49ers kicker Joe Nedney just beat the Broncos in overtime with a Rich Karlis-esque field goal. No playoffs this year for Denver, who lost 26-23 and finished the year at 9-7.
That back-and-forth yet ultimately unsatisfying game was a microcosm of the Broncos' season. Let's take a look back at the year:
Biggest hangover from last season: Loss of home-field. (Jake Plummer, of course, runs a close second.) After squandering the AFC Championship at Invesco last year, the team followed up with a 4-4 mark at home this season. Some of that was scheduling-the Broncos hosted and lost to the Colts, Seahawks, and Chargers this year-but it's pretty weird for a team that plays at such a high elevation to win more games on the road than at home.
Rookie of the year: Elvis Dumervil. I said after last year's loss to Pittsburgh that our biggest need was an improved pass rush. The Broncos made major strides towards solidifying their pass defense for years to come with the fourth-round selection of Dumervil, who exceeded everyone's expectations but my own and finished with eight and a half sacks. (Does the high sack count mean he'll follow Trevor Pryce, Reggie Hayward, and Bert Berry out of town?)
Most missed departure: Gary Kubiak. It's hard to say whether Kubiak really would have made a difference this year-after all, his new team, the Houston Texans, finished 28th overall in offense. (Surprisingly, that's only one spot behind Vince Young's team.)
But for all the things that went wrong with Denver's offense during this frustrating season-poor offensive line play, inconsistent passing, the tragic loss of Rod Smith-one significant though rarely-mentioned failure was play calling. Defenses-even of teams like San Francisco-always seemed one move ahead on the chessboard. Can the Broncos regain the element of surprise next year?
Second-most missed departure: Trevor Pryce. Twelve sacks for the Ravens.
Best new Bronco: Javon Walker. Walker finished the year with 69 catches for 1,084 yards (15.7 yards per catch) and eight touchdowns. He added 123 yards rushing and emerged as Denver's no-doubt go-to guy with the game on the line. He did all of this pretty much on his own. Walker had more than twice as many yards as the next-leading Denver receiver, Rod Smith. Did the Packers really give up on him for just a second-round pick?
Lamest move of the year: Starting Jay Cutler. Nothing against Cutler, who-recent success of Ben Roethlisburger aside-was pretty good for a rookie. Yet he led the Broncos to a worse record in his starts than Jake Plummer, while sharing the Snake's penchant for the unfathomable turnover. I guess the most shocking part of the move was how little Cutler sparked the team. The offense played with the same level of passion after he came off the bench as they did before. That's not all on him, of course, but it still surprised me.
Bell of the Year: Mountain. All right, Mike. Tatum's clearly a more talented player and the Broncos' second-best big play threat (on offense). But Tatum's late-season fumbles allowed Mike to see the field more and more in crunch time. The real lesson, though, is that neither will make for much of a feature back until the offensive line improves.
Player of the year: Champ Bailey. Ten interceptions from the corner who not only deserves defensive player of the year, but who, if the Broncos had made the playoffs, could have earned a spot in the "also receiving votes" section of league MVP balloting. He's got speed, hands, and guts, and he led the defense that carried the team.
(Update: changed post title.)
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