Close Nature Of Sunday's Win Could Pay Dividends Later For Broncos

DENVER (CBS4) - Would you rather watch a close football game or a blowout in which the team you're rooting for is dominating?

According to the CBS4 Sports poll on Monday, many more people would prefer to see their team coast to victory.

Former Broncos receiver and current Broncos radio analyst Ed McCaffrey said blowout wins are never undesirable, but there is value as well in a narrow victory such as the one the Broncos pulled off on Sunday.

PHOTO GALLERY: Broncos 19, Ravens 13

"I believe there's truth in winning a tough, physical, gritty, ugly football game," McCaffrey told CBS4's Vic Lombardi on Xfinity Monday Live.

McCaffrey says that come playoff time, games like Sunday's will prove invaluable.

"Because you know you can do it -- you've been there and you've done it. And I think these close games early in the season really expose your weaknesses not only to other teams but to yourselves. You know what you have to work on. You know what you need to get better at."

When a good NFL team is blowing other teams out week after week, McCaffrey says teams often "look past their mistakes."

"You think everything's okay just because you won the game. In a close game like (Sunday's) it's almost like a loss in that you go over every single play with a microscope and you can be very critical of yourself because you know you didn't play a perfect game," he said.