As any NFL player will tell you, even in victory there are things that a team must improve after a game. That will certainly hold true for the Denver Broncos, who managed to steal the No. 1 seed in the AFC from the New England Patriots on Sunday with a win over San Diego and a New England loss to Miami.
Denver’s 27-20 win was far from clean, as the Broncos turned over the football five times and had to call for backup for starting quarterback Brock Osweiler. Fortunately for the Broncos they have a sure-fire Hall of Famer in Peyton Manning to call on as his backup, but Sunday’s win over San Diego was the first time that Manning had suited up for a game since being relieved in Week 10 by Osweiler after a torn plantar fascia crippled the legend’s play as the season wore on.
Health is perhaps the biggest need for improvement for the Broncos right now, and the first-round bye they earned as well Sunday will be more than welcome. Denver was at its healthiest in weeks heading into the season finale with the Chargers, although they had recently lost safety David Bruton for the year with a broken leg. The Broncos had just 13 players on their injury report throughout the week, down from a high of 22 players just two weeks prior. Safeties T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart were back in action for the second week together and Omar Bolden appears about ready to return as well.
But the Broncos health took some steps backward on Sunday as several players including the team’s leading tackler, Brandon Marshall, did not finish the game according to reports. Stewart also did not finish the game.
Marshall, T.J. Ward and guards Evan Mathis and Louis Vasquez were on snap counts, according to sources, trying to keep their nagging injuries in check. Meanwhile, Derek Wolfe, Von Miller, DeMarcus Ware and Chris Harris Jr. all needed the attention of the training staff at some point during the game.
Head coach Gary Kubiak offered the following injury update postgame:
“I don’t have my injury card. I think the two guys that we’re concerned about are DeMarcus [Ware] and [Darian] Stewart. That’s the two guys. Those are our concerns coming out of the game.”
There will certainly be more concerns for the Broncos when the full injury report from the game comes out next week. Denver now has two weeks to get healthy as they await their opponent in the divisional round of the AFC Playoffs. But there are other areas the team will need to clean up if they hope to avoid another divisional round loss. (They have bowed out with home losses in the divisional round in two of the past three seasons.)
First and foremost is ball security. Denver ended the year with 31 giveaways, more than any other playoff-bound team according to Andrew Mason who covers the team for DenverBroncos.com. Only four teams in 50 years have won the Super Bowl with a plus/minus turnover margin like the Broncos’.
Next is the offensive line, which boasts two of the worst tackles in the game, according to Pro Football Focus. Both Ryan Harris and Michael Schofield rank in the bottom 20 percent among tackles. The Broncos surrendered 41 sacks in the regular season and nearly 100 quarterback hits. They need to keep their quarterback upright, says former Broncos lineman Matt McChesney, if they hope to have any success in the playoffs.
But despite those three big areas of concern, there are some positives for the Broncos that may not be getting as much attention as they deserve.
The Broncos have one of the best run defenses in the league, ranking in the top three to go along with their top-ranked passing defense. The result is the top defense in the league in yards allowed. That run defense doesn’t get as much credit, says Broncos beat writer Sam Cowhick.
Next is the play of third cornerback Bradley Roby, who was an absolute beast for the Broncos on Sunday. On a third-quater drive that ended with the Chargers giving up the ball on downs, Roby made both the third- and fourth-down stops on the drive. Additionally, he’s being used as a safety at times, with the degraded health of that corps. Roby is proving to be one of John Elway‘s best recent draft picks and a huge part of the “No Fly Zone” defense.
Finally, the Broncos running game is starting to catch fire – a credit both to the backs, C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman, and the offensive line. Finally, the line is starting to work as the unit Kubiak expected them to and together they’ve ripped off six 100-yards or more in their last seven contests. Against San Diego, Anderson came up just five yards shy of delivering a two-back 100-yard performance, as Hillman ran for 117 of his own. Neither hit the 1,000-yard mark on the season, but as Travis Heath pointed out, they’re getting going at just the right time for playoff football.
Denver now has two weeks to get healthy and iron out some of the kinks. Even though they’re the No. 1 seed in the AFC, they’ve got plenty to work on, as they’ll likely say in the coming days and weeks.
Here’s how the experts saw each of these issues as the Broncos Chargers game unfolded Sunday, via Twitter.
On injury concerns during the game…
It appears Brandon Marshall and TJ Ward are on snap counts,, Todd Davis and Josh Bush spelling them on this first drive
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) January 3, 2016
#Broncos Derek Wolfe shaken up, walks off under his own power
— Arran Andersen (@arranandersen) January 3, 2016
#Broncos confim Stewart re-hurt hamstring, return questionable
— Sam Cowhick (@SamCowhick) January 3, 2016
Vasquez is back in on this series. Kubiak trying to save wear on his veteran guards. Garcia's played every snap so far today.
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 3, 2016
Haven't seen Darian Stewart or Brandon Marshall return for #Broncos defense..
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) January 3, 2016
Stewart is OUT for the game.
— Sam Cowhick (@SamCowhick) January 3, 2016
https://twitter.com/davidlukeramsey/status/683790117224333314
Von Miller still talking with trainers. DeMarcus Ware now talking with trainers on the field.
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 3, 2016
Defense now without 3 starters: Stewart, Ware and Marshall.
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 3, 2016
Chris Harris Jr. now hurt. Shoulder. #Broncos
— Raul Martinez (@RaulNBCBoston) January 3, 2016
On areas of concern heading into the playoffs…
Turnovers, again. @Broncos have 27 giveaways this year, more than any playoff-bound team.
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 3, 2016
(That number grew to 31 by the end of the game)
Ball security has to be worked on consistently.Otherwise,players lose track of the need to put two hands on the ball in tackling situations.
— Chad Brown (@chadbrown94) January 3, 2016
.@Broncos have a minus-4 turnover margin for the season. Just 4 SB winners have been minus-4 or worse ('76 OAK, '79 PIT, '83 RAI, '07 NYG).
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 3, 2016
https://twitter.com/SixZeroStrength/status/683781161890414592
What goes unnoticed…
#Broncos pass defense gets most of the cred but nobody runs on this team.
— Sam Cowhick (@SamCowhick) January 3, 2016
Roby's coming up big today. Aggressive. Playing extra because Stewart is hurt, seeing some base work. Showing some swagger.
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) January 3, 2016
All the banter is focusing on QB position, but lost in that is how the Broncos' running game is showing up at the right time of the season.
— Travis Heath (@DrTravisHeath) January 4, 2016