If you guys have been reading these film reviews over the last couple of years (thank you, by the way), then you know that I have a brutal addiction to optimism. If you want proof just check out my article hyping up Audric Estime that I wrote relatively shortly before they cut him. It’s how I live life and it’s how I watch football. And how could I not be this way? I’ve had to suffer through the last 10 years of Denver football and I coach offensive line at a small school. If you don’t have optimism then you have nothing.
With that being said, what a doozy of a game Thursday night was. There’s nothing I can say that hasn’t already been said, positive or negative. At first glance there isn’t much good to take a look at. But I would disagree. That last drive they put together to ice the game was well executed and made a guy like me smile. The Raiders knew they would be running and still couldn’t stop it (besides two plays).
This week’s format will be a bit different than usual. I’m taking you play-by-play on that final drive to see how the Broncos made it out of this one with a win.
The final drive
Play 1
1st and 10 – Dive – Gain of 8
To me this looks like some sort of Dive/ Wedge play given that the offensive line is all stepping to the inside rather than left or right.
Everyone up front, including the TEs and Trent Sherfield do a pretty bang-up job. Everyone is able to seal their inside gap and the interior guys, especially there on the right side, get vertical push on the defensive line and the right A gap is there for the taking if Dobbins wants. And it’s probably a gain of four to five if he hits it. But instead he sees the end man on the left side go to the inside of Sherfield, leaving no one there in containment. Dobbins bounces it outside for a chunk gain on first down.
Play 2
2nd and 2 – Power Lead – Gain of 1
This is a really tough block for Mercedes Lewis (#89) to make. With them running Power to the right, that means that Mike McGlinchey is blocking down on the playside DT and Lewis is then blocking down on the DE, which happens to be Maxx Crosby.
Crosby plays this perfectly. As a defensive lineman when you read down block away, it’s your job to squeeze the down block and play right off the backside of their hip in order to get penetration. Doing this makes it incredibly hard for the man that has to down block on you to get to you before you get passed the line of scrimmage. That’s exactly what plays out here.
Hindsight shows that it would have been better for both Meinerz and McGlinchey to slow-play this a little more. Meinerz should be less aggressive going inside and should just pick-up-put-down that left foot and work through the midline of the DT as best as possible. McGlinchey should still be moving down to the DT, but first he should be chipping Crosby with his right arm to give Lewis an extra moment to get over to Crosby.
With all of that being said, Lewis and the rest still block it up in a way that Palczewski is able to get around the mess and give Dobbins a good rushing lane, but it’s Adam Prentice that stops his feet on contact, and then gets too head-up with the defender, allowing himself to get thrown off and for his guy to make the play. If Prentice keeps working through that upfield shoulder then Dobbins has at least five yards on this play.
Play 3
3rd and 1 – Boot Right – Gain of 18
Passing the ball on third down and short when you need to keep the clock running always worries me until they manage to complete the pass and keep things churning.
The offensive line sells the sweep away, sucking Maxx Crosby in and giving Bo Nix space on the outside to make a play. He puts the ball in a perfect spot while on the move, hitting Troy Franklin in stride, who picks up a huge gain. This play would have been perfect if only Franklin either didn’t step out of bounds or if he put his foot in the ground and cut back to the inside. That might have taken him to the house.
Play 4
1st and 10 – Inside Zone Lead – Gain of 4
The key block I want you guys to pay attention to is Quinn Meinerz on the inside shade DT. He knows that Dobbins is trying to hit the right side A or B gap, given the alignment of the defensive line, so he makes the right call to simply wash the DT, rather than try to get vertical displacement. Usually vertical displacement is the goal on Inside Zones as an interior offensive lineman, but this quick thinking opened up a massive rushing lane through that A gap.
Adam Prentice nails his lead block too, but the issue ends up being Mike McGlinchey. But it’s also not completely his fault either. Like most plays, it’s complicated. Given how the DE is inside of him and Prentice is hitting the C gap defender, McGlinchey probably expects Dobbins to hit the C gap, which enables him to play the DE head up, like many zone teams teach as it gives Dobbins a choice of what gap to hit, rather than declaring it for him. But when the MLB does a great job of filling the gap, it forces Dobbins to bounce to the B gap, and the DE on McGlinchey makes a good play.
Play 5
2nd and 1 – Inside Zone Lead – No Gain
For how good Dobbins has been this year, this play is a frustrating one to watch. Everyone up front gets good movement on their guys, Prentice throws a good enough block in the hole, and Dobbins should be banging it through the left B gap. Instead he tries to bounce it, which I see what he’s going for, but there’s simply no need to take a risk like this. Just get your one yard and move on.
Play 6
3rd and 1 – QB Sneak – Gain of 1
The refs gave Nix the correct spot here. Nothing fancy. Just Quinn Meinerz and the interior guys getting a really good push to pick up the first down.
Play 7
1st and 10 – Dive – Gain of 7
A simple play but the guys up front and Dobbins execute incredibly well.
Wattenberg and Palczewski both get to double team on the 2i DT and they both bully him off of the ball. Meinerz handles business on his iso block against the head-up DT. Look at his hand fighting here throughout the block. That’s what makes it work. And both Bolles and McGlinchey do good jobs of washing their DEs to the outside, opening up the entire inside of the line for Dobbins to work behind.
Prentice lays a good block in the gap but Dobbins does a great job cutting right off of the but of Wattenberg, brushes off the first tackler, and picks up four yards after contact for a chunk gain on first down.
Play 8
2nd and 3 – Inside Zone Lead – Gain of 5
The play that finally puts the game on ice.
Man, if they called this play to the right then Dobbins probably walks in for a touchdown based off how well Wattenberg, Meinerz, McGlinchey, and Trautman handle business. But the defense plays into their hand with the DE over Bolles getting caught playing head up, which opens up space on the outside for Prentice to go lay a block, and that’s just too much room for Dobbins to work with as he easily picks up the first down.
I’m almost surprised by the linebackers not playing more downhill on this play. This seems like a situation where they’re moving too laterally at the snap. Dobbins is not a guy you can do that against in this sort of situation.
Final thoughts
Man am I glad that Denver came away from this one with a win. And as each week goes by the more I want Dobbins to be locked in for at least another couple of years. He has been a fantastic acquisition. In fact, the trio of Talanoa Hufanga, Dre Greenlaw, and JK Dobbins have been instrumental to the success they’ve had this year. Well done to Paton and Payton.
My main takeaway from this is that the Broncos have gotten exponentially better at closing out games. The entire offense did a great job of coming up huge, especially in the run game when the defense know exactly what Denver wanted to do. Dobbins gaining more than four yards a carry in this situation is massive.
