The Broncos’ shockingly disappointing season is coming to a close this Sunday against the Chiefs, on the last day of 2017. Watching this dysfunctional team, week in and week out, was hard to swallow after the success they’ve had in recent seasons. There were times throughout the season that made fans hopeful, thinking they were turning it around. But for the majority of the season, it was full of confusion and frustration. Now, it is all coming to an end, meaning that fans will want to take a deep, cleansing breath and look forward to what is to come in 2018.
While Bronco fans might be full of sadness and crushed dreams today, there are plenty of positives to look forward to in 2018 for the Denver sports fan.
The Nuggets
The Nuggets came into this season looking to not only get into the NBA playoffs, but to get past the first round for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The long and winding road taken since the painful breakup with Carmelo Anthony has led to today’s young, talented, and entertaining squad — and the talent seems to be coming together more quickly than expected.
Gary Harris and Jamal Murray have become consistent scorers, in part thanks to the freakishly gifted Nikola Jokic, who has quickly become one of the league’s rising stars. This team is on the rise, and recently has shown signs of becoming a solid defensive unit, as well, shutting down exploding offenses like they did to Golden State, holding them to just 81 points while snapping the Warriors’ 11-game winning streak — in Oakland.
The Nuggets sit in sixth place in the Western Conference with a 19-16 record, and the Pepsi Center has become a house of horrors for opponents once more, thanks to a robust 12-3 home record. As the season continues, look for the Nuggets to become a sneaky threat in the rough-and-tumble West.
The Rockies
Like the Nuggets, the Rockies had been in a playoff drought. This fall, the city of Denver got a little taste of October baseball when the Rockies made it to the Wild Card playoff game. Unfortunately, the Rockies couldn’t come out on top against the Diamondbacks.
In 2018, the Rockies will come out just as they did last season, if not better. The Rockies are young and full of potential coming off of a stellar 2017 season (87-75, 3rd in NL West). The pitching has become something that hasn’t been seen in Denver for a long time, including what could become a lights-out bullpen with free agent additions Wade Davis and Bryan Shaw.
The Rockies have a chance to overcome the 90-win threshold, which would put them in a good position to be playing meaningful games in October again. The Rockies report to spring training in fewer than 50 days.
The Broncos’ Off Season
After an excruciating season, the Broncos will have some hard decisions to make. Whether it’s changes to the coaching staff or bringing in a new quarterback (or both), the Broncos and general manager John Elway will be bringing in some new faces for the 2018 season. Washington’s Kirk Cousins will be the hottest name in the free-agent quarterback market; would the Broncos kick the tires, or are they comfortable watching Paxton Lynch gain experience in the NFL instead?
The fans want changes to make this team a contender again, so look for an exciting and potentially unpredictable spring.
As 2017 comes to an end, follow an exciting Nuggets team that has great potential in the years to come. Or cheer on the Rockies, who look to make the playoffs for the second year in a row. If you are only a football fan, you can still look forward to the moves that will be made after this season, and even though they’re not much better yet, even catching the Avalanche might slake your thirst for high-speed action and hard hits. There are plenty of things in town to help you get your mind off the Broncos’ miserable campaign; here’s hoping they bring you solace as the calendar turns to 2018.
