Good morning, Broncos Country!
If there is one thing NFL fans should know already — but definitely would have been reminded the past two weekends — is that all preseason notions of which teams will be good and which will not is almost
100% wrong every time.
The Broncos’ matchups have been a case in point — beating the undefeated Eagles one week, followed by narrowly escaping a loss to the winless Jets, or losing to a Colts team that few thought would be any good, much less 5-1.
And that’s exactly why this weekend’s game against the Giants will be a much tougher contest than the “4-2 team v. 2-4 team” might signal to the uninitiated.
Prior to the season, most of us circled Week 7 as a sure win. But now such overconfidence would prove folly.
It’s insignificant, perhaps, but still worth noting that the Giants’ stunning victory over the Eagles was much more dominating — even if not as exciting — as the Broncos’ come-from-behind rally in Philly the week before.
And while both the Broncos and Giants are coming off wins this weekend, Denver’s victory in London was more about just avoiding a loss, giving the mojo edge to New York.
So just like I had predicted for the Jets’ game, this one will come down to which team’s defense can do the most damage to another team’s offense.
“I’m proud of the way these guys fought here in the last two and a half, three weeks, and I think our experience coming over here was fabulous,” head coach Sean Payton said. “So hopefully it won’t be the last and hopefully won’t be the same nail-biting type game we just had. But it was a good win.“
I hate to break it to you, Broncos Country, but I am betting Sunday’s game in Denver is definitely going to be the same type of nail-biting affair we just watched. Thankfully the game is at home, giving Denver an edge.
Rookie QB Jaxson Dart and rookie running back Cam Skattebo have been impressive in their professional football debuts.
Last week Skattebo carried the ball 19 times for 98 yards and a trio — a TRIO! — of touchdowns to lead the beatdown of the Eagles. And with that performance, Skattebo became only the second rookie in franchise history to rush for three touchdowns in a game.
Dart’s stat line also showcased an impressive outing — completing 17-of-25 passes for 195 yards and one touchdown while adding 58 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Between the two rookies, along with a little flare from former Broncos wideout L’il Jordan Humphrey, the Giants’ offense is humming — something the Broncos’ offense would do well to emulate.
And while I thoroughly anticipate the Broncos’ defense being able to handle Dart and his weapons, I have less confidence that our talented-but-inconsistent offense can take advantage of opportunities to score as often as it may need to.
Thankfully, the Broncos’ head coach is less worried.
“I think we’ll be a team that’s in the hunt,” Payton said. “Certainly, we’ve got to improve, though. There’s a lot of things that you can’t do to beat yourself, and I think our penalty numbers are still poor. Our turnover ratio is not anything special. Those things have to improve, and I think our players understand that.”
They better.
