The best way to get out of a hole, coaches in every sport have said for decades? Stop digging.
The Broncos started that process with Thursday’s 37-28 win over the New York Jets, ending the first quarter of the season at 1-3.
Another 0-4 start would have sent the season off the rails, and it could still be headed that way because of the injuries to key players and overall concern points like too many turnovers, not enough red zone touchdowns and leaning on so many young players.
Among the 48 Broncos who played against the Jets, 27 were first-, second- or third-year players. Young players in prominent roles, no matter how much they won in college, need success to lift their spirits. That’s why the Jets game was crucial.
“It just makes them feel better and it gives them confidence that they can go out there and win a game,” Fangio said. “Hopefully we can build on it.”
Said receiver Tim Patrick: “It’s hard to win in this league, and sometimes, it doesn’t matter how it happens. You just have to get that win so you can get over that hurdle so you can keep stacking wins after that.”
Here’s a look at the Broncos through the first quarter of the season:
What’s working
1. Big plays on offense. The Broncos have 17 plays of at least 20 yards, which ranks fourth in the NFL entering Sunday’s games. The offense has 33 explosive plays (25 passes of least 16 yards and eight rushes of at least 12 yards). Receiver Jerry Jeudy and tight end Noah Fant have seven explosive catches apiece.
2. Drawing penalties. Either the Broncos are really disciplined in their behavior and technique or their opponents have none of the above. Through four games, opponents have been called for 35 accepted penalties, 10 more than any other team entering Sunday. An offense like the Broncos appreciates those free yards.
3. Receiver Tim Patrick. When training camp started, Patrick was fourth in line behind Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler. Sutton tore his ACL in Week 2 and Hamler is on his second hamstring injury. Patrick has five explosive catches, including four of at least 21 yards and has earned the trust of every Broncos quarterback.
4. Preventing big plays. The Broncos are a bend-but-don’t-break defense — Thursday’s blitz-fest against the Jets confirmed Fangio won’t always sit back. But they have done a nice job keeping things in front of them. The Broncos are allowing 5.2 yards per snap (eighth-best in the league) and only 21 explosive plays (16 passes/five rushes).
5. Kicker Brandon McManus. Fresh off his contract extension signed three days before the season opener, McManus has been lights out so far. He is 5-of-6 on field goals (makes of 49, 28, 56, 40, 54 and 53 yards) and his only miss was from 58 yards. He has 16 touchbacks on 21 kickoffs, including 8-of-8 on Thursday.
What needs work
1. Turnover differential. The Broncos beat the Jets despite being minus-3 in turnovers. Since 2015, according to Pro Football Reference, teams are 8-91-1 when having a differential of at least minus-3. Entering Sunday, the Broncos’ minus-6 differential was second-worst in the league and their eight turnovers tied with Philadelphia for first.
2. Third-down offense. The Broncos are 19-of-50 on third down (38%, 25th in the league). The problem: Not good enough on third-and-short and too many third-and-longs. The Broncos are 5-of-11 when needing 1-3 yards on third down (45.5% — terrible) and have faced 24 third downs when needing at least eight yards (four conversions — 16.7%). The sweet spot has been third-and-medium (4-7 yards) — the Broncos are 10-of-15 (66.7%).
3. Guard play. The Broncos felt the combination of right guard Graham Glasgow and left guard Dalton Risner projected as a strength. But they need to pick it up. Glasgow is working between rookie center Lloyd Cushenberry and working-into-form right tackle Demar Dotson (Elijah Wilkinson is injured). Glasgow has been booked for three bad run plays and four pass-rush “disruptions.” Risner has been booked for four bad run plays and 6 1/2 disruptions.
4. Red zone offense. The Broncos have six touchdowns in 13 red zone trips (46.2%). We can throw out the final red zone possession against the Jets (Brett Rypien kneel-down), but the other missed opportunities have been costly. They were stopped at the 1 against Tennessee and sacked twice on third down at Pittsburgh, games that were winnable.
5. Outside linebacker depth. The loss of Von Miller was obviously huge, but the lack of production by his replacements, outside of Jeremiah Attaochu, has been glaring. The Broncos had six sacks, two knockdowns and seven pressures against the Jets … none by an outside linebacker not named Bradley Chubb. Attaochu was inactive because of a quad injury. His return will be important as well as getting more from Malik Reed and the recently-signed Anthony Chickillo.
Looking ahead
A look at the second quarter of the Broncos’ season:
Week 5 at New England. The Patriots were scheduled to play at Kansas City on Sunday but that has been postponed — Monday? Tuesday? Neither? — because of coronavirus. The Patriots could be starting Brian Hoyer or Jarrett Stidham and playing on a short week.
Week 6 vs. Miami. A critical game. Quarterback Drew Lock (right shoulder) could be back here after Fangio said he’s 50-50 to face the Patriots. The Dolphins enter Sunday’s game against Seattle ranked 26th in yards gained (324.3) and 25th in yards allowed (399.3).
Week 7 vs. Kansas City. The Broncos were routed twice by the Chiefs last year, 30-6 and 23-3, so there’s nowhere to go but up offensively. After this game, the Broncos go into the bye with their season crystallized — in the hunt for the final playoff spot (3-4 record or even 2-5) or playing for next year (1-6).
Week 9 at Atlanta. The Broncos should let the Falcons storm to a big lead — it worked for Dallas in Week 2 (rallied from 29-10 to win 40-39) and Chicago in Week 3 (trailed 26-10 and won 30-26).
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October 04, 2020 at 07:00PM
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Broncos at quarter pole: What’s working, what needs work during 1-3 start - The Denver Post
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