I hate to be the guy who beats a dead horse, but this stat caught my eye today and its worth mentioning.
Through six games, the Denver Broncos are on pace to be the worst offense in franchise history. At 4.40 yards per play, they are just beating out that historic 70s offense — the same one that went to a Super Bowl. Also the same one that had eight turnovers in Super Bowl 12 and the defense that carried them there still only gave up 27 points to the Dallas Cowboys in that game.
The funny part is… I don’t see any Tim Tebow offenses on that Top 5. That surprised me. While as bad as this is, I think they get this issue figured out. They are winning games still and that buys a little bit of time, but at some point Bo Nix and the offense will need to figure this out.
While most would point to Nix as the one who needs to figure it out first, I would point to the woeful run game. They cannot keep putting Nix into 2nd and 9 or 3rd and 8s. The run game has to start putting in the work in these drives.
Broncos daily recap
Sean Payton discusses where Bo Nix can get better
Quarterback Bo Nix has been in a slump to start his third season. Head Coach Sean Payton mentioned several areas of improvement for the third-year signal caller.
Broncos vs. Cardinals: 3 Things to Watch in Week 7
The Denver Broncos head on the road to battle the Arizona Cardinals. Here are three storylines I’ll be watching in their Week 7 matchup.
How the Denver Broncos can beat the Arizona Cardinals
In order to defeat the Arizona Cardinals, the Denver Broncos need to accomplish these three key points.
Potent quotables
Vance Joseph
On the young players who stepped up against Seattle and preparing during a short week
“It wasn’t our first time. Those guys played last year. I think it was half of the Dallas game, the Chiefs and maybe Houston last year. So I wasn’t surprised by how they played. We had a good plan for those kids. They played to it. Obviously, our depth on defense is really in the DB room and outside backer room. So we’ve been very fortunate losing ‘Coop’ (OLB Jonathon Cooper) early to have [OLB] Que [Robinson] and [OLB] Jonah [Elliss] step up and losing [CB] Pat [Surtain II] and [CB] Riley [Moss] to have ‘KD’ (CB Kris Abrams-Draine) and [CB Jahdae] Barron step up. So it’s where our depth was, so it was almost luck to have that group intact.”
On S Taylor Rapp’s impact
“Signing Taylor was purposeful for us. We needed a veteran safety who can play without reps. Obviously that was a short week for all of us. For him to go in a game and play 60-plus snaps and play at a high level and make every call, it’s been impressive to watch. His first week in training camp, we saw it, and I was like, ‘Man, this is cool.’ If we can get him back in some capacity moving forward, it’s going to be a big part of our defense. Again, it was perfect to have Rapp in the circle.”
On DL Zach Allen’s growth
“I think Zach’s been a good player for a long time. I think Zach is taking pride in being a great run stopper. That’s elevated his game and you watch him one-on-one in the running game, he’s dominant in that part of his game. The pass-rush part has always been there for Zach. He’s twitchy, he’s long, he’s got great hips and feet, but the run defense has gone to a place that made him a dominant player. So I’ve been proud of Zach [and] how he’s led this year. He’s obviously doing more for our front [since] losing ‘JFM’ (Titans DL John Franklin-Myers). He is fully engaged; he’s coaching the guys. But he is playing the run game very well and that’s key for him.”
Darren Rizzi
On the feeling of hitting a game-winning field goal as a unit
“Besides gut-wrenching? (Laughs) I think that’s what you prepare for with that unit. Every unit has their different nuances. That field-goal, extra-point group, when that group’s on the field, you have a chance to score points every single time, the opportunity to score points. I think you view that unit a little differently. I know obviously [K] Wil [Lutz] gets the numbers and the credit, and the stats and all that stuff, but I’m glad you’re asking me because I think it’s as a collective unit, I think a lot of times we take for granted the snap, the hold, the protection. We’ve seen a number of games this year throughout the league where there have been misses or blocks. It really is. We talk about one-eleventh all the time, really just every guy doing their job. It’s really hard to simulate those situations in practice. You’re out here in field goal, and you try to recreate in training camp and all that. I’m proud of that group every time we go out there and execute because I think maybe the common fan might take for granted how hard it is to execute all those different things. A 53-yard field goal is no chip shot. I don’t care where you’re kicking it—altitude, indoors, wherever or conditions. So really proud of Wil, really proud of the whole group because it really is a collective effort.”
On training kickers to treat all kicks the same
“There’s definitely a mental approach to that field-goal kicking position. It’s trying to make every kick the biggest kick of your life. It is, if there ever was a next-play mentality, it’s probably that position, just from my experience over 30 years coaching special teams. The guys that are the best at it are the guys that can treat every extra point in the first quarter just like every last-second kick. There’s not secret [K] Wil [Lutz] had some misses here in the beginning. Just his resiliency just to be able to bounce back and go out there and make that kick I think says a lot about him and his approach. I think doing that, it’s easier said than done.”
Davis Webb
On what gives him confidence in the running back room
“The way we were able to throw some punches against the Chargers and finish that out with [RB] J.K. Dobbins in the fourth quarter. Last week, they were a good defense. We knew that it was going to be that type of game, and it went all four quarters. We got off to a better start and were able to watch our pass rush kind of get off and force five [sacks], I believe. Obviously we wish we played a complete game, but now the roles were kind of reversed in regard to first half to second half. The run game got off to a good start, and then in the second half we can do better.”
On if they are able to change how they play when playing with a lead
“Now it’s taking that last step of playing the last two quarters like we have the first two the last couple of weeks. Putting a good game together where we can look up and the score is not as close as it needs to be in the fourth quarter. We can kind of stretch the lead out a little bit. Our defense has been playing excellent, and we are looking forward to hopefully trying to accomplish that this week.”
On RB RJ Harvey’s growth
“I love RJ Harvey. He’s really hard to tackle. He’s special with the ball in his hands. He’s continued to develop as a runner. Under center and in the gun, I think he’s a lot more comfortable, but that’s kind of like the young quarterbacks in the gun compared to under center. In the pass game, he’s been spectacular. Catching the ball underneath and advancing for many explosive gains. He’s such a good dude. You would think he’s quiet, but he’s not. He talks a lot more when you get to know him, and I’m very thankful he’s here.”
Under the radar
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