Broncos Face Home Field...Disadvantage

They say that playing at home is an advantage in any sport for any team at any level, junior high school all the way up to the pros. Football has been historically kind to the owner of the field, and home field advantage is often said to be worth at least three points over the course of the game.

This has not been the case for the Denver Broncos.

As we roll onwards into December, the Broncos have forgotten to take advantage of their home field—since the beginning of October. That's right, the Broncos are 0-3 at home since beating Tampa Bay on the fifth of that month.

At Invesco field, the Broncos have been outscored 164-133 all season, and 81-44 over the past three games. On the road, however, they have outscored opponents 159-148 all season. Not impressed by these numbers? Well, Jay Cutler's passer rating is more than 13 points higher on the road, and his average pass is 8.8 yards, compared to 6.5 at home.

So, why does Invesco Field at Mile High seem to be working against its own team? It certainly isn't the fans; (ok, I might be a little biased here) Denver fans always come out to see their team play.

The Broncos ranked fifth in the NFL in average attendance last season despite a 7-9 final record. The stadium's listed capacity is 76,125 and their average attendance was 76,611. Over-filling the stadium is never a bad thing.

Once again, in this situation, I blame the immaturity of many of the players for their inconsistent play, especially at home. In general I think that this team's major shortcoming is the youth.

Of course, youth is also often a very valuable asset for a team. The key is getting the balance of veteran guys and young players. The Broncos currently have far more young guys than smart and cagey vets.

"I think there's more focus on the road," tight end and offensive co-captain Daniel Graham said of the team's road success. "We need to focus at home too, but on the road there's just something...it's like the team against everyone else."

Younger players tend to want to spoil someone else's glory (the someone being the opposing players and fans), they want to show the opposing fans who they are and what they're made of. At home, it can be easy to "feel the love" all around you, get lost in it, feel overconfident, and subsequently lose focus, which is something that I think happens to the 25-and-under guys sometimes.

Coming up is a key home game that the Broncos need to win, not only to break their streak of losing to sub-par teams, but also to re-establish themselves at home. Like it or not, the Broncos are currently lined up to host a wild card playoff game, most likely against the Colts or Ravens.

The focus has got to come back at home. The players feel it, the fans feel it, and the opposing teams definitely feel the lack of focus from their opponent. They have to embrace Invesco, feel the energy of the fans, and take back their home field.