Troy Renck: A day later, hearts remain in throats, fists remain in a ball. The frustration and disappointment with the Nuggets’ season-ending defeat is palpable. There is no shame in losing to a team as talented as the Minnesota Timberwolves. But the Nuggets did not lose. They choked. No NBA team over the last 25 years has ever squandered a 20-point lead in a Game 7. Worse, the Nuggets were at home, where they have been dominant the past two seasons. It’s hard to think of a more crushing defeat. Maybe the 2012 Broncos falling to the Ravens and Joe “Cool” Flacco? Or Denver collapsing at home to the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars in the divisional round in 1996? So, with emotions still raw, I ask the question: Was Sunday night the most crushing loss in Colorado pro sports history?
Sean Keeler: Joe Flacco! Mark Brunell! Too soon, my man. Too soon. The Broncos are woven so deeply into this town’s soul, those wounds cut deeper. Always will. But Sunday night? Sunday night was epic. In all the wrong ways. The ’96-97 Broncos never had a second-half lead against the Jags. The ’12-13 Broncos, who scored at will, never led by 20 versus the Ravens. (Or, in fact, by double-digits.) Broncos playoff losses will always hurt longer. But a Game 7 that plays out like that? Oh, it hurts more. Brother, it burns.
Renck: Recency bias makes it hard not to argue the Nuggets’ loss is the worst. If Denver gets any offensive contribution from Aaron Gordon or Michael Porter Jr., they win. But for me, the 1996 Broncos’ playoff collapse was more crushing. That team was loaded and hosting a Jaguars team in its second year. Jacksonville owned 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, erasing a 12-point deficit while shredding the Broncos defense.
Keeler: There’s a circle of Hades for Broncos Country in which Jimmy Smith’s touchdown runs on a continuous loop, the crowd gasping as DB Tory James stretches, then flails in the end zone at a near-perfect strike from Brunell on the fade. Nobody wants to go there. Nobody ever should. But Anthony Edwards stealing the ball from Jamal Murray at half-court at the end of the third quarter of Game 7, then beating everybody downhill for the two-handed slam, feels destined for a circle of its own now.
Renck: The 2012 Broncos loss remains fresh 12 years later because of the ending. While the Jaguars dominated Denver for three quarters, the Broncos were in control vs. Baltimore. All they had to do was not give up a Hail Mary. Instead, they did not bump receiver Jacoby Jones at the line of scrimmage and he raced by the defense as safety Rahim Moore misjudged Flacco’s bomb like a kid losing at Three Flies Up in the backyard. Viewed objectively, it was must-see TV, a track meet disguised as a football game. But there’s no denying it ruined Peyton Manning’s historic season, made worse by taking a knee in regulation and losing in overtime.
Keeler: In the words of Matt “Guitar” Murphy from the “Blues Brothers” movie, they’re all pretty bad. According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, there’s a reason that Jags upset still lingers. The Broncos were a 12.5-point favorite, and Jacksonville hadn’t scored more than 25 points on the road all season — until the playoffs. The Nuggs were five-point faves going into Game 7. So even if Sunday night isn’t Denver’s No. 1, it’ll probably stay lodged among the metro’s top 5 wounds forever.
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