Unless you’re the Patriots, the road back to the Super Bowl is a lengthy one. Not exactly in duration, but in the amount of struggle. And if your team does make it back, you should sacrifice a goat to the Sports Gods because it’s a sanctified blessing. The Broncos are one game away from returning to the Super Bowl and you’d think Broncos Country would be giddy. But they’re not. And like most bizarre beliefs and strange behavioral patterns of sports fans, the jaded demeanor of the Broncos fan base is a bit bewildering.

If the Broncos lose this Sunday, you’ll be fine. And while the Broncos aren’t going to fall off a cliff, just remember it’s hard for teams to maintain the high level it takes to get back to the Super Bowl. The Browns, Lions, Texans and Jaguars have never been to a Super Bowl, and nine other teams have been but never won. The Broncos have been seven times and we all want to remember the two times they’ve won, forgetting the other five that ended in tears. But as we are reaching the end of another era in Broncos history, fans haven’t realized how good they have it and they won’t appreciate it until it’s gone.

This Broncos season has been strange. The team won a bunch of games it had no business winning, and while they were doing that, the disquiet grew like a late afternoon shadow over Denver. No one will argue that this team has been bafflingly bad at times, yet they kept winning. And despite how rocky it’s been, the Broncos are playing in the AFC title game and chance to go to the Super Bowl. Who cares if they are a home dog to the Patriots? If you’re complaining about that, I’d like for you to go to a Tennessee Titans fan support group and watch those sad bastards talk themselves into Mike Mularkey.

What more do you want?

Did you really think, even when the team was 7-0 that is was going to get this far? I certainly didn’t and anyone saying they did is peeling a page from the Patriots play book – they’re lying. The team didn’t look good and as the house of cards teetered, the idea of playing for a shot at the Super Bowl seemed remote at best.

I’ll give you that the bitter lashing the Broncos received in Super Bowl XLVIII at the hands of the Seahawks still stings like lemon in a paper cut, but would you rather be watching some other team play this weekend? The Broncos are playing while the Chiefs, Chargers, Raiders and 27 other teams are not. If you’re not happy with that, you’re probably not a happy person.

Let’s get ahead of ourselves. If the Broncos were to go to the Super Bowl and lose, it will be a record sixth loss for the franchise. And even though that’s a dubious achievement, it’s not something to be ashamed of. Obviously, we want the team to have won more of those but it shows just what an outstanding franchise Denver is. It’s not a mark of failure, but a mark of success. Ask the Buffalo Bills if they’d like to get back to losing in Super Bowls.

And if the Broncos flame out against the Patriots on Sunday, it only becomes as embarrassing as you let it. Will there be the usual slob Pats fans clogging up your Twitter mentions? Of course, but if you let that bother you and don’t bask in the remarkable journey of this team, you’re missing out on one of the great things about sports: cheering on your team, taking the good with the bad and being happy that you had the experience.

The Denver Broncos are life. They represent the state of Colorado and the surrounding areas and are woven into the fabric of everyday life of Broncos Country. It doesn’t matter that Denver has changed so much since the last time the team has won a Super Bowl, the Broncos are the constant. They are what Colorado is all about.

I don’t want to tell anyone how good they have it. I’d like for them to figure that out on their own because it’s the only way for true growth to happen. But when dealing with sports fans, it’s sometimes like reasoning with a cat: they’re not listening, they don’t care and will probably scratch you. So I say this to Broncos fans, no matter what happens, enjoy it. Enjoy that your team is in the mix, enjoy that your team competes year after year and enjoy the delicious notion that your team could be headed back to the Super Bowl. Because only two teams get to enjoy that distinction and no matter what you’ve convinced yourself is going to happen, the alternatives are so much worse. Embrace it. The Broncos are on the precipice. Grab hold and fall over the edge with them.