Since I am still holding onto hope of Seattle making the playoffs this season, I was pleased to see Denver beat our possible Wild Card competitors from Dallas (though judging from the comments on my post last week, I am in a minority of one on this issue). I'm certainly not happy that the Broncos are 4-0, but we have to face the facts: Denver can still absolutely faceplant for the final 12 games and still finish 8-8. They have three games against KC and Oakland left, and we can assume they can scratch out at least one other win from the rest of their brutal schedule.
It's safe to say that we won't be getting that top 5 (or even top 10) pick from the Broncos.
However, that's not to say we can't still take twisted pleasure from Denver's inevitable tumble from the NFL's summit. The next game where you can argue they SHOULD win isn't until November 15, and that's still an east coast jaunt to face DC. A 7-game losing streak might not be PROBABLE for Denver, but it's certainly POSSIBLE. Their next seven games? Patriots, @ San Diego, @ Baltimore, Steelers, @ DC, Chargers, and Giants. If the Broncos win just three of those games, they will probably win the AFC West (ugh)... But I say they win two of these games, tops. That still gets them to 6-5, with that KC/OAK/KC trifecta still to come.
9-7 looks like the worst case scenario for Denver this season, while us Twelves will dance a happy jig if the Seahawks scratch their way to nine wins.
Thus is the bitter cruelty of being an NFL fan, y'all. I still think Seattle will be a better team than Denver come December, but the Broncos are more likely to make the playoffs thanks to a softer early schedule and the good fortune of not being ravaged by injuries.
With the Seahawks rallying and Denver fading as the season progresses, expect us to end up with two mid-first round picks next April (which let's face it, aint so bad... and we'll still be stealing a player from Denver's orange clutches).
Side note: Where's all the media outrage over Denver's orange alternate jerseys? They're as irritating to the eyes as our bright green alts... The only difference is decades of Denver wearing orange and a couple of Super Bowl rings... If the Seahawks are successful wearing lime green, it will eventually find acceptance.