KANSAS CITY, Mo. — How do the Broncos stop the madness? How do they halt the humiliation of a 15-game losing streak to Kansas City, end a seven-year playoff drought and fix quarterback Russell Wilson?
“This whole streak thing that y’all know about … has got to stop,” interim coach Jerry Rosburg said Sunday, upon sweeping up the shards of broken hearts in the Denver locker room in the aftermath of a 27-24 loss to the Chiefs.
The easy answer to what ails the Broncos is for the crazy-rich Waltons to back up the Brink’s Truck and do whatever it takes to hire Sean Payton as coach, doubling down on the $245 million invested in Wilson by scraping together the draft capital to pry Payton from New Orleans.
We all know Job One for the next Broncos coach is to fix Wilson. So the guy who should be No. 1 on Denver’s wish list can be written in all caps: SEAN PAYTON.
Against coach Andy Reid, quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, Payton can make three or four points worth of difference. That’s why cost should be no object in the pursuit of him. Regaining a measure of respect and beating Kansas City is priceless to Broncos Country.
Hire Jim Harbaugh? Please. That’s crazy talk, because Harbaugh has more than one screw loose. What the Broncos need is an adult in the room. So let a Michigan man keep finding ways to blow the big one for the Wolverines, as Harbaugh did so well during a 51-45 loss to Texas Christian in the College Football Playoff.
Dan Quinn? Good dude. Fine defensive coordinator, although no better at that job than Wade Phillips or Vic Fangio, who couldn’t cut it as head coach of the Broncos. Quinn is a retread with a 46-44 record as a head coach in the NFL, a resume that pales in comparison to the 161-97 mark, including a Super Bowl victory, compiled by Payton during his tenure with the Saints.
If franchise CEO Greg Penner and his ownership team can’t lure Payton to Denver, what was revealed by the Fightin’ Rosburgs in a hard-fought loss to Kansas City is the Broncos don’t necessarily need the greatest coach in the world to compete with the Chiefs. But they can’t repeat the dumbest hire in franchise history, bringing in Nathaniel Hackett because he was besties with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
If the Broncos can’t close the deal on Payton, they would be smart to give current defensive coordinator and rising star Ejiro Evero a shot before Quinn.
“He knows football. He knows what he wants. And the structure of his defense is so sound. I love it,” said Rosburg, singing the praises of Evero.
“And he is not afraid to make corrections (of mistakes by players) … He’s not going to let things slide because he doesn’t want to hurt someone’s feelings.”
Yes, there were the woulda, shoulda, coulda complaints of a football team that loses out of habit during this setback against the Chiefs. Let the lamenting begin with a bad offensive pass interference call against receiver Courtland Sutton with Denver leading 17-13 late in the third quarter. A 44-yard completion from Wilson to Sutton that would have put the Broncos in business in K.C. territory was wiped out by the kind of ticky- tack call that can make a fan wonder if the NFL is as rigged in favor of marquee teams the way the NBA blows a favorable whistle for LeBron James.
“Everybody knows that wasn’t no pass interference,” Broncos receiver Jerry Jeudy said. Dancing with semantics to avoid getting hammered by a fine from the league office, Rosburg declared the flag thrown at Sutton for jostling with a defender as “highly unfortunate.”
But to blame this loss on the refs would turn a blind eye to the fact that Wilson threw a careless interception early in the fourth quarter, gifting Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs a short field that pushed Kansas City’s advantage from three points to 27-17 with a 17-yard touchdown drive.
During his eighth NFL season, after getting trounced in the Super Bowl on three separate occasions, there was widespread doubt John Elway had what it took to ever win a championship after he threw only 15 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, while suffering through a 5-11 record with the Broncos in 1990.
“When you think of the all-time greats like John Elway and the one year the Broncos were 5-11, it wasn’t the prettiest season. But they were able to come back,” Wilson said.
“Any time you’re a competitor, you hate losing. I hate losing. I do not enjoy it. What you get so addicted to is the process of winning.”
It’s too early to give up on Wilson. It wouldn’t be prudent for the Broncos to flush their $245 million investment in him after one horrendous season.
To get back to winning football, Denver doesn’t need a miracle.
The Broncos need to do whatever it takes to hire Payton.
Get r done. And let’s ride.
