Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior Writer 9y

Broncos still trying to turn some negatives into positives

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – There is the power of positive thinking and there is the damage of a negative play.

And even as the Denver Broncos have again piled on the touchdowns – quarterback Peyton Manning leads the league with 29 scoring passes and the Broncos are No. 2 in scoring at 31.8 points per game – the rather substantial rock in their collective shoe at this point has been the number of rushing attempts for negative yardage.

It's something offensive coordinator Adam Gase said “needs to get fixed because those are the kinds of plays that get you out of your rhythm, affect your down-and-distance. We have to find a way to get it done. I think we will, but we have to get that done."

Manning has often talked of being “on schedule … that first down, second down, first down rhythm, when you’re converting, moving the ball."

And a negative run, often on early downs, is one of the things that has both slowed, and even stalled, the Broncos’ offense at times this season. It comes to light this week because, despite their struggles at 3-6, the St. Louis Rams defense leads the league in forcing rushing attempts for negative yardage (46) this season.

When it comes to rushing attempts, pass receptions and sacks combined for negative yardage, the Rams are tied for third in the league at 69 negative plays from opposing offenses.

“Defensively, they lead the league in minus-plays," said Broncos head coach John Fox. “I know when you look at third down, there are a lot of third-and-longs, so they are making negative plays."

The Broncos haven’t surrendered many sacks, as the nine sacks for Manning are the fewest for any quarterback who has started all of his team’s games this season. But three of those sacks have come on three-man rushes. The Broncos also haveĀ 36 rushing attempts this season – an average of four per game – of no gain or negative yardage combined this season.

The Broncos have had just one game – their victory over the San Francisco 49ers – where they haven’t had at least three such plays in the game, and they’ve had three games with at least five such plays. Those totals don't even include the bevy of 1-yard runs -- 18 and counting through nine games, meaning 23.2 percent of the Broncos' rushing attempts this season have gained 1 or fewer yards.

Already the Broncos have shuffled the offensive line, making four changes, including three this past weekend against the Oakland Raiders. Defenses have attacked the middle of the Broncos’ formation with regularity and have been able to do it well enough with just three or four players at the line of scrimmage that Manning has often faced coverage looks with seven and eight defenders dropped into the passing lanes.

Because the Broncos play so often out of their three-wide receiver set – they played every snap in it against the Raiders – they need their offensive linemen to win the matchup up front with five blockers against however many defenders are working along the line of scrimmage.

The Broncos hope the changes up front will help and that their running backs will attack the line of scrimmage with less hesitation. To that end, Montee Ball, who is expected to be back in uniform this weekend after missing five games with a groin injury, said he’s down to 212 pounds from the 224 he weighed before the injury.

“It’s on all of us to find a way," Ball said. “We have to be quicker to the hole as backs, make a cut and get up the field."

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