The Broncos have a lot to be proud of. They won the AFC West for a fifth consecutive time on their way to the top-seed in the AFC playoffs and nearly the entire team has played in multiple postseason games, but what their opponent Sunday possesses almost makes those accomplishments seem trivial. New England currently hold the title of “world champion,” one that has eluded these Broncos. That fact, and the “underdog” status that Las Vegas and most of the nation has placed on them for this Sunday’s AFC Championship should drive them to their eighth Super Bowl berth.
The Patriots are a dynasty. Sunday they will play in their fifth consecutive AFC Championship and their ninth in this century. They have gone on to six Super Bowls, winning four in that time. While the Broncos have had enormous success by NFL standards, compared to the Patriots they are simply good, but not great. The close calls (Super Bowl XLVIII) and early exits (last year’s divisional round loss to the Indianapolis Colts) have left a lasting memory and bred a positive lesson.
“I can say the team is different. I think, guys kind of grew up and they take it differently. They don’t look ahead of things. Nobody talks about, ‘Oh, we’re going to go to the Super Bowl.’ Like last week, nobody ever thought about talking about the Patriots. A couple years before, we’ve had guys looking before the team that we played. It’s a little different,” wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said Wednesday.
Each season has its own story and this season the Broncos have not blown away teams. In fact, nearly every single game came down to a late score or forced turnover that delivered the victory for the Broncos. That type of “do or die” mentality was lost on past teams that on paper, might have looked better than this season’s version. But that matters little to veteran DeMarcus Ware who joined on in 2014 after his own history of playoff defeats. He has coached up his teammates on and off the field and believes they are ready for the final step.
“They look at you and say, ‘DeMarcus Ware, you’ve played for 11 years.’ I look back at them and I tell them, ‘When I was 13-3, I lost in the playoffs. When I was 9-7, I lost in the playoffs. When I was 12-4, I lost in the playoffs.’ I say, ‘Guess what? I lost in the playoffs last year also,” Ware said emphatically Wednesday. “Then I asked them, ‘Are you with me or not?’ Those guys look at me and it’s real to sort of see that eye-to-eye feeling and that the guys are really wanting it.”
Las Vegas has also given the Broncos additional reason to prove themselves. Bovada sports betting has the top-seeded Broncos 3.5 point underdogs at home. It’s a slight that has recently spurred the Broncos to victory, most recently against the Patriots at home in Week 12 and against the Green Bay Packers at home in Week 8. It is a fact that is not lost on the players, one that seems to not only motivate them, but somehow takes pressure off of their shoulders.
“This whole season we’ve been the underdog to every single team that we’ve played. You can also see where we are right now from the hard work that we’ve put in. There are a lot of underdogs on this team,” Ware said. “That underdog mentality, where you think of a small guy coming from Auburn, Ala., where I started, and tell you that’s a good thing because now the pressure is not us, it’s on the other team. The only thing we need to go out there and do is just get the job done.”
Although the Broncos have yet to regain the Vince Lombardi Trophy and have squandered their recent trips to the playoffs, recent history suggests that this weekend Las Vegas and the Patriots are in for a rude awakening.
Not only did the Broncos win their first match up this season against the Patriots but they have also played extremely well at home versus them in the past. Tom Brady is 2-6 in Denver and 0-2 in the playoffs, including the Broncos’ 26-16 AFC Championship victory in 2014. Von Miller remembers that game well, as he and other leaders of the team watched from the sidelines due to injury. He understands that while this game will be similar in a lot of ways, it will be different with him in the mix.
“It’s the exact same situation. We’re the No. 1 seed. All of the games at home here. I was happy for my teammates, and I’m happy for my teammates now, but I have a chance to go in and effect the game,” Miller said. “It means a little bit more to me and [Derek] Wolfe and Chris [Harris Jr.]; we didn’t get to play in the last one. We are going to be ready to go come Sunday. The game is totally different this time around. We want to take advantage of the opportunity.”
Nearly every NFL team says the right things heading into big games. Sometimes they live up to their words, sometimes they fall drastically short. The Broncos have done both during their five-straight playoff berths but truly inspired football as escaped them in recent playoff appearances. The Broncos 2015-16 entire season has been brutal and nerve-racking, all the while preparing them for Sunday. They have proven their grit several times over this season and now they have to do it once more Sunday against the defending champions.
“We’re going to fight and believe we can win every single game until time runs out. I think you saw that last weekend. I think you’ve seen that throughout the year. It’s the type of team that we are,” left tackle Ryan Harris declared Wednesday.
No one can refute that and for once, the “underdog” label more than suits the Broncos – it fuels them. The Patriots have been the “favorites” for long enough. Sunday the Broncos can take a giant step out of New England’s shadow and one step closer to retrieving what has been so close for so long.
Email Sam at sam@milehighsports.com and follow him on Twitter @SamCowhick.
