The Broncos have scored 95 points in their past three games, seven more than they scored in their previous six.
You’ll have to excuse Mike Shanahan for not being surprised.
“The bottom line is we were moving the football,” Shanahan said. “I said the points would come, and they have come.”
In bunches. The Broncos scored 27 points at Kansas City, then racked up 34 against Tennessee. One week later, they hung 34 on the Bears at Chicago.
If you’re tempted to ask, given their recent offensive resurgence, why weren’t they scoring more points earlier in the season, don’t. They had suffered several key injuries, most notably to Tom Nalen, Ben Hamilton and Javon Walker, and a natural process had to play out whereby the newcomers to the lineup had to get comfortable playing with each other.
“Everything takes time,” Shanahan said.
Question is, do the Broncos have enough time left in the season to make the playoffs? Even if the answer proves to be no, the Broncos’ season wouldn’t have been a lost cause.
Jay Cutler has played at a different level in recent weeks. That’s huge to the long-term development of the team. He’s not alone, either. Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler have played exceptionally well. And no less an authority than Matt Lepsis tells me that Chris Kuper and Chris Myers, pressed into service by the Hamilton and Nalen injuries, “have been awesome.”
There’s no spin here, no getting around the disappointment of a 5-6 season. Things haven’t worked out as Shanahan had planned after revamping his defensive coaching staff, but he has to like what he has seen of his offense, which ranks seventh in the league.
Just as the points followed the yardage, the wins figure to follow the points.
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.
