It’s fun to be a Denver Broncos fan.
The team is coming off three straight wins to start the season, Trevor Siemian looks like a legitimate NFL quarterback, the skeptics have quickly jumped aboard the bandwagon and, oh yeah, we have a third Lombardi Trophy sitting down at UCHealth Training Center!
Could it be any better?
Everything continues to turn up orange and blue, and I must say, it feels good.
But … just maybe, is there a chance we’re getting a little too confident? Is there a chance we’re getting a little too ahead of ourselves?
Of course. We may want to write the Broncos in as defending champions with a Sharpie, but there’s a long season ahead of us; we’ve only played three games.
Yes, the defense is very good and the offense looks better and the Broncos have decleated several good teams, but there are plenty of challenges remaining.
The Broncos should be Super Bowl favorites, but they could fall short if any of these roadblocks get in their way.
Don’t fool yourself. The Broncos still have major question marks at quarterback; one game doesn’t change that.
Yes, Trevor Siemian had a fantastic second half on Sunday, but we’d be remiss to completely ignore his frighteningly erratic first half. He may have finished with two touchdowns and no interceptions, but that’s only because the Bengals defense dropped several sure-fire picks and aided the Broncos offense down the field with a handful of defensive penalties.
Honestly, had Siemian not scored on that final drive of the second quarter, I thought there was a chance Gary Kubiak would pull the trigger and put Paxton Lynch in the game.
Of course, Siemian did score on that drive, he did come out in the second half and he did light the Bengals defense on fire with a much-improved performance, but that’s not evidence enough to me that Siemian is “the answer.”
I’m rooting for the kid, but I’m still skeptical. If he regresses, the highs of Week 3 may be the best we see all year.
Offensive Line Depth
Coming into the year, the Denver Broncos offensive line looked much improved from last season, and through a game and a half, it looked that way. C.J. Anderson was playing like one of the best backs in the NFL, and Trevor Siemian was receiving ample time in the pocket to find his receivers.
Then, with an injury to Donald Stephenson, the line took a step back. After producing 234 rushing yards in the first six quarters, the Broncos only produced 100 in their final six.
The Broncos starting line may be improved — Matt Paradis is playing great, and Russell Okung and Stephenson are definite upgrades over Ryan Clark and Michael Schofield — but the depth may be just as worrisome as it was last year.
Before the season started, it was a comforting thought to know that Ty Sambrailo, who the Broncos selected in the second round to be their franchise left tackle, was going to be able to play the role of swing tackle. Yes, it wasn’t what they originally had in mind, but it was a luxury any team would love to have. But when he finally got his opportunity last week, he was miserable, grading out as the worst tackle in all of football, according to Pro Football Focus.
And when Darrion Weems has been asked to step in at guard, he’s been nearly as bad.
If any of Denver’s starters miss a significant amount of time, the line that powers the Broncos offense could be in serious trouble. All we have to do is look at the Broncos’ running game over the last game and a half to see the type of impact one absence can have.
Luck
Here’s the deal: The Broncos have been lucky. You can call it Mile High Magic or a hardened desire to win, but when it comes down to it, the breaks have all gone Denver’s way.
From the Jamaal Charles’ fumble in Week 2 last season to the Andrew Luck fumble in Week 2 this season, every ball that squirts out of a defender’s hand has an uncanny ability to land in the gut of a Denver Bronco — I’m sure AJ McCarron and Fitzgerald Touissaint would agree with me, too.
Honestly, I thought fate would catch up to the Broncos this season, but that hasn’t been the case. Graham Gano doesn’t miss that kick against most teams. The Bengals cornerbacks don’t drop those picks against most teams.
For as good as the Denver Broncos are — and they’re very good — turn a couple of those season-defining moments on their head and suddenly there’s no championship and there’s no undefeated record.
But that’s football, right? You need to be lucky to win it all, and that’s what makes winning a second all the more difficult.
The Broncos can’t rely on luck this season; they have to be dominant, with or without a favorable bounce. That’s what they did against the Bengals last week, and that’s what they’ll have to continue to do the rest of the season.
The Patriots
I know we all hate to admit it, but the Patriots are really good. Like, really good.
They’ve gone up against three quality opponents with a second- and third-string quarterback and handled them easily. And if they take down the Bills on Sunday, they’ll be 4-0 with Tom Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback in NFL history, returning to the field with revenge on his mind.
Oh … and they’ve done all of this without Rob Gronkowski, the best tight end in the NFL.
Impressive.
The Broncos may have the Patriots’ number — they may be their kryptonite — but it won’t be easy. When it gets down to it, as it has been the last four years, it’ll be the Patriots and Broncos fighting for the AFC Championship. There’s no doubt that Denver will have to be playing at their absolute best.