Team rankings after wk 2

[randymon]

Know its only wk 2 but just for the L of it heres where Denver stands....
Team OFF= 14 Team D Total=27
Team OFF Passing=11 Team D Passing=30
Team OFF Rushing=24 Team D Rushing=10

Know its early but obviously you can see the concerns from last yr are still rearing their ugly heads, mainly team off rushing and team D passing yds allowed. The one stat that isn`t listed but we all know would have Denver ranked very near,if not at the bottom would be team D on 3rd downs. Proud of 2-0 start but those catagories need to get much better as season progresses.

 

[MrDoc420]

The defense has been completely underwhelming so far IMO. All those 3rd down conversions

 

[randymon]

Just got done watching Denver on NFL network replay ( albiet somewhat abrv.) and I have to say I saw much more positives than negs in game. Mostly important to me was the coverage by the dbs for Denver. Many times they had good.sound coverage and Smith just mades some great throws. Many of those completions if off just a tad would easily been knocked down or pkd. Rushing look much better as the O line seemed to get off ball much better and Ball does looklike he`s starting to get in rythem and more decisive as well. Do see how the absense of Trev has hurt as I saw more times than I like, the lbs being confused or out of position or late to react. Hurry back Trev. I do think going into Seattle, Denver needs to ( on 3rd down esp, just designate one of the lbs ( fastest guy, prob Marshall) and just have him shadow Wilson and hope to at least slow him down when he runs and rolls out. Just get in his face and hope for back-up/ hurried mistake. I actually feel better about Denvers chances this wknd and having Welker available will be big. Good job Broncos vs 2 tough opponents and lets ground and pound those Hawks men!!!

 

[randymon]

The defense has been completely underwhelming so far IMO. All those 3rd down conversions

I felt that way Doc just from highlights I saw from redzone but after seeing most of game, I saw good push up middle and much better pressure all around. A. Smith just was a real pain when he scrambled and made some really good plays. Happy with what I saw and def more encouraged going forward. No matter what happens in Seattle, there`s def good signs on both sides of ball to come. I expect this time vs Seattle, a much closer gm.

 

[MrDoc420]

Suppose I'm just pissing and moaning a bit. I do agree that our coverage seemed pretty sound most of the time, as Smith was scrambling around on more than one play to buy time, and you're right.....he did make some really nice throws in the game.

 

[MileHigh64]

Hey, it's only two games but another meaningful stat is ZERO turnovers. Good way to start the season. Go Broncos!

MH64

 

[Broncos6482]

Good post, randymon. I rewatched the game last night and came away feeling it really wasn't as ugly as I first thought. The pass rush was a lot better than I thought it was the first time, but you have to give credit to Alex Smith. He really moved around well, bought himself some extra time, and made some bigtime throws.

Also, it appeared to me that at least some of the problems on third down were defensive communications issues. Two in particular stood out to me. On the Chiefs opening drive of the second half, they faced a third and 18 from their 12. Immediately preceding this play, the Broncos had blitzed and the Chiefs had completed a long pass play to Donnie Avery that was called back for holding. So instead of blitzing again, the Broncos go to a 3 man rush. Now I hate the 3 man rush, but in context I can sort of understand why they did it. And the thing is, it probably would have worked, except that Bradley Roby bit on an Alex Smith pump fake that took him out of his zone and allowed Travis Kelce an opening along the sideline to pick up the first down. Unfortunately you'll have plays like this with a young defense, but if Roby had just done what he was supposed to do I think Smith probably scrambles for a few yards and the Chiefs punt.

The second play came on the Chiefs last possession. They faced 3rd and 9 on their own 45 with 2:09 left. Smith was able to complete a 20 yard pass to Travis Kelce. Kelce was covered by T.J. Ward. On this play the Broncos defense looked confused before the snap, and Ward was actually looking at the sideline when the Chiefs snapped the ball. The Broncos probably should have just used a time out there. Anyway, Ward clearly wasn't prepared for the snap and when Kelce made his cut Ward was completely flat footed and had no chance of staying with him. It's also possible that another defender was supposed to be in the area the pass was completed to, but it's hard to say. Regardless, defensive confusion was definitely a factor on this play.

The good news is, the Broncos won. The better news is, those kind of issues are correctable. I think myself (and probably others) put unrealistic expectations on the defense right out of the gate. But with all of the guys working their way back from injuries and all of the new players on the defense, it's really not shocking that they were going to have issues to work through. I still think this can be a very good defense, it just might take awhile before they get there.

 

[Broncos6482]

One other thing I noticed on the rewatch was that Von Miller actually applied quite a bit of pressure over the course of the game. He finished with just one sack, although in my opinion he should have split the second sack with Brandon Marshall. He also was breathing down Smith's neck a lot and was very close to picking up a couple of more sacks. I thought that was a very encouraging sign.

 

[cdumler7]

Broncos6482 you are right in communication errors have been a major issue so far for our defense. This is expected when you have so many new moving parts trying to work together. Throw in the guy that is supposed to be our main communicator on the field went down during camp in Trevathan. Getting him back will be huge for this defense for many reasons but maybe the biggest will be the fact that the communication by our defense should be greatly improved. Hopefully this is our final week of the season without him on the field.


The penalties are another issue that can be cleared up pretty easily. The Broncos did send into the league video of the Chiefs center and what he was doing to draw the Broncos off sides which is supposed to be a penalty on him. Just think about the fact that the Broncos had a pick-6 that should have ended the game erased. Then a sack/fumble that was overturned. They also had an incomplete pass that was ruled a fumble and first down for KC that then lead to a touchdown instead of field goal. The DT screen pass where Clark was about a yard too far down the field and didn't even impact the play being brought back is another. Just small little details in that game kept it from actually turning into a blow out. A lot went against the Broncos in that game that they could have given up especially on the defensive side of the ball but they hung in there and won a tough game. I don't see many games this season having that many things go against us.

 

[WalkerBoh]

Broncos6482 you are right in communication errors have been a major issue so far for our defense. This is expected when you have so many new moving parts trying to work together. Throw in the guy that is supposed to be our main communicator on the field went down during camp in Trevathan. Getting him back will be huge for this defense for many reasons but maybe the biggest will be the fact that the communication by our defense should be greatly improved. Hopefully this is our final week of the season without him on the field.


The penalties are another issue that can be cleared up pretty easily. The Broncos did send into the league video of the Chiefs center and what he was doing to draw the Broncos off sides which is supposed to be a penalty on him. Just think about the fact that the Broncos had a pick-6 that should have ended the game erased. Then a sack/fumble that was overturned. They also had an incomplete pass that was ruled a fumble and first down for KC that then lead to a touchdown instead of field goal. The DT screen pass where Clark was about a yard too far down the field and didn't even impact the play being brought back is another. Just small little details in that game kept it from actually turning into a blow out. A lot went against the Broncos in that game that they could have given up especially on the defensive side of the ball but they hung in there and won a tough game. I don't see many games this season having that many things go against us.

It's better to win a game playing sloppy, than to lose a game played perfectly