Chris_Tanaka's Blog

From the brink of 4-0, to the wrong end of a 33-19 whoopin'.  Not a good Sunday for the Broncos.  I'l spare all the gory details---we don't need to be reminded of them.

Instead, I'll focus on what this says about the NFL, more so than the Broncos.

The NFL is, without question, the most evenly balanced, competitive, compelling league in American sports.  Last week the Patriots got crushed by the pitiful Dolphins, and this week, it was the Broncos turn.  Next week, it'll be someone else.  The difference between Super Bowl contender and cellar dweller is so fractional, so minute, that if a team doesn't bring 100% of it's effort every Sunday, it's at risk of losing.  Amazing.

In no other league does that happen, with the repercussions being so dramatic.  As the dust settles on the first quarter of the season (already 25% done!?!?), the Broncos are a game up on the Chargers in the AFC West.  Their toughest competition from the AFC East will probably come from the Bills, and not the Patriots.  The Jaguars aren't what we thought they were (big, mean and nasty).  Nor are the Buccaneers (meaner and nastier than thought).  The Browns can't score, and the Jets can't be stopped.  Carolina isn't looking like a gimme anymore.

Every week, our opinions and perceptions of teams change (save for the Bengals and Rams---they're awful).  Entering this game, the Broncos appeared to be the unstoppable offensive juggernaut, ala the 1999 Rams, that could bulldoze it's way through any defensive inconsistencies it suffered.  Not the case. 

Now, we see them as an extremely talented YOUNG team that still has some lessons to learn about life in The League.  Bring It, or Lose It. 

So what's gained from this loss?  Perhaps some humility, but not much else.  After all, in a season that moves so fast, noone needs to be reminded of the gory details.