The Denver Broncos finally found a way to win late this week as they knocked off the rival Los Angeles Chargers 23-20.
It was rookie quarterback Drew Lock’s highly anticipated first-ever game, Courtland Sutton went off and the defense kept Philip Rivers out of the end zone enough to win. Of course, Lock and offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello were bailed out due to a late pass interference call; but a win is a win.
And wins have been hard to come by for this current Broncos team. After starting 0-4, the Broncos have managed to find their way on the winning side of the scoreboard a mere four times this season, losing late in games to the Jaguars, Colts, Bears and Vikings.
Of course, when a team goes into any game, they naturally want to win. Especially when it means getting a rookie quarterback — and a bevy of other youthful players — confidence and experience on the winning side of contests.
But, the more the Broncos win during this already lost season, the more their draft picks plummet.
Going into last week, Denver was slated to pick No. 5 overall. However, with their mostly meaningless, narrow win over the Chargers the Broncos would currently be picking at No. 11 overall according to tankathon.com. That’s a massive six-pick drop, which could be the difference of drafting a quarterback of the future — or another stud — and simply hoping they find a star in the middle of the first round.
In fact, of the four current 4-8 teams, Denver is slated to pick last due to their strength of schedule, which is .529. The team with the worst SOS picks highest in the case of teams’ records being tied. Ironically, the loss to the Broncos moved the Chargers ahead of Denver and into 10th.
Of course, this doesn’t take into account that the Broncos could trade up if they land in the middle of the first round. And, it should be noted that stars can be found all throughout the first round, and even in later rounds as well. But, the higher the pick, the likelihood of finding a superstar seems higher.
So, the question is: Should Denver try to win as many games as possible, or should they tank for better draft pick?
Our owner/CEO Nate Lundy argued he will never root for his favorite team to tank; what do you think, Broncos fans?