Fangio Believes Broncos 'Could Be Better' But Not 'Worse' Than 3-6

As the Denver Broncos take some time off during their bye week, the team will reflect on missed chances this season. But Denver has to have a degree of hope and optimism restored in their souls after things began to click into place on both sides of the ball in Week 9.

Head coach Vic Fangio is well aware that a few tweaks here and there, mixed with a degree of luck, could have found his team a lot better positioned than they currently are.

“We’ve had those three 'walk-off' losses, as you describe them," Fangio said on Monday. "A few of those kickers turned around and missed their next opportunities for that. We are 3-6. Could we be better? Yes. Could we be worse? No. I don’t really know how to answer that question other than we’ve had more than our chance to have a much better record than we do, but it is what it is.”

Staring reality in the face and choosing to live in the moment helped the Broncos in their gritty win over Cleveland, finally proving that they can indeed win a down-to-the-wire game.

Next up on the schedule are back-to-back road trips back East to Minnesota and Buffalo, respectively, where the Broncos newly minted, and more progressive, offense will face more stern competition. What is most important in sustaining momentum going forward will be how the coaching staff will continue to handle new starting QB Brandon Allen.

In his outlook for Allen, Coach Fangio spoke to the need to find ways to manage his quarterback for the challenges that lie ahead.

“Just to continue to operate the offense," Fangio said. "I think another week of practice will do him wonders, which we’ll do when we come back from the bye and we’ll have an extra practice that week.”

Within the greater masterplan is the simple plan to build up Allen's reps in practice, something that he found was severely limited when Joe Flacco was running the offense. As crucial as Coach Fangio and offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello will be in building the young starter's familiarity in the system, it’s the long-term planning of GM John Elway that could potentially undermine any confidence the coaches manage to instill in Allen.

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Elway must now proceed with caution as he juggles not only one, but two young QBs that he would like to develop in the seven remaining games post-bye. Elway's bigger strategy for his second-round draft pick Drew Lock has not been particularly clear or well-formed to this point, leaving many fans to ponder whether bigger issues lurk behind the scenes.

“It’s still up in the air," Fangio said regarding Lock's timetable. "Since we’re not practicing this week, we don’t have to make a decision until next week.”

Giving Lock a late-season opportunity to play is still an option, even if Allen plays well enough to hold down the starting position. That being said, it would be a brave general manager to risk entering the coming draft without kicking the tires on the potential QB of the future.

Looking ahead, the reality for the Broncos remains that the playoffs are now a slim-to-remote possibility, with the team needing to win out through the remainder of a tough slate of contests. Elway made his intentions a little bit clearer recently when he didn’t make any more trades before the deadline, revealing how intent he is on doing everything possible to win games this season.

One thing’s for sure, no one in Denver is quitting on this season just yet. We'll see what shape this team takes when the Broncos emerge from the bye in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.

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