GLENDALE, Ariz. • This was ugly. This was, by the late stages, too much of too much. This was total devastation.

How total was the devastation found in the Denver Broncos’ 45-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals?

In the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, Broncos nose tackle Domata Peko began leading tens of thousands of orange-clad fans in cheers.

He raised his arms and pranced along the line of scrimmage, commanding fans who had invaded State Farm Stadium to join him in celebrating the triumph.

The orange-clad fans were rejoicing.

Meanwhile, those who support the Cardinals will recover from this beating sometime in, say, 2025.

“It felt like a home game,” Peko said. “It’s crazy, man. All I saw is a sea of orange out there.”

It was, definitely, crazy.

But here’s the more important question:

How much does this dazzling, resounding victory mean?

It was a mere 13 months ago, on Sept. 17, 2017, that the Broncos destroyed the Cowboys, 42-17. In a jubilant locker room, defenders shouted the might of 2015 was back. That was the year, you remember, when the defense carried the Broncos to NFL supremacy.

It would have been difficult to imagine – impossible, really – that the Broncos would finish 5-11 and leave much of the Front Range in severe football depression.

The Broncos are unanimous. They don’t want you to be a pessimist and think Thursday’s victory, like that September 2017 win over the Cowboys, is a cruel mirage.

“When your back is against the wall,” Peko said, “there’s only one way to go and that’s forward and that’s what we did tonight.”

Um, Domata, let’s get real. It’s possible to get your back pushed deep into the wall. That was the week-after-week reality for the Broncos in 2017.

Coming into Thursday’s game, I was baffled by the Broncos.

They delivered one of the franchise’s worst performances of the 21st century in a 34-16 surrender to the Jets, and they silenced, for three quarters, the great force that is the Chiefs offense.

On Tuesday, hoping to resurrect the franchise, Von Miller consulted with several Broncos, asking their permission to essentially, and colorfully, guarantee victory against the Cardinals.

“Go ahead,” linebacker Bradley Chubb told Miller. “Let’s do it.”

Linebacker Todd Davis, who scored the first of Denver’s two defensive touchdowns, realized what Miller’s guarantee meant.

“He put the pressure on everybody,” Davis said.

That’s true, and everybody responded. Miller took a gamble, on his team and his reputation, and talked big and loud. The gamble, no doubt, worked.

Miller was sensational, as he usually is when the Broncos seize a big lead.

He collected two forced fumbles and two sacks while setting up residence as Cardinals QB Josh Rosen’s neighbor in the backfield. It was a superb imitation of his Super Bowl performance, when he terrorized Cam Newton.

Von does not plan to make a practice of promising to humiliate and defeat opponents.

“I’d rather stay 1-0 with that,” he said of pregame guarantees.

It’s tempting to start believing in these Broncos, but most fans will remain skeptical about their heroes. The team has, after all, lost 15 of 23 games since Vance Joseph became coach.

But the Broncos were falling to temptation, en masse. Peko, filled with joy after the game, believes anything is possible for the Broncos, even victory Oct. 28 against the Chiefs.

“We just needed one to get the wheels turning,” he said. “I can’t wait to get those wheels to KC.”

If the Broncos keep those wheels turning in Kansas City and upset Patrick Mahomes and the mighty offense he leads, it will be time to start believing in these Broncos.

But anyone who’s been paying attention knows this:

That’s a massive if.