Broncos Aren't Completely Eliminated From Playoffs
By Romi Bean
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4)- Although it felt like the Broncos playoff chances died this past Sunday in Santa Clara, the loss to the 49ers didn't completely eliminate Denver from the postseason conversation. Mathematically the Broncos are still in it. Which is why now, more than ever, 1-0 is the only way this team can operate.
"That doesn't change. All we need is one win to get us feeling good again... So yes, we're still sticking with that 1-0 mentality." safety Darian Stewart said on Wednesday after practice.
Rookie receiver Courtland Sutton echoed Stewart's sentiments, saying: "One-and-0 is all we can focus on. We can only focus on the Browns right now. When the game starts we can only focus on one play at a time. That's the only way we're going to make it happen."
While the Broncos playoff hopes aren't dead, they are nearing life support. A win on Saturday put them right back in the thick on things. A loss, however, almost certainly guarantees a third straight year without a playoff berth.
"We've got a job to do. I want to be in the playoffs, I'm sure everybody else wants to be in the playoffs. We never want our season to end as early as January. As a competitor, we're going to fight. And we're going to keep fighting. I don't care if we lose this one, we're going this one, we'll fight next week. It's that fight mentality," Stewart said.
"We're going to have to be sharp on everything and we're going to have to play ball. We're going to have to be physical. We can't let anybody come into our house and punch us in our mouth, we've got to punch first," rookie running back Phillip Lindsay said.
The Broncos will also need plenty of help from other teams. They need Miami, Indianapolis, and Tennessee all to lose at least one game each. They would also need either the Steelers or the Ravens to lose two games. But the Broncos can't be thinking about anyone else right now - the only thing they need to focus on is going 1-0 against the Browns on Saturday.
Romi Bean is a sports anchor and reporter at CBS4. Connect with Romi on Twitter @Romi_Bean.
