ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – While the idea might be just a tad difficult for longtime Denver Broncos fans to wrap their heads around, it’s because of the Oakland Raiders the Broncos (7-3) have the opportunity to put a little tighter grip on their lead in the AFC West with a win this week.
Yes, with the Raiders’ first win of the season Thursday night, over the Kansas City Chiefs, to go with the Broncos’ Week 2 win over the Chiefs, the Broncos have an opportunity to regain a little of their mojo Sunday against the Miami Dolphins (6-4) in Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
As defensive tackle Terrance Knighton put it; “We want to get this thing rolling again.’’
With that, some things to keep an eye on:
Actions will be louder than words. The Broncos starters in the offensive line made it fairly clear this week they’re a little weary of the criticism that is swirling around them as the biggest question mark for a Super Bowl hopeful. The problem is they keep giving people fodder to use in the criticism. Quarterback Peyton Manning has been pressured too often in the middle of the field, and Manning is pressing some because of it. He has thrown two interceptions in each of the last three games,and the Broncos are 1-2 in those games.The run game has been ornamental at times, so the Broncos haven’t been able to slow those rushers down. But to this point the linemen have been penalized too often, allowed too many rushers to come free and haven’t played with the precision and physicality they did last season. And until they do, people are going to keep asking them what’s wrong.
A little help. After just 10 rushing attempts in the loss in St. Louis – one of those was a kneel-down by Manning just before halftime – the Broncos have promised to take a more interested approach in running the ball. The issue is the Broncos have to be better coming off the ball and move people off the line of scrimmage with far more consistency than they have, and the backs have to hit the holes more quickly. The Broncos need to run the ball well enough to slow down the Dolphins' defensive front a bit.
Dolphins defense creates some matchup issues. One to watch is Cameron Wake, who usually lines up at the left defensive end, against Broncos right tackle Louis Vasquez. Vasquez, who has dealt with some neck/back issues this season, was moved out to right tackle two games ago. The Dolphins front is active and features four players who can win one-on-one matchups with regularity, including right defensive end Olivier Vernon. But Wake makes it go with his high-effort work. The Broncos will need to work with some tempo and get the ball out quickly. And likely after seeing what the Raiders and Rams did in particular, the Dolphins defensive linemen will be looking to get their hands up into the passing lanes to try and knock down some of Manning’s throws.
Tie up the loose ends. Few, if any, defenses in the league have shown more man-to-man coverage looks this season than the Broncos. And for the most part, because of their depth in the secondary, it has worked, but some of the more proficient, and/or experienced quarterbacks have had some success. The Dolphins’ Ryan Tannehill is in just his third season, but he plays with patience and intelligence when he has time to look things over. The Dolphins’ top four receivers have all caught between 29 and 44 passes this season and been targeted between 82 and 47 times. Mike Wallace is the lead option, but Tannehill is willing to move the ball around some.
Find the urgency. Manning said it best this week, that the Broncos need to “get going.’’ The team is talented, but has not always played up to that talent. Sure, the Patriots and Rams showed them some quality coaching wrinkles, but in the end the team that played the hardest with the most composure won those two games and the Broncos were not that team.