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LONDON – As the Broncos enjoyed a jolly good time in merry old England, where the high knees and unwavering spirit of quarterback Russell Wilson saved the butt of beleaguered coach Nathaniel Hackett, you needed to grab a glimpse of general manager George Paton to find out if the 21-17 victory against Jacksonville on Sunday meant a blankety-bleeping thing.
Was this the start of something beautiful for the Broncos?
Or was this fleeting feel-good moment the beginning of the end for outside linebacker Bradley Chubb?
“It is tough,” Chubb said Sunday, as subdued as a player can be after driving a stake through the stinking heart of a four-game losing streak.
The Broncos can’t trade Chubb now. Or can they?
After giving hope a chance by defeating the lowly Jaguars, would Paton dare rip the joy from the moment by unloading a cornerstone piece of a rock-solid defense in exchange for a future draft pick or two?
With the NFL trade deadline looming Tuesday, does Paton really want to move on from Chubb, punt on the season and kick the remaining Broncos in the Denver locker room?
Don’t do it, George.
Why take a sledgehammer to a strong defense that is Denver’s only chance to climb back into playoff contention?
“The season is not over,” insisted Broncos safety Justin Simmons, who made a key interception with his back to the Denver end zone.
Trading Chubb would not only be waving the white flag it would send a signal to Wilson that he signed a $245 million contract extension to lead a rebuilding project.
Of course, the only vote that really matters belongs to Paton.
Yes, his passion in pursuit of a “blankety bleep” victory was a hot blue streak when I talked to the GM during a Broncos practice late last week.
But as many of the 86,215 in attendance got up to dance, turning Wembley Stadium into LoDo across the Pond after Denver running back Latavius Murray carried the rock 2 yards for the winning touchdown with one minute, 43 seconds remaining, I spied Paton, planted on his seat.
Paton watched the most joyous moment of a frustrating season in stone-cold silence, with zero emotion in his eyes. This general manager’s decision to trade or keep Chubb will be made by calculating a spreadsheet rather than consulting his heart.
“Whatever happens,” Chubb said, “happens.”
When Wilson returned to the Denver huddle after taking a game off to nurse a hamstring injury, Mr. Unlimited was initially almost too painful to watch. His first three passing attempts resulted in a near-interception, a sack and a pick by Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins.
On the sideline, Hackett approached Wilson and told him: “Take a breath … breathe.”
Just when it seemed the Broncos were on the verge of driving fans in Colorado either back under the bedcovers or the liquor cabinet for day drinking, Russ began to cook.
Early in the third quarter, Wilson led a nine-play touchdown drive that began with the football on the 2-yard line and the veteran quarterback confidently telling players in the huddle: “We are going to go 98 yards right now. Believe in it.”
During the fourth-quarter march that rescued Denver from defeat, Wilson moved the sticks with the pressure on by scrambling for 10 yards on third down. “I got high knees,” he joked.
With a 3-5 record, the Broncos probably need to win at least six of their nine remaining games, with the toughest part of their schedule left on the docket, to make the playoffs.
That’s a daunting task.
But didn’t I just hear new franchise co-owner Greg Penner tell me he expects Hackett to do a lot of winning down the stretch? How do you fairly hold a coach accountable if Paton trades Chubb, one of the team’s few serious candidates to make the Pro Bowl?
What’s Chubb going to do during the upcoming bye week? You mean other than hang close to phone and, like the rest of us, find out if he’s still a member of the Broncos when the trade deadline passes Tuesday? Nothing.
“That’s why I have no plans,” Chubb said.
During the nine-hour plane ride back to Colorado across the Atlantic Ocean, while Hackett enjoys the stay of execution on his coaching career and Wilson does high knees in the aisle of the team plane, Paton has to mull a tough decision and resist the urge to hand Chubb a parachute over Philadelphia.
Even if Chubb could garner a first-round draft choice in a trade from the Eagles or any other team with legitimate championship aspirations, it would undercut the urgency for the Broncos to win now.
And we all know this is a Denver team that doesn’t need another excuse to lose.
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