Monthly Archives: October 2023

Are the Denver Broncos actually (gasp) improving?

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(Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)

For the first time since 2015, the Denver Broncos beat the hated Kansas City Chiefs.

The Broncos broke a 16-game losing streak to the Chiefs, by beating them 24-9 on Sunday, in the frigid temperatures of Mile High Stadium.

It was Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ first loss to Denver after 12 straight wins. It was also his first road defeat in the AFC West after winning his first 16 divisional games away from Arrowhead Stadium.

So, was it just a fluke? The Chiefs had said going into the game that Mahomes was suffering from flu-like symptoms. Maybe this was just a case of Mahomes feeling under the weather, or it was simply bad luck due to the absence of NFL films crush: Taylor Swift.

Or maybe…the Denver Broncos are actually showing signs of…dare I say…improvement?

The Broncos started the season by looking mostly dysfunctional in their first two games against Las Vegas and Washington. They lost those two games by a total of three points.

That’s when the bottom dropped out. The Broncos allowed a franchise high 70 points to be scored by the Miami Dolphins in a trouncing that wasn’t as close as the 70-20 final score might indicate.

The season was over. The Russell Wilson experiment was a failure and head coach Sean Payton couldn’t fix the situation.

But since then, things just MIGHT be changing.

Denver scraped out a come from behind win against the Chicago Bears in Week 4.

They lost back-to-back games to the New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs in Weeks 5 and 6, but they actually competed to the bitter end in both games.

They have now beaten the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs in back-to-back weeks.

Sure, this might just be a big tease for Broncos Country to start believing in this group only to have our hearts ripped out again, but there are some encouraging trends.

Since the 70-point blowout to the Dolphins, the Broncos defense is allowing just 20.8 points per game. They have sacked opposing quarterbacks 13 times in those five games, they have registered 36 quarterback hits and forced 10 turnovers.

The offense seems to be finding their footing too. After averaging just 74 yards per game on the ground in the first three games, the Denver offense is finding some success in their rushing game. In the past five games, they are averaging 130 yards per contest. That rushing game is helping keep the opposing pass rush at bay, and it seems to be giving the defense a much-needed rest.

Surely, we can just chalk this up to a lower level of competition, no?

Well, no.

The Broncos first three opponents against whom they went 0-3 have a combined record of 12-11 which is a winning percentage of 52.1%.

In their last five games, the Broncos have gone 3-2 against opponents with a combined record of 20-18, and a slightly better winning percentage of 52.6%.

Pardon Broncos fans if we are unfamiliar with actually improving as the season progresses. We haven’t seen much winning done in the latter months of the NFL season in a number of seasons. Since their Super Bowl winning season in 2015, the Broncos have gone 8-16 in November and 11-20 in December. Those late season results make it very difficult to ever make a playoff push.

This team still has a long way to go to even begin considering the postseason, but Sean Payton has been adjusting without panic, and he just might be putting together a team that is winning games later in the season. That would be a welcome change.

And either way…we finally beat the Chiefs.

Daly Dose 10-25-23 Just wait till next year

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This week on the Daly Dose, we discuss some of the scariest characters in sports history, and we can’t help but notice how different things are in the current era. 

We might be in the most amazing season of the year as the NFL, College Football, MLB Playoffs, the NHL and the NBA are all currently rolling!

In the MLB Playoffs, the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Texas Rangers are headed to the 2023 World Series after both had to win a Game 7 to get there! 

Then we are formally announcing the teams in both College Football and the NFL who have NO CHANCE at winning anything this year. There are some blue blood programs that had hopes of making the College Football Playoff that can already start turning their sights to next season. We also count 22 NFL teams that have no chance whatsoever of winning Super Bowl LVIII this year!

Finally, with Halloween coming next Tuesday, we are bringing you some of the most subtle sports costumes to be on the lookout for when the trick or treaters visit your neighborhood!

Daly Dose YouTube 10-25-23 Top 5 2023 sports themed Halloween costumes

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This week on the Daly Dose YouTube video, with Halloween coming next Tuesday, we are bringing you some of the most subtle sports costumes to be on the lookout for when the trick or treaters visit your neighborhood!

Broncos finally get a win but a brighter season awaits

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The Denver Broncos broke a few streaks when they beat the Green Bay Packers 19-17 on Sunday.

It was head coach Sean Payton’s first win at home. The Broncos also broke a 10-game streak of losing games that they led at halftime.

Will the game prove to be the turning point of another lackluster season? That seems to be highly unlikely. It probably only served to hurt their draft position, but a win is a win and Broncos Country will take it.

However, the Rocky Mountain region does have some exciting things to look forward to beyond the football field, and yes, I realize how insane that sounds.

Don’t look now, but your World Champion Denver Nuggets tip off their title defending season tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Not that you would know that if you watch TNT, the station that is dedicated to showing NBA games.

They chose to show Golden State’s Stephen Curry, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant, and Boston Celtics guard Jayson Tatum.

Has there ever been a less respected NBA Champion than the Denver Nuggets? They couldn’t even make it on the preview screen for their prime-time opener.

Don’t let that slight fool you, the Nuggets should be in the thick of things again. Nikola Jokic is the most valuable player in the league despite what the NBA voters did last year. Jamal Murray seems to be at his best in the most clutch moments. The surrounding cast of Aaron Gordon, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Christian Braun and Michael Porter Jr. could be even better.

Do I wish they had been able to keep Bruce Brown? Of course, but that can be overcome.

It isn’t just the Nuggets. Don’t look now, but the Colorado Avalanche have started the season red hot by winning their first five games of the season.

Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, Artturi Lehkonen and Logan O’Connor already seem to be in midseason form, and goaltender Alexandar Georgiev has been dominant at times.

Oh, and Nathan MacKinnon is doing insane things like this.

Hopefully the Broncos win on Sunday gets them headed in the right direction, but if not, fans in the Colorado region are still going to have plenty of things to watch.

Daly Dose 10-18-23 Another wild week in CFB and NFL and our NBA preview!

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This week on the Daly Dose, we recap another wild weekend in the world of both the NFL and College Football! 

Both the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, which brings us to an annual tradition that we can’t stand!

The USC Trojans got pummeled by Notre Dame, the Georgia Bulldogs got a costly win, the Washington Huskies capitalized on some dumb moves by the Oregon Ducks, and the Colorado Buffaloes are the biggest loser of the week!

In the MLB Playoffs, the Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies seem to be on a collision course, the NCAA coddles the Kansas Jayhawks, and we actually talk about the WNBA Finals for a change!

Then, we take a brief look at the 2023-2024 NBA season, which will tip off next week! Who are the true contenders? Who are the teams on the rise? And which playoff hopefuls could actually prove to be pretenders instead?

 Finally, with the New England Patriots off to such a slow start, we are counting down the Top 5 winningest NFL coaches of all time! Where does Bill Belichick land on the list?

Daly Dose YouTube 10-18-23 NFL surprises and one big loser in College Football

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This week on the Daly Dose YouTube video, we saw a few surprises in the NFL as the final two undefeated teams were beaten. It was also another wild weekend in College Football, and one team is without a doubt the biggest LOSER!

NFL teams not falling for Caleb William’s “Notre Dame trick”

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USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams hasn’t made any secret of the fact that he wants to control which team selects him once he declares for the NFL Draft.

On Saturday, he tried to regain some control by doing his best to look terrible, in hopes of scaring away some of his NFL suitors.

Williams, the returning Heisman trophy winner, had the worst outing of his career against Notre Dame on Saturday.

The No. 10 Trojans were blown out by No. 21 Notre Dame, and Williams threw three interceptions in a game that could ruin his repeat Heisman campaign.

Currently, that is the least of William’s problems.

His more immediate concern is the fact that the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots hold the top five picks in the 2024 NFL Draft next spring.

The All-American has no interest in joining any of those disasters.

His performance on Saturday reflected as much. Williams went 23 for 37 for just 199 yards with three interceptions.

Was this just a coincidence?

In his three-year collegiate career, Williams had thrown just 10 interceptions, total.

Yet, NFL teams are undeterred.

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus spoke to the Daly Dose on Monday. “Are you kidding, have you seen Justin Fields play? We would still take Williams in a heartbeat. I had to play some guy named Tyson Bagent on Sunday. Have you ever heard of him? Me either.”

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton echoed those sentiments. “We are paying Russell Wilson $42.5 million dollars this year. You’re telling me I can pay Caleb Williams like $10 million? Yeah, I would do that deal yesterday.”

The Las Vegas Raiders are surely interested in somehow attaining Williams. Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels had this to say: “We would love to somehow get Caleb in Vegas. This town would love him, plus have you seen Jimmy Garoppolo? Dude gets a fractured spine from a stiff wind.”

Finally, we reached out to New England Patriots head coach for his thoughts on Caleb Williams despite his poor showing on Saturday. He didn’t answer this reporter, but he did shoot arrows at his existing quarterback Mac Jones with his eyes. That look led us to believe that not only would he draft Williams, but he also might try to end Mac’s life if possible.

Daly Dose 10-11-23 The biggest overreactions in CFB and the NFL

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This week on the Daly Dose, the Major League Baseball Playoffs have already seen a few surprises, as some of the top teams have already been sent home for the winter. 

We discuss the passing of NFL legend Chicago Bears linebacker Dick Butkus, and the 2026 and 2030 FIFA World Cup tournaments are going to look very different. 

Then, we are taking a look at some of the biggest overreactions in both College Football and the NFL! Is the SEC going to get left out of the CFB Playoff? Is the PAC 12 the toughest conference in the country? Oklahoma looks to have an easy path to a playoff berth and USC QB Caleb Williams seems to have the inside track on another Heisman trophy, but could these things change?

Daly Dose YouTube 10-11-23 Who is to blame for the Broncos and Patriots woes?

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This week on the Daly Dose YouTube video, we are discussing some of the biggest overreactions in the NFL. Who is to blame for the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots poor starts to the season?

Should the Denver Broncos burn it all down?

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The Denver Broncos found another way to snatch a defeat from the jaws of victory against the New York Jets on Sunday.

After taking a five-point lead into the halftime locker-room, the Broncos were once again outscored in the second half by a margin of 23-8, and lost to the Jets 31-21.

Once again, the Broncos show flashes of being able to compete, and once again this team makes too many mistakes at key times to actually earn the victory.

Quarterback Russell Wilson continued to look more like the player Denver thought it was getting when they traded for him. Wilson went 20-31 for 196 yards and two touchdowns.

He also held on to the ball too long and was sacked for a safety in the first quarter. Then he coughed it up for a Jets scoop and score touchdown with seconds remaining when the Broncos looked like they might be headed for a game winning drive.

The Denver defense forced two turnovers and held the Jets offense to zero red zone touchdowns. While former head coach Nathaniel Hackett may have gotten the win as the Jets offensive coordinator, his quarterback looks to be regressing. Zach Wilson threw for just 199 yards and had a crucial interception that could have flipped the game.

The Broncos defense also allowed Jets running back Breece Hall to run absolutely wild. Hall finished the game with 177 yards on just 22 carries and a 72-yard touchdown run to open the third quarter and give the Jets a lead they never relinquished.

The Broncos are now 1-3 on the season, and 0-3 at home. The schedule is going to be very challenging. The NFL trade deadline is coming quickly on October 31st. We have already seen Denver move edge rusher Randy Gregory in a trade to San Francisco.

So, is it time for the Broncos front office to burn it down and start over?

Well…burn what down exactly?

I guess you can cut Wilson, but you will have to eat $107 million dollars in dead salary cap. Oh, and by the way, you would not have a quarterback.

Wide receiver Courtland Sutton had the body language on Sunday of a player that might be traded soon, but how many teams are going to be willing to pick up his $18 million dollar per year contract? Sutton has an injury history and has never quite lived up to his potential.

Safety Justin Simmons is due $18 million dollars on the salary cap, but he also seems to be the heart and soul of this defense. Trade him at the peril of an already dreadful defense.

I guess the Broncos can try to find someone to take the $17 million dollar contract of starting left tackle Garrett Bolles, but this is a team that is already struggling to find any talent up front.

Cornerback Patrick Surtain II and wide receiver Jerry Jeudy might generate some interest, but they are both still on bargain deals.

The fact is that this franchise has ignored building up their offensive and defensive lines for years. There is no quick fix. Burning it down won’t solve the problem.

The unfortunate fact is that they really don’t have anything to burn.