As the NFL’s marquee matchup, Sunday’s Broncos-Colts game in Denver is, oddly, kind of a buzz kill. With all eyes on Denver and Indianapolis, currently the two best teams in the AFC, the game rejects pregame analysis.
Here’s the skinny:
The reason the Broncos and Colts have been two of the best teams in the league this decade – staunch reliability – is the same reason the game can be over-thought. The facts won’t change – the Colts will score; Peyton Manning, still the NFL’s best quarterback, will be the best offensive player on the field; the Broncos’ defense will not be easy to move on; and Champ Bailey, the NFL’s best cornerback, will be the best defensive player on the field.
There’s no question how things will turn out. Nothing is in doubt except the score.
Well, almost nothing.
The Colts since 2003 have been the albatross around the Mike Shanahan’s neck. And the only person who can help Shanny with the Colts is Jake Plummer.
Plummer is the reason why this game, if not the pregame talk, could be the most entertaining of the season so far. He’s a complete wild card, for better or worse. And it will be supreme fun/pain watching him dominate/implode.
Depending on the breaks.
Know this, care of the Elias Sports Bureau: Plummer’s career record (67-64) was once 22 games below .500. Before he came to Denver, Plummer was 30-52 with the Arizona Cardinals. But since 2003, he is 37-12. Plummer finally got above .500 after the Broncos’ win over Baltimore on Oct. 9.
Only two other quarterbacks went 10 seasons into their career before getting above .500. Those QBs? Warren Moon and Fran Tarkenton, both currently in the Hall of Fame.
Make of that what you will.
But Jake will be the make-or-break piece on Sunday.
Weak in review
So Game 3 of the World Series had the lowest television ratings in Series history and the lowest three-game Series average ever. And Wednesday’s rain-out was just the second postponement of a Series game because of weather since 1975. If Major League Baseball isn’t careful, there could be multiple games played in November. November baseball? C’mon. There’s a simple solution: day games. What is this, the NBA? Why do games need to be played ’round midnight?
What we’d like to see
It’d be wise if the first two phone calls made by Colorado athletic director Mike Bohn in regard to the soon-to-be open men’s basketball job went to: 1. Former Metro State coach and current Nuggets assistant Mike Dunlap; and 2. Former Nuggets-Knicks-Nets-Spurs-Clippers-Pacers-Sixers-Pistons coach Larry Brown (who quite enjoys Boulder, it’s been said).
Around town
A factoid from Elias Sports Bureau: Joe Sakic, who on Wednesday became the 11th NHL player to reach 1,500 points, scored his first NHL point on Oct. 6, 1988. It was an assist to Anton Stastny, uncle of Avs rookie Paul Stastny, and led to a Quebec Nordiques 5-2 victory over the Hartford Whalers, who had on the ice that night Joel Quenneville, Sakic’s current coach. Nordiques? Whalers? Ancient history. But the game goes on, including a Pepsi Center matchup on Sunday when the Minnesota Wild take on the Avs at 6 p.m.
The couch
On: The Rapids are up against the wall in the second leg of their two-game series with FC Dallas. When the Rapids travel to Texas for a 6:30 p.m. game on Saturday, airing on Altitude, they go with one of the worst road-records in Major League Soccer this season at 2-10-4. And, after a 2-1 loss Saturday in Denver, the Rapids need to make up two goals in the aggregate-goals series. But in its matchup against the “Hoops,” at least the Rapids don’t have a bootlegged nickname stolen from Celtic of the Scottish Premier League.
Off: Halloween isn’t until Tuesday. But on the recreational calendar, this entire weekend is spook-based. Check out: The Scream Scram 5K and 100-meter Spooky Sneak today at 5 p.m. at Washington Park (screamagency.com); the costumed Denver Gorilla Run 5K at Wynkoop Brewing Company in LoDo on Saturday at 11 a.m. (denvergorillarun.com); the 24th annual Eerie Erie 10K and 5K on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. (optimistcluboferie.org); and the Halloween Hustle 5K and quarter-mile Monster Dash at Washington Park on Sunday (bkbltd.com).
