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Magnificent Seven
12-02-2008, 03:09 AM
Denver can clinch the AFC West Division title with EITHER:

* a win and a San Diego loss or tie OR
* a tie and a San Diego loss

Magnificent Seven
12-02-2008, 03:09 AM
Broncos bucking the odds

Say what you want about the Broncos' defense, but coach Mike Shanahan deserves a lot of credit for essentially clinching the AFC West. Sunday's victory over the Jets may not have been pretty, but the Broncos now have a three-game lead in the division and can clinch a playoff spot in the next two weeks.

Of course, the Broncos have issues, especially on defense. Cornerback Champ Bailey, safety Marlon McCree and linebackers D.J. Williams and Nate Webster were inactive Sunday. Shanahan was using undrafted rookies and guys off the street at linebacker and safety. Yet the Broncos beat Brett Favre on the road.

It helped that Favre had an off day. He completed 23 of 43 passes for 247 yards, but was only 4-of-11 for 59 yards on throws of more than 10 yards. On third down, Favre was 3-for-9 for 36 yards. Before the season, Shanahan kept telling people the Broncos would make playoffs. Experts looked at their bad defense and said, "No way." Well, Shanahan was right, even though teams are completing 68.1 percent of their passes against Denver. Here's the bad news: They will probably host the Colts in the first round.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/notebook?page=lastcall08/week13

Magnificent Seven
12-02-2008, 03:12 AM
Denver can clinch the AFC West Division title with EITHER:

* a win and a San Diego loss or tie OR
* a tie and a San Diego loss

I guess we would have to root for the Raiders on this Thursday night. Raiders vs. Chargers game in San Diego on this Thursday night. Agree or disagree?

Lonestar
12-02-2008, 03:13 AM
Broncos bucking the odds

Say what you want about the Broncos' defense, but coach Mike Shanahan deserves a lot of credit for essentially clinching the AFC West. Sunday's victory over the Jets may not have been pretty, but the Broncos now have a three-game lead in the division and can clinch a playoff spot in the next two weeks.

Of course, the Broncos have issues, especially on defense. Cornerback Champ Bailey, safety Marlon McCree and linebackers D.J. Williams and Nate Webster were inactive Sunday. Shanahan was using undrafted rookies and guys off the street at linebacker and safety. Yet the Broncos beat Brett Favre on the road.

It helped that Favre had an off day. He completed 23 of 43 passes for 247 yards, but was only 4-of-11 for 59 yards on throws of more than 10 yards. On third down, Favre was 3-for-9 for 36 yards. Before the season, Shanahan kept telling people the Broncos would make playoffs. Experts looked at their bad defense and said, "No way." Well, Shanahan was right, even though teams are completing 68.1 percent of their passes against Denver. Here's the bad news: They will probably host the Colts in the first round.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/notebook?page=lastcall08/week13



Unless we can come up with a lot better pass Rush then we are in for a really long day with Payton completing every underneath pass he throws. Like he has everytime we have played him since forever..

Magnificent Seven
12-02-2008, 03:15 AM
Unless we can come up with a lot better pass Rush then we are in for a really long day with Payton completing every underneath pass he throws. Like he has everytime we have played him since forever..

Who is Payton? You mean Peyton Manning?

Italianmobstr7
12-02-2008, 04:44 AM
Maybe he means Walter Payton.... Either way, no need to be a spelling nazi. I don't care who we play in the playoffs. I'll be glad we're there. No matter who we play no one will give us a chance, probably not even most of our own fans. It doesn't matter though. This team has proven time and again that every time the fans or analysts get down on them, they can pull out a win against a team that it seems they should have no business beating. I have confidence that Denver can beat ANY team in the NFL. Any given Sunday still holds true. I've said before, I'm not predicting a Broncos Super Bowl, but if we get into the playoffs, we have a 1 and 6 shot. Anything can happen. All it takes is a team getting on a roll at the right time. Hopefully we can clinch the division in the next week or 2. Then we can rest some players for the playoffs and maybe be a little healthier than we have been.

LordTrychon
12-02-2008, 04:51 AM
Holding true to form, both SD and Den will tie this weekend proving that nobody REALLY wants to win the West.

broncofaninfla
12-02-2008, 08:44 AM
I'll be pulling for a 0-0 tie Thursday night, LOL!

Shazam!
12-02-2008, 09:45 AM
Maybe he means Walter Payton.... Either way, no need to be a spelling nazi. I don't care who we play in the playoffs. I'll be glad we're there. No matter who we play no one will give us a chance, probably not even most of our own fans. It doesn't matter though. This team has proven time and again that every time the fans or analysts get down on them, they can pull out a win against a team that it seems they should have no business beating. I have confidence that Denver can beat ANY team in the NFL. Any given Sunday still holds true. I've said before, I'm not predicting a Broncos Super Bowl, but if we get into the playoffs, we have a 1 and 6 shot. Anything can happen. All it takes is a team getting on a roll at the right time. Hopefully we can clinch the division in the next week or 2. Then we can rest some players for the playoffs and maybe be a little healthier than we have been.


Agreed.

The only team I really wouldn't want to see Denver play in the Playoffs is Pitt and Baltimore. I can see their defenses giving Cutler and co. major headaches.

A revenge game vs. the Pats would be motivating, and Denver can go against Indy and match them score for score IMO.

BroncoWave
12-02-2008, 11:18 AM
The Colts offense could only muster 3 points against the BROWNS this week! (The other 7 were a defensive TD) While it is always scary to see them in the playoffs, I think I'll take my chances with them!

sacmar
12-02-2008, 11:41 AM
This will be the second time ever that i will root for the raiduuuusss i might even let my kids dress back up in their halloween costumes and cheer a bit to fit in with those retarded loons to give them a little extra good luck. Even with the raiders beating us this year it's just not that much fun to poke fun at them anymore they are just that bad but san diego now that's a team that i would like nothing better than to see after turner came through last week and made L.T. look like a straight punk is to have them loose on thurs and have to watch coast into the playoffs reguardless of that last game or not.

CrazyHorse
12-02-2008, 12:44 PM
I would love to play the Titans in the playoffs. The Jets too.

Lonestar
12-02-2008, 12:55 PM
Who is Payton? You mean Peyton Manning?

PAY TON as in he gets paid a ton..

Lonestar
12-02-2008, 12:59 PM
By Arnie Stapleton, AP Sports Writer
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) ―

To quote Jim Mora, "Playoffs?!"

Yes, playoffs.

The Denver Broncos lead the league in injuries and inexperience, and this ragtag bunch of backups, rookies and castoffs could be among the first in the NFL to clinch a spot in the postseason this weekend.

If San Diego loses to Oakland on Thursday night and Denver beats Kansas City on Sunday, the banged-up Broncos, who have a dozen players on injured reserve and haven't had defensive leaders Champ Bailey, D.J. Williams and Nate Webster for a month, are in the playoffs for the first time in three years.

And it's distinct possibility despite starting a different tailback in each of their last five games and a different free safety four of the last five weeks. And in spite of an injury epidemic that reached new depths Sunday at the Meadowlands, when at one point during their 34-17 rout of the New York Jets the entire linebacking corps and secondary consisted of backups.

San Diego has been beset by the injury bug, too. Yet, the Broncos (7-5) aren't counting out the collapsing Chargers (4-8) just yet.

"It's far from over," coach Mike Shanahan insisted Monday. "We've seen teams bounce back very quickly. The thing that we're going to do is hopefully concentrate on the job at hand. We've got Kansas City in our backyard" on Sunday.

"We've got to worry about our business. We know what San Diego's capable of doing. We've seen them play some excellent games," Shanahan said. "To assume something like that to me is a big mistake, for our football team, as well as the rest of the NFL."

Another big mistake would be to assume the Broncos will handle the underdog Chiefs (2-10), who thrashed them 33-19 in Week 4, sending Denver on a roller-coaster of a season.

In this wild and wacky NFL season, the Broncos have been the biggest enigma of them all.

At one point, the oddsmakers in Las Vegas got it wrong six straight weeks regarding the baffling Broncos, who, starting with their loss at Kansas City on Sept. 28, have beaten four teams with a combined 29-19 record and lost to five with a combined 23-36 record.

One week before handling the Jets so easily on the road, they were thumped by the Raiders at home.

"I think sometimes a young team, I hate to say it, but you play according to your opponent," defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban said. "Sometimes it's as if when everyone is saying we can't win, we get that extra motivation to prove people wrong. But the teams that we're supposed to beat, sometimes we have a letdown, and our coach always says the biggest opponent is ourselves."

Bailey's five-game absence with a torn groin is the longest stretch he's been sidelined in his career, but the Broncos won three of those games thanks to rookies, undrafted free agents and other teams' discards, including defensive backs Josh Bell, Calvin Lowry and veteran Vernon Fox.

Bailey is pleased the Broncos stayed afloat, but he's eager to end his hiatus.

"I definitely want to be out there when we clinch this division. So, I'll be out there this week one way or another," Bailey said.

Williams and Webster also are on the mend, and that's going to leave the Broncos figuring out how to juggle minutes for rookies Wesley Woodyard and Spencer Larsen, who have played well in their place.

"You want those problems," said Shanahan, who has had plenty of practice plugging in backups and welcomes the notion of sending some starters back onto the field for a change.

The Broncos have already had to place 12 players, including five starters, on injured reserve and backup defensive tackle Josh Shaw is expected to join them after dislocating his left elbow Sunday.

The Broncos lost Larsen (hip), Ekuban (shoulder) and cornerback Dre' Bly (shin) on consecutive plays in the third quarter.

Jets fans figured they were just exaggerating their ailments to slow down Brett Favre's no-huddle offense, and Bly, who returned to the game along with Ekuban, acknowledged a bit of gamesmanship.

"You know Brett, him being a savvy vet, when he sees somebody down, he likes to do a no-huddle, catch a defense off balance. I knew that, so I just laid on the ground and let the pain go away," Bly said. "But that's one thing you have to do: You have injuries, anything that's bothering you, stay on the ground, don't try to be Superman and rush back up because it can hurt your defense."

The Broncos certainly didn't relish sending in more backups, but on the other hand, they're quite used to it by now.

http://cbs4denver.com/broncos/broncos.playoffs.spot.2.877665.html