Broncos-Panthers: Denver Has to Wait At Least One More Week for AFC West Title

As the Denver Broncos emerged from the locker room to take on the Carolina Panthers, spirits were high. 

Kansas City was up 21-10 on the San Diego Chargers with 1:16 remaining, and the Broncos had all but whipped out the t-shirts, hats, and champagne.

Cutler and the Broncos carried that attitude out onto the field, driving the ball right down Carolina's throat.  P.J. Pope capped off an impressive Denver drive with a seven-yard touchdown catch, the first touchdown of his career.

At this point, the Chiefs had just blown their 11-point lead, and San Diego kept their playoff hopes alive with a 22-21 victory.

The Broncos noticed the score flashing at Bank of America Stadium, and from there it was all downhill.

The Panthers outscored the Broncos 30-3 after Kansas City blew their lead, and Denver was unable to clinch their first playoff berth in three years, losing to the Panthers by a final score of 30-10.

Steve Smith absolutely dominated the Denver secondary, netting over 100 receiving yards for the fifth straight game.

Denver's defense actually held "Smash and Dash" in check, and the potent Carolina duo combined for 140 total rushing yards, 56 of which were gained on a busted play where DeAngelo Williams reversed field and took it all the way for a touchdown.

The Broncos have no excuse other than they just flat-out got beat, at their own game no less.

Carolina had their way with the Broncos, due large in part to the pressure that was put on Denver quarterback Jay Cutler.

Cutler was sacked three times after not being sacked once in the previous three games.

Those Carolina sacks did not come from their most likely source, however.  If there was a bright spot for Denver yesterday, it was the fact that rookie left tackle Ryan Clady absolutely manhandled Panthers DE Julius Peppers, who did not even record a tackle.

In fact, Clady was so dominant that the Panthers switched Peppers to the other side of the line, where he was again shut down by Ryan Harris.

Don't get me wrong, I'm taking nothing away from the dominant performance of Carolina. However, that was one area where the Broncos really excelled. 

Despite the efforts of Clady, Denver's high-octane offense was held to under 300 yards, a feat not easily accomplished by opposing defenses.

Even though the Broncos weren't able to clinch this week, they are still sitting pretty well in the AFC West. 

The Broncos will travel back to Denver and host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, while second-place San Diego travels to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers.