Sometimes when you’re loopy, you don’t think clearly.
It was hard to shake the feeling we had seen this script before.
A little after 11 p.m. on Monday night the Chargers were driving towards the Broncos’ south end zone down 24-21 with eyes on tying (or possibly winning) the Week 1 showdown.
You know how the movie ended – Vance Joseph called a brilliant timeout to ice Los Angeles kicker Younghoe Koo – and after making a kick that didn’t count, his next attempt was blocked by Shelby Harris and the Broncos escaped with a three-point win.
It was heart pumping, good old fashioned, pure NFL drama. If someone told you they fell asleep immediately after the game they’re either A) not a die-hard fan or B) lying. Adrenaline was pumping from the players on the field, to the fans in the stands, to the millions of members of Broncos Country on their couches.
There was nothing easy about that win, despite the team’s hot start.
And it all led to a mean case of déjà vu.
Are we properly comprehending that what we watched unfold on Sept. 11, 2017 was nearly identical to what went down on Sept. 8, 2016?
Instead of being up 24-21 like they were Monday, the Broncos were up 21-20 on Cam Newton and the Panthers. It was Week 1 a season ago and Superman was driving Carolina toward the Broncos’ south end zone in search of some sweet Super Bowl revenge.
Newton got the Panthers in field goal range and out trotted Graham Gano ready to break hearts throughout the Front Range. Perfect snap, prefect hold and a kick just inside the right upright. Denver had lost 23-21. Or so many folks thought.
Gary Kubiak called timeout just before the play, Gano’s kick didn’t count, and a minute later he pulled the next one wide left and the Broncos escaped with a record of 1-0.
This is a bit eerie.
Same end zone. Same result on a “first” field goal that didn’t count. Same spectacular icing job by the head coach. Same sigh of relief a kicker missed a last second boot in Week 1 to send Denver fans home happy. The kickers both wore the same number for crying out loud!
Buckle back in, 2017 is going to be the same roller coaster 2016 was – and it might be the kind you get off feeling a bit queasy.
Look, I’m not saying Justin Simmons and Will Parks are going to combine on a PAT return for two points to steal a game again this season, but I’m not saying it isn’t going to happen either.
This football team, in many key categories, is very similar to the one we watched a year ago.
Questions at quarterback, running back and on the offensive line are all still there. All three could be strengths, or all three could be detriments.
The tight ends group – even with a great debut – is still largely unproven.
On defense, a core from Super Bowl 50 remains, but that unit is a year older and the number of Super Bowl rings dwindled again. Two offseasons ago it was the departures of Danny Trevathan and Malik Jackson. This past one Broncos fans said goodbye to DeMarcus Ware and (more recently) T.J. Ward.
Von Miller remains a monster, but a beast needs to emerge on the opposite side.
Brandon Marshall seems primed to bounce back, but Todd Davis needs to take a leap.
And the No Fly Zone has a major hole to fill (albeit with capable options) after Ward’s release.
The Broncos are good enough to keep our attention every Sunday. They won’t get blown out by anyone, but they won’t do any blowing out either. Hopefully you enjoyed the stress of Monday night – because 15 more of those contests are on deck.
It wasn’t just the loopiness affecting your brain while watching the Broncos hang on for dear life against the Chargers, it was the fact we had seen a nearly identical movie before.
Get used to it – that game was just part of the Broncos’ 2017 opening credits.
It’s déjà vu all over again, baby.