It’s not easy tanking in the NFL.
In the final week of the 2017 season, the 6-9 Bengals with nothing to play for went on the road to beat 9-6 Baltimore to knock the Ravens out of the playoffs.
In the final game of 2006, the 9-6 Broncos only had to win at home against 6-9 San Francisco to make the postseason. The Broncos jumped out to a 13-0 lead but wound up losing in overtime.
Every year, NFL teams with nothing to play for defeat teams with the playoffs at stake in the final week or two of the season.
“I think the key is the culture you set from the spring, through the summer and through the season," said Broncos’ head coach Vance Joseph, who will treat these final two games as if his job depends on it. “Our team has never flinched. We’ve played some big games and we’ve played a lot of games close this year. Every game we perform, so it won’t be any different Monday night. This team will play, we’ll compete hard and we’ll play our best ball."
Any time they keep score, innate competitive instincts takes over. Whether it’s a weekend athlete playing a game of pickup hoops at the local rec center, or a buddy foursome playing for beers on the back nine, the pursuit of victory cannot be stopped.
And so, the Broncos, already eliminated from the postseason with their 6-8 record, figure to give it their all Christmas Eve night when they play against the 3-11 Raiders at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.
Here’s a Klis List of factors for the Broncos to beat their arch rival on Monday night and get out of there safely:
Play like there’s nothing to lose
Understand, a loss would theoretically aid the Broncos’ future as it would improve their draft position.
The Broncos currently have the No. 13 overall pick in the 2019 draft. Losses this week to the Raiders and the following week to the Los Angeles Chargers would likely move the Broncos well inside the top 10 for a second consecutive year.
So, win or lose, it’s a win-win.
Big game from Phillip Lindsay
The diminutive rookie’s season rushing yardage has been stuck in the 900s for three straight games. He can break through against a Raiders’ defense that ranks No. 32 against the run at 146.4 yards per game.
Lindsay needs 9 yards for 1,000 and 114 yards to break the all-time undrafted rookie rushing record of 1,104 yards set by Indianapolis’ Dominic Rhodes in 2001.
Get open rooks
Either Broncos quarterback Case Keenum has been struggling to get rid of the ball, or his young receivers are having a difficult time getting open in a timely manner.
I’ll give the benefit of the doubt to the veteran. Someone from the kid trio of Courtland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton and Tim Patrick needs to have a big game.
Double-team tight end Jared Cook on third down
He is the NFL’s No.4-leading tight end with 848 receiving yards on 63 catches. Bradley Roby with Justin Simmons over the top should cause Raiders’ quarterback Derek Carr to throw the ball elsewhere.
The Raiders’ second-leading pass catcher is third-down back Jalen Richard, who has 62 catches for 550 yards. Their top receiver is Jordy Nelson, who isn’t what he was in Green Bay but still has 47 catches for 586 yards.
Get 5 sacks on Derek Carr
He doesn’t seem to have much faith in his banged up offensive line as constant, season-long pressure has reached the point where he’s starting to see ghosts. Carr has been sacked 47 times this year – only running quarterbacks Deshaun Watson (52) and Dak Prescott (51) have taken more.
Broncos rookie Bradley Chubb needs three more sacks to break the NFL’s all-time rookie record of 14.5 sacks set by Jevon Kearse in 1999. Broncos veteran Von Miller, who has 14.5 sacks, needs two more for 100 in his career and is two behind the NFL’s sack leader Aaron Donald.
Keep that helmet on
The Raider crowd, particularly in the infamous Black Hole, could be especially rowdy as night games generally mean more time at tailgate parties. And this figures to be the last Raiders’ game in Oakland, it could be not only a rowdy crowd but an angry one.
The visiting bench could be a dangerous place. And the postgame, on-field, meet-and-greets could also create a situation of gentlemen beware.
