BRONCOS

Be honest, it’s probably for the best if the Broncos lose on Sunday

Dec 9, 2022, 11:57 AM | Updated: 11:58 am

There’s no need for false hope.

There’s no reason for anyone to change their mind.

There’s no way you can convince me the Broncos beating the Chiefs on Sunday is a good thing.

It would be a temporary solution to a massive problem. And it might even convince CEO Greg Penner he doesn’t need to make sweeping changes this offseason. If Denver shocks Kansas City, general manager George Paton’s seat cools of a little bit. Russell Wilson likely won’t face any competition entering 2023 training camp. And worst of all, it could help save Nathaniel Hackett’s job.

We’ve seen enough. These Broncos, this version of them, stinks. Hackett isn’t the answer at head coach. Paton whiffed on three massive decisions last offseason and Wilson probably isn’t the player he used to be. Or anywhere close.

Not only did Paton hire Hackett, but he traded for Wilson and gave him a $245 million contract before he even played a down in Denver. Three strikes — you’re out. Spending nearly a quarter of a billion dollars of the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group’s (WPFOG) money before Wilson even played a down in Denver should be enough to seal Paton’s fate. Robson Walton and his son-in-law Greg can’t be happy to keep writing those checks.

But if, and it’s a massive and unlikely if, the Broncos stun the NFL world on Sunday, Penner might justify in his head that these guys know what they’re doing. They don’t. And we have months of evidence to support that.

I’m not telling Broncos fans to show up in Chiefs gear on Sunday or not pack the house, but be honest, there’s a tiny part of you deep down that hopes Denver falters. Or even gets embarrassed. That would accelerate the process of what inevitably needs to happen. Hackett needs to go. Paton needs to go. And Wilson needs a kick in the butt from a new coaching staff like he’s never seen before.

When Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and their fearless leader Andy Reid put on a show Sunday at Mile High, it will help the Broncos in the long run. It will begin the process of fixing this mess by subtracting those who created it.

It won’t feel good. It won’t feel right. But a Kansas City beatdown is needed this weekend.

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