Kiszla: Best reason to believe Broncos can beat Cincy in crucial game? Uncle Vic. Yes, seriously. – The Denver Post

When your image is as rumpled as the baggy gray sweatshirt that Vic Fangio favors wearing to work, nobody calls you a football genius. But to employ a term he likes, Uncle Vic is one tough sucker.

Getting rid of him as Broncos coach might be tougher than anyone thought.

While calls for his firing have been heard throughout Broncos Country for weeks, Fangio not only has Denver playing in its biggest game since Super Bowl 50, the often-dissed coach is among the best reasons to believe the Broncos can beat Cincinnati.

Do you trust Uncle Vic and these Broncos to win a game that’s crucial not only to the team’s playoff chances but also could make the difference between Fangio cleaning out his office at season’s end or returning to roam the Denver sideline in 2022?

The vibe in Empower Field at Mile High is laced with distrust. All season long, some of the most loyal fans in the NFL have been quick to boo the home team. I asked Fangio if he believed the Broncos had earned the right to count on a home-field advantage against the Bengals.

“Ultimately, our fans at the core love the Broncos,” Fangio replied Thursday. “And if the Broncos are doing good, (the fans) are doing good. They’re cheering, being loud and supportive.”

After breaking hearts too often during the past five years, however, the team can no longer count on Broncos Country to be loud and supportive through both thick and thin.

“I guess the question you’re asking is if it gets a little shaky, are they going to still be there during the game?” Fangio said. “And I feel like they will in this game.”

Since losing to Cleveland on a gloomy Thursday night in Ohio in late October, Fangio has the Broncos playing football that suggests they just might be a 5-to-1 longshot to make the playoffs that is worth betting on. Denver has won four of its last six games. While the two losses to Philadelphia and Kansas City were clunkers, three of the four victories in this stretch were against teams currently in the league’s playoff field.

Fangio was hired by Denver for his defensive acumen, and the Broncos beat Dallas, the Los Angeles Chargers and Washington because game plans devised by Uncle Vic took apart Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert and Taylor Heinicke. While Heinicke is nothing special, Prescott and Herbert should probably expect invitations to the Pro Bowl.

Not only did Fangio’s defense limit the Cowboys, Chargers and Washington to 13 points per game, the cumulative stats of Prescott, Herbert and Heinicke included five interceptions to go with five touchdown passes and a combined quarterback rating of 74.07, which would rank 29th in the league this season, right down there with the much-maligned production of Sam Darnold.

So while Fangio can be fairly criticized for his lack of charisma, and it’s often a cringe-worthy failure when he challenges a call on the field, the man also deserves props for getting the Broncos to play their best defense of the season since star linebacker Von Miller hobbled off the field in a Denver uniform for the last time.

The Broncos are one elite quarterback and a new offensive coordinator away from being legit challengers to Kansas City for supremacy in the AFC West. While it’s far from guaranteed either Seattle’s Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay will force a trade in 2022, it also would make sense for either man to move on to a team where an elite quarterback could view himself as the final piece necessary for serious championship contention.

Rather than being a detriment to attracting Rodgers or Wilson, Fangio could be an asset by vowing to let a future Hall of Fame quarterback tailor the Denver offense to his liking, in the same manner John Fox once did for Peyton Manning.

The odds remain stacked against Denver advancing to the playoffs and understandably disgruntled fans in Broncos Country can’t wait to push Uncle Vic out the door. But this team could make a deep playoff run next season if general manager George Paton can find a way to acquire Wilson or Rodgers. Yes, with Fangio on the sideline, because he’s smart enough to know that in today’s NFL, it’s the quarterback, not the coach, who is the most important reason why a team succeeds or fails.

Lose to the Bengals and the narrative will revert to speculation about Fangio’s shaky job status, as well it should.

But it might also be worth noting: While Jon Gruden and Urban Meyer, coaches who boasted championships on their resumes before this NFL season began, are no longer working in the league, Fangio is a tough sucker that’s still here.

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