It wasn’t the Houston game. The loss to the Texans merely rubber-stamped what we’ve all known for three weeks: The Broncos aren’t going to the playoffs.
As ugly as things have been at times, the Broncos might have — might have, mind you — if they had beaten the Bears three weeks ago. That was the loss that officially sent their season spiraling out of control.
They were 5-5 at that point — not good, but good enough to be a contender in the AFC West. And then they decided to kick to Devin Hester. And then, for reasons that remain unfathomable, they did it again.
And now they’re paying the price. After their come-from-ahead loss at Chicago, they couldn’t regroup the next week at Oakland. At 5-7, the rest of their season was all about getting their young players experience, not making the playoffs.
How symbolic. The Broncos’ season being ruined by a special-teams meltdown. But then, that’s just one area that needs to be fixed before next season.
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.
