The Denver Broncos’ season is on the line this week against the Kansas City Chiefs, coming off of a pair of losses in which they lost to teams that they probably should have beaten. There was no reason to lose to the New York Giants, and they barely competed against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The offensive line so far this season has struggled to protect Trevor Siemian, and give him enough time in the pocket. Too often, blocks are shedded and Siemian is either forced to throw under pressure and risk interceptions, or suffer a sack.
Afternoon Drive hosts Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro asked Broncos center Matt Paradis about the criticism of the line by the media and fans. “How many years have I been here? I think that it’s been about the same every year, ” Paradis said. “As an O-line, we are a unit. We stick together, just block out the outside noise, and go and do our job. We are going to improve and be better.”
“Everyone knows that we need to get better, Paradis continued. “It’s just time to focus on our job and execute the assignments exactly as we are supposed to.”
Asked if the challenges on the line were due more to needing to teach new players the Broncos’ system — or the proper execution of it — Paradis quickly responded, “It’s an execution situation. I think that the coaches have been doing great. I think that it’s on the players to execute the assignments that we have been given.
Paradis went on to explain his personal expectations. “Here at the Denver Broncos, we have a standard. Every year, we are shooting for championships. There is no other goal. There is a level of expectation with your job that is expected. To win games, to get to the playoffs, to get to the championship. We needed to make sure that was communicated properly and how high that expectation is.”
The stakes are certainly high for the Broncos going into Monday night’s game in Kansas City — the result will define the remainder of their season.
With the Raiders and the Chargers only one game behind the Broncos, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on the Broncos. Their schedule does not get any easier — with a red-hot Philadelphia Eagles team followed by a game against the hated New England Patriots — if the Broncos were to lose this week’s game they would fall to 3-4 and risk falling into last place in the AFC West with a loss in Philadelphia.
Win, and not only will the Broncos find themselves in decent playoff positioning, but they will have sent a strong statement to the football world that they’re headed in the right direction… and that they can beat anybody.
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