Broncos try to avoid second straight losing season
The only drama left around the Denver Broncos facility these days surrounds what this team will look like next summer. Denver (6-8) was eliminated from the postseason with a loss at home to Cleveland and wins Sunday by teams ahead in the standings. The only thing the Broncos can hope for now is to not finish with a losing record in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 1970s.
“We want to win. These next two games are important for us to finish the right way,” head coach Vance Joseph said this week. “That part is very important to me. It’s about winning. That’s what it’s about.”
The focus of this team has moved from the field to the locker room and front office. Linebacker Shane Ray and cornerback Su’a Cravens were not happy about being healthy inactives against the Browns, and reports earlier this week said that general manager John Elway looked to replace Joseph last season with former head coach Mike Shanahan. The report said that plan was abandoned when executive Joe Ellis said any coaching change would need a wide search, not a targeted one.
Two straight losses have Joseph’s future in doubt again, and winning out and finishing 8-8 might not be enough to save his job. However, there are some positives to take away from the lost season. Linebacker Von Miller is tied for second in the NFL with 14.5 sacks and set the all-time franchise record in that category in the loss to the Browns. Rookie running back Phillip Lindsay has 991 yards rushing, second among NFL rookies despite going undrafted last spring. Both players are headed to the Pro Bowl next month. The play of linebacker Bradley Chubb has also been a bright spot. He leads all rookies with 12 sacks and needs just 2.5 in the last two games to tie Jevon Kearse for the rookie record.
Those accomplishments have been overshadowed by key injuries, the trade of wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and missed opportunities throughout the season. They have a chance to get right for at least a week at Oakland on Monday night and keep alive the chance to finish with a .500 record. The Broncos are headed for a busy offseason, one that could result in their third head coach in five years.
SERIES HISTORY: 117th regular-season meeting. Raiders lead series, 62-52-2. There have been stretches where both teams dominated the matchup. Oakland won 14 in a row between 1965-71, starting in the AFL and lasting through the merger with the NFL. Denver won eight straight between 2011-15 and reached the Super Bowl twice in that time, winning one. The teams have also met twice in the postseason. The Broncos beat Oakland 20-17 in the 1977 AFC Championship Game to reach their first Super Bowl. The Raiders got revenge in 1993, beating Denver 42-24 in the wild-card game.
