Whew, ultimate fans…we are coming in hot with this one thanks to my third-string QB! But JasonAult16 is no third-stringer; he’s more of a Hall-of-Famer — especially for jumping in last minute. And boy has he got some great answers, not just to my questions but for the Broncos to make some big improvements in Week 2. So let’s hope Sean Payton has some time for a quick read because it might help him remember to rely on that running game a little more, for example.
Let’s go, Broncos!
Week 2: Broncos at Colts
MHR – It wasn’t particularly pretty – or easy – but the Broncos ęame away with a victory to start the season. What are your thoughts on that Broncos’ win?
JasonAult16: I was at Mile High for that one, and let me first say that while games are always exciting, it seemed like there was extra juice in the air. Broncos Country is hungry for a big-time winner, and you could feel that in the stadium. Lots of fun to be there.
The game was a little scary. When Marvin Mims bobbled the punt catch, I told friends that the Broncos were “FA-ing” and that I hope they didn’t eventually “FO.” Fortunately, the defense held strong on that following drive and was aided by a rookie quarterback who didn’t understand that you cannot take sacks in that spot. The offense has some improvement to do, but I am not too worried about that…yet.
MHR – Bo Nix did not have what we would call a “good day” as he had three turnovers to his one TD and a QB rating of 60. But Nix did keep the team poised and got the win. Is there anything to be concerned about, or can we chalk that up to just being a little rusty at the beginning of the season?
JasonAult16: I will go with opening-week rust. I know he played some in the preseason, but regular season football is a completely different animal. If you looked across the league, there was a lot of overall sloppy play in Week 1. Tennessee’s defense is also better than one might think with some solid talent. So as I said, I am not too concerned yet. Are there things to clean up? Sure. But it did not seem like anything that would be difficult to correct. Bo mentioned that his fumble was just a stupid mistake of not keeping both hands on the ball in the pocket. That is an easy fix.
MHR – Some of the problems for Nix stemmed from several breakdowns on the offensive line. This group was touted as one of the best in the league but they had some trouble with Tennessee. How good do they need to be against the Colts D-line to give Nix a lot more time?
JasonAult16: They need to be better, and those guys will be the first to admit that. Mike McGlinchey said as much. You have to earn the right to run the football and dictate the tenor of the game. There were a couple dumb and ill-time penalties and general mistakes that hindered drive progress. Again, I will chalk that up to Week 1 issues. Let’s see what happens this week.
MHR – The running game took a minute to warm up but eventually got some legit yards, and both JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey broke out a big run. Where is your confidence level in this running game and its ability to really make a difference in the game?
JasonAult16: The running game can be weird. Sometimes, it just takes a little bit to get going. But you have to stay true to it, because it eventually can break, as evidenced by RJ Harvey’s long run. I have heard Mark Schlereth talk about this. You keep running those 3-4 yard plays early because if you can wear down a defensive line, those can eventually break for 10-20 yard games or even longer. But my confidence is certainly there. I will be interested to see how this shakes out.
MHR – All offseason we heard a lot about the “joker” role and Evan Engram. Sunday he was basically absent, catching 3 of 4 passes for 21 yards. Do you expect (hope for) a bigger role for Engram this week?
JasonAult16: That is obviously the hope. Since I was at the game, I didn’t see any TV commentary, so it seemed like I heard that he might have been a little injured at some point. Now that Evan has a game in orange and blue under his belt, I am confident he will settle in more and become more of a factor. There were good reports of Evan’s building rapport for Bo, so I would imagine that we will start to see that sooner than later.
MHR – On the other side of the ball, the Broncos were surgeons – never letting Cam Ward get away with too much. Holding the Titans to only four field goals, sacking the QB six times and keeping Tony Pollard to just 60 yards rushing was an impressive outing. But this week’s opponent has a more seasoned QB and a possibly better-than-expected offense. Do you expect domination once again?
JasonAult16: Until shown otherwise, I have great faith in this defense. As I alluded earlier, I was very proud of their effort last week. Especially once the lead increased to 8, I never had any concern that Tennessee could drive the length of the field to score a touchdown. There will certainly be a step-up in competition this week, but if this defense is one of the best in the league, I fully anticipate the Colts offense having their hands full.
MHR – Daniel Jones surprised about everyone last week with his super efficient and effective play last week – 272 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs and a huge victory margin over the Dolphins. Any chance he can be that successful this week against the Broncos’ pass rush and secondary?
JasonAult16: How damning is it for the Giants organization to have seen Daniel Jones look like a competent quarterback? He has probably always been considered a smart guy who can properly run an offense. He won’t ever wow anyone with his physical attributes, but he can be effective in a solid system. It is further proof that football is a TEAM game. Quarterbacks probably get too much credit and take too much blame. But again, if the Broncos defense is as strong as we think, this will be a much tougher challenge for Daniel Jones.
MHR – Jonathan Taylor hasn’t quite been the dominant rusher he once was, but last year was a solid comeback and he got the better of the Broncos defense, rushing 22 times for 107 yards. But thanks in part to Talanoa Hufanga’s beast-mode level, the run defense has improved. How much of the Colts’ gameplan do you expect Taylor to be and how much success will he have against the Broncos?
JasonAult16: I was at the Colts game last year. I was starting to get very worried when Jonathan Taylor romped into the endzone for what seemed to be a big touchdown in the third quarter. But then there was that whole thing of JT dropping the ball early, which gave the Broncos the ball back. And the tables turned.
But anyway, he can still be very effective, so the Broncos defense must play sound football, cover gaps, and not allow the Colts running game to get going. There would seem to be some motivation for the Colts offense to bring their A-game to this one. Last year’s game was one that they felt they gave away, which cost them a playoff spot.
And yes, I think we will really enjoy having Talanoa Hufanga in our defensive backfield. Dude was a heat-seeking missile. He also just seems to be a good dude and great leader to have with our defense and team overall. I loved how he wore the Bo Nix t-shirt in the postgame press conference.
MHR – The defensive special teams unit did give up some big yardage on kickoff returns last week. Was that more of a testament to Chimere Dike, the new return rules or weakness on our special teams unit?
JasonAult16: Probably a combination of all three. Given that it was the first week of the season with a different flavor to the kickoff rules in places, it seems logical that a glitch could happen with kickoff coverage. I am hopeful that it can be fixed pretty easily. Maybe in that specific situation, you can afford to just boot it out of the endzone and hope that Cam Ward can’t pick up the appropriate yardage to quickly get his team into field goal range. But again, with the small sample size, I won’t get too concerned so quickly. If it becomes a continuous issue, then I will round up the pitchforks.
MHR – The rookie punter averaged 48 yards on his punts and put all three inside the 20. How much of a difference can he be in a game if he keeps progressing from there?
JasonAult16: My source told me this offseason that Jeremy Crawshaw was going to be a factor this season. The preseason games were a little concerning, but the young man punted quite well last week. That will be huge to have a weapon that can flip the field when needed. It will be difficult to move the ball on this defense anyway. Forcing an opposing offense to need to drive 90 yards makes that even more challenging.
MHR – Aside from obviously coming away with a win, what would you most like to see from the team this week that would indicate progress and a promising season overall?
JasonAult16: Just play clean football. Be disciplined. Take care of the football. If Bo fixes the mistakes that caused those, then he will fare much better.
It goes without saying, but do not commit stupid penalties. Some penalties are bound to happen. When I played football, I once lamented an “action penalty” (cannot remember if it was holding, facemask, etc) that I got. My coach told me that he didn’t get too upset because those penalties have you doing something that just goes a little bad. He always hated the mental mistakes (offsides, delay of game, lining up incorrectly).
When Tennessee picked up the unnecessary roughness penalty late in the game that extended a Broncos drive, I told friends that that sort of play shows why the Titans are where they are and the Broncos are in a better spot. It was just a ridiculous lack of discipline that was absolutely unnecessary. In the past, I have lost it when the Broncos have made similar stupid mistakes. I like to think that this team has become much more disciplined under the current coaching regime.
Back to hopes for this game. This is the National Football League. I have learned to not demand style points. There is a fine line between winning and losing. Especially in a road game in a place where the Broncos have not historically played well, I just want one more point than the Colts tomorrow. Hopefully a lot more points so that my cardiac health doesn’t take a beating. But getting out of Indy with a win would be super.
Predictions
Stats for BO NIX? 20/25, 220 yards passing, 2 passing TDs, 30 rushing yards added
Stats for each Broncos RB? JK Dobbins 80 yards, RJ Harvey 65 yards (and his first pro TD), Others 25 yards
Number of yards receiving/TDs for the receivers? Cortland Sutton 80 yards with TD catch, Evan Engram 60 yards (and his first Broncos TD), Marvin Mims 50 yards, Others 30 yards
How many points for Lutz this week? 3 XPs and 2 FGs
Number of sacks to Daniel Jones? 4 sacks
Broncos player with the most tackles? Talanoa Hufanga
Who gets the first sack of the game for the Broncos? Nik Bonitto
Who gets the most sacks? Also Nik Bonitto since I will guess 2 for him
How many INTs/FF/FR for the Colts D? There unfortunately will be one in there somewhere.
How many INTs/FF/FR for the Broncos D? Fumble and an INT
How many penalties between the two teams? Too many for the Broncos, too few for Indy
How many times will the announcers reference Peyton Manning and his connection to the Broncos? To the Colts? Kevin Harlan is doing the game, so he is usually pretty good with his commentary, so I don’t anticipate him being annoying about it.
The Favorites
Favorite Broncos win ever? The correct answer is and will always be Super Bowl XXXII. Anyone who says otherwise is either wrong, lying, or too young.
Favorite game since having kids? I took my son Denver to his first game on October 29, 2023…when our beloved Broncos ended the stupid losing streak to the Chiefs. That game was cathartic in so many ways. The Broncos had a 3-0 record against Tom Brady when I was in the stadium, so I am hoping that my son can similarly be kryptonite to another loathed foe.
Team you love to beat the most in the AFC West? I live in southcentral Kansas, so I have always hated the Chiefs the most, even before it became fashionable to hate them over these last 5-7 seasons. Beating them is always fun. I just wish that it hadn’t been so difficult over the last decade.
Coach you despise most in the NFL? Josh McDaniels. He is not a head coach anymore, but I still violently upchuck when I see his smug mug show up on my TV screen.
Team you hate to lose to the most in the rest of the AFC (outside AFC West)? My disdain for the Patriots has subsided now that they have fallen off. I still don’t have warm fuzzies for Pittsburgh or Baltimore, just because they have been such a difficult foe over time.
NFC team you could cheer for in the Super Bowl? I would be happy to see either San Francisco or Detroit make the Super Bowl. I like the Broncos connections with the 49ers. Detroit has been long-suffering enough that I would be happy for their fanbase.
NFC team you’d want to face more than any other in the Super Bowl? A team without a huge national fanbase that wouldn’t flock to the Super Bowl in large numbers. The one last big thing that I have not done as a Broncos fan is attend a Super Bowl, and I have vowed to make that trip when and if it ever happens again. I don’t need a popular team like the Packers or Cowboys or a regional team (in this year’s case, the 49ers or Seahawks) driving up ticket demand.
Toughest game on the schedule? Philadelphia on the road will be a tough test but a good measuring stick of where the Broncos are, in terms of contending for the Super Bowl. Then, of course, it’s been a decade since the Broncos have walked out of Arrowhead with a win, so that one will always be tough (even if I think it can be a good matchup for the guys in orange and blue).
Most anticipated game on the schedule? My wife and I will go to the Cowboys game with some friends, and then our kids will join us for a family trip to the Jaguars game. It will be my daughter’s first Broncos game, so that will be special. You can bet that she has and will continue to be included in my Broncos fandom like her brother has.
Favorite Broncos player on the current roster? Cop-out answer, but I love Bo Nix. I love his business-like manner in how he talks to the media and operates on the football field. Not cocky at all, but he oozes confidence and makes me feel like the Broncos have an excellent chance to be really good for the foreseeable future.
Favorite Broncos player of all time? Another cop-out, but John Elway will forever be my favorite athlete of all time.
Favorite new guy/rookie on the team? Talanoa Hufanga. As I mentioned earlier, I just get the vibe that he will be a great leader for this team, both on and off the field.
Food/Snack that your son Denver has to eat on game day? Denver Dude loves Cheez-Its and and Chicken-in-A-Biskit crackers (he calls them Papa’s Crackers in memory of my wife’s dad who always had those available for snacks)
Favorite game analyst/commentator? Bronco bias, but I love me some Mark Schlereth. Stink knows the game quite well and will not hold back when calling out the Broncos when they display ineptitude.
Give me one word/phrase/cliche to describe your hope for this season? SUPER
Who is on your Broncos’ Mount Rushmore? John Elway, Floyd Little, Terrell Davis, and Randy Gradishar
Tell me about the conversation with your son about his mandated fandom?
I named my son Denver because of my Broncos fandom, so not that he has ever objected, but I explained that he pretty much has to root for the Broncos. It would be odd for him to cheer for anyone else. I also had the blessing to be part of the Wichita State men’s basketball program for a number of years, both in college and as a working adult. I was lucky to be on staff when the team went to the Final Four in 2013, and that Final Four ring is one of my most prized possessions. So Shocker Basketball is kinda like my college fraternity family. Again, not that there has been desire to do otherwise, but my son (and my daughter too) know that we root for the Shockers in our house. If my kids show a different team interest in baseball or any other sport, that’s fine. But rooting for Broncos Football and Shocker Basketball is pretty much required.
