Mile High Report
Merry Christmas Eve, Ultimate Fans! I come bearing gifts as rupnin38 is back to get the team — and us — “into the right head space” to beat a very beatable Chiefs team before the all-important Week 18 game that could decide the AFC West as well as the No. 1 seed overall.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Right now the Broncos have a a Mahomes-less Chiefs team to beat, but they have to do it at Arrowhead, so it may not be as easy as we hope. Either way, this squad needs a bounce-back game and our ultimate fan figures that is exactly what it will do!
So grab your egg nog and enjoy this Christmas present before the game!
**MHR – Last week’s loss to the Jaguars was, as you said to me, a “much-needed ass whooping.” Why do you think that and how can it help this team?
Rupnin38: Don’t get me wrong, as a fan I want to see us win every game. Bottom line up front: the team came out a little too relaxed and reliant on belief rather than sound fundamentals and grittiness that defined them early on.
I think as a team and a player the noise and expectations of a win streak can mess with you and the dynamic that this team was built on. The 2025 Broncos were written off as a fun story that shouldn’t be taken seriously and that fueled them. The team was gritty, hungry, and had ice running through their veins. Then in an instant Club W was open 24/7, they were expected to clean up, and no amount of coaching can keep 100% of that swagger channeled in the right direction. The team came out unfocused, undisciplined, and playing bad ball. They needed a wake up call in a game that only kinda mattered.
**MHR – Not only do the Broncos not get Patrick Mahomes, they don’t even get Gardner Minshew. If this Broncos’ defense doesn’t destroy a Chiefs offense led by a third-string QB, can you still trust VJ’s defense to get it done in the playoffs?
Rupnin38: I fully expect the D to step up and take it to the Chiefs. This should be a tone setting game, kind of a reset for the D, where they show the world they are who we thought they were. I expect that out of this defense but if they play sound fundamentals and fix the communication issues on the back end I’ll have faith. If they get carved up then yeah we have a real issue. I don’t think it’ll be a stats thing as much as an eye test thing for me on this short, banged up, divisional week.
**MHR – With a third-string QB, is the running back position the biggest threat for the Broncos? Does Pacheco worry you at all?
Rupnin38: Running back is the most logical threat for the Broncos but I expect to...
