Yikes! Last week did not go as expected for the Broncos, and raised some serious concerns about this Denver Broncos team. Everyone expected the game to be tough playing at New England but the Broncos were dominated in every single phase of the game. However, we all need to take a page from Aaron Rodgers book and R-E-L-A-X. The NFL season is long and there are sure to be moments of disappointment as the season rolls along. In fact it was just a month or so ago that New England got dismantled by the Kansas City Chiefs and everyone was saying that the Patriots dynasty was done, and Tom Brady was washed up. A few weeks later and they are suddenly the Super Bowl favorites. So Broncos fans don't panic after a big loss on the road to a tough opponent.
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| Denver Broncos |
There were some real concerns that surfaced during the Patriots game. Peyton Manning would have you believe that he stunk, and was the reason for the loss. However, had Wes Welker caught the pass that became a Brandon Browner interception Peyton had a day that should be good enough to beat anybody. He made one big mistake in the game, and even Peyton Manning makes mistakes. To me the real problem that is surfacing with the Broncos is the play of their special teams. This was a huge factor in the lose to the Patriots. The punt return for a touchdown was a huge play for the Patriots, and it turned all of the momentum in their favor. The Broncos never really got back into the game following the return. The Broncos have actually been pretty solid on kick coverage this season and that was the first return touchdown they have allowed this season. The biggest area of concern for me is in the kicking game. Brandon McManus has not demonstrated the ability to make kicks that an NFL kicker has to be able to make. Most would point to his missed field goal in this game, but I think the most telling play was when the Broncos went for it on 4th down from the Patriots 34 yard line. Granted, that is a 51 yard field goal but with Matt Prater there would have been no hesitation to kick the field goal at that point in the game. Peyton Manning was sacked on 4th down and the Patriots quickly drove down the field and scored a touchdown. If the kicking game does not improve the Broncos may have to explore other options at kicker. Overall, I felt the Broncos offense actually looked pretty good and they moved the ball well, but they struggled to make big plays in big moments and they also had a couple of critical turnovers. If the Broncos can clean up the mistakes and convert in big moments they will be just fine going forward.
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| Denver Broncos |
Enough of the struggles of last week, it is time to move past the loss and look at this weeks game against the Oakland Raiders. Most are expecting this game to be a laugher. I think the Broncos will win this one but I do think that people are taking the Raiders too lightly. They are not a very good team but they have shown more fight this season than in seasons past. They are still winless but they have competed in almost every single game, and they have come close to upsetting some quality teams. They actually played the New England Patriots very close and almost won that game. They have also had close games against the San Diego Chargers and the Seattle Seahawks. It will be important for the Broncos to take the Raiders seriously, and come out ready to play. I rarely worry about this team coming out flat, as they have Peyton Manning at quarterback. Speaking of number 18 expect him to have a big game in this one. He has always played well against the Raiders and that trend should continue this week. The Raiders defense will be overmatched in this one, and that is going to be obvious in the defensive secondary. The Raiders do not have the personnel to match up with all of the Broncos weapons. The Broncos wideouts have been on fire lately and Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders should both have big games again this week. So far this year they have been the best receiving duo in the NFL bar none. I would also look for Julius Thomas and Wes Welker to get back on track this week. People are bailing on Wes Welker way too quickly. I think that he will still play a very important role for the Broncos this season. Even if he is just getting a couple catches a game, if those catches are for third down conversions he will be doing his job. Look for Wes and Julius to get going soon, as the two receivers on the outside will begin to receive extra attention.
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| Denver Broncos |
Another key in this game will be the Broncos running game. Last week the running game struggled to get much of anything going. This team has to be able to run the ball against 6 man fronts, and last week they were not able to do so. This week the Broncos will look to re-shuffle their offensive line once again. With Paul Cornick down with an injury, I expect Orlando Franklin to slide back out to right tackle. Manny Ramirez should then move from center to left guard, and Will Montgomery will make his first start as a Bronco at center. It should be very interesting to see how this re-vamped offensive line performs in this one. So far this season the Broncos have struggled to stop pressure that comes in between the center and either one of the two guards. It will be worth watching the middle of this line to see if they can fix the problems that have plagued them so far. If they can create a few holes for Ronnie Hillman I would look for him to get back on track this week. Last week he struggled running the ball, but he was still able to make a big impact on the game by being a receiver out of the backfield. As the season moves along I would look for Hillman to continue to be a big part of the passing game. With his explosive running ability he is a big threat once he has the ball in his hands, and I expect for the Broncos to continue to try to get Hillman the ball in space.
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| Denver Broncos |
Defensively look for the Broncos to get back to being a dominant defensive unit. Last week they only had one sack but they did generate good pressure most of the game, but Tom Brady got rid of the ball so quickly they were not able to get to him. One player that I was very impressed with last weekend, and the last several weeks is Malik Jackson. He has been a guy that has been getting consistent penetration. Players like Jackson making plays will be very important to the Broncos going forward. If the Broncos can get enough plays from Jackson and Derek Wolfe in the pass rush they will be able to put constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks. That will be very important today against a rookie quarterback. Derek Carr has actually played pretty well this season and has a only been sacked 8 times this year, which is tied for the least in the league (with Peyton Manning). If the Broncos can find a way to get pressure on this young quarterback they can force him to make mistakes and get some big time turnovers. If the defense can shut down the run once again look for the pass rushers to make some big plays and cause turnovers.
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| Denver Broncos |
Reports surfaced this week that the Broncos have started contract negotiations with free agent to be Chris Harris. This is great news for Broncos fans. Harris does not get the respect around the league that he deserves as he has been one of the best cornerbacks in the league over the last several seasons. The biggest reason for his greatness is his versatility. Harris has the ability to play at any corner spot on the field. He is one of the best corners on the outside, and he is easily the best slot corner in the game once he moves inside to cover the slot receiver. Locking Harris up long term will ensure the Broncos have one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL for years to come. Hopefully they can lock him up soon and begin contract negotiations with players like Terrance "Pot Roast" Knighton and Demaryius Thomas. As I was saying earlier I think the defense will force a couple of turnovers today and I would look for Harris to make a big play today.
Prediction
While I do think the Raiders are better than they are given credit for, they are still no match for a much more talented Denver Broncos team. I would look for the Broncos to get back on track today in all three phases of the game. One thing that bears watching today is the ability of Brandon McManus to make tough kicks. If he misses another field goal or two I would not be surprised if the Broncos brought in another kicker to compete for the starting job. I expect the Broncos to win this one, and I wouldn't be surprised if we saw some more of Brock Osweiler today.
Final Score- Denver Broncos 38, Oakland Raiders 17
