I don’t think anyone could argue that the magic that carried the Denver Broncos surprising and impressive run would last forever. The games were wild and an absolute blast to watch —unless your team was the one getting upended by Tim Tebow and company. However, we all know that a team can’t rely on the miracle comeback as the common road to victory. It just doesn’t pan out. We have seen that happen to the Denver Broncos the last three weeks. This isn’t a critique on Tebow’s style of play, just the observation that the league is beginning to adjust and figure out how to stop what he’s doing. It’s not a condemnation of how Tebow plays, just an instance where we can look at him (and the Broncos) and say “your move.”

The issue at hand isn’t that Tebow can’t make that adjustment, it’s that he has to make it right now. Additionally, he has to make it against the defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers. As the Broncos improbable run continued on, Tebow was actually showing improvement —outside of his standard fourth quarter comebacks. It appears that he’s been figured out. After getting blown out by the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills, and then a tight loss to the Kansas City Chiefs (with a playoff berth on the line), adjustments need to be made. He and the suddenly vulnerable Broncos defense need to raise their level of play across the board to have a chance. The mystifying start to Tebow’s career as a starter has ended, it’s time for him to start learning the game and improving, not as a gimmicky apparition, but as a quarterback.

Throughout this season, I’ve compared Tebow’s unorthodox success with what happened with the Miami Dolphins and their Wildcat offense. I remember when the Wildcat appeared and the Dolphins found success with it by winning a few games, many thought the game had changed. We heard the same talk when the Broncos and Tebow started running their option offense and found Tebow making wild comebacks. The game was changing. The quarterback position was changing. While the game itself is constantly undergoing change, Tebow’s style is fresh, but that doesn’t mean it will remain effective. With three straight losses to end the season, it would appear the “freshness” has run out. The league is figuring out how to stop it.

I think Tebow and the Broncos are capable, but Tebow has to make an adjustment of his own in response to the ones the league has made. All players have to do this to be successful. Tebow’s chance is now.

Brian is a lifelong football fan, specifically of the Chicago Bears, having lived in Illinois his entire life and having followed the NFL throughout.

Sources

For Broncos Success, Tebow Needs to Own Fourth Quarter

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Read More: Brian Dawkins (S – DEN), David Bruton (S – DEN), Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, St. Louis Rams

The Denver Broncos (8-7) may be without their top safety, Brian Dawkins, in Sunday’s contest against the Kansas City Chiefs (6-9). According to Lindsay H. Jones of the Denver Post, the Broncos’ veteran defensive back missed practice on Friday, further decreasing the likelihood of his ability to start in Sunday’s Week 17 season finale.

The former Philadelphia Eagles safety has played in all but one game, the Rams’ Week 15 loss to the New England Patriots. Dawkins is third on the Broncos’ defense with 7 pass deflections, sporting also 51 tackles and 3.0 sacks.

If Dawkins is unavailable come Sunday, the Broncos will start David Bruton, who is also struggling with an Achilles injury. Bruton, a third year pro out of Notre Dame, has 14 tackles and 3 pass deflections in 2011.

For more on this Week 17 game, visit Broncos blog Mile High Report and Chiefs blog Arrowhead Pride. Be sure to check out SB Nation NFL for more news and notes around the league.

The numbers do not tell the same story as the NFL standings. So while Broncos fans will undoubtedly point to the final wins and losses of the 2011 season and cite the popular phrase, “You are what your record says you are,” others will say otherwise. The Denver Broncos have been awfully “lucky” this season, according to ESPN’s Chris Sprow, and the numbers agree with him as he develops a formula that says the Broncos should have lost more than they won this season.

In fact, the Broncos should have 5.8 wins this season (six if you round up, of course). Sprow writes, “Sorry Denver fans, but to paraphrase “The World According to Garp,” in the world where luck isn’t a factor, this case is terminal. With more than a quarter of Denver’s wins ascribed to good fortune, its division is its only fallback.”

The San Francisco 49ers are next on the list among the playoff contenders as the next luckiest team — somehow a fact that doesn’t surprise since a team with Alex Smith and Frank Gore as their offensive core has never made for a winning formula until this season.

As for the Broncos, some will say that Tebow just wins and the numbers cannot measure that. Others can point to the Chiefs’ season last year and say it’s the same thing on a different team. Either way, the Broncos are definitely an anomaly that many are trying their best to explain.

The Kansas City Chiefs close out the 2011 NFL season with a trip to Colorado to take on the Denver Broncos. Here are five things to watch for as the Chiefs battle the Broncos.

Kyle Orton Versus Old Team

Kyle Orton was let go by the Broncos in late November. The Chiefs picked him up to stand in for injured Matt Cassel. Orton had two decent games against the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders. If he has the same type of game against his old mates, it will be a long day for Denver. It will help that Orton should have some kind of working knowledge of the Broncos’ defense.

Tim Tebow Versus Chiefs’ Defense

In the first game between the Chiefs and Broncos back on Nov. 13, quarterback Tim Tebow ran for a touchdown and threw for another. He completed just two passes all game long and had 43 yards rushing. Surely the Chiefs would know how to handle the offense by now. Shut down the running game of Denver and then let the vaunted secondary take over after that and the Chiefs will win.

Head Coaches

Interim head coach Romeo Crennel is trying to prove he’s head coaching material. John Fox is trying to avoid another late-season disappointment for the Broncos. Despite not making the playoffs just a year after winning the AFC West, the Chiefs can spoil the postseason hopes of Denver.

Ryan Succop

Placekicker Ryan Succop had a miserable game against the Oakland Raiders Dec. 24. He had two kicks blocked that could have won the game. In the thinner air of Denver, a kicker’s dream exists. Earlier in the season, Sebastian Janikowski of the Raiders tied an NFL record with a 63-yard kick way back on Sept. 12 in Denver. Succop needs to have a good game in the thinner air to regain his confidence.

Momentum

A win for the Chiefs will give them momentum going into the offseason and a positive vibe with the draft and in the front office. With all of the major players coming back next year from their injuries, a season-ending victory may help nudge the team along as they start workouts for next season.

William Browning is a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs after latching on to the team during the lean years of St. Louis football. Born in the gateway city, he is also a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan. He currently resides in Branson, Mo.

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