Talk about taking the air out of the balloon. The Broncos’ performance in Sunday’s AFC title game has left this state, ahem, Orange Crushed.
Already, though, Broncomaniacs are putting their disappointment in perspective. After all, the 2005 season turned out to be an unexpected boost for the team and its fans.
For a franchise that’s been barely better than .500 in recent years, winning 14 games this season exceeded all expectations. And they were entertaining games, with a powerful offense and a dominating defense.
The team rekindled Colorado’s simmering love affair with its home team. It was 1998 when the state last basked in orange and blue, when fevered discussions took place around every water cooler and politicians donned Broncos garb for more than just scoring political points.
With two Super Bowl wins under its belt, AFC runner-up isn’t good enough for this franchise. Nor should it be. Still, we applaud the Broncos for their 2005 season even as we congratulate the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Of course, there is still plenty to cheer about for Colorado sports fans. While all eyes were riveted on Invesco Field, the Nuggets have moved into first place and begun their playoff push with a road victory Sunday night over the reigning NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.
First place? Gives the Avs something to shoot for.
