With so much on the line, there’s undoubtedly a lot of opinions swirling about what the Broncos need to do this Sunday in order to take down the Patriots. While they’ve accomplished a lot already, it’ll all mean nothing if Denver doesn’t finish the season with a Lombardi Trophy in hand.
And just as Broncos Country has been debating at water coolers and bar tops all week, the discussion has been rampant within the walls of Mile High Sports, too. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered, so we did our best to do just that:
Why is there so much tension within Broncos Country?
Josh Pennock: I don’t think there is. The tension we see is much more a media creation than actual tension between Brock fans and Manning fans. I generally don’t think the average Broncos fan feels or sees a bunch of tension; they just want the team to win and trust that Kubiak knows best when to comes to the quarterback.
Casey Light: Too many Broncos fans see their team through the eyes of an aging and insecure divorcee looking to remarry. “My looks and health are fading. I might not have a chance much longer. If this doesn’t happen soon it might never happen again.” I’ll remind them that my own grandmother remarried at 80.
Michael Jaycox: Because the proverbial window is slamming shut faster than Peyton Manning can say “Yes!” to an endorsement deal. This is it! We get it done now, or we could be looking at another decade-plus where we never sniff an AFC Championship game. The fans realize that, and the last thing anybody wants is for this opportunity to go to waste.
Is there a quick fix for this Broncos offense, and if so, what is it?
Pennock: Joe Thomas. Is Joe Thomas busy this weekend? If not, give him Michael Schofield’s jersey immediately. The wide receivers also need to catch the ball. Seven drops in a playoff game is absurd.
Light: One of two things needs to happen. Peyton Manning needs to develop Brock Osweiler’s arm or the receivers need to be more patient. One of those things would require a not-yet-available surgery, so count it out. Sure, Manning’s passes take longer to arrive these days, but they still find their targets. The pass catchers have to adjust.
Jaycox: RUN THE BALL. C.J. Anderson has been averaging over 6 yards per carry since the Broncos’ bye, and Gary Kubiak needs to get him the ball. Not only is it important for the offense, but it’s critical to the defense. The less Tom Brady is on that field, the better.
What scares you the most about the New England Patriots?
Pennock: Gronk, without a doubt; he is uncoverable. Edelman creates matchup problems, but that’s only because defenses are so focused on stopping Gronk.
Light: While has been running their mouths, the Pats are being awfully quiet. While the Broncos were cracking wise about being “on to New England” and calling a four-time Super Bowl winning quarterback a crybaby, things were remarkably silent out of Boston. Save for one slightly inappropriate tweet from Gronk, it seems that the Pats are head-down in preparing to obliterate the Broncos.
Jaycox: Uh, Brady. The guys the best, period. He’s been to 10 AFC Championship Games, he’s won six of them and he’s taken home four Lombardi Trophies. If he has the ball down four with a minute left, is there any doubt that he’ll, at least, put the Patriots in a position to win the game? He is absolutely terrifying, no matter how beat up the rest of his team is.
If the Broncos win on Sunday, it’ll be because they …
Pennock: Because the offense found it’s groove. New England is going to put up points, Denver’s biggest challenge is going to be keeping up with them. Manning’s ability to keep pace with Brady is the key.
Light: Turned field goals into touchdowns. There’s no stopping the Patriots. They scored 20 or less points only three times this season. The Broncos held them to 24, but that was without Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. Denver scored on six possessions against the Steelers. Against the Pats at least three of those will have to be of the seven-point variety.
Jaycox: The defense, just as it has been every other week this season. I’d love to believe Manning is going to have a renaissance performance or that Kubiak will finally have an epiphany and give C.J. the ball, but the only thing I can truly trust is this defense. Not do they need to stop Brady, but they need to turn him over, too.
