Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
The last Broncos game of the season was something to remember for all the wrong reasons. Not only were the Broncos denied of a Super Bowl championship, but they were outclassed by the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. The 43-8 loss hit the point home to how bad it was for the AFC champions.
With training camp starting Thursday, there’s no doubt the Broncos will be asked about what happened on that February Sunday night at East Rutherford, NJ. This loss was so bad that it will be interesting to hear what the players from last year’s team have to say. It’s hard to believe they haven’t gotten over it. How could they after falling short of expectations?
The Broncos will use this season as redemption to what happened in the Super Bowl. Still, it won’t be easy for them. They are only going to get older, and there could be hangover from the playoffs. There’s a reason Super Bowl runner-ups don’t make it to the Super Bowl the following season.
The schedule will be a challenge for the Broncos this year. They are going to play against physical NFC West teams, and it remains to be seen if they can handle playing physical teams. Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner mentioned on ESPN’s First Take this week that the Broncos came off scared against the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. They were scared to take hits, and they weren’t aggressive enough against a punishing Seahawks defense.
Plus, the Broncos will play the Patriots at Foxborough for the third straight season.
There’s a good chance the Broncos could have five losses this year with the hangover and a tough schedule. That could cost them home-field advantage. They need home-field advantage if they want to go back to the Super Bowl for the second straight year.
Even if the Broncos do well this season, the only thing that matters is whether or not they hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. They will be judged what they do in the postseason.
The Broncos shouldn’t count on the media to stop asking questions about what happened in the Super Bowl. Even if the local media stops revisiting the scene, media from other towns will ask these questions when the Broncos play the teams they cover. ESPN will talk about the Broncos’ failures at ad nauseam since it’s what they do. It will be harped on until they win it all.
The defending AFC champs can use this as a motivation or they can let it bother them. Being the paid professionals, they will do the former. This is a self-motivated group that has pride to let this bother them.
It’s a good thing the Broncos will think about this 43-8 loss to the Seahawks. It will mean there won’t be complacency. It will mean this team gets it. No one should get over what happened that night. It was embarrassing in so many aspects. It meant the team was not prepared enough, and it meant the team was soft.
The Broncos spent $110 million in free agency to toughen up their defense. They signed T.J. Ward, Aqib Talib and DeMarcus Ware to make the defense tough to face for offense. It will be interesting how these guys fare.
Of all the guys that have to answer questions about the Super Bowl, it’ s Peyton Manning. He had a MVP season. He put on a brilliant show. Still, it wasn’t good enough. He came up lame when it matters. He was scared of being hit, which he was skittish in that Super Bowl game in February. That has been his M.O. in his career.
No one remembers him winning the MVP last year. He will be remembered for being hit relentlessly by the Seahawks. He will be remembered for running his life. That’s the way it goes for a quarterback who should be great enough to win championships on his own. He did not get it done, and it will scar him until he wins the Super Bowl with the Broncos.
Manning will say the right things about how he’s over it and he’s ready for the new season.He will talk about how this Super Bowl loss will drive him. He’s going to play well, but no one will know until playoff time if he can handle physical play.
From players and coaches perspective, it’s not about the end result of winning a championship. It’s about a journey of a long season these guys go through.
For the Broncos, this is going to be a journey like no other this year. They not only have to fight through hangover and grind of a long season, but they have to deal with the doubts whether they have the championship mettle.
This Super Bowl loss to Seattle won’t go away until the Broncos make things right.
So many questions have to be answered about that ill-fated Sunday-night through words and hoisting the trophy when postseason ends.
Contact or follow Leslie Monteiro: @LightRodWriter
Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
