Jay Cutler Watched the Denver Broncos' Playoff Hopes Slip Away

On Sunday night, a great battle was fought to lay claim to the title. One team, had earlier taken control of the division, but recently faltered. The other, was gutting it out, working to keep the dream alive, and in a way, fueled by revenge.

The setting took place by the water, and what happened will be remembered for a long time.

The next morning, the shock was still there. Denver went from being a win away from a playoff berth.

They had beat, the at-the-time number one team in the AFC, the Jets, on their home turf. They didn't seem to have any problem with the concept—one win, and we're in.

But that one, turned elusive.

Many Bronco fans might say, what exactly happened, in the last three weeks? You might need to look five weeks back, to get a better idea.

Yep, back to the Raiders' win in Denver, preceding the Jets game.

Looking at that game, the Broncos were taking it lightly. After all, Oakland had been humiliated, beaten up, and demoralized at home to open the season. Announcers and the media didn't think this was even going to be close, let alone a full game of entertainment. There was even people questioning if Denver would need to play football in December, having it wrapped up by then.

But somehow, the wheels came off. Oakland came into the game wanting to set an example, and exact their own version of revenge. And in doing so, pulled off an upset for the rivalry. Even Shanahan couldn't quite understand it—usually, Denver is seen as a place teams go to lose—but this year, home wasn't sweet home.

The next week, they took their frustrations out on the Jets. As we learned later, New York seemed allergic to the air on the west coast, losing not only in Denver and Oakland, but in Seattle and San Francisco.

Could this have been a false sense of hope?

Thinking that by beating the Jets, the Broncos felt that they had weathered a hard time, and that the Chargers would lose in the last couple weeks, rendering the last game a moot point?

Call it fate, call it bad luck, or call it defying the odds.

Denver wound up watching the last two weeks, and not being ready for the biggest game of Cutler's life.

Denver can use a few excuses. They had injury problems. Champ Bailey wasn't nearly as healthy. They couldnt' keep a RB intact for long periods. Some would say a hostile crowd rattled Cutler.

Cutler, twice in two weeks, had games were they should have shown some playoff poise. The Panthers, who are in the playoffs, turned Denver sideways. Nothing new there, the Panthers beat the other three clubs in the AFC West, too. Then the game against the Bills, who were already out of contention, came to Denver.

And the Denver mystique failed to inspire the Broncos.

So, Cutler's season came down to a game in San Diego. And Denver's playoff hopes were buried there, by the ocean.

Denver now has a long list of things it needs to get done, to right this ship. And it's up to them to do so. How much they can do, will depend on Cutler's ability to learn from his mistakes—and Shanahan, simply has to learn, quick fixes aren't that quick.