Since this is my inaugural submission and there's already three games played, permit me to recap and editorialize on the Broncos season thus far. The first two games are already a distant memory and were, thankfully, wins. I will focus primarily on trends that have proven prevalent, reflected mostly in the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
I begin by acknowledging that the Broncos are 2-1 and lead the AFC West. But, because of two close wins and a loss that never should have been, it's a deceiving 2-1. The Broncos record does not reveal anything overly negative or positive about the team. Their lead in the AFC West could prove to be temporary (as it would in any season, given the competitive nature of that and every other division in the NFL). However, I do believe that the Broncos have the potential to be in a position to win the AFC West and possibly be competitive in the playoffs. But first, everything needs to fall into place.
In their first three games, the Broncos revealed tendencies that are both praiseworthy and lamentable. Raw talents emerged as legitimate threats this season in the form of both Brandon Marshall at receiver and Elvis Dumervil at defensive end. In fact, the Broncos receiving corps, in general, appears incredibly potent with Javon Walker anchoring and Brandon Stokley providing much-needed depth. But its Marshall’s potential for explosiveness that changes the dynamic of the Denver offense.
At the beginning of the season, the potency of the wide receivers was one of many unknowns in the Broncos’ scheme. I think it can be safely said that the Broncos have at least three receivers that must be accounted for in any given situation, and this isn’t figuring in the injured Rod Smith. What a pleasant surprise (the receivers, not Smith’s injury)! Further, the running game looked solid in the first two contests, but faltered in the third - more on that later. Quarterback Jay Cutler is proving himself a leader with a lot of potential, but also has some terrifying habits that hopefully he breaks over the coming weeks. And finally, once again, cornerback Champ Bailey has proven a dependable leader, further increasing his stock by making crucial plays not only on defense, but on special teams (?!) as well. Bailey's play certainly legitimizes the trade that sent Clinton Portis to the Redskins.
On to the lamentable: It is said, “the best offense is a good defense.” Then again it is also true that “you can’t win if you don’t have the ball.” So goes the circular logic of the NFL and so goes the overall story line of the Broncos home loss to the Jaguars. There are myriad reasons why the Broncos lost, even though I believe they are arguably the superior team. The three most crucial factors in the loss to Jacksonville were poor tackling, poor special teams play, and lack of ball control on offense.
Article comments
1 - Mike
quote:
My heart tells me the final score will be Denver 21-17, but my head tells me Indy 34-21. I think most people would agree with my head.
You mean Indy 51 Denver 17? Indy Looks better and stronger than last year. Denver's D is nowhere to be found. Unless serious issues get addressed Denver's in for a very long Year. Possibly 1-3 within the next 4!