Week 3 at Seattle

[TDs3nOut]

Obviously going to be very difficult to win at Seattle. Not sure whether them having lost in SD yesterday is reason for encouragement or cause for more trepidation than I would otherwise have felt.

I didn't get to see the Seattle at SD game, but looking at the box score it is clear that SD was able to control the time of possession, much the way that they did when they beat us on a Thursday night in Denver last December.

Add to that the way that the way that KC was able to hold the ball yesterday, how badly our team was housed by Seattle in the SB, the fact that I feel we've looked pretty underwhelming in our first two games, and Seattle's record of success at home, and I'm feeling too confident about this one.

Hope our defense can not only force third downs but also get off the field on fourth down and, hopefully, take the ball away a time or three. Sure don't want to see anything resembling a replay of last year's SB.

Thoughts?

 

[MileHigh64]

Something is just not clicking for the Broncos yet. As I've gone on record before, I think this team is going to need 5 or 6 games under their belts to begin to really gel. Both the offense and defense shows flashes or greatness but then shoot themselves in the foot. If and when these two units both put together a strong game simultaneously, look out!

I don't put much stock in team's motivation being determined by the outcome of the previous week's games. Regardless of yesterday's outcomes, next week is a clash of two of the NFL's best and there are plenty of storylines to fuel each player's resolve. Seattle's home field advantage will be on full display and this game would be tough for the Broncos in any circumstance.

I do think the Broncos will put forth a better showing than weeks 1 & 2 but it may not be enough. I'm more interested in showing improvement on both sides of the ball and escaping without injuries. Of course it would be great to win but one loss on the road is certainly not the end of the world. It's a long season.

Avenging the Superbowl beatdown can't be done in week 3 on the road. It can only be achieved in week 20 in Arizona on a neutral field. Looking forward to an intense game next week and improvements by the Broncos overall. Go Broncos!

MH64

 

[randymon]

Yeah I think having SD win in any circumstance isn`t a good thing and now your getting a very pissed off Seattle team at home where their pretty much unbeatable. SD win isn`t super shocking as Seattle does not and has not played well on the road. If Denver doesn`t go in there with "extreme" attitude, able to run the ball effectively on 1st down esp, and the D doesn`t do better on 3rd downs, it will not be pretty I assure you. Denver will need to play almost flawlessly on both sides of ball to just keep gm close.

 

[Wamu]

Go Broncos!

 

[TDs3nOut]

As I mentioned in my first post, I only saw the box score from the Seattle at SD game, not the actual game. Other than TOP, the thing that most stood out to me in that box is that Gates scored three TDs. Made me wonder what we might expect from Julius, who I thought looked like an absolute monster, til I saw PMFM getting all up in his face.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Yeah I think having SD win in any circumstance isn`t a good thing and now your getting a very pissed off Seattle team at home where their pretty much unbeatable. SD win isn`t super shocking as Seattle does not and has not played well on the road. If Denver doesn`t go in there with "extreme" attitude, able to run the ball effectively on 1st down esp, and the D doesn`t do better on 3rd downs, it will not be pretty I assure you. Denver will need to play almost flawlessly on both sides of ball to just keep gm close.

The one thing SD may have done though is expose a potential flaw in the Seattle defense. That defense is anchored on the notion that Sherman takes away half of the field. Worked against the Packers, as Rodgers did seem to avoid that side of the field. Rivers wasn't afraid though. While Sherman didn't get completely burned, those throws in his direction for 60 some yards probably affected the rest of the defense. Kept them spread out. They had to worry about the whole field.

So, I can see the possibility of putting Sanders on Sherman's side a lot to see how he handles that speed. Then you have Thomas and Thomas in possibly more favorable matchups. As long as Manning targets Sanders as well as the others, it will keep the defense honest. Plus, I doubt they will have the same advantage of knowing Manning's signals. I'm thinking Peyton will change that up and try to use that to HIS advantage.

 

[Nooone]

Just gonna leave this here... if you guys find Phil Simms as annoying as most Broncos fans then sign it!

Broncos fans start petition to ban CBS' Phil Simms from Broncos broadcasts - Mile High Report

 

[Arizona_Sting]

Take em down, Broncos! If you win and we win then we're a full 2 games ahead of both SF and SEA

 

[WalkerBoh]

Just gonna leave this here... if you guys find Phil Simms as annoying as most Broncos fans then sign it!

Broncos fans start petition to ban CBS' Phil Simms from Broncos broadcasts - Mile High Report

Ehhhh.... If I don't like the TV announcers, I just hit "Mute" and tune into the radio broadcast.

 

[MrDoc420]

I signed that petition. I absolutely cannot stand Simms. He's far surpassed Collinsworth as the the biggest douchebag commentator. Some of the crap he was spewing yesterday made me embarrassed for him.

 

[cdumler7]

I signed that petition. I absolutely cannot stand Simms. He's far surpassed Collinsworth as the the biggest douchebag commentator. Some of the crap he was spewing yesterday made me embarrassed for him.

Yesterday during the game I had to listen to it on the radio and all I could find was a Chiefs radio station. That was probably the most frustrating group of announcers I have ever listened to. Phil Simms though would have fit in perfect with these guys and their hatred of all things broncos. Every stop of the running back for two or less yards they blamed on the turf at the Bronco stadium as the running back slipped is the only reason they didn't score a touchdown.

 

[Malibu]

Yeah I think having SD win in any circumstance isn`t a good thing and now your getting a very pissed off Seattle team at home where their pretty much unbeatable. SD win isn`t super shocking as Seattle does not and has not played well on the road. If Denver doesn`t go in there with "extreme" attitude, able to run the ball effectively on 1st down esp, and the D doesn`t do better on 3rd downs, it will not be pretty I assure you. Denver will need to play almost flawlessly on both sides of ball to just keep gm close.

Dead on. Just saying.

 

[DownSetHutch]

I can't stand Simms, and this is a perfect opportunity to let CBS know that they need to make a change. Hopefully they get the message.

This may be a reason why he is such a douchebag toward the Broncos:
Elway >>> Simms, all fucking day

As for the game against the Seahawks, what I will be looking for above all else (even more than a win) will be for the Broncos to play with heart and attitude for 60+ minutes. If they do that, I believe they will win. But if they lose, as long as they are physical and keep it competitive, that will go a long way toward getting the monkey off of their back. And make no mistake, they have a monkey on their back that is going to affect their psyches if they don't show that they can compete with this team. You can't be a Championship team if there is a team out there that that owns your ass. And right now, it's pretty safe to say that Seattle owns our ass.

Walker, I like your idea of putting Sanders on the right side of the field to make Sherman have to deal with his speed, although I would also like to see D. Thomas have a chance to have some success against him too. I'm kind of torn there.

Our LBs and D Line are going to be tested by Russell Wilson. If our D can get pressure on him and keep him contained, we will almost certainly win. That is a huge "if" though. He is hard to get a hold of. I could see Wilson being their leading rusher if we don't stay disciplined.

I can't wait for this game.

 

[iknowftbll]

This Seattle fan commenting on the picks over at CBS seems pretty confident in the Seahawks:

SeattleMike
2 hours ago
Shouldn't insult the West Virginians or even the good ole folks of the backwoods. Kamikazi007 shows that he/she has no clue. Seattle wins this one by a lot more than 4 points. They will score 41 or more in this one. Denver will be lucky to hit the 24 point mark. San Diego had to play the perfect game, with perfect catches, with perfect weather to sap the D on the field to barely beat the Seahawks at home. So many seem to forget that the D did give the ball back to the offense only down by 6 points and that they ran almost half the number of plays than San Diego. Kamikazi007 is either a troll (a bad one at that) or a child.

FlagShare

The link:

NFL Week 3 picks: Seahawks over Broncos, Redskins upset Eagles - CBSSports.com

 

[TDs3nOut]

Thought that this article, from the much maligned Bleacher Report, was a decent read about our defense.

Should Denver Broncos Be Worried After Lackluster Defensive Effort in Week 2? | Bleacher Report

One of the points it focuses on is how our DTs haven't been very effective. Other than a few plays by Jackson, when he's lined up inside, that it pretty consistent with what I've seen. Really thought that DT play would be more of strength this year than it's been so far.

Also addresses the challenges posed by Lynch and Harvin. Sure hope that Del Rio has some remedies and that the players execute. Obviously a tough challenge on both sides of the ball this week.

 

[cdumler7]

Iknowftbll I read the actual writer of that articles thoughts on the game and while I don't completely disagree with the idea that Seattle wins the game his thought process to get there is ridiculous. To think that we need to be 35-points better this season than last to stand a chance is ridiculous. Seattle didn't beat a single team until the Super Bowl by that point spread. Are you telling me every team they played during the season is actually better than the Broncos who made it to the Super Bowl and beat what 12 teams last season with 3 of those teams we beat them twice?


I don't get why the concept that the Broncos were not 35-points worse than the Seahawks is such a hard concept to understand. I think Seattle was the better team for sure but not by that big of a margin. You play that game 10 times I do think Seattle wins 6 with the other 5 games being within 10-points and most of them being within a touchdown. It just seems like nobody can let go of what happened in the Super Bowl. I know it was a bad game but one bad game should not define a team forever.

 

[iknowftbll]

Absolutely, CD. The Seahawks are a solid pick over the Broncos and I won't begrudge anyone who picks them. But the "35 points better" rationale is as flawed as a football bat. It was one game and one bad performance that spiraled out of control. If the Seahawks were genuinely 35 points better nobody would have been surprised by the outcome of that game. The game was a statistical anomoly. They happen in football from time to time. Too bad for the Broncos they let it happen in the biggest game in the franchise's existance since Elway retired.

FWIW, I am going with Broncos 23, Seahawks 20.

 

[cdumler7]

I'm going to put my predictions out there with some boldness...Now on the General Board I picked the Seahawks to win but the more I think about Welker being back and the team being able to finally spread the defense out and really show off the run game a bit more I do think the Broncos could surprise the Seahawks and the nation with how good the run game looks this week...


So here it goes.


I think Manning goes 28-35 passing with 3 touchdowns and 0 picks. He throws for 305 yards.


Ball runs 20 times for 95 yards and 2 touchdowns (1 receiving 1 rushing)


Anderson runs 8 times for 50 yards


DT receiving goes 8 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown.


Sanders has 3 catches 70 yards with one of those being a 40 yard bomb that really opens up the offense.


Julius has 7 catches for 80 yards and a touchdown


Welker has 5 catches 45 yards


Defensively the Broncos get 2 picks in this game. Talib gets one and Nate Irving the other.


The Broncos get 4 sacks in this one with Ware and Miller each getting one.


They hold Lynch to 60 yards rushing in this one.


Final Score--Broncos 31 Seahawks 17...Now I know that is all full on homer mode. I guess it is just a hope I have that this team with all the smack talk that has happened over the last 6 months just lets it all out on the field this week.

 

[WalkerBoh]

I think in this case the better indicator in judging this game is the preseason game between the two teams. Seahawks fans could be in for a big disappointment if they think they'll blow out the Broncos again.

Harvin is a WC that Denver will have to account for, and we will also have to contain Wilson better than we did with Smith. As for Lynch, I'm confident he will be contained. Even in the SB, he didn't have much rushing yardage. I would like to see bigger push from the inside with Pot Roast and Sylvester. I agree that so far that has been a bit disappointing. However, I wonder if some of that was gameplanning on the part of the Colts and Chiefs. Both had depleated O-lines, and could have adjusted offensive formations to help those lines out. Unfortunately I didn't pay close enough attention to notice specific protections the two teams employed.

 

[TDs3nOut]

Iknowftbll I read the actual writer of that articles thoughts on the game and while I don't completely disagree with the idea that Seattle wins the game his thought process to get there is ridiculous. To think that we need to be 35-points better this season than last to stand a chance is ridiculous. Seattle didn't beat a single team until the Super Bowl by that point spread. Are you telling me every team they played during the season is actually better than the Broncos who made it to the Super Bowl and beat what 12 teams last season with 3 of those teams we beat them twice?


I don't get why the concept that the Broncos were not 35-points worse than the Seahawks is such a hard concept to understand. I think Seattle was the better team for sure but not by that big of a margin. You play that game 10 times I do think Seattle wins 6 with the other 5 games being within 10-points and most of them being within a touchdown. It just seems like nobody can let go of what happened in the Super Bowl. I know it was a bad game but one bad game should not define a team forever.

I agree that it should be obvious to anyone who paid attention last year that the SB blowout overstated how much better Seattle was than Denver last season. We probably played our worst game of the season, though Seattle certainly had a lot to do with that, and they played about as well as they possibly could. Surprisingly lopsided outcomes occur every week in the league. Unfortunately for us, our team laid an egg at the worst possible time.

Thing is, if we get blown out again this Sunday, which I'm not expecting, though I won't be nearly as surprised as I was last February, it will only reinforce to those who don't understand that there is a sort of random element in athletic contests just how much better Seattle is than Denver.