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Another tepid preseason performance by the Broncos. It's really becoming apparent how awful the team's depth is. 6-10 may be a stretch.
The good news is none of that depth will be playing all together at the same time unless the Broncos are already locked into a playoff seed going into week 17. Some groups are more concerning than others, like the offensive line. Some of the other position groups I’m less worried about.
That was the longest preseason ever and I'm glad it's over.
I'm still not sure what to expect from the team this year. Generally I think the Broncos have two things really going for them:
1: They may have the best defense in the league. It's definitely a top 5 unit. They have pretty solid depth there too, and that will go a long way toward keeping the unit fresh. I do suspect their biggest weakness will be against the run, but even that concern is offset by the reality most teams are trying to go pass heavy these days.
2: They probably will have a top 5 run game. Shanahan-derived offenses typically do well on the ground, assuming they have the right pieces. The first unit offensive line has looked solid (not great) and the tandem of Lindsay-Freeman should be able to provide this offense a base of functionality. However, if the Broncos can't establish a legitimately credible passing threat, the effectiveness of the ground game will decrease as the season progresses.
It wasn't too long ago a top-tier ground game and defense was the recipe for how to win in the NFL. The league has evolved, and that could be a huge part of why the Broncos may be successful this year: they're an outlier. Teams are geared up to stop the pass and to score through the air.
There are also a few variables that should undermine even the most optimistic fan's enthusiasm.
Coaching: We assume Fangio and his staff are going to be an improvement. I think they are. I don't think he's going to coach himself into losses the way Vance Joseph did. And these are professional and experienced football men who know their stuff. But it's a first-time staff working together so we're kidding ourselves if we think it's always going to go smoothly.
WR: The Broncos best WR is returning from a nasty injury and beyond Sanders there is some great potential, but it remains unproven. Some of these younger receivers are going to need to really step up if the offense is going to be any good this year.
TE: The rookie Fant may take a season to develop. It's not realistic to expect him to be Travis Kelce in week 1. The rest of the TE room has made it a mission to keep Denver area trainers and physical therapists employed. We have reason to question this position group.
QB: We have no idea what to expect out of Flacco. A lot of the criticism is fair: he's not led a team to the playoffs in several years and his stats are mediocre at best. But we've also seen a time or two how a veteran QB's career revives with a change of scenery. And Denver is a WAY prettier town than Baltimore. So will Flacco thrive in Denver? We can hope but we can't really EXPECT it until we see it happen.
O-Line: Pass blocking...could be better. And depth is scary bad.
I believe the coaching staff will not coach themselves into losses, like I already said. Combine that with the running game this team has and a top shelf defense and I think the Broncos have 8-8 potential even in a worst case scenario for those other variables I listed. If a few of those variables pan out, they may be able to extract a 9-7 or 10-6 record out of this roster.
I certainly hope the planets just align and things just click for this team, but I don't expect it. But I'm not counting out this team's potential this year until they show me they just don't have it.
Also, every team in the division has major question marks. The Chiefs have the best offense in the league, but they have one of the worst defenses. I'm not buying that Spagnuolo is the fix, and neither should anyone else until he proves he is. The Chargers appear to have the best roster in the division, until you filter out their injuries and contract hold outs. The Raiders may have a pretty solid offense, but it won't be top-tier and their defense is a disaster.
There's a conceivable path to the playoffs for this Broncos team, again, assuming a few of those variables work out to their favor.
We'll see. I'm glad it's football season again, and am looking forward to Broncos football!
We'll see. I'm glad it's football season again, and am looking forward to Broncos football!
I'll drink to that, coffee of course, since it is 0630am.
I also have no idea what to expect from the Bronco's this year. I expect the offense to be at best slightly below average. At worst, bad. The defense will be the key. Can they be the best in the league or close to it? They've slipped the last couple of years and need to get back to their dominant ways.
That opener against the Raiders should be pretty good. Probably lean Raiders just because it's in Oakland.
I'll drink to that, coffee of course, since it is 0630am.
I also have no idea what to expect from the Bronco's this year. I expect the offense to be at best slightly below average. At worst, bad. The defense will be the key. Can they be the best in the league or close to it? They've slipped the last couple of years and need to get back to their dominant ways.
That opener against the Raiders should be pretty good. Probably lean Raiders just because it's in Oakland.
Week 1 is always a huge mystery. Anything can happen and I was actually hoping the Broncos would open @ Kansas City because I figured this was their best opportunity to go in there and swipe a win. But I'll take Oakland because a win is still a divisional road win to open the season.
I definitely think it can go either way, but I think the matchup works well for both teams. The Raiders offense is probably better than the Broncos. I'm not convinced it's a top-3rd unit though, but so far I've no reason to believe the Broncos will be even mid-pack at this point. But the Raiders offense going against the Broncos defense I think favors the Broncos. The Raiders defense going against the Broncos offense seems a wash at this point. Maybe give a slight edge to the Raiders simply because the Broncos have shown not even a hint of sustained offensive productivity so far, and early season games do tend to favor defenses. Especially at home.
I'd be willing to bet it's a low scoring game. 20-17 or so. Maybe even lower. 17-10 maybe? I don't care, really, I just want the Broncos to win.
The Raider organization has been raked threw everything regarding the Antonio Brown "my s*it don't stinks" show. They are fired up, needless to say the fans are. 7-zip Raiders with the Broncos driving at the Raider 40-end of the quarter.
add---Carr has passed for 180 and is 16 for 17. 14-zip-Raiders
Raiders are a drama-filled hot mess, yet the Broncos couldn't capitalize on Oakland's chaos.
Vic Fangio's defense looked utterly terrible. No pass rush whatsoever. No penetration by the defensive front - they got blown off the ball by Oakland's o-line all night. Awful pass coverage. Carr only missed on 4 passes.
On offense, the Broncos were scattered and inconsistent. The offensive line was bad. Running game was anemic. Red zone offense was bad. They had a huge pass play to Sanders in the second half and then shot themselves in the foot and had to settle for a field goal. Too many field goals. Scangarello made some really dumb play calls. Ja'Wuan James went down early with a knee injury. Hopefully it's nothing serious because Elway overpaid for him in the first place.
Special teams were ok except for kick coverage (which was bad in the preseason).
Fangio and his staff got out-coached across the board.
I hope it's just early-season rust. If it's not, this is probably a 4 or 5-win team.
Raiders are a drama-filled hot mess, yet the Broncos couldn't capitalize on Oakland's chaos.
Vic Fangio's defense looked utterly terrible. No pass rush whatsoever. No penetration by the defensive front - they got blown off the ball by Oakland's o-line all night. Awful pass coverage. Carr only missed on 4 passes.
On offense, the Broncos were scattered and inconsistent. The offensive line was bad. Running game was anemic. Red zone offense was bad. They had a huge pass play to Sanders in the second half and then shot themselves in the foot and had to settle for a field goal. Too many field goals. Scangarello made some really dumb play calls. Ja'Wuan James went down early with a knee injury. Hopefully it's nothing serious because Elway overpaid for him in the first place.
Special teams were ok except for kick coverage (which was bad in the preseason).
Fangio and his staff got out-coached across the board.
I hope it's just early-season rust. If it's not, this is probably a 4 or 5-win team.
This sums it up. I suppose with the offense I knew there was a significant chance it would look the way it did last night. I am a little disappointed they weren't more assertive in establishing the run early. But the real disappointment was the defense. Were they not in preseason form or what? They looked like they weren't even trying at times. No pass rush to speak of, and they didn't even generate any pressure. At all. Like in a preseason game.
The team didn't even look like it was trying to win a football game last night.
It's one game, and I try to avoid week 1 over reactions. I do think the defense will rebound but I think it's fair to question how effective this offense will be. Even though it's a different unit with a different scheme than the last two seasons, we've just seen this too many times recently. It may take a few weeks for things to start clicking offensively (if they ever do).
I am not bailing on the season but goodness that was bad last night. They won't beat a single opponent playing like that.
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