For being a 2-0 football team the Denver Broncos are still catching a lot of flack from fans and media alike a week after their miracle win in Kansas City.
And why exactly is that the case?
First off it’s easy to pick on one of the best QB’s ever when he starts to decline a little bit. It’s just the nature of the business. Remember Tom Brady after Kansas City last year? The Patriots got beat down 41-14 by the Chiefs and people were calling for Jimmy Garoppolo to start.
That was less than a year ago, but feels like it was about a decade ago. Brady obviously silenced his critics and Peyton Manning is hoping to do the same. It’s like PFM’s 256 yards and three touchdown performance against the Chiefs didn’t mean squat. People still just want to write drivel about how he should retire.
Second, this isn’t what we’re used to seeing the last three years of the Manning era. Heaven forbid, it’s different. The Broncos actually have a defense capable of playing aggressively and forcing turnovers now that the painfully boring Jack Del Rio is gone. Wade Phillips has been a huge breath of fresh air and this defense can contribute, rather than sitting back in some “bend but don’t break” nonsense.
But not everything’s been perfect so far. In fact, the Broncos still have a lot to fix. With that in mind let’s take a look at three people on the hot seat this Sunday night when the Broncos face Detroit.
No. 3 — Gary Kubiak
Broncos will 'stay committed' to Gary Kubiak's playbookhttp://t.co/nhC3YjBspZ
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) September 24, 2015
Kubiak isn’t on the traditional “hot seat” as it’s not like he’s about to get fired if the Broncos lose. But this feels like a crossroads for the head coach. Peyton Manning is clearly more comfortable (and a lot better) in the shotgun. Kubiak must swallow his pride and abandon his system for the Broncos to be successful this season. The time is now to let Manning run the show. We’ll see if that happens Sunday night against the Lions.
No. 2 — Jordan Norwood
So, did Denver just end up with the one flop in the amazing 2014 WR class? How does Jordan Norwood play ahead of Cody Latimer?
— Aaron Schatz 🏈 (@ASchatzNFL) September 18, 2015
Like it or not, Norwood is officially the Broncos No. 3 receiver. He’s clearly beaten out the looking-like-a-bust Cody Latimer and Andre “Bubba” Caldwell. And with that designation Norwood has massive shoes to fill. He must become a viable third option for Manning as PFM has thrived the last three years by having three or four “go to” options. Norwood dropped a touchdown last week; that kind of stuff can’t happen regularly.
No. 1 — The Offensive Line
Remember when all of us thought #Broncos offensive line was awful last season?
— Eric Goodman (@EricGoodman) September 18, 2015
We could point out Evan Mathis or Ty Sambrailo or Louis Vasquez here as all three haven’t been great to start the year (Ryan Harris and Matt Paradis haven’t exactly lit the world on fire either) so it only makes sense the whole unit is on the hot seat. Could changes be coming if the group doesn’t take a noticeable step up? Maybe. Max Garcia is patiently waiting and some valuable free agents are still out there. This game is massive for the Broncos underperforming offensive line.