NFL Denver Broncos

Denver Broncos Need a Lombardi Trophy for Christmas

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Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

It’s one of the most nauseating, fear-inducing phrases in sports: “the window is closing.” For fans of teams that have frequently found themselves in the playoff picture over the last few seasons, it feels like an unsteady finger hovering precariously above the panic button. The minute they signed Peyton Manning, the Denver Broncos brass knew it was only a matter of seasons before that danger crept into their locker room as well.

Now into 2014, some are starting to whisper that Manning is near the end. And while Denver’s spending habits aren’t confirmation of Manning’s downfall, this year’s team undoubtedly has a “Super-Bowl-or-bust” feel about it.

Now there’s a scary phrase. Many teams that have loaded up their roster in the hope of a cheap ring have come crashing back to reality before they ever left the ground. After coming excruciatingly close in his first year, Brett Favre’s sophomore season as a Minnesota Viking was met with a 6-10 record. The following year, the Philadelphia Eagles’ “dream team” was more of a nightmare, at one point bottoming out to 4-8 and failing to make a dent in the playoffs.

What started out as an arms race in free agency between Denver and the New England Patriots was won decisively by John Elway, at least on paper. You name him, the Broncos signed him.

A bottomless pool of talent on both sides of the ball now surrounds Manning as he and the Broncos make a twilight push for one more ring. Emmanuel Sanders, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward all came on board before the season, and it’s clear the front office is prepared to pull the trigger on glory in 2014 in exchange for a rebuilding period in the future.

But where does that leave the Denver faithful? Sitting pretty at 11-3, anything less than a Super Bowl championship will surely feel like a disappointment. To get there, the Broncos must mix it up with perennial heavyweights the Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, whoever the heck wins the AFC North and a pair of threatening wild cards.

The team appears to be managing just fine, though. Boasting a rampaging power running game and ever-opportunistic defense, one might even make the argument that Manning is no longer Denver’s greatest weapon. But come playoff time, it will be Peyton who takes center stage once again. The play of his teammates will determine whether he and the Denver disciples finish the season on a storybook note, or if another chapter is added to his legacy as the most disappointing playoff quarterback of the modern era.

Even though their Christmas wish can’t possibly come true until February, a new Lombardi Trophy and some rings will be all Denver is wishing for this year.

Jonathon Natsis covers the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JohnHollywood92, ‘like’ him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.

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