Denver is 3-0, but carrying a big asterisk from many outside observers who are waiting for the house to come crashing down on Peyton Manning. They’re scrambling to fill holes on the offensive line and have had to rely heavily on the defense in each of their three wins.
It’s hardly a “bold” prediction, but Sunday against Minnesota will be no different. It’s the offense protection for Manning that calls for bold action.
No. 2 – The Upright Citizens Brigade can’t help Peyton
You could tell me that Michael Schofield is a figment of everyone's imagination and I wouldn't have evidence to argue against you. #Broncos
— James Merilatt (@jamesmerilatt) October 1, 2015
The Upright Citizens Brigade officially may be a Chicago-based comedy group, but it should be the name for the Broncos offensive line, which is sadly becoming a comedy of errors in the early parts of 2015. The number one person who’s not laughing is Peyton Manning.
After trading Chris Clark, Denver left itself with only Michael Schofield as a swing tackle backup for rookie Ty Sambrailo and aging veteran Ryan Harris. Sambrailo’s health is in major question as of Friday and so Tyler Polumbus was signed as an emergency stop-gap. Evan Mathis was signed just before the start of the season to give some veteran depth, but he has struggled in pass protection and has had his own health issues.
Manning has already been sacked eight times – nearly half of his total from last year. With a vicious edge rush from Minnesota and so many questions at tackle, Manning may spend more time on the turf than he’d like. The Vikings combined for 20 quarterback hits in the last two weeks, even though they aren’t racking up big sack numbers.
Expect Denver to try and run the ball to keep Manning safe, but when the offense stalls out and they revert to the pistol and pass game.
Minnesota is unapologetic about hitting the quarterback, and they’ll remain so against Denver. Expect at least 10 QB hits on Manning and a couple sacks.
No. 1 – Denver will toe the line
