How will the Broncos play Thursday night after a short week of preparation? You’re not the only one wondering. Jay Cutler is, too.
It’s easy to forget, with Cutler being an NFL quarterback and all, but he never has experienced this. Not in college and not in the first year-plus of his NFL career.
The Broncos played Thanksgiving night at Kansas City last season, but Cutler didn’t take over as the starting quarterback until the next week. So this is the first time he’ll have played with only three days to prepare for an opponent.
And he’s not alone. Several of the Broncos’ younger players – Chris Kuper, Chris Myers and Selvin Young among them – never have started a game on Thursday after playing the previous Sunday. They’ve played on a Monday night and the next Sunday, but that’s an eternity compared to the Sunday-to-Thursday drill.
So how will they react against the Texans?
Said Cutler, “The guys have to be mentally sharp more than anything.”
If not, they can kiss their season good bye. Their only hope of making the playoffs is to win out – at Houston, at San Diego and at home vs. Minnesota.
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.
