What a long strange trip it has been. Without question, the first seven games of season has been nothing short of a roller coaster ride for the Denver Broncos. After starting off their 2018 campaign with two thrilling victories, the team and its fans had a reason to be optimistic. Unfortunately, the success was short-lived and pessimism reared its ugly head as the franchise suffered a dreadful four-game losing streak.

Despite gaining an impressive 14 point lead in the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens, the team vanished from the gridiron the remainder of the contest and surrendered 27 unanswered points en route to their first loss of the year. Looking to rebound at home the following week, the Broncos imploded and relinquished a two score advantage in the fourth quarter to lose a heart-breaker to the Kansas City Chiefs. Their week five road adventure against the New York Jets was absolutely pitiful, only to be followed up with another poor performance riddled with self-inflicted wounds that resulted in defeat against the Los Angeles Rams.

The past four weeks have been an unexpected and absolute nightmare for the franchise and its fans. Many of us have been wondering, “What in the Hell happened?” There were no shortage of answers for how the Broncos could have fallen so hard, so fast. Whether it was lackluster coaching, poor individual play or just something larger at play — nothing was going right or as expected.

A season that could have (and likely should have) started out with four wins and two losses turned out to be the exact opposite. It closely resembled what the team had endured just a year prior — a road leading to nowhere — with most all of Broncos Country losing faith in the team at a rapid pace and were seemingly all too eager to throw in the towel for the remainder of the year. In order to stop the mayhem something needed to be done. They desperately needed a win.

On Thursday night, the Broncos did more than just win. They fulfilled what Von Miller had promised earlier in the week and embarked upon an ass-kicking of epic proportions against the Arizona Cardinals. It was a decisive victory in a game they dominated from start to finish. After weeks of despair, the Broncos just may have gotten their swagger back. At the very least, a much needed boost of confidence and source of inspiration to propel them to greater heights the rest of the season.

“We knew what we needed to do. In those four games that we lost, there were two games that we should have won,” remarked offensive tackle Garett Bolles. “The ball didn’t bounce our way in those games but tonight, we wanted the whole country to know who we are and what they’re up for every time they come play us. They all better be ready because we’re coming.”

Even with an enormous win against the Cardinals, the Broncos still have a lot to prove in order to change the narrative on their season to date — but it’s not too late to continue to make a statement. In just nine days, they will have a chance to make up for their late-game collapse a few weeks ago in a revenge game against the Chiefs. A win will put them back in playoff contention, but a loss would most certainly make those aspirations a virtual mirage.

“This is just a little glimpse of how great we can be. When we play good for four quarters offensive, defensively, things become easier so we’re going to get people,” stated inside linebacker Todd Davis. “Like I said, this is the first time anyone has seen us play good football for four quarters. Now that we’ve done it once we can definitely do it again.”

With nine games remaining, it’s far too early to count the Broncos out. If they can execute and play efficient football like they did against Arizona — there is no telling how good they can be. Anything can happen on any given Sunday. Here is to hoping that this week’s win against Arizona is a sign of better things ahead and not just an aberration from what we have come to expect thus far.