Nikola Jokic, 15, of the Denver Nuggets speaks to members of the media after the fourth quarter of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 98-90 victory at Ball Arena in Denver on Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Photo provided by: AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Troy Lenk: A day later, my heart is still in my throat and my fist is still in the ball. The frustration and disappointment over the Nuggets’ season-ending loss is palpable. There’s no shame in losing to a talented team like the Minnesota Timberwolves. However, the Nuggets did not lose. They were suffocated. In the past 25 years, no NBA team has allowed him to blow a 20-point lead in Game 7. To make matters worse, the Nuggets were at home, where he had dominated the past two seasons. It’s hard to think of a worse defeat. Maybe the 2012 Broncos lost to the Ravens and Joe “Cool” Flacco? Or did Denver collapse in the 1996 Divisional Round at home to the expansion franchise, the Jacksonville Jaguars? So, with my emotions still raw, I ask a question. Was Sunday night the worst loss in Colorado professional sports history?
Sean Keeler: Joe Flacco! Mark Brunel! It’s too early, dude. Too soon. The Broncos are deeply woven into the soul of this town, and the wounds run deeper. I will definitely do that. But Sunday night? Sunday night was great. In all the wrong ways. In 1996-97, the Broncos never led in the second half against the Jags. In the 2012-13 season, the Broncos scored at will and never trailed by 20 points against the Ravens. (Double digits, actually.) A playoff loss for the Broncos will always be a long-term blow. But will Game 7 ever play out like that? Oh, it hurts even more. Brother, it’s on fire.
Troy Lenk: Due to recency bias, it’s hard not to argue that the Nuggets’ loss was the worst. It would be a win if Denver could get some offensive contributions from Aaron Gordon or Michael Porter Jr. But for me, the Broncos’ playoff loss in 1996 was more shocking. That team welcomed the Jaguars team in its second year. Jacksonville had a 9-7 record and was 1-7 on the road during the regular season. This was supposed to be the season John Elway won his first ring. Inexplicably, Mark Brunell outplayed him, wiping out a 12-point deficit while crushing the Broncos’ defense.
Keeler: There’s a ring of Hades in Broncos Country, where Jimmy Smith’s touchdown runs on a continuous loop, the crowd gasps as DB Torrie James stretches, and Brunell’s near-perfect hit on the fade sends him flapping in the end zone. No one wants to go there. No one should. But Anthony Edwards stealing the ball from Jamal Murray in the half court late in the third quarter of Game 7 and then beating everyone downhill for a two-handed slam now feels destined to come full circle. ing.
Lenk: The 2012 Broncos loss still feels fresh 12 years later because of the ending. The Jaguars dominated Denver for three quarters, but the Broncos took control against Baltimore. All they had to do was not give up on Hail Mary. Instead, they didn’t run into receiver Jacoby Jones at the line of scrimmage, and safety Rahim Moore misjudged Flacco’s bomb like a kid losing on a three-fly-up in the backyard, causing him to get stuck with the defense. We competed. Objectively speaking, it was must-see television, a track meet disguised as a soccer match. But there’s no denying that it ruined Peyton Manning’s historic season, made worse by taking a knee in regulation and losing in overtime.
Keeler: To paraphrase Matt “Guitar” Murphy from the movie “The Blues Brothers,” they’re all pretty bad. According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, there’s a reason the Jags’ upset still lingers. The Broncos were 12.5 point favorites, and Jacksonville never scored more than 25 points on the road all season until the playoffs. The Nags were five-point favorites heading into Game 7. So even if Denver isn’t No. 1 on Sunday night, this game will probably forever remain a stain on the metro’s top five.
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