It Would Be a Shame to See Jay Cutler and the Broncos in the Playoffs

In two successive years, fans of the NFL will witness a collapse that will go down in the annals of history as a one of a kind event, something that has never been done before.  Last year, it was the New England Patriots' stunning defeat by Eli Manning and the New York Giants.

Here, in 2008, we may bear witness to a stunning implosion by the Denver Broncos.  With three games left to go on their 2008 schedule, the Broncos were that many games ahead of the San Diego Chargers, who had floundered all season, destroying expectations in the worst kind of way.

All Shanahan's merry band needed to do was win one more game, and while the game against Carolina was no gimme, the blue and orange faced a Bills team with nothing but pride to play for.  At home.  Against a QB with a shredded groin. And they blew it.

But all is not lost.  The glorious Jay Cutler, a quarterback whose winning football seasons since high school can be counted on no hands, leads the Denver Broncos. 

He's a QB with an ARM that would put Elway's to shame.  He's a quarterback who was lucky one fateful prime time game that the cameras didn't catch him grabbing his genitals in a disgraceful gesture towards his opponents.

The only thing standing in the way of Jay Cutler and the Broncos are the underachieving San Diego Chargers.  Cutler & Co. will travel to San Diego and a playoff-like atmosphere, where the AFC West will be decided. 

If they beat the Bolts (who would have already clinched a playoff spot by now if a certain opponent had not been granted an undeserved chance by an inadvertent whistle), then Denver will march into the playoffs on the back of their obscene young gun.

Jay Cutler, while glorified by the Mile-High masses, is a slightly more talented Jamarcus Russell with a (much) better team, a (much) better coach, a (much) better organization, and a (much) worse attitude. 

Do the Chargers deserve to be in the playoffs? Perhaps not.

Do the Broncos deserve to be in the playoffs? Sunday will tell.