The misery index for the Chiefs and the Broncos is higher now than Jimmy Carter ever experienced when he was president.
Carter’s all-time high on the index was 21.98.
The Broncos continue to reside in the Czech Republic Houska Castle’s Gateway to Hell after losing three home games this season, putting themselves on a direct path to a fourth consecutive year without advancement to the playoffs
They have been joined in the Pit of Misery by the Chiefs, even though K.C. thoroughly embarrassed the Broncos Thursday night.
The Chiefs lost Patrick Mahomes, the NFL’s 2018 MVP, to a detached kneecap that will sideline him for at least three weeks, possibly more.
The Chiefs are worse off.
The Broncos have been pretenders to the throne since Super Bowl 50 – and will finish, at best with six victories in 2019, a duplication of last season, and at worst with five to match the disaster that was their 2017 campaign.
The Chiefs were contenders for the crown after winning their first four games. Things just aren’t quite the same currently, in spite of the victory over the Broncos.
Mahomes injured his ankle in the opening game, has reinjured it twice and was gingerly moving on the ankle before Thursday night’s game with all the national attention centered on it.
Then, Mahomes went down during a dangerous, disastrous quarterback sneak.
If Kansas City coach Andy Reid is considered a genius, his Intelligence Quotient dropped 100 points with that “offensive” call.
It had been recommended by outsiders that Mahomes not even play on Thursday and be rested and rehabilitated over the next 10 days before the Chiefs’ Week 8 game.
As it turns out, Mahomes can be benched the next time the Chiefs and the Broncos play toward the end of the season. The Broncos will be doornail dead, and the Chiefs could win the game with you at quarterback.
Reid said afterward quarterbacks “usually” don’t get hurt on a sneak play. Mahomes is not a usual suspect, and shouldn’t have been placed in the that position, especially when it was clear in the first half that the Broncos are back in a “world of suck,” a term coach Vic Fangio acknowledged wasn’t such a good idea to utter.
Mahomes should have been a no-play.
The Broncos were a no-show.
But the Chiefs’ crisis is more critical. They arrived at the 2019 season with an objective of playing in, and winning, the Super Bowl. In order to accomplish that feat, they would have to get homefield advantage in the postseason over the Patriots. That advantage is gone with consecutive losses at home and, now, the injury to Mahomes.
The Chiefs will still win the AFC West division with a 10-6 record no matter who is at quarterback.
They would get one home game, but, certainly not two, given that the Patriots have opened the season undefeated and probably will finish with at least 13 victories — especially since they get the Chiefs at home.
Reid has never won a Super Bowl with the Eagles or the Chiefs, and it’s not happening this year either.
On the other side, ‘John Elway the Executive’ has been searching for another ‘John Elway the Quarterback.’
Mahomes is Elway, or he was before the ludicrous sneak. He will recover at some point. Elway may never recover in his interminable QB quest.
Joe Flacco is Joe Sacko, Average Joe, Clueless Joe.
So, he will become the latest Quarterback Dump – following Case Keenum, Paxton Lynch, Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler (who announced his retirement at 28 earlier Thursday), Chad Kelly, Kyle Sloter and four others who briefly passed through Denver, but didn’t pass the test with the Broncos.
Who’s at fault?
That Era of Error is all on Elway.
I’ve already written three weeks ago that Elway, in conjunction with CEO Joe Ellis and even Brittany Bowlen, the future majority owner, should hire an experienced general manager, and Elway should move aside from the day-to-day operations and concentrate on being president of the football side of the franchise.
Either that or he must resign at the end of the year.
The Broncos went to two Super Bowls because of Peyton Manning, who came to Denver because he liked the city, the winning tradition, the fan base, the weather (he still lives here), John Fox, and Elway.
It was not all about Elway.
The cries for Manning, who attended the Broncos’ latest game (as he does when in town), to replace Elway have begun.
Is that the solution?
Perhaps.
But the Broncos do have to go in an entirely new direction at the top.
The two worst players on the field Thursday night were two of Elway’s top draft choices — Garret Bowles and Noah Fant. Other No. 1 picks (from 2013-2016) Paxton Lynch, Shane Ray, and Bradley Roby are gone, and Bradley Chubb’s not feeling so good at the moment.
The Broncos don’t matter in the NFL.
The Chiefs do.
But they both are in a world of misery.
Nice article Woody. Happy you have this forum.
Woody, What do you think about Peyton becoming the owner assuming he can get business partners?
Wow
Woody is a hack. Donkey fans are so jealous of the Chiefs that they try and drag them into their cesspool.
Woody, this post is too negative towards Elway. Let’s wait until the trade deadline, and Lock’s progressions to throw stones.
Also what do you expect Flacco to do with the state of the tackle situation. People forget James is out. This team is who we thought they were. God forbid they lose one game by more than 10 points. I’m seeing a positive direction that can’t be completed without a fire sale.