Broncos Game at Invesco!

So it all began a month ago when Andy and I were talking about fun things to do BB (Before Brady gets here!) and one of us mentioned going to see the Broncos play downtown.  I'd never been to a professional football game before and told Andy I'd love for us to go sometime.  Within the week he called me from work with tickets to the Broncos - Oakland game.  So exciting!

The day started off beautifully.  The air was crisp and clear.  The leaves were changing in the trees -- brilliant hues of gold, orange, and red set against the autumn grey sky.  The day was filled with promise.  Andy pulled out his two Broncos jerseys (one to fit over my baby bump!) and we packed long sleeve shirts and a blanket to take with us in case the weather cooled.

After a short ride on the Light Rail to the Invesco station and a looong walk through shouting vendors and make-shift booths selling (what my favorite vendor yelled) "slightly less expensive overpriced crap," we arrived at the stadium.

We walked around (and around!) the front sidewalk until arriving at Gate 4 where we were told to go find our seats.  MAN were they great seats!  Section 112 Row 15!  That's just fifteen yards off the field right at the corner of the end zone; luckily on the Broncos side of the field, too!  We were there in time to watch the players warming up and could pick out Coach McDaniels, Quarterbacks Orton, Tebow, and Quinn (so cute!) from our seats.  This was really cool.

Things started with a cute "junior cheerleader" routine from 600 local girls dancing with the Broncos Cheerleaders, while people on the sidelines blew up the inflatable Bronco surrounding the Broncos entrance to the field and made ready the smoke machines.

Next, they freaked me out by announcing four skydivers who spiraled and soared onto the field (and nearly killed themselves... okay not really, but I was paranoid for their safety!) trying to land on specially colored rings as a contest.

Then, the Broncos were announced and all came rushing in to smoke, fireworks, and fanfare...

The coin was tossed.  The game began.

Our faces dropped

...as the Broncos let the Raiders score three touchdowns and a field goal within the first quarter.  Ouch!  Again and again and again, the Broncos fumbled at catching the ball, slipped and slid on the grass instead of making the tackle, and allowed the Raiders to march down the field to score far too many points for one game.  It was a sad, sad state of affairs for Broncos team members and fans alike.  Kyle Orton was not at his best, but remained in the game as the Broncos quarterback.  Fans in the stands started chanting, "We want Tebow!" to no avail.  The few Oakland fans scattered throughout the stadium stood and whooped and cheered time and time again.  The beer guy ran up and down the stairs of the stadium selling Budweisers and Coors to sulking Broncos fans who resorted to drowning their sorrows while they watched the rather abysmal game unfold.

After the first quarter, the Raiders were up 24-0.  That's 3 touchdowns and a field goal to no defense.  By the end of the second quarter, Oakland had scored two more touchdowns to Denver's one, making the score OAK 38 - DEN 7.  The stadium nearly emptied at halftime as Broncos fans rushed to the food and drink stands for distraction.  When third quarter started, I was somewhat hopeful as Denver pulled out an early touchdown.  I thought, "All right Broncos!  Now you're playing football!"  Then, they let the Raiders score 3 more touchdowns.  People around us started packing up and leaving, without wanting to stick around for another quarter of this massacre.  At point I said to Andy, "The only defense our team has are the 5-10 yard penalties called against the Raiders by the refs!"  Sheesh!

With a final score of 59-14, Oakland marched off the field proudly while Denver licked its wounds, falling to 2-5 for the season.

Today, the Denver Broncos website quotes Head Coach McDaniels as saying that the game was "uncompetitive" to say the least.  "It's not good enough -- it's not even close to good enough," McDaniels said. "I apologize to (Owner) Pat (Bowlen) and the organization, all the fans and everyone else. It was awful."

Despite the devastating game, I at least can say that I had a wonderful time at the "Mile High" Stadium.  Just being there, so close to the field and the game, a part of the crowd and the cheers (and many boos) was exhilarating.  And I can't help but hope that there is still some small ray of victorious light yet to come for this struggling Broncos team...