Broncos: Easiest path to the #1 seed ever?

[Mack Herron]

I have no desire to see the patriots play denver in denver. That is a game that scares the crap out of me.

To the contrary...the bigger the balloon, the louder the pop. Just cannot put a price on the satisfaction of watching Manning walking off the field at home with a scowl and his head down.

 

[BrainTrust66]

To the contrary...the bigger the balloon, the louder the pop. Just cannot put a price on the satisfaction of watching Manning walking off the field at home with a scowl and his head down.

This is definitely one of those high risk/high reward games as a fan. On the one hand if the Pats have a bad day and lose then we have to endure endless Manning adoration. If we win though, well, you nailed it.

 

[Huckleberry1]

I love the fact that the hype is all going the Broncos way. I really don't believe they are going to win it all and i am going to love it when they fall.

 

[pdangle]

Good question.

From Football Reference - Simple Opponent Strength Rating of regular season top seeds (or tied #2) over the last 7 seasons:

DEN 2012 chalks in at #2 weakest schedule at a paltry -1.9 opposing team average point strength differential.

The $64 Question: Can you guess the #1 weakest #1 seed over the last 7 years?

2012 DEN -1.9
2012 ATL -1.1


2011 NE -1.4
2011 GB -1.2


2010 NE +2.6
2010 ATL -1.8


2009 IND -0.9
2009 NO +0.2


2008 TEN +0.1
2008 NYG +0.1
2008 CAR +0.3


2007 NE +0.4
2007 DAL +1.3
2007 GB +0.0


2006 SD -1.6
2006 CHI -2.9


Yes Patsfans, CHI had an easier path to the #1 seed; Playing teams nearly 3 points worse than average over the 2006 season.

Den 2012 is right up there in beating the creampuffs though! Basically playing teams a safety (1.9 points) worse than average every game over the course of this season.

 

[Sivy]

I dont care who had an easy path, infact, give me the crappiest teams to play all the way to the superbowl. A ring is a ring. What bothers me is that NO ONE is saying how Den had a cake schedule, and that NE has destroyed them the last 3 times they play.

I also hate how everyone says Manning is better, when there is zero evidence to support that, and everything points to Brady being better.

 

[The Brandon Five]

Yes Patsfans, CHI had an easier path to the #1 seed; Playing teams nearly 3 points worse than average over the 2006 season.

Makes that 2nd half collapse in the AFCCG all the more painful. Man, we would have easily beaten that Bears team.

 

[BananaRepublican]

However there D does not match up well against our offense. .

Good analysis. You hit all the main points. It's more of a matchup problem for Denver than a "they are better" or "they are not as good" issue. They were not designed to beat the Patriots. Probably designed to beat the Chargers?

This is why you have to ignore W/L records. It's why the Giants handled the '07 Patriots. It's why they handled the '90 Bills too. This is why interconference play is so interesting especially this year. Offenses like Washington's don't even exist in the AFC, and offenses like NE's don't exist over there.

 

[Deus Irae]

...This is why you have to ignore W/L records. It's why the Giants handled the '07 Patriots...

Then perhaps you can explain why the '07 Patriots handled the '07 Giants....

 

[BroncoPower]

The fact that they've had an easy schedule doesn't negate the fact that they're playing lights out right now. That being said, ***** horseface, the luckiest bastard in the history of the NFL, whose greatest legacy will be the regularity with which he throws teammates under the bus when things go wrong, and who has benefited from more bogus PI calls than any QB in NFL history.

And ***** the Donkeys and their stupid fans, the majority of whom thought Tebow was a legit QB and would of practically died for Him....that is until Peytie came to town and the forgot about Tebow like he never existed. I started going to their boards when McDaniels was hired and, on the whole, they are almost as idiotic and delusional as Jets fans.

I want Houston to grow a set and wipe the floor with them in two weeks because I DO NOT want Goddell's wet dream to come true with a Peytie/Brady matchup in Mile High where the refs WILL gift the Tennessee Teabagger another trip to the SB.

If the Texans beat Cincy and Ravens beat the Colts it will be the Patriots who play the higher seed not Denver. Therefore it is NE that will be playing Houston. We will no doubt host the Ravens.

I honestly see Cincy beating Houston and the Ravens taking out Indy. Denver will beat Cincy in Denver and I see you guys losing to a rejuvenated Ravens team - eager to make the SB in Ray's last year.

 

[BananaRepublican]

Honestly the Broncos fan base is awful, nearly as bad as the Jets. Their whole awful attitude regarding how Elway was the GOAT (not even top 10). Then falling in love with Tebow and now loving Manning. UGH....

Fan bases cannot be cast as thinking homogenously. Not all Denver fans were enamored of Tebow, and not all Denver fans rank Elway in the top five, let alone the GOAT.

I don't know how you missed it but Tebow was a highly polarizing event in Denver. That means it divided the fans. How can you divide the fans if they think homogenously?

If you really read "crazy threads" in the Landing Strip you will find that most Jets fans are ashamed of crazy ass OPs like Ray Ray.

I have to think that you posted this nonsense about inferior fan bases as a way to gain favor here, but that is a very questionable thing to do since fan bases are not homogenous. Ever. Ever ever.

 

[BananaRepublican]

Listening to Mike Francesa today, says Pats have no chance to win in denver because Denver defense is better

Francesa is a good journalist but he doesn't know shiit about shiit about the matchup between the Pats O and the Denver D. Denver's D is built to beat the Chargers, not the Patriots.

Nobody's D is built to beat the Patriots when they are at full strength. And guess what?

 

[The Gr8est]

If the Texans beat Cincy and Ravens beat the Colts it will be the Patriots who play the higher seed not Denver. Therefore it is NE that will be playing Houston. We will no doubt host the Ravens.

I honestly see Cincy beating Houston and the Ravens taking out Indy. Denver will beat Cincy in Denver and I see you guys losing to a rejuvenated Ravens team - eager to make the SB in Ray's last year.

I'd like to see Houston win so the Pats get the Texans and then Denver gets Baltimore.

Pats can beat any of Houston, Indy, or Baltimore; they beat Baltimore once this season already, and can certainly do so again.

 

[BroncoPower]

Pats have a tremendous Offense man, no question. Denver's is pretty good too!
The difference in this game is that Manning will run the no huddle and I think with the mile high noise Brady will struggle with that. The high altitude makes it difficult to run the ball all game long which by the 3rd quarter will limit NE's run game and they'll be forced to pass it.

This game will essentially be a shoot-out between Manning and Brady and I think with Denver's pass rush coming off the edge late in the game we will wear NE down.

IF this matchup does happen I would say 36-24 Denver

 

[BroncoPower]

I'd like to see Houston win so the Pats get the Texans and then Denver gets Baltimore.

Pats can beat any of Houston, Indy, or Baltimore; they beat Baltimore once this season already, and can certainly do so again.

Yeah man, they would be good matchups and at the moment Texans would be easier than Cincinatti.
Baltimore scares me as a Denver fan....I just really see them being hard to beat in the playoffs despite us just beating them pretty convincingly.

 

[JMC00]

and I think with the mile high noise Brady will struggle with that. The high altitude makes it difficult to run the ball all game long which by the 3rd quarter will limit NE's run game and they'll be forced to pass it.

Didn't seem to bother him last year 23/34 320 yards 2 TD or the running game 141 yards 3 TD

 

[BroncoPower]

Didn't seem to bother him last year 23/34 320 yards 2 TD or the running game 141 yards 3 TD

Yeah man thats with Tebow going 3 and out every single play. Manning running the no huddle and keeping NE's defense on the field in high altitude is a completely different scenario man.

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Pats have a tremendous Offense man, no question. Denver's is pretty good too!
The difference in this game is that Manning will run the no huddle and I think with the mile high noise Brady will struggle with that. The high altitude makes it difficult to run the ball all game long which by the 3rd quarter will limit NE's run game and they'll be forced to pass it.

This game will essentially be a shoot-out between Manning and Brady and I think with Denver's pass rush coming off the edge late in the game we will wear NE down.

IF this matchup does happen I would say 36-24 Denver

Where there is no comparison is Belichick vs. Fox who he has owned,thats usually where the difference lies most often between winning and losing in big games.

Give me Belichick 8 days a week over Fox in game planning and getting your team ready to go on to the title game,every one is talking about Manning vs. Brady...few are looking at a Belichick coached team vs. Fox

 

[Silver Blue&Red]

Brady's got a little sumpin' called a no huddle too.

 

[BroncoPower]

Where there is no comparison is Belichick vs. Fox who he has owned,thats usually where the difference lies most often between winning and losing in big games.

Give me Belichick 8 days a week over Fox in game planning and getting your team ready to go on to the title game,every one is talking about Manning vs. Brady...few are looking at a Belichick coached team vs. Fox

Completely agree, Belichick is the best and Del Rio and Fox have had little-No success against him. If this game was in foxborough i would say NE wins. Im just taking Denver (not because i'm a fan), has more to do with how the odds stack up with our balanced team and the fact that it is in Denver with Manning running that offense.

Whatever happens it will be a great matchup.

 

[BroncoPower]

Brady's got a little sumpin' called a no huddle too.

Thats true, but running the no huddle with the electricity and noise of a post season game in Denver is a different scenario. You cant change the plays at the line of scrimmage if your team can't hear them.