On the back of another strong defensive performance, the Denver Broncos find themselves at 5-0 and leading the AFC West. Denver is one of six undefeated teams, but each of those Broncos victories has been tense at the least and downright gut-wrenching at worst.
Even Sunday’s 16-10 win at Oakland required some last-minute scrambling as the offense couldn’t convert first downs down the stretch to ice the game.
The defense dominated again, remaining atop the NFL standings in total yards allowed, but they took some small steps back, falling out of the top spot in passing yards allowed.
The offense, for the second time this season, failed to score a touchdown and has now been unable to put the ball in the end zone in the first quarter of any games so far.
Yes, the Broncos are undefeated, and there are some major studs leading the way. But for a team that had averaged defeating the Raiders by a nearly 23-point margin during the Peyton Manning era, Sunday’s win proved there are some duds on this team that are cause for concern.
Dud No. 3 – 1st Half Pass Rush
Through five games, Denver has the best pass rush in the NFL with 22 sacks, but the Raiders have one of the best pass protection units in the league, having allowed just 21 hits on Derek Carr. It was strength against strength in the first half and the Raiders, for the most part, won the battle.
Denver logged just one sack on Carr and no other tackles for loss. Carr was 11-for-14 for 135 yards and a touchdown. He stayed almost entirely upright and the Broncos gave up several plays in the flat being overly aggressive in their pursuit.
The Raiders took a 7-6 lead into the locker room that easily could have been a 10-6 margin had Sebastian Janikowski not had a kick inexplicably blocked.
To make matters worse, former All-Pro and September Defensive Player of the Month DeMarcus Ware was carted off during the second quarter on Sunday and did not return to the game. The Broncos defensive captain suffered a back injury. His absence was immediately felt as the pass rush wasn’t nearly as effective in the first half against Oakland as it had been in the previous four games.
Stud No. 3 – 2nd Half Pass Rush
For as uninspiring as the pass rush in the first half without DeMarcus Ware, it was equally as strong in the second half – ultimately leading to two plays that shifted the momentum in the Broncos’ favor.
On the Raiders’ first possession of the second half, Von Miller got to Derek Carr and quite literally stripped the ball right out of his hands. The ensuing possession for Denver resulted in a go-ahead field goal – a lead the Broncos would not surrender.
The real game-changing play, however, came as a result of more pressure by the defense. On a third-and-five on Denver’s 21 yard line, Wade Phillips brought the house against Derek Carr, forcing him into a pass that Chris Harris Jr. read perfectly, picked off and returned 74 yards for the touchdown that ultimately proved to be the game winner.
Shane Ray had a huge sack, as well, getting to Carr on a third-and-12 just inside Denver territory late in the game. The sack led to an eventual turnover on downs. Denver needed just a couple first downs to ice the game – that didn’t happen – but the sack was a huge play at the time.
When the final whistle blew, the Denver defense had registered four sacks on Carr – nearly matching the total of five that Oakland had allowed in their previous four games.
Dud No. 2 – Peyton Manning
For the second week in a row, Peyton Manning is our No. 2 “Dud.” Yes, he’s got less run support than the Atlanta Braves, and yes, he’s working behind a patchwork offensive line that’s forcing him into quick decisions. But this is Peyton Manning we’re talking about and the standards are different for Manning. Going against one of the worst pass defenses in the league, expectations were high on Sunday.
His 77.3 passer rating is now 35th in the NFL and on Sunday it was below that mark – a dismal 62.3.
Not only did Manning throw two interceptions and no touchdowns on Sunday, he was again under- or over-throwing receivers and his deep balls were being described by the Denver media as “helium-filled balloons.”
For the first time since his first two years in the league, Manning has been intercepted in the first five games of the season.
The offensive woes aren’t entirely his fault (he had two potential touchdown passes dropped), but at some point the Broncos are going to need Peyton Manning to have a Peyton Manning game. Little from Sunday – against the No. 30 pass defense in the league – suggested he’s still capable of doing that.
Manning passed Brett Favre for the most cumulative (regular season and playoff) yards in NFL history on Sunday, but it was a bittersweet accomplishment as he was intercepted twice by the guy who intercepted his Heisman Trophy back in 1997.
Stud No. 2 – Brandon McManus
Don’t mind Brandon McManus. He’s just going to take the keys to the bus and get it warmed up. Oh, and he’ll go ahead and kick a 50-plus yard field goal on his way there.
After a rocky first year in the league, McManus is proving the Broncos personnel department to be geniuses for keeping him on the roster over Connor Barth.
McManus is 12-for-12 on the year, including three more on Sunday, and is four-for-four on attempts longer than 50 yards.
In a game that ultimately came down to kicking, McManus was perfect and future Hall of Famer Sebastian Janikowski missed twice (one blocked, one miss).
McManus is just one of six kickers in the NFL still perfect on both field goals and PATs. Without him, the Broncos don’t win Sunday and they likely aren’t undefeated.
Dud No. 1 – Offensive Linemen Not Named Vasquez or Mathis
43. No, it’s not the answer to “life the universe and everything.” That would be “42,” according to The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. No, 43 is the number of rush yards by the Denver Broncos offense on Sunday, the team’s second-lowed of the season.
Pro Football Focus graded out Denver’s overall pass blocking at a -1.1 and their overall run blocking at a ghastly -3.4. Of the seven linemen who saw snaps against the Raiders, only Louis Vasquez had positive ratings on both the run and the pass. Mathis registered a +2.8 run block rating, the best on the team by a three-fold margin.
Mathis wasn’t perfect though, he allowed two hurries on the day to go with the three allowed by Ryan Harris to his left. Michael Schofield had the worst day of the bunch, allowing one sack and five hurries.
Worse, the o-line couldn’t open up any running lanes for C.J. Anderson or Ronnie Hillman. In addition to the dismal 43 yards rushing, Denver averaged just 2.4 yards per carry with a long run of only 10 yards.
Stud No. 1 – Chris Harris Jr.
Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. on Sunday once again proved why he’s one of the best at his position.
Not only did he have a 74-yard pick-six that sealed the game for Denver, he allowed just four receptions on the day with an average of 5.7 yards per catch. He had four tackles and two passes defended despite being thrown at a team-high seven times.
Harris was an ironman on Sunday, playing 70 of Denver’s 72 defensive snaps and his 3.5 overall game rating by Pro Football Focus was second on the team only to Von Miller’s 4.0.
With the dual threat of rookie Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, Harris drew the veteran and once again did not allow a touchdown. He’s still perfect on the year, marking a streak that now extends all the way back to Week 12 of the 2013 season.
Each week the defense has needed one of its big players to step up and make a big play at a big time. This week it was Harris, our No. 1 “Stud.”