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So the Denver Broncos can’t possibly win Super Bowl 50? Seems we’ve been down this road before …

February 5, 2016

With only two days remaining before Super Bowl 50, let’s prep for the Big Game by playing a little game of our own.

Fill in the blank: The 2015 Denver Broncos have been a nice little story, winning 11 of their 14 close games and playing some strong defense, but they simply don’t _____________ well enough to have a shot at beating the almighty Carolina Panthers.

A number of folks no doubt immediately jumped on passing the ball for a quick answer as the Broncos ranked 14^th in the league in aerial yards per game (248.1 overall and 224.9 under Peyton Manning) and 28^th with only 19 regular-season scoring passes.

Or how about taking care of the ball as the Orange & Blue’s 31 turnovers were fewer than only the 3-13 Titans and 4-12 Cowboys (33 apiece) this season, and their minus-4 turnover differential easily was the worst among the 12 playoff qualifiers?

And then there is the simple matter of scoring enough points as Denver ranked 19^th with 355 and finished with a pedestrian plus-59 point differential.

Yeah, sure, the Broncos certainly didn’t have the most productive of offensive seasons, but don’t go saying it’s a no-doubt reason they’re about to lose their NFL-record sixth Super Bowl.

The Broncos can win Sunday, and for undisputable proof, a list of the past 49 Super Bowl champs is all that’s required. Just start running a finger down the compilation, and you won’t have to go very far to get to the …

2012 Ravens

The fourth-seeded Ravens didn’t have a remarkable regular-season offense or defense – ranking a middle-of-the pack 16^th in both in terms of total yards – but like the 2015 Broncos, they had a suspect offensive line that played better as the season went on and displayed an undeniable year-long knack for winning tight games, finishing 8-4 in contests decided by a touchdown or less. QB Joe Flacco got hot in the postseason, Baltimore did just enough to survive a pair of field-goal games in their toughest post-season tests – my apologies for dredging this up Broncos Country – and rallied around a future Hall of Famer riding in his last rodeo to snare the Lombardi Trophy.

2008 Steelers

See if this sounds somewhat familiar: That season’s Pittsburgh edition scored only 347 points, had the league’s 22^nd-ranked total offense (311.9 yards per game) but owned the league’s top-ranked defense in terms of total (237.2 yards) and passing (156.9) yards allowed per game. They then got a clutch post-season performance from a quarterback who had previously won a Super Bowl and wound up winning it all.

2007 Giants

The similarities here are even more eerie: A plus-22-point point differential, a negative-9 turnover ratio, a scoring and total offense which ranked 14^th and 16^th, respectively, a ferocious pass rush which paced the league in sacks and a Big Game-win out west over the league’s highest-scoring team as a decided underdog. And, oh yeah, a starting quarterback by the name of Manning.

2002 Buccaneers

These Bucs, of course, owned the league’s best defense, but their quarterback was Brad Johnson, a 30-something ultimate game manager who missed three regular-season starts, who guided an offense which ranked 18^th in scoring and 24^th in yards per game during the regular season. That D, however, allowed only 37 points in three playoff games and whip-sawed the high-scoring Raiders in the Super Bowl.

2001 Patriots

New England’s first winning Super Bowl run was led by Tom Brady – only before he was Tom Brady. The Patriots averaged only 193.1 passing yards per game, had all of 21 TD passes and finished with a plus-54 regular-season point differential, but the team banded together in the playoffs and concluded their title march with back-to-back victories over two heavily-favored opponents, including a 20-17 Super Bowl win over the St. Louis Rams, who led the league that season with 503 points.