There’s going to be a lot of talk in the coming week about Peyton Manning, Von Miller, Demaryius Thomas and the other big names on Denver’s roster, and that’s understandable, but it’s only part of the story.
The Denver Broncos are not built around any one player, and one player certainly isn’t going to win the Denver Broncos any playoff games. This is a team that relies on everybody, and that means that one poor performance could cause the Broncos’ playoff chances to come crumbling down like a Jenga tower.
As we head into Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, we know what kind of team we have: Despite 12 wins and the No. 1 seed, the Denver Broncos are a heavily flawed team, buoyed by an elite defense and an opportunistic offense; too many holes in that flotation device, though, and everybody’s going down.
That’s why we need these guys to step up and keep the Broncos riding (Mile) high. Here are five under-the-radar players the Broncos need to play their best this postseason:
5. Brandon McManus
All you need to do is watch the final minute of Sunday’s Seahawks-Vikings game to understand just how important a kicker is, and it goes double for this Denver Broncos team.
It’s one thing if you’re the 2012 Broncos and you’re winning every game by nearly two touchdowns, but when your a team that has had 12 of their games decided by one score or less, you need every single point. That’s where Brandon McManus comes in.
Whether it’s an extra point or a 50-yard field goal, McManus needs to be money. If not, we could watch the Denver Broncos go the way of the Minnesota Vikings.
Luckily, McManus has been locked in all year, making all field goals within 40 yards and going 10 for 15 on all attempts over 40. You’d like to see that second number be a little higher, but McManus did make some clutch long-distance shots, especially earlier in the year.
At the same time, he was also responsible for this:
https://twitter.com/TrumpForCommish/status/681921956791365633
Until Blair Walsh’s shank on Sunday, this might have been the worst kick of the season, if not the last half century. The Broncos can’t afford another.
