PHILADELPHIA — Looking back, to what seems like years ago and not weeks, the Broncos were 6-0.
A strong 6-0 at that. Four of those six victories came against the future playoff likes of Cincinnati, Dallas, New England and San Diego.
Where have you gone, 6-0 Broncos? From that lofty vantage point, the Broncos have fallen farther than a daredevil tied to a bungee cord. Only, after losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 30-27 on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field, the Broncos have no guarantee of a rubber-band effect.
From 6-0, the Broncos have lost seven of their past nine. They fought back gallantly from a 27-10 deficit midway through the third quarter against an Eagles team that is now 11-4 with a playoff berth reserved.
But the NFL counts no moral victories in the final week of December.
“This team is too good to walk away and feel good by saying, ‘We played Philadelphia tight on the road,’ Broncos cornerback Andre Goodman said.
The Broncos lost after Donovan McNabb converted a third-and-25 play with a 27-yard scramble to flip late-game field position. On Philadelphia’s next possesion, David Akers capped a Philly drive with a 28-yard field goal with four seconds left.
Now what? From 6-0 to 8-7, the Broncos must beat Kansas City next week in their season finale at Invesco Field at Mile High. Also, the team needs one of the following scenarios to occur to clinch a playoff berth, but the league will not announce official scenarios until today:
• A Ravens loss at Oakland and a Steelers loss at Miami.
• A loss by the New York Jets at home against Cincinnati, along with either a Ravens loss or Steelers loss.
• A Jets loss and a win by the Houston Texans against New England.
• A Ravens loss and a Texans win.
That’s a far drop from 6-0.
“You can talk about the streaks, but the fact is we’re 8-7 right now and that’s the only record that matters,” said Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton, who threw three touchdown passes against the Eagles. “All that matters to me is we’re playing Kansas City and I want to beat them whether we make the playoffs or not.”
One year after the Broncos became the first NFL team to blow a three-game division lead with three to play, they can write another chapter in league annals by becoming the first to start a 16-game season 6-0 and not finish with a winning record.
“I think the 6-0 thing might have got us out of character a little bit,” Goodman said. “I don’t think we appreciated it the way we should have. Because in terms of our level of play, it went down.”
As the Broncos entered what can now be safely recorded as the worst-timed bye week in franchise history, they were 6-0 with a new 3-4 defense that allowed a league-low 11 points per game.
They were destroying teams in the second half of games, outscoring them by a combined 76-10. Their offense wasn’t spectacular but it was efficient, averaging 22.2 points.
In going 2-7 during their next nine games, the Broncos have allowed more than twice as many points (23.8 per game), while their offense has slipped (averaging 18.7 points).
Against the Eagles, the Broncos’ thrilling comeback fell short because once again their defense couldn’t make that one final stop — Akers’ winning field goal was set up by a 27-yard strike from McNabb to a tiptoeing Jeremy Maclin along the sideline at the 13 — and their offense couldn’t overcome ill-timed penalties.
Meanwhile, so many mediocre teams were able to catch the Broncos not by sprint but by stroll.
“The execution slipped, obviously,” Orton said. “Everybody’s got their blame to take. Speaking on the offense, we’re just not executing play after play after play like you need to.”
Yet all is not lost for the Broncos.
Remarkably, and unfathomably, the Broncos still have a chance to make the playoffs. Their chances should have been greater, given where they were after six weeks — given where they were entering their home game against the Raiders last week.
But there remains a chance.
“Now we’ve been put in a situation where we need some help,” said Broncos coach Josh McDaniels. “The thing that we need to focus on is Kansas City. I think if we start talking about other things, we are probably wasting energy because there is nothing we can do to control that.”
From 6-0 to no longer in full control. How did this happen?
Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com
