Sunday against the Patriots, the Broncos let another opportunity to beat an elite team slip away. At various times against the Falcons, Texans and Patriots—three of the best teams in the NFL—the Broncos played very well. But in the end, the Broncos lost those games.
Let me be completely clear on several points:
1) The Broncos are 2-3 and that is not a good record. They have played three teams that will, in all likelihood, be in the hunt for a Super Bowl title. They have lost each of those games.
2) The Broncos are not playing like an elite team right now.
3) The Broncos have plenty of areas in which to improve. That improvement must start next Monday night against the Chargers.
At the same time, the season is not nearly over. It is just getting started. There is so much football left to be played.
I’ve talked about it before but it is worth another mention: One has to keep perspective. It is entirely too early to make any snap decisions about how the season will unfold. It is entirely too early to assume that the Broncos will not get better. It is entirely too early to believe the Broncos are destined for something akin to mediocrity.
Clearly, the Broncos have to reduce the turnovers. They have to tighten down on defense. They have work to do.
But only five games into the season, the work the Broncos have to do cannot and should not completely negate the positive things they have done. Five games into the season, the work the Broncos have to do should not define who they are.
While they fell behind early to the Falcons, Texans and Patriots, they battled back into each of those games. They played well at times. I know, playing well at times doesn’t cut it in the NFL. But this early in the season, it is worth something.
On offense, the biggest problem has been turnovers. The Broncos are minus-6 in turnover margin and they have lost seven fumbles, the third highest total in the NFL. The primary work the Broncos have to do on offense is clean up the turnovers. I am fully confident they can and will do just that. And when they do, they will have one really, really good offense. Even with the turnovers, the Broncos are averaging 28 points per game.
Defensively, the Broncos must find a way to more consistently stop the run and get off the field on third down. A few more takeaways would help, too.
But let’s cut these a guys a little slack, too. They have played five games under yet another new defensive coordinator. They have faced three extremely talented offenses.
I have no idea what the Broncos’ final record will be this year. I know that the early portion of the schedule looked daunting and has, indeed, proven to be just that. I know they have yet to establish a pattern of consistently good play.
I also know with a win over the Chargers, the Broncos will go into the bye week 3-3 and tied for first place in the AFC West.
I, for one, refuse to pack in the season over some patches of rough play against some of the best teams in the NFL. If I’m making these same points six weeks from now, I’ll be concerned. But it is still only early October and the Broncos still have time to have a quality season.
Don’t count them out just yet.
How concerned are you over the Broncos’ 2-3 start? Are you optimistic they can make necessary improvements?
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
Sincerely,
Mike
Thanks for the post Mike.
I’m not ready to write off the season, by no means. I always thought that if we could get through the first 6 games at 3-3, we’d be in great shape to finish off the season and win the division. But we really need to head into the bye at 3-3 and that means beating the Chargers. If we lose, that would give them a 2 game lead, but even bigger is that they’d be 3-0 in the division. And just as important as the standings would be the mentality heading into the bye win a win versus a loss.
There’s still 10 games to go after this one, and plenty of time to take care of business. But it has to start in this game against the Chargers. A wild card spot will be hard to come by, so winning the division is crucial. As history has shown, it’s not just how strong you start, it’s how strong you finish…….just ask last year’s Bills.
I feel confident this team will find its groove on both sides of the ball…..but we can’t wait until the season begins to slip away.
IT NEEDS TO START NOW!
GO BRONCOS!
http://www.chargers.com/news/article-1/Scouting-Report-San-Diego-Chargers-vs-Denver-Broncos/b8e969be-544e-4ce0-a9f3-b52ecabe22a4
Heres another good breakdown of these two teams history against each other
Well said! Could not agree with you more… I also think Peyton will be much better in 6weeks than he is now and the afc west looks very winnable !
As always, great article, Mike. I couldn’t agree with you more.
I really believe that one of the most important things Peyton has brought to this team is a belief that they can be great, and that if they’re not being great, that they can and will do the things and make the changes necessary to live up to their potential. I think that with Tebow, it was more of an “anything can happen week to week” feeling, which was exciting, but not conducive to a sense of destiny. Now, though, it feels like the whole team senses that if they really focus and learn and put in the hard work to make the right adjustments, the wins are going to come. And maybe there’s a kind of “Peyton picked us, we better be worthy of that” undercurrent, as well.
Whatever it is, I am still very optimistic. I have a feeling we’re going to crush the Chargers. I just hope I can find a way to actually watch the game, rather than having to wait until Wednesday to see it on NFL Game Rewind. It’s awful having to block out all my Broncos news (and my friends’ news and facebook updates) for 24 hours!
I am not concerned @ all.. Like u stated in the blog on top, its to early to determine anything , so early in the season, We will make a huge comeback and the broncos will be an elite team in the near future..
Mike
This is a MUST WIN game, LOL!
The turnover margin is one of the most (if not the most) important statistics in football IMO. It’s also a stat that has haunted the Denver Broncos for years, and I’m completely dumbfounded that it’s not the first thing that is addresses as a coaching staff. Without ball security, it’s a major uphill battle…
This is a team game and there is no substitute for the experience gained by playing together in a NFL season game. The teams that have beaten the Broncos have had the distinct advantage of having a large core of players that have been together for a much longer period of time than the Broncos. This team will go on a win streak, it’s just a matter of time before players are just playing the game as opposed to thinking too much about where and what their fellow teammates are doing at their positions. That will also cut down on the turnovers on offense and creat more turnovers on defense. When things becomes second nature to the Bronco players they will be very tough to beat. Go Broncos!
bay I agree. A must win for sure. This is one of the games I have picked as a win. We are about where I thought we would be in the standings…just not the way I thought. I was thinking that PFM would be a little farther behind in his progress than he is and conversely I thought the defense would be much better. I’m still seeing issues with the front seven on D. Specifically in the middle and I’m freaking tired of saying this every year. We have passed on so many defenders either in the draft or FA.
Mike
Overall agree with you. However, I am concerned about the defense. Where is Doom? Don’t think Mays is the answer for MLB if this team is going to be elite. Need some of the younger guys to REALLY step up in defense…not just play solid. Offense is coming along…once it cleans up the fumbles and drop passes, then it will be an elite level offense. Defense will continue to drag the team down if players other than Von Miller don’t step up and make impact, especially on 3rd downs!
Critical game against Chargers…a test of character of the team…win: then they can catapult the momentum for the rest of the year; lose: then we could end up as just a mediocre team this year…that will be a shame since we will waste away one of the very few years left of a legendary QB who is doing a great job trying to get this team to perform at a higher level. Too bad not all boats are raised yet despite Manning playing at a level that could be his best yet!
If the Broncos can fix these little mistakes on both sides of the ball, we’ll be one if the scarier teams in the league. As we saw with Oakland, when we can play a complete team on all 3 sides we have the ability to dominate
I have to admit i got a little excited with the potential of this team early in the season. I know that keys to the Broncos going somewhere this season is…
1. Stay healthy! ( i do not believe we have the depth on next man up)
2. Win the AFC West! (We need to bring our A game playing the AFC West so, this team has time to gel when playoff time arrives.)
3. We need a solution when defense is on 3rd down situations. (Not Mays!)
4. Win the turnover battle! (IT is Broncos ball offense and Defense…TAKE IT!!!)
5. Balance between the run and the pass! (Fox needs to do a better job of game management)
We should be getting better each and every game, thanks to the good teams we have played early. Manning will be ready now we need to come together and execute for the entire game. This team will do nothing but get better for years to come.
BRONCO FOOTBALL!!!
BRONCO COUNTRY!!!!
Thomas. I was trying not to throw Mays under the bus but…that’s exactly what I’m talking about. Although I think he’s the best we’ve had in a while it kills me to watch him play sometimes. He literally stood there while Tom Brady did the sneak into the end zone…didn’t even try. Everyone in the northern hemisphere knew the play. Just an example of what I see.
We need turnovers and Dline must put their hands up, if they know they dont have a chance at the quarterback its not rocket science, look at the eyes for crying out loud.
If we can beat the chargers with Tebow in SD last yr, we should woop them this yr. I dont have any doubt in my mind that we will win this game. Even though we lost these games, its just stepping stones to where we will be at the end of the season. Ive seen more possitive things than negative things this season IMO.
Weve had seven new D cordinators in the last seven yrs, its no wonder were not jellin on Dline. You dont need big names, you need continuity, playing time together is everything, its a team sport, you just need 53 players on the same page thats it.
Deja Vu…
I agree with every point you touched on. And while mathematically it’s not a must win game on Monday night… It most certainly is in every other way!
Broncos Country Strong 2012!
Haha… That anonymous was me. Weird!!!
The formula for winning this game is simple, no turnovers and stop the Chargers on 3rd downs, whether it’s 3rd and 1 or 3rd and 25. We must stop the bleeding on 3rd and longs. We do this we win this game, plain and simple.
Mr. Rice turnovers are a big problem & so are dropped passes. The 3 loses should have been wins if we had’nt let the other team score so many points & we fall behind. Simple solution, keep the other offense off the field & our offense stays on the field longer. Whow do you think we beat Pittsburg & Oakland.
Mike, I always agree with you 100%. You always convey it in a way that I never could! Thanks!!!! Go BRONCOS!!!
I feel like if Denver beats San Diego Monday night and can cut the turnovers, they will become a dark horse. If they lose to San Diego, the odds become highly stacked against them. The fact is that in their three losses, they lost the turnover battle and battled back from a deficit only to fall short against very good teams. If they quit turning the ball over and otherwise play like they have, people will have to take them seriously.
This is a great article, well said, and I agree 100% as well! I am confident that we will change what is needed, and the more the coaches just let Manning be Manning…from the START of the game–the better we’ll do. Tom Brady played like Manning on Sunday. Doing the Manning “no huddle”…while our guy, the creator and founder of the thing, huddled up!! Please let Manning be Manning!!
I think that if we win in San Diego, we win the tie breaker, so we will actually be in first place…so, NO WORRIES!!
GO BRONCOS!!
Should’ve kept Tebow. Play manning the first three quarters and put Tebow in for Tebow time. Hopefully we can pull it together.
you are very true the offense needs to stop fumbling and turning over the ball they have to make sur they look the ball in. And the deffence needs to stop the run there should be no excuse why they cant stop any team when the run. you guys can hold them and make them loss yards then they turn around and brake for all those yards. the corners are ok i think they can step up alittle and make plays and the safties need to go and get the ball NO TEAM SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET ALL THE WAY IN THE SECONDAR ON THE SAFTIES I UNDER STAND THERE YOUNGER AND THEY CAN MESS UP AT TIMES NO ONE IS PERFECT I UNDERSTAND THAT BUT WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO MAKE COME BACK GAMES FRO 21-7 POINT LEADS.
also we will beat san diego were way better then them so yeah we with be #1 in the division
I fully agree with this post! It ain’t over till the last game is played, and I believe (homer in me coming out) that the steady improvements all year will get us deep into the playoffs.
How deep, who knows, but I feel like the sky (Trophy) is the limit with the talent we have, and once the mistakes are eliminated.