Did you ever host a birthday party where no one had fun?
That has been the experience in Denver the past two seasons where the Broncos, whose fans have celebrated three Super Bowl wins, have settled into the cellar in the AFC West Division.
The organization seemed to have provided plenty of party favors in recent years. Last season, given the Broncos success on the defensive side of the ball but ineptness at moving the ball, the organization made a big step in bringing two-time Super Bowl participant and one-time winner, Russell Wilson, over from the Seattle Seahawks with the thinking he was the final piece in a Super Bowl puzzle.
He wasn’t.
Wilson had his worst season as a pro in front of the Mile High crowd and the Broncos didn’t get through the 2022 season without dismissing their first-year head coach, Nathaniel Hackett, and shredding all their publicity promoting their newly acquired quarterback.
This year, the Broncos added another important element to a winning organization, a successful head coach. They brought Sean Payton out of retirement, and he became the most recent head man to try to win a Super Bowl with a second NFL team.
No head coach has ever won a Super Bowl with one franchise and gone on to win another with a different organization. Payton led the New Orleans Saints to a win in Super Bowl XLVIII, ironically over Peyton Manning and his Broncos squad after the Hall of Fame signal caller moved on from Indianapolis to make room for newly acquired quarterback Andrew Luck.
The Saints upset win over the Browns delayed Manning securing his second Super Bowl Trophy, an accomplishment he achieved two years later when he closed out his brilliant career with a win over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
Well, the favor for Denver fans of adding Payton to the sidelines didn’t turn their fortunes early this year. In fact, they lost their first three games of the season that included a 70-20 bloodbath administered by the Miami Dolphins. After a narrow win in Chicago, the Broncos absorbed two more losses against the New York Jets and Kansas CIty Chiefs.
But, they closed out October with wins over the Green Bay Packers and Kansas CIty Chiefs, the latter ending a 16 game losing streak to their AFC West rivals. Then, coming out of their bye week in early November, the Broncos opened the second half of their season with a win over the highly regarded Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.
Tonight, they look to extend the sudden party atmosphere among their loyal fans when Denver looks to capture a fourth straight victory over the surging Minnesota Vikings.
It won’t be easy.
Like the Broncos, the Vikings have recovered from a slow start and are carrying a five game winning streak into this Mile High matchup.
My leanings are to the Broncos at home laying the short line, but betting against an enthused Vikings squad that has won both games since acquiring Joshua Dobbs in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals after starting quarterback Kirk Cousins was lost for the season with an ACL injury, is at least high risk.
I don’t think it's enough points to confidently back the road team, and giving up any points with the Broncos this season has been mostly a losing proposition.
Enjoy your evening, without a vested interest in this intriguing matchup.