost a joke this year (although they did beat the Steelers yesterday...) and Oakland is going to be wanting vengeance for that drubbing they took last week (ain’t gonna get it, but an even bigger drubbing). In there somewhere are the Bills at Buffalo. Rarely is this the definition of a gimme. And again, they’re ending the season on the sunny beaches of San Diego. Well, the regular season, at least. Regardless, if the schedule falls the way I’m looking at it, the Broncos will have the division wrapped up before Week 17, leaving Denver to play for home-field advantage (and possibly a first-round bye) for the playoffs. Yet the Chargers will be playing for their post-season lives, as 8-8 just won’t make the cut this year. And one thing that’s been proven, time and time again, is that you can’t count the Chargers season as over until the fat lady sings. Odds: 10-5 (5-1), 11-5 (3-1), 12-4 (25-1)
Finally, is there ANYONE that can beat Indy? Will there never be that party at Shula’s Steakhouse this year? Tune in next week, same bat-time, same bat-channel!
Damn, I hate typos! The 5 in 10-5 up there should’ve been a 6. That’s what I get for not drinking enough coffee!
The tough part about Indy is that I think the Broncos can take them at Invesco, but I have to really wonder if they can do the job away. And the road to the Super Bowl will be going through Indy.
Nice roundup, though. Although I have one significant quibble: you don’t think the Giants can beat KC? The Giants aren’t a great team, I’ll admit, but they play well at home and KC hasn’t proven themselves to be the toughest team this year. I’m not saying that the Giants will win, but I am saying that I wouldn’t put my money on KC.
I really don’t. It’ll be a close game, and a good game, but the Chiefs will come out on top. Don’t ask for a line, ‘cause I don’t have one this side of 6-5 and pick ‘em.