Denver Broncos: What You Need to Know Heading into Week 1
The Denver Broncos are opening up the 2014 season on the national stage. On Sunday night, they play against conference rival the Indianapolis Colts at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.
Most of the focus is going to be on the quarterbacks in this matchup—and for good reason. Peyton Manning will be playing against his former team, and he’ll be dueling against the guy that replaced him, Andrew Luck.
Manning looked better than ever last year when he set single-season records for touchdown passes (55) and passing yards (5,477). He’s looking stronger this offseason, and Manning’s arm strength has continued to improve each year he’s been in Denver. The Broncos offense may have a more vertical element than some are expecting in 2014.
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Luck has thrown 23 passing touchdowns each of the last two seasons. Playing under his former college offensive coordinator, Pep Hamilton, Luck has been held back by the run-heavy structure of the offense. Hamilton believes in a power ground game, but when the team needs to abandon that philosophy, Luck can dominate (see: playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs last year).
Last year, these two teams met in the regular season—and the Broncos did not emerge victorious.
It was an emotional homecoming for Manning as he played in front of the Lucas Oil Stadium crowd for the first time as an opponent. The Colts pass-rushers were relentless against Manning on that day, and the Broncos lost 39-33.
This game should have a much different feel since it’s in Denver.
The Broncos want to make a statement this week against a high-quality opponent. Here’s what you need to know as the team prepares for the season opener.
Division Standings
Team | Wins | Loss |
Denver Broncos | 0 | 0 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 0 | 0 |
0 | 0 | |
0 | 0 |
Injury Report
The Broncos did not go through the preseason unscathed. We’ll have to monitor the status of these injured players during the week of practice.
Wes Welker (concussion) was back out on the practice field on Monday. He was concussed in the Week 3 preseason game against the Houston Texans, and the Broncos have been carefully following the NFL’s protocol for dealing with concussions since then.
After practice on Monday, head coach John Fox talked about Welker’s return.
“He’s still in the protocol. He’s still exercising, feel good about his progress. We will keep you posted Wednesday but obviously as I said all last week, he is a guy that we’ll be cautious with and our main concern is his safety.”
Both running back Ronnie Hillman and cornerback Kayvon Webster (illness) were back at Dove Valley after falling ill after the Week 4 preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys. Fox was enigmatic when talking about the duo. “They’re cleared. They’re at practice today but, again, I am not going to give information, but everybody was at practice.”
Key Colts to Watch
We know the Colts should open up the game with a run-heavy game plan. The Broncos defense has to be prepared for shutting down both Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw. Richardson is the classic banger between the tackles, but he can work well as a receiver out of the backfield too. Bradshaw is the change-of-pace back, and he still has the explosiveness to break off big plays if he’s given a crease.
On defense, the Colts' primary player will be suspended. Pass-rusher Robert Mathis will miss the game against the Broncos due to a suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
This makes veteran linebacker D’Qwell Jackson the player to watch for the Colts defense. Jackson left the Cleveland Browns earlier this year, and he was an early target of the Broncos in free agency. He chose the Colts over the Broncos and signed a four-year, $22 million contract with $11 million guaranteed.
Jackson has a nose for the ball, and he can make plays in coverage too. He’ll be able to quickly sniff out runs plays, and he arrives at the ball-carrier with natural violence. If the Broncos want to grind out a lead late in the game, Jackson could stuff those efforts.
Key Broncos to Watch
The Broncos have been talking all offseason about having a more balanced offense. This means we could see a bit more of the ground game in 2014. Montee Ball is a key player for the Broncos offense—not only in this game but for the entire season.
In last year’s game against the Colts, the Broncos only rushed for 64 yards on 20 carries as a team. They’ve got to do a better job of running the rock if they want to win this time around.
Ball is a strong runner between the tackles, and he can grind down an opponent late in the game if the Broncos build a lead. He gets stronger as the game goes on, and Ball will benefit from running against defensive fronts that are spread out because of a concern about stopping Manning and the passing game.
On defense, the player to watch for the Broncos is linebacker Brandon Marshall. He’ll be starting for an injured Danny Trevathan (leg), and the Colts should test him early and often.
Marshall is an aggressive—some would say mean—player who loves to intimidate opponents. This mentality helps him stand out as a run-stuffer. However, Marshall needs to prove himself in coverage—an area where Trevathan was one of the league’s best.
Luck has not one, but two talented tight ends to target over the midsection of the field. Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen could be isolated against Marshall in coverage. This is a soft spot the Colts could pick at in key situations. If Marshall responds well to this test, the Colts are going to have to find another spot on the defense to pick on.
Summary
This may be the most talented team Manning has ever been surrounded with. Both sides of the ball are completely stacked with talent at multiple positions. This talent and depth should help the Broncos dominate once again in 2014.
Fox feels good about the talent on the 53-man roster.
“I feel good about, on paper, the personnel. I think we’re further along than maybe we have been in other years, but on paper doesn’t mean anything. How we come together, how we go about our work on and off the field—there’s still a lot of variations—if we stay healthy. There’s so much. Really, we’re all 0-0 right now, and that’s what makes it exciting.” Fox concluded, “Last year doesn’t mean anything for anybody. It’s what you do now.”
We’ll see what the Broncos do now. It all begins on Sunday night, and the Colts are the first hurdle in a season-long race to the top.
All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via email from the Denver Broncos. Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac.com. Transaction history provided by ProSportsTransactions.com.
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