Welcome to the second installment of our AFC Championship Game roundtable discussions. For the first entry, I asked the staff what gave them confidence Jarrett Stidham could perform well against the New England Patriots. But we all know football is a team game.
It’s not going to just be on the shoulders of Stidham to deliver a victory. Every player on the team will have to execute at a high level. The Broncos need their most complete game of the season. Though there will certainly be some players
or position groups that will have to perform extremely well in order for Denver to book their ticket to Super Bowl 60. That’s why I asked the staff, “What Broncos players have to step up the most vs. the Patriots?”
Tim Lynch
Alex Singleton. The Patriots running backs could be a huge problem if Singleton is slow to get out in coverage. This is an issue he has consistently had throughout his time in Denver. He’ll need to play his best game of his career on Sunday.
Ross Allen
Maybe a cop-out of an answer, but the offensive line as a whole. They were pretty solid against a good Bills defensive pressure package, besides a handful of plays. They need to give Stidham as much time as possible and give him one less thing to worry about on Sunday.
Adam Malnati
Talanoa Hufanga has been great for the Broncos all season, except in coverage against TEs and RBs. That is where I would spend my time directing the offense if I was New England. It’s not a question of how good Hufanga is, it’s a question of whether or not he can step up in those moments.
Sadaraine
On offense I’m going with Courtland Sutton. He has to be a security blanket for Stidham and catch everything thrown his way to help spark the offense. On defense we need Alex Singleton to elevate his play. He has to not be flat footed in coverage and needs to shed blockers to stop the run far better than we saw last week.
Taylor Kothe
I think we can’t avoid the obvious: Jarret Stidham. I love how the team, and the fanbase, are rallying in support of him. It’s a heck of a challenge to face, though, and Stiddy will need to bring his absolute A-game. If he can provide a steady hand and avoid turnovers, Denver has a real chance to win at home. But if he falls apart, that chance can vanish quickly.
Christopher Hart
Like Ross, I’m going to focus on a group of players. That’s Denver’s running backs. I think that being able to run the ball effectively is going to have a huge outcome in the game. I believe it when Head Coach Sean Payton says Stidham is going to be able to rip it. Even so, I don’t want this to be a matchup where Jarrett has to throw 40 times.
The Patriots’ defense does a tremendous job forcing turnovers and keeping opponents out of the endzone. They also give up some of the least yards per play in the NFL. The Broncos have to be able to sustain drives. That starts with maximizing what the ground game can give you on early downs.
There is a shot J.K. Dobbins plays. Can he revert to the player he was pre-injury? That would be a huge boon for the Broncos. If not, Jaleel McLaughlin and RJ Harvey are going to have to find a way to make some plays and alleviate some of the pressure from Stidham’s shoulders.
How about you, Broncos Country? Which Broncos players do you believe have to step up the most in order to get to Super Bowl 60? Sound off in the comments section and let me know what you think.
