Jock Itch Your first-place Denver Broncos

It’s been a season of second chances and adjustments thus far for the Denver Broncos: How many games can they win with Orton? Scratch that. Now that Tebow is the starter, how many games will they win with him? Since Tebow has shown he can’t throw the ball, how many games do they win now? Just like what the coaches do at halftime, fans have been making adjustments week to week based on the play of the quarterback, the defense, and the team’s rise and fall in the standings. Well, sit down (okay, you’re probably already sitting), because I have some shocking news for you: For a small stretch this weekend, your Denver Broncos may be tied for first place in the AFC West.

I know that it seems like we’re looking for anything to get excited about at this point, but if the Broncos do manage to poke their heads into the first-class cabin, even for 48 hours, fans should be dancing in the streets. After a rousing victory in Kansas City—a place where the team never plays well—the Broncos now sit tied for second with a 4-5 record. Only the Raiders have a better record, at 5-4. The Chargers can’t seem to get it in gear and the Chiefs are facing a tough stretch that should put them at the bottom of the division soon enough. The Broncos play the New York Jets this Thursday at Mile High in an NFL Network marquee game that, if they win, would tie them with the Raiders.

The Jets have a pretty fearsome defense that should give Tebow fits, but if he bides his time while the Broncos run the ball, he may eventually get to take his shot downfield, like he did Sunday. The good news is, the Jets offense is just about as impotent as the Broncos’, and since Denver’s defense has played increasingly well week after week, the Broncos could squeak one out in prime time, leaving them tied for first. Being tied for first place, even for a little while, will help drive this team through the rest of the season.

That tie could evaporate by Sunday, since the Raiders play the Vikings and are certainly favored in that match-up. Still, the Chargers play in Chicago against a surging Bears team (led by your favorite, Jay Cutler), and it’s safe to say the disappointing Chargers will not be favored in the Windy City. At the very least, the Broncos should still be in second place in the AFC West after the weekend, but there exists the delicious possibility that the team will have a piece of first place well into next week. While most will make the (reasonable) case for a terrible division, this is still incredible based on how the team was projected to fare at the start of the season, not to mention how it was left for dead after the loss to the Lions. As weak as the AFC West is, it could mean stealing a playoff spot.

Maybe I’m looking for any positive in a grim sports landscape in Colorado. It still bears attention, because if it does happen, there will be joy again in Denver. A 9-7 record will probably win this division and, looking ahead at the schedule, it’s not totally unbelievable that the Broncos could attain that. I’ve lost count how many second chances this is, but another one starts this Thursday night. Adjustments will be made at that game’s halftime, but where the adjustments really matter is in the hearts and minds of Broncos fans.