DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver Broncos are in a very odd predicament — the team is three games into the season and has not been behind for even one second in the fourth quarter of any of those games.
In theory, if the Broncos have never trailed in the fourth quarter, the team should be at a 3-0 record and celebrating a perfect start to the season — but that’s not the case.
Despite technically never surrendering a lead in the allotted time for the fourth quarter of every game, the Broncos find themselves at 1-2, so how does that work? The answer — six points scored when there isn’t any time left on the clock.
In the last two games, the Broncos had a lead as the clock struck zero, but with the ball in flight, booted by the opposing team’s kicker and heading straight for the uprights, the Broncos saw back-to-back three-point losses.
The Broncos reside near the Rocky Mountains, but lack the ice in their veins.
Dynasties and winning teams are built on crazy game-saving plays, whether it be a 60-yard Hail Mary, a two-minute drive to steal the lead in the final moments of a game or a defensive stop that forces a team into a 60-yard field goal attempt. Winning teams always make it work in the clutch.
The worst part is that last week, the Broncos did have a strong hold against the Indianapolis Colts, limiting them to a 60-yard field goal attempt, which they ended up missing. The players were walking off the field, thinking the win was in the bag.
A minute or so and a flag later, the Broncos were defending a 45-yard attempt that flew clean through the goal posts and saw the Colts steal the win in broad daylight.
In the game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, the Broncos found themselves in a similar scenario.
The Chargers were 10 points back with about five minutes remaining. They scored a touchdown and the extra point with 2:37 left on the clock to tie the game at 20 apiece. The Broncos got the ball off the kick and only needed to get a first down or so and put themselves in a position to land their own game-clinching field goal or, at the very least, to extend the game into overtime. Instead, they went three and out and punted to the Chargers, who got just over their own 30-yard line.
In their final drive, the Chargers connected on pass after pass in one minute and 43 seconds and put themselves in the position for a 43-yard field goal attempt. Kicker Cameron Dicker nailed his clutch opportunity and won the game.
For the most part, the Broncos are a young team that still has a lot to learn, but if the team truly wants to be considered a Super Bowl contender, they are going to have to figure out how to put themselves on the winning end of some of these situations.
The good news is they only have to iron out a few wrinkles to get where they need to be, rather than a massive overhaul, which sees them blown out by 30 every game. There’s still a lot of hope for this rising team.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
