DENVER • Whoa, fella. Let’s hold our horses.

Before Broncos Country goes bookin’ flights for Atlanta and Super Bowl 53, let’s rein in the unbridled optimism that’s ridden in with a three-game win streak: the Avalanche, Nuggets and Rockies are closer than the Broncos to hosting the next championship parade in Colorado.

The Avs skate atop the Western Conference of the NHL, the Nuggets smacked the Raptors on Monday to remain No. 1 in the West in the NBA, and the Rox are coming off back-to-back trips to the postseason. How’s that for a winning trifecta? There’s never been a better time for multitasking sports fans in Colorado.

But credit Vance Joseph for pumping the breaks on playoff chitter-chatter at his media address Monday after the Broncos punked the free-falling Bengals in Cincinnati: “No, I don’t think (they should talk playoffs). Right now we’re 6-6 only. We’re trying to be 7-6 this week. Without winning, those things won’t matter much. … At the end, we’ll see where we are.”

Where they are now is where the Broncos should have been all along: in the hunt for an AFC Wild Card spot with a bunch of teams that look really good or really bad depending on the Sunday.

From here it looks like the Broncos must sweep December and reach 10-6 to continue their season into January. After Philip Rivers and the Chargers beat the Steelers Sunday night — a pair of Super Bowl contenders the Broncos just beat — 9-7 won’t cut it.

“We don’t care what the other teams are doing,” defensive tackle and proud papa Shelby Harris said on Monday.

Good!

Because what’s impressive about this Broncos surge is how they recognized where they were wrong and humbly made it right. They’ve gone safe in a weak-link passing game and ditched safe in a turnover-hungry defense. Mostly — here’s the biggie — they’ve bridged a generational and leadership gap in their locker room.

While the leaders in the building score the big bucks and most of the credit, you still need a willing group of followers to make it work. The new guys John Elway brought in were sharp enough to fall in line.

“Everyone can’t be leaders,” Joseph said Monday.

All rookies aren’t like that, Miller said as the season began.

After seeing Phillip Lindsay swerve around and over defenses like he was born to run in the NFL, did you ever wonder how on earth his Colorado Buffaloes stumbled to a 5-7 record when the fiery senior was leading the charge?

If the rest of the huddle wasn’t willing to attack its role as followers, who’s he going to lead?

“When investment is heavy,” Joseph said, “teams fight.”

Now the cool kids in orange and blue are followers. Situating Garett Bolles’ locker next to Lindsay’s was either a fancy stroke of luck or one of the smartest low-key moves by Joseph. It’s every day when the little guy struts over to the big guy and says, I love you, dude. I know, Bolles has 120 pounds on Lindsay, so he pretty much has to be nice. But still.

“He was chasing (the Bengals around the field)!” Lindsay shouted after he rushed for 157 yards, two touchdowns and promptly handed his game ball to Bolles and his boys on the offensive line.

Scooch over to the defense and suddenly it’s much of the same. Von Miller is the type of example every gifted rookie should be lucky enough to emulate. But where it once was Miller trying to score a ring for ol’ DeMarcus Ware, now it’s Bradley Chubb giving his all to perform up to the standard another future Hall of Famer set before him.

“We knew they were coming at the edge all day,” Bengals quarterback Jeff Driskel said after Chubb became only the ninth player to reach 10 sacks by the 12th game of his rookie season.

If the Broncos coach in 2018 is smart, he will ban the rookie haircuts and any other foolish traditions that only serve to create division in the locker room. Sub it out for a new tradition worth keeping: this group-photo thing in the end zone. Snap a few in December and the Broncos can retake their usual seat on a long list of winners in town.

(Contact Gazette sports columnist Paul Klee at paul.klee@gazettedev.gazette.com or on Twitter at @bypaulklee.)

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DENVER • Whoa, fella. Let’s hold our horses.

Before Broncos Country goes bookin’ flights for Atlanta and Super Bowl 53, let’s rein in the unbridled optimism that’s ridden in with a three-game win streak: the Avalanche, Nuggets and Rockies are closer than the Broncos to hosting the next championship parade in Colorado.

The Avs skate atop the Western Conference of the NHL, the Nuggets smacked the Raptors on Monday to remain No. 1 in the West in the NBA, and the Rox are coming off back-to-back trips to the postseason. How’s that for a winning trifecta? There’s never been a better time for multitasking sports fans in Colorado.

But credit Vance Joseph for pumping the breaks on playoff chitter-chatter at his media address Monday after the Broncos punked the free-falling Bengals in Cincinnati: “No, I don’t think (they should talk playoffs). Right now we’re 6-6 only. We’re trying to be 7-6 this week. Without winning, those things won’t matter much. … At the end, we’ll see where we are.”

Where they are now is where the Broncos should have been all along: in the hunt for an AFC Wild Card spot with a bunch of teams that look really good or really bad depending on the Sunday. From here it looks like the Broncos must sweep December and reach 10-6 to continue their season into January. After Philip Rivers and the Chargers beat the Steelers Sunday night — a pair of Super Bowl contenders the Broncos just beat — 9-7 won’t cut it.

“We don’t care what the other teams are doing,” defensive tackle and proud papa Shelby Harris said on Monday.

Good! Because what’s impressive about this Broncos surge is how they recognized where they were wrong and humbly made it right. They’ve gone safe in a weak-link passing game and ditched safe in a turnover-hungry defense. Mostly — here’s the biggie — they’ve bridged a generational and leadership gap in their locker room.

While the leaders in the building score the big bucks and most of the credit, you still need a willing group of followers to make it work. The new guys John Elway brought in were sharp enough to fall in line.

“Everyone can’t be leaders,” Joseph said Monday.

All rookies aren’t like that, Miller said as the season began.

After seeing Phillip Lindsay swerve around and over defenses like he was born to run in the NFL, did you ever wonder how on earth his Colorado Buffaloes stumbled to a 5-7 record when the fiery senior was leading the charge?

If the rest of the huddle wasn’t willing to attack its role as followers, who’s he going to lead?

“When investment is heavy,” Joseph said, “teams fight.”

Now the cool kids in orange and blue are followers. Situating Garett Bolles’ locker next to Lindsay’s was either a fancy stroke of luck or one of the smartest low-key moves by Joseph. It’s every day when the little guy struts over to the big guy and says, I love you, dude. I know, Bolles has 120 pounds on Lindsay, so he pretty much has to be nice. But still.

“He was chasing (the Bengals around the field)!” Lindsay shouted after he rushed for 157 yards, two touchdowns and promptly handed his game ball to Bolles and his boys on the offensive line.

Scooch over to the defense and suddenly it’s much of the same. Von Miller is the type of example every gifted rookie should be lucky enough to emulate. But where it once was Miller trying to score a ring for ol’ DeMarcus Ware, now it’s Bradley Chubb giving his all to perform up to the standard another future Hall of Famer set before him.

“We knew they were coming at the edge all day,” Bengals quarterback Jeff Driskel said after Chubb became only the ninth player to reach 10 sacks by the 12th game of his rookie season.

If the Broncos coach in 2018 is smart, he will ban the rookie haircuts and any other foolish traditions that only serve to create division in the locker room. Sub it out for a new tradition worth keeping: this group-photo thing in the end zone. Snap a few in December and the Broncos can retake their usual seat on a long list of winners in town.

(Contact Gazette sports columnist Paul Klee at paul.klee@gazettedev.gazette.com or on Twitter at @bypaulklee.)

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