On Sunday the Atlanta Falcons running backs torched the Denver Broncos defense, racking up nearly 300 yards of total offense. The Broncos will make sure that doesn’t happen again on Thursday night against the San Diego Chargers.
“When you look and see how [defensive coordinator Wade Phillips] has game planned against people in the past, a lot of time [when] something comes up, it goes away pretty quick,” interim head coach Joe DeCamillis said.
While the Falcons two running backs — Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman — were a threat on the ground and through the air, the Chargers possess a similar threat. Melvin Gordon, the No. 15 overall pick in the 2015 draft, has established himself as a threat both running the ball and as a receiver out of the backfield in the first five games of this season.
“Those speedy guys, they can stretch the field, so we definitely have to be firm with our technique,” linebacker Zaire Anderson said.
Gordon ranks 13th in the league in yards from scrimmage [receiving yards plus rushing yards] averaging 84.2 yards per game and a league leading seven touchdowns.
In the past four games Gordon has averaged 3.5 receptions per game for just over 30 yards receiving. While this may not seem like a huge threat out of the backfield, it is similar to what the Falcons backs averaged before they played the Broncos on Sunday.
In the first four games of the season, the Falcons Coleman averaged 3.25 receptions per game for 45.25 yards while Freeman averaged 2.75 receptions for 20.5 yards. Against the Broncos, however, the two managed to have significantly better games receiving, going for a combined seven receptions for 167 yards. The Broncos will make sure they don’t get beat by the same trick twice.
“We see what teams are trying to do with us now, trying to spread us out and put the linebacker in coverage, so we got to focus on that more,” Anderson said. “Everyone knows that we really need to be to tuned into the coverage and really do our technique and work on our footwork a lot more.”
Although the Broncos did face Gordon in a Week 12 matchup last year, he wasn’t nearly the player he is today. In his rookie year, Gordon struggled mightily and had a fairly pedestrian game against the Broncos rushing for 55 yards on 12 rushes, while catching one pass for eight yards. Gordon didn’t play the Broncos in Week 17 after being put on the injured reserve in Week 14 for knee surgery.
“During the week, when we are going against the scout team, we have to be focused and do the right technique and do the best you can, because you don’t really get the best look until Sunday,” Anderson said.
More important than watching last year’s film on Gordon, the Broncos have film from Sunday to help them correct their own mistakes.
“I’m sure they are going to be ready for the challenge,” DeCamillis said. “I’m sure they understand they are going to get attacked the same way, and I’m sure they’ll be ready for it.”
The Broncos believe they learned a lesson from Sunday’s game against the Falcons on how to game plan for running backs. On Thursday they will have a chance to prove it going up against one of the best young backs in the league.
