Quick Integration of Emmanuel Sanders Fuels Broncos New-Look Offense

By the numbers, it wasn’t the most prolific offensive night for the Denver Broncos in their 31-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Quarterback Peyton Manning threw for just 269 yards—a lower total passing output than in 14 of his games last season.

The Broncos offense looked very different from last year’s record-breaking unit and still managed to score 31 points. The quick integration of wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and the decision to use more two-tight end sets sparked the offense early, and they jumped out to a 24-0 lead.

Sanders finished with six receptions for 77 yards, but he provided just the kind of playmaking ability the Broncos were missing opposite from Demaryius Thomas last season. Sanders got the team rolling on its first drive with three consecutive receptions and hauled in a 40-yard pass from Manning that set up Denver’s third touchdown later on.

"(Sanders) has gotten better each week and hopefully he'll continue to improve throughout the season," Manning said after the game via DenverBroncos.com. "My confidence is high in him."

The Colts learned quickly that they would have to focus more of their defensive effort on Sanders or he and Manning were going to hurt them. With the threats of Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, tight end Julius Thomas was often in single coverage against a linebacker or safety.

Julius Thomas put a move on safety LaRon Landry at the goal line for his third touchdown. With no help, it’s tough to imagine any defensive back in the league being able to defend him man-to-man.

"Julius is a guy we've got to try to find a way to get to the ball to him no matter what defense we're playing," Manning said after the game via DenverBroncos.com. "That's the other thing, he can be a matchup problem for certain defenses." 

Julius Thomas exploited single coverage to the tune of seven receptions for 105 yards and the three touchdowns. Manning even noted after the game that all three of Thomas' touchdown's came versus man coverage. Everyone knew Julius Thomas was a very good receiving tight end, but the integration of Sanders and the freedom to run more routes with tight end Virgil Green serving as an extra blocker aided his offensive explosion Sunday night.

Green averaged only 13 snaps per game in 2013, but by midway through the second quarter Sunday night had already played more than he did all of last year when Julius Thomas was healthy.

According to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus, Green had played 27 snaps to that point. Last season, Green only played more than 27 snaps in the two games Julius Thomas missed with an injury, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

The Broncos were also effective out of the “12” personnel grouping with two tight ends and two wide receivers. Last season, the Broncos used the “12” grouping just 23.7 percent of the time. It was different for a team that actually lists three receivers as starters on its official website and more commonly uses “11” personnel with one tight end and three wide receivers.

With Sanders fully integrated into the offense, the Broncos no longer need a third wide receiver on the field for the offense to be effective. It’s just one of the many options the Broncos had at their disposal to replace the loss of slot receiver Wes Welker to a four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.

The Broncos didn’t miss Welker or wide receiver Eric Decker, who signed this past offseason with the New York Jets. The offense did struggle a bit in the second half, but a more conservative game plan may be to blame. The Broncos had a sizable lead and could lean on their much-improved defense and running game, so they didn’t need to keep their foot on the throttle.

Receptions	Targets	Yards	Touchdowns	Result	Opponent
4	9	82	1	L 33-39	at Colts
4	9	41	1	L 31-34	at Patriots
4	5	45	0	L 20-27	vs. Chargers
3	5	78	0	W 35-19	vs. Jaguars
3	6	106	0	W 35-28	at Chiefs

On a night when Manning targeted Demaryius Thomas 11 times and he caught just four of them for 48 yards, the Broncos needed someone else to step up. In games last season in which Demaryius had four or fewer receptions, the Broncos were 2-3. In games in which Thomas had four or fewer receptions and fewer than 50 receiving yards, they were 0-2.

Up until Sunday night, Demaryius Thomas was, perhaps, too important to Denver’s offense. With Sanders, the Broncos can spread the load more evenly. Sanders is so explosive defenses have no choice but to roll safety help to his side.

“We can eliminate a couple of players, but we can't eliminate everyone,” said Colts safety Mike Adams via Troy Renck of The Denver Post. “(Julius Thomas) made plays.”

The Broncos also have weapons they didn't get fully involved Sunday night. Ball only averaged 2.9 yards per carry on 23 carries and rookie receiver Cody Latimer wasn't involved at all. When the Broncos get Welker back in a month, the Broncos will have far too many weapons for any defense to handle.

It was an impressive start for a team with sky-high expectations this season. Anything less than a Super Bowl victory is a failure in Denver, but even with an improved defense they know the offense will have to carry them there.

Sanders adds a new element to an already great offense, one that the Broncos were able to exploit with Julius Thomas running in two-tight end sets Sunday. As Sanders gets more comfortable in the offense and Demaryius Thomas rounds into form, it's scary to think what this offense might be capable off against lesser teams than the Colts. 

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics via the NFL.