Not only did Denver fold like a house of cards in a tornado, but they ruined a perfectly good column.  I was all set to write about how they were the worst team to make the playoffs in…forever…and they blow it by getting blown out again.

Only the Lions and the Rams gave up more points than Denver did this year. Seriously, the Steelers gave up HALF as many points.  Now, instead of my great Bronco mocking column I must mock someone else.  To that point, here is the NFL’s bottom 5 for the year.

5. Detroit.  0-16. OO-16.  Ohhhh-16.  Ohmygoddoesthisteamsuckonalllevels-16. It’s not enough for the Lions to get the first pick of the draft - they buried the needle.  Too bad for them there is not one single clearly-defined number one college player to draft first. A couple of QBs, a couple of linemen… and the Lions need about 10 starters. Detroit should offer up the pick for as many as they can get, not just first rounders. With so many needs they should take a multitude of players, picks and cash and plug up the whole team.

4. Jets/Broncos/Cowboys.  3 teams that basically needed one win the final 3 weeks to get in and managed nothing at all.  The Jets started 8-3 and seemed a lock, then lost 4 out of 5.  Denver had a 3 game lead with 3 to go – the real bummer was the humiliating defeat to the Raiders at home.  And Dallas? They lost 3 of 4 when their end-of-season talent-heavy schedule came home to roost. 2-5 vs playoff teams. Simply put they just didn’t deserve it.

3. Officiating.  Some bad calls this year – and the inability to get a call right after you realize the mistake.

2. Coaching.  If the head coach doesn’t know how to manage the clock better then the legions of double-thumb-jointed kids in the Playstation Generation, you know you have a problem. Romeo Crennel makes Art Shell look like The Thinker.  The next time an NFL head coach has any idea when to run for a 2-pt conversion will be the first time they had an idea.

1. Bad teams in the playoffs.  I loooove the fact that New England goes 11-5 and sits while 8-7 Denver and 7-8 San Diego fight it out for a playoff spot.  I also loooove the fact that the teams with better records don’t get the home games. Honestly, can the NFL ever get that right?

NFL – we love you despite the fact you always seem to get so many things wrong.

In an effort to fold (quoting Eddie Izzard) faster than a flan in the cupboard, the Broncos got used yesterday, losing 30-10 to Carolina.

Denver continues it’s efforts to be the first team in NFL history to win a division depsite having the worst defense in the league.

Currently in worst place…

Detroit 0-14, 444 points given away

St. Louis 2-12, 417 points bullied.

Kansas City 2-12, 386 points scored against them

Denver 8-6 366 points pounded out of them.

Yep, it’s true even the 2-11-1 Bengals have given up fewer points then Denver.  Even 3-11 Oakland is not as bad as this on defense.  29th out of 32 teams.  The only thing keeping Denver out of the 30s in bad defense is the NFL not allowing 36 or 48 or 72 teams in the league.

I am actively cheering for Denver to give up as many points as possible.  I am hoping for the Broncos to blow a massive lead in one of the worst divisions in recent memory.  I openly root for Buffalo to find some courage and about 200 rushing yards from Marshawn Lynch and beat Denver in their house next week to set up a final game in San Diego where 8-7 Denver loses to the 7-8 Chargers and personally hands over a division title to terrible Head Coach Norv Turner.  As bad as they are – this is really the only fair result of the season

One gambling website has the following current odds of winning the Super Bowl (as of the day before Thanksgiving)

NYGiants 3.5 to 1, Tenn 7 to 1, Indy 9 to 1, Dal and Pit 10 to 1, NYJ 11 to 1, NE 12 to 1, TB 19 to 1

Car 21 to 1, Bal and Ariz 23 to 1, Wash 29 to 1, Minnesota 34, Atl Chi SD & GB 41 to 1,

Mia and New Orl 51 to 1, Denver 67 to 1, Buf 81, Phi 151 to 1, Hou 251, Jax and Cle 501, SanFran 1001 to 1

Points of interest…Baltimore, arguably the best AFC team despite a rookie QB, is behind 5 AFC teams probably because they lost to 3 of those teams already.  However, no AFC defense is better right now, including Tennessee.

Denver?  Still trying to make the playoffs with a sub-.500 record.  Denver will make the post-season at 8-8, host a playoff game and be a 7 point underdog in their own house.  Welcome to the NFL’s continued inability to rank teams based on quality instead opting to order said teams on the meritless variable of geography. The National Football League – taking parity to it’s ultimate extreme of refusing to reward quality teams with playoffs games at home no matter how many games they win!  Thanks NFL!

Who would I take now?  Giants against the field?  I wouldn’t go that far but I would take the Giants against the field to represent the NFC.  Against any AFC teams I’d make the Giants a 6 point Super Bowl favorite today.

Right now the Denver Broncos are leading their division (at 5-4) despite ranking 28th of 32 teams in points allowed.  I have to wonder if a team has ever won it’s division despite leading the league in most points given up.  Only in the NFL