The first half of the Denver Broncos season has come and gone, with the team enjoying their bye week this week. Our MHS staff reflected on several keynote topics as we all looked back on the first 13 weeks of the season.
Denver Broncos Roundtable: Two things they must do in final four games
With four games remaining and a playoff berth in their sights, what are two things the Bronco must do in these final four games?
Cody Roark’s take:
First, the Broncos offense must find a way to establish the run game. I wonder what Sean Payton’s thoughts were during the bye week on how the team can attack these final four games and what changes he may want to implement. Perhaps the run game will be something that receives the most attention and focus.
Payton has mentioned how he wants to get Audric Estime more touches. With the bye week giving him time to figure out how that gameplan could change, maybe Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin will end up seeing primary touches in the run game, with Javonte Williams sliding into the role that Samaje Perine played for them last season.
Second, the Broncos’ defense has to avoid a performance similar to the one they had against the Cleveland Browns. With Riley Moss not likely back for another couple of weeks, they’ll need to have a solidified plan against some of the better receivers they’ll face, meaning we could see more of rookie cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine.
Doug Ottewill’s take:
Health might be a given for every team, but it’s even more important in Denver, where the Broncos are dealing with some depth-crippling salary cap issues. They’re good – probably better than expected – but they’re not deep. The second major key is finding some kind of consistency in the run game. As good as Nix has been, opposing defenses learn more and more about his strengths and weaknesses as the season progresses. This alone magnifies the importance of being able to run the ball. Denver doesn’t have to be the Eagles, but running the ball consistently and effectively – even just a little! – will make Nix and Co. a playoff contender for years to come.
Rich Kurtzman’s take:
Nix can’t turn the ball over, and the defense needs to keep bringing pressure. Bo has been great when he doesn’t turn the ball over. When he does, games are much closer or turn into losses. Denver’s D has been fearless and they’ll need more of that down the stretch and in the playoffs.
Shawn Drotar’s take:
1) Run the ball effectively. The Broncos’ final three games are against elite quarterbacks – the Chargers’ Justin Herbert, the Bengals’ Joe Burrow, and the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes II – all three of them are MVP-caliber surgeons who can carve up any defense if they’re given enough time. It’s imperative that Denver generates longer drives ending in touchdowns, but even field goals would be a vast improvement over the Broncos’ alarming propensity to go three-and-out. Every time they do, they’re ceding an extra drive and more time on the clock to those quarterbacks and their offenses, and if the wild, Monday night win over the Browns showed anything, it’s that even the Broncos aren’t immune to surrendering big plays. Fewer opportunities for their opponents help keep the Broncos’ defense fresh, and nothing does that better than controlling the clock on the ground.
2) Limit turnovers. After a normal, rookie-like, wobbly start, quarterback Bo Nix has done a good job in that regard, avoiding dangerous throws into double-teams and learning when to throw the ball away and live to fight another down. Against the Browns, however, Nix looked to be feeling his oats a bit, throwing a careless interception and making multiple attempts across his body while on the run. While head coach Sean Payton and the Broncos certainly don’t want to blunt Nix’s aggressiveness or confidence, they have to ensure that their rookie signal-caller isn’t doing too much; the Broncos’ offense is still short on game-breaking playmakers and isn’t built at this point to play from behind. Turning the ball over and needing to win a shootout versus Herbert, Burrow, or Mahomes is a recipe for disaster… and, potentially, yet another season without a playoff appearance.