(Chris Humphreys/USA Today Sports)
After ending the regular season with a 10-game winning streak to go along with a 13-3 record, the Denver Broncos were feeling the frustration last weekend after their devastating overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens of the Divisional Round. With a seven-point lead in the final minute and the Ravens out of timeouts, all signs pointed to the Broncos holding on and hosting the AFC Championship this Sunday.
Instead, Joe Flacco found Jacoby Jones for a 70-yard touchdown pass to tie the game up in regulation before Baltimore went on to win in overtime. There’s no question Denver should have easily won this game as they have nobody to blame but themselves, but if there’s at least one thing to take away from this past season–it’s the Broncos have plenty to look forward to in 2013 with Peyton Manning leading the way.
Plenty of people were harsh towards the Broncos for chalking up as much money as they did to bring Manning on board considering the risk behind his four neck surgeries, but the future Hall of Famer quickly proved there was nothing to worry about. Manning displayed MVP type numbers in 2012 after throwing for 4,659 yards to go along with 37 touchdowns.
John Elway took a huge risk when he brought Manning on board in the offseason and now that it’s proven to have such a high reward–expectations will be even higher for the Broncos heading into 2013 as they look to rebuild off of this year’s success and return to the playoffs.
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