Some Broncos fan is bound to joke that “you have to go all the way back to 2010” to find another NFL team with a non-winning record that reached the playoffs.
That would be last season’s 7-9 Seattle Seahawks, who shocked the world by eliminating the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints 41-36 in the wild-card round.
Perhaps the Broncos can gain some inspiration in knowing that it’s not unusual for 8-8 teams (or worse) to win a playoff game. Since the NFL realigned in 2002, five other teams without a winning record made the playoffs, and four were able to celebrate an opening-round victory. In addition to the 2010 Seahawks, the 2008 San Diego Chargers (8-8) defeated Indianapolis 23-17 in overtime; the 2004 Minnesota Vikings (8-8) crushed Green Bay 31-17; and the 2004 St. Louis Rams (8-8) ousted Seattle 27-20.
Could some psychological advantage come with being a seemingly prohibitive underdog? Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant apparently believed so.
“The underdog role — I think we cherished it and kind of took it to heart,” Trufant said after last year’s upset of the Saints. “Nobody gave us a chance, and we just shrugged our shoulder.”
Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen knows firsthand what an underdog can do in the playoffs. He coached the Saints’ secondary last year.
“Everybody in the media was saying the Seahawks had no chance; (coach-turned-analyst) Tony Dungy said they shouldn’t even show up,” Allen recalled last week. “That’s not the way it works in the National Football League.”
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll told The Denver Post last week that the 8-8 Broncos have no reason to apologize.
“What we showed last year, and I think what Denver is going to try to show, is that it doesn’t matter how you get there,” Carroll said. “It’s all about the mind-set of your team at the time when you get your opportunities.
“If (the Broncos are) ready to go and they believe that they can do something with it, then they have the chance to take full advantage.”
The underdogs won in different ways. But there is a common thread. Each upset featured an outstanding performance by an individual or a unit. Last year, for instance, Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck threw for four touchdowns and outplayed the Saints’ Drew Brees. In 2008, Chargers running back Darren Sproles took over for injured starter LaDainian Tomlinson and amassed 328 all-purpose yards, including the game-winning 22-yard touchdown run in overtime. The 2004 Vikings intercepted four passes thrown by Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre. In 2004, Rams receivers Tory Holt (six catches for 108 yards) and Ken Curtis (four for 107) had huge games.
Veteran Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said being a big underdog in the playoffs “keeps away distractions with people not hyping you up as much, patting you on the back.
“People are telling us we (stink). I’d rather live like that than any other way.”
Mediocre march
Previous NFL teams without winning records in playoffs
TeamYearRec.Playoff record
Seattle 2010 7-9 1-1
San Diego 2008 8-8 1-1
N.Y. Giants 2006 8-8 0-1
St. Louis 2004 8-8 1-1
Minnesota 2004 8-8 1-1
Dallas 1999 8-8 0-1
Detroit 1999 8-8 0-1
N.Y. Jets 1991 8-8 0-1
New Orleans 1990 8-8 0-1
Cleveland 1985 8-8 0-1
