Better late than never, Ultimate Fans! (my fault, not our UFG, as always!) But it’s also totally worth the wait! Kingbronco is a vet at the UFG, and he’s bringing the goods.
It’s appropriate that we featured
an alumnus for this week’s UFG since it’s “Alumni Weekend” for the Broncos, who will honor the Super Bowl 50 team and induct the legendary Demaryius Thomas into the Ring of Fame on Sunday.
It should be a fantastic game in honor of a fantastic Bronco on the most fantastic squad — all jump-started by a fantastic UFG!
Week 7: Giants at Broncos
MHR – A win is a win is a win, right? Thoughts on the London win over the Jets?
kingbronco58: I’m not gonna be upset about a win, but woof, I would have loved to see the offense finally click against the Jets. Almost giving the Jets the first win of the season after the biggest win of the season feels like a very Broncos kind of move. It is nice to see the defense have an absolutely insane game and put together what could be an even better season than last year.
MHR – Moving on to the Giants…Before the season started, it seemed like this game would be against another maligned Giants team, especially with Russell “hold the ball 10 seconds before throwing in the stands” Wilson. But with an exciting young QB in Jaxson Dart and two wins in a row, the Giants are playing with some moxie. Are you concerned?
Kingbronco58: I’m honestly pretty bummed that we don’t get to face Russ. I was looking forward to the Mile High crowd welcoming him back with a countdown of the play clock. I think we see teams have a spark typically when a rookie QB gets inserted into the lineup. I’ll admit to not having paid attention too closely to the Giants, but from what I’ve seen, I think Dart has shown some flashes primarily with his legs as opposed to his arm. I also don’t think Dart has seen a defense as talented as Denver. With Nabers and Slayton out, I think if the Broncos contain Dart and tackle Skattebo, they should be in a good position to win.
MHR – The “offense struggles, defense saves the day” … seems to be a familiar theme with Broncos’ wins. How frustrating is it to you that by Week 7 Bo Nix and the offense are still relying on the defense to pick it up and “get” the win? Give me two things they could do to change this trend quickly.
Kingbronco58: The offense struggles, defense saves the day was the motto of the SB50 team. If we can get the same result this year I certainly don’t mind it. I think overall Payton’s play designs have been really good. He has guys get open, and Bo tends to miss them. The biggest problem to me is Bo’s feet look rushed and instead of planting his feet he tends to rush his footwork and miss open WRs. Bo has looked really good while throwing on bootlegs, so I’d focus on the run game and get Bo more looks in bootlegs. Additionally, I’d hyper target Sutton. Bo is still building chemistry with his new and young WR corps. Sutton has been having a great season, so let the offense run through him.
MHR – Cam Skattebo has been bulldozing through O-lines this season. Does he have a chance against our Front 7? What makes him so dangerous and what do the Broncos have to do to stop him?
Kingbronco58: I’ve watched a good amount of Skattebo since his time at ASU. I think folks counted him out when ASU played Texas, and he had a great game. Folks didn’t think he could do anything against the Eagles front 7, and he had a 3TD game. So to think he doesn’t have a shot against our front 7 would be shortsighted. Skattebo’s contact balance and not shying away from contact is what makes him dangerous. He’s not going to breakaway on an 80yd TD in the NFL. But he’ll continuously get positive yardage. For the Broncos to contain him, they need to gang tackle and prevent him from breaking tackles.
MHR – Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper and the Broncos’ pass rush lead the NFL in sacks and got a whopping NINE sacks in one game last week. Can they repeat that performance on Sunday?
Kingbronco58: Getting 9 sacks in a game again feels like a stretch. I think Dart is more likely to get rid of the ball than Fields. Andrew Thomas is a pretty good tackle, I do think our OLBs have been having a terrific year but I’d be pleasantly surprised if they have more than 4 sacks on Sunday.
MHR – There was a fun “trash-talk exchange” between Cooper and Jaxson Dart in the media this week. Who will sling the first “mud” at the other on Sunday? 😉 Do you like the media/social media trash-talking that happens between players these days? Is it fun or is it stupid and potentially more distracting?
Kingbronco58: To be honest, I didn’t think Cooper said anything that bad about Dart. He just didn’t heap on a ton of praise on to Dart after two starts. So to me I think the reactions to the clip are overrated, and some of the Giants players are being soft in their reaction to the clip. Personally, I’m not big on the social media trash talking, I hate giving other teams perceived bulletin board material. I’d rather see the team keep their head down and beat em on the field.
MHR – While the defense has been elite in most areas, it hasn’t had many takeaways. Is this an issue or just the way the games have gone? What could this team learn from the SB50 defense?
Kingbronco58: It’s tougher to get takeaways when the Broncos offense hasn’t been able to play with a significant lead that forces the opposing offense to take more risks. I’m a little concerned cause I’m not sure how sustainable relying on the pass rush the whole season is. The SB50 team thrived on turnovers; if this defense wants to be able to carry the team through the playoffs I do think they need to make more plays on the ball.
MHR – Riley Moss repeatedly gets targeted – and performs with mixed results – as QBs and WRs want to avoid throwing toward Pat Surtain. Do you think he’ll make it through the season as the starter or will we begin to see more Jahdae Barron?And what difference could it make to have linebacker Dre Greenlaw back in the lineup?
Kingbronco58: I’m pretty torn on Moss. The stats say that he’s been having a good season, but my eyes dread watching the ball go his direction. Having Surtain be such a good corner certainly makes his life more difficult. I think they want to have Barron continue to be a swiss army knife, so I’ll be surprised if he replaces Moss at some point this season. I think they should give Moss some more safety help and try to make his life a bit easier.
Dre Greenlaw being back is something I’m looking forward to, assuming he is the same player he was with the 49ers. Having someone that could cover TEs and RBs out of the backfield would really help this defense elevate. Alex Singleton has been quite horrid in coverage this season. I think ILB is a relatively big need for the Broncos this offseason.
MHR – Nix’s performance this year has been relatively pedestrian as stats go but he’s been able to lead the team to wins. What is your assessment of our sophomore QB at this point in year two?
Kingbronco58: I think he’s regressed from how he ended the year, and some of the problems he had last year haven’t been resolved. I mentioned it earlier; I think if he slows down his feet we have our franchise QB. I like that he is still willing to take shots down the field, and is okay with checking it down and taking positive plays. I hope we see a second half season bump just like he did last year. If he continues to play like this for the rest of the season, year 3 will really decide if he’s a guy that can elevate a franchise or just a solid option.
MHR – The O-line has been pretty good on protection (not as great on penalties) but Giants’ edge rusher Brian Burns is no joke. Can our O-line keep him quiet on Sunday?
Kingbronco58: I think the O-line should keep Burns relatively quiet. Our tackles have played relatively well. I’m more worried about the Giants D-line and being on our 3rd string LG. Wattenberg hasn’t played well, and the Giants have invested a lot on the D-line. I think we could see the run game struggle and the interior of the OL have a bigger impact on the game then Burns.
MHR – Evan Engram finally came to life last weekend. Do you expect to see more from him and Nix this Sunday? What do you think about the way Sean Payton is using the TEs…is it enough? Do you have hope that it’s growing in its level of involvement in Payton’s offense?
Kingbronco58: I honestly have no idea what to expect from Engram on Sunday. The Broncos offense tends to spread the ball fairly drastically. Goedert had a pretty good game last Thursday night against the Giants, so it’s certainly possible for Engram to have another good game. Payton knows how to use TEs as evidenced by his use of Jimmy Graham in NO. I think part of the problem is Engram isn’t a good blocker so it’s pretty obvious the offense is passing when he’s in, and it’s why Trautman seems to get so many snaps. I hope Engram finds some consistency, so that way we finally have our first difference-making TE since Julius Thomas.
MHR – Both the Broncos and Giants beat the Eagles the past two weekends, but the Giants KILLED them while the Broncos merely “outlasted” the Eagles …and got a nice no-call from the officials. One Giants podcaster pointed out this week – as he “woke up early to watch that Broncos-Jets sh*tshow” – he believes the Giants can “waltz into Denver and win.” Who needs to be the MVP of the offense and MVP of the defense to make sure that doesn’t happen?
Kingbronco58: I prefer to look at it like the Broncos broke the Eagles, and the Giants just took advantage. The MVP of the offense feels obvious — it needs to be Nix. If he completes passes, and takes advantage of the open guys, he should easily be the offensive MVP this week. On the defensive side of the ball, I think I’ll go with a not so obvious choice with DJ Jones. With Nabers and Slayton out, the best weapon on the Giants offense is Skattebo. So stopping the run should help the rest of the defense succeed, and I think that starts with DJ Jones.
MHR – Courtland Sutton spoke several times this week about this friendship with Demaryius Thomas (RIP), who will be inducted into the Broncos Ring of Fame this weekend. What kind of game from Courtland Sutton would be a “tribute” to DT in his honor?
Kingbronco58: Well DT’s best game ever was against the Cardinals in 2014 where he went 8 for 226 and 2 TDs. So how about Sutton having a similar stat-line to honor DT this weekend?
MHR – Speaking of DT, what is your favorite memory about the beloved wide receiver?
Kingbronco58: The obvious one. But here’s his best game:
Predictions
Stats for BO NIX? 23/32 264yds and 3TDs 1INT
Stats for each Broncos RB? Dobbins 16 carries for 67yds, Harvey 8 carries for 40yds
Number of yards receiving/TDs for the receivers? Sutton 7 catches 130 yds, 2TDs; Mims 3 catches 65 yds, 1TD; Franklin 2 catches 43 yds.
Longest FG from Lutz this week? 47 yds
Number of sacks to Jaxson Dart? 3
Broncos player with the most tackles? Singleton
Who gets the first sack of the game for the Broncos? Bonitto
Who gets the most sacks? Bonitto
How many INTs/FF/FR for the Giants D? 1
How many INTs/FF/FR for the Broncos D? 2
How many penalties between the two teams? 8
How many stupid holding calls that negate a big play for the Broncos? 2
Final Score? Broncos win 24-10
The Favorites
Favorite Broncos win ever? SB50
Favorite Peyton Manning win? Chargers comeback in his first year with the Broncos
Favorite John Elway win? Too young to have watched Elway
Favorite win by any other Broncos QB? Tebow win over the Steelers in the Wildcard round
Team you love to beat the most in the AFC West? Raiders
Coach you despise most in the NFL? With Belichick gone this feels tougher to answer. Jim Harbaugh
Team you hate to lose to the most in the rest of the AFC (outside AFC West)? Patriots
NFC team you could cheer for in the Super Bowl? Lions
NFC team you’d want to face more than any other in the Super Bowl? It won’t happen but the Saints would be poetic. Realistically I think it’d be fun to face the Rams.
Toughest game remaining on the schedule? Commanders or Packers
Favorite Broncos player on the current roster? Surtain
Favorite Broncos player of all time not named John Elway? Von Miller
Food/Snack you have to eat on game day? Wings or Flaming Hot Cheetos
Favorite game analyst/commentator? Greg Olson
Who is on your Broncos Mt. Rushmore? Von Miller
Give me one word/phrase/cliche to describe your hope for this season? God Bless Bo Nix
How did you become a Broncos fan?
No one in my family watches sports, but growing up in Denver it kind of naturally happened. The first Broncos game I ever watched was the Broncos’ loss to the Steelers in the 2005 AFC conference championship. But I didn’t get hooked into football until a few years after that. I started watching closely and learning the game of football and cheering for the Broncos the season they hired McDaniels. I haven’t missed a Broncos game since.
