Say, didn’t you used to be the AFC West?
It isn’t anymore, that’s for sure. The Broncos by all pictures, accounts and descriptions are a struggling team, but they’re not out of the playoff race. In the mild, mild West, you have to wear silver and black and work for an owner who dresses in the dark to be out of the race.
Check out Sunday’s results. The Chargers lost to fall to 5-5. The Chiefs lost, too, dropping them to 4-6. The Raiders? Please. They only win on days of the week ending in “q.”
A victory against the Titans tonight and the Broncos would improve to 5-5, tying them for the division lead. As opposed to making them a good football team. You don’t have to be to lead the West.
So, can all this futility continue? There’s no reason to think it won’t. By the time the first of the year rolls around, we could have a division winner with a .500 record, maybe worse.
For the record, the worst mark to win the West since the AFL-NFL merger is 9-7. Seattle won the division at 9-7 in 1988 and ’99. The Seahawks, of course, are long gone, along with the days of the West being one of the league’s dominant divisions.
Follow Jim Armstrong’s daily Broncos commentaries on The Jimmy Page at 7 a.m. and noon, and read his columns on Sundays and the day after Broncos games at .
He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
