The Denver Broncos dropped a massive opportunity on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Instead of potentially jumping into a playoff spot, Denver slid all the way to the 13th seed in the AFC.
With only a five percent shot at making the playoffs, should George Paton and Vic Fangio approach the final three games any differently?
The DNVR Crew breaks it down in the 16th edition of Broncos Pick ‘Em. The fellas also pick every game of the week that has playoff implications for Denver.
All odds below are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
How should the Broncos approach their final three games?
Zac: One (loss) and done — The Broncos still have a shot at the playoffs. Yes, it’s a long one, but by playing three potential playoff teams to end the season—Raiders, Chargers and Chiefs—the Broncos still have a chance to make one final push.
But one more loss will end all hopes.
That’s why I think the Broncos should continue to do everything possible to win, until they drop one more game. Then it will be all about building for the future, playing the young players and, without saying it, losing for better draft position.
But the Broncos are already too far away from a premium draft pick. And since they still have a shot at the playoffs, and a shot to go 10-7, they should still try. But when they drop one more game, it should be all about draft position.
Mase: You’re in it, until you’re not — And that means despite having just a 5-percent chance according to FiveThirtyEight, the Broncos should attack as though it’s a do-or-die situation until the chances become unrealistic. That would happen with a loss Sunday in Las Vegas.
If Denver falls to 7-8, they should play for tomorrow, shut down any veteran players with injuries that could be exacerbated by further playing time, and turn the focus to the future. Even if Teddy Bridgewater is cleared, Lock should get the snaps if the team is for all practical purposes out of the mix.
But a win Sunday keeps the Broncos in it. And as long as they win, it doesn’t hurt to keep pounding.
RK: Give the keys to Drew Lock — Now I know Vic Fangio said this is still Teddy Bridgewater’s team if he’s healthy, but he also said they would do whatever is best for him and, more than anything else, I believe it’s best to not expose Teddy to a potential third head injury in two months.
Om the other side of things, I feel like the Drew Lock experience gives us more of a chance for extremes, rather than the very flatlined season the Broncos have had to this point. On one hand, maybe Drew catches lightning in a bottle. We’ve seen him finish the season strong in each of his first two years in the league and we all know he has the physical tools to be a good NFL quarterback. It’s a slim chance, but maybe he finally puts it all together and takes the Broncos on a magical run to end the season.
The other side, and the more likely one, is that Drew continues to show flashes but the turnovers that have caused him to be statistically one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL over the past two years continue to plague him, helping the Broncos secure a higher draft pick and the last-place schedule that they so greatly benefitted from this season.
The two extremes are No. 1 and No. 2 in the best-case scenario for this team in the final three games.
Picks Picks Picks
Broncos total points over/under 20.5
Zac: Under.
Mase: Over.
RK: Over.
Raiders total points over/under 20.5
Zac: Under.
Mase: Under.
RK: Under.
Broncos-Raiders over/under 41.5
Zac: Under.
Mase: Under.
RK: Under.
Broncos @ Raiders (-1)
Zac: Raiders.
Mase: Broncos.
RK: Broncos.
Browns @ Packers (-7.5)
Zac: Pack.
Mase: Packers.
RK: Packers.
Colts @ Cardinals (-1)
Zac: Colts.
Mase: Colts.
RK: Colts.
Bills @ Patriots (-2.5)
Zac: Pats. Zac for Mac.
Mase: Bills.
RK: Billies.
Ravens @ Bengals (-2.5)
Zac: Ravens.
Mase: Ravens.
RK: Bengals.
Chargers (-9.5) @ Texans
Zac: Chargers.
Mase: Chargers.
RK: Chargers by one billion.
Steelers @ Chiefs (-7.5)
Zac: Chiefs.
Mase: Chiefs.
RK: Steel show.
Dolphins @ Saints (-3)
Zac: Fins.
Mase: Dolphins.
RK: Dolphins.
Leaderboard
Zac: 8-7
Mase: 8-7
RK: 6-9
Overall
Zac: 104-121
RK: 104-121
Mase: 102-123
