Broncos Finally Learning How to Win Without Their Explosive Passing Game

It took a long time, but the Denver Broncos finally figured out how to win games without their explosive passing game. While some fans may be disappointed with close wins and scoring fewer than 30 points, they should realize how good they have it.

Being able to win football games in many different ways makes the Broncos even tougher to beat. In the playoffs, even opponents that are able to slow down the Broncos’ passing attack will still have a hard time winning the game if they don’t do a lot more.  

As good as quarterback Peyton Manning and the offense have been over the past three years, opponents have repeatedly proven that they can be beat the Broncos in a variety of ways. In 2012, it was the defense faltering. In 2013, it was the snafus in the passing game.

In 2014, it’s pick your poison.

If teams try to bring in extra defensive backs to defend the passing game, running back C.J. Anderson will happily run all over them. If teams try to load the box, Manning will torch them.

If an opposing offense wants to try to keep the ball out of Manning’s hands, good luck running against a defense allowing just 3.5 yards per carry. Going with the pass-heavy approach is also a bad plan as the Broncos are the top pass defense in yards per attempt among other statistics.

Make no mistake: The explosive passing offense is still going to be there. Once tight end Julius Thomas and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas are healthy, there’s no reason the passing offense can’t continue to be the strength of the team.

"I'm sure on the outside, people are panicking about our passing game," Julius Thomas said via Mike Klis of The Denver Post. "But inside this building, we're fine. "

Unlike in previous years and earlier this season, the passing offense just won’t have to carry the entire load. A few missed connections aren’t going to derail an entire game. The defense can step up and so can the running game.

The Broncos should be able to avoid just about every type of loss they had last year. To beat the Broncos now, an opponent is going to need home-field advantage and more.  

Passing yards	Record	Turnovers	Rush Yards/Game
Over 350	2-2	8	70.3
Under 350	8-1	7	116.8

When the passing offense isn’t going well, that doesn’t mean the offense isn’t going at all anymore. The Broncos have gone over the league average of 351.5 yards per game in 10 of their 13 games this season, and they are 2-1 in the three games they didn’t.

The sole loss came in overtime on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, so raw yardage output hasn’t been a problem even when the passing game isn’t firing on all cylinders.

When Manning throws for under 300 yards this season, the Broncos are 7-1 with that annoying overtime loss to the Seahawks again being the lone exception. When the Broncos rush for under 100 yards, they are 2-3 and their three worst rushing performances are their three losses.

B/R

It’s important to note that correlations are just that. The Broncos shouldn’t abandon their passing game just to make sure they go over 88 yards rushing because they haven’t lost a game when they’ve rushed for 88 or more yards.

"If you're still playing in January and February, it seems like every good football team has some kind of running game," Demaryius Thomas said via Klis. "If you get that balance between run and pass, I think we can go deeper and deeper. I'm definitely fine with the running."

The correlation suggests that balance on offense, even for a team with Manning, is important.

There was a similar trend last year—the Broncos’ three lowest rushing outputs of the season resulted in a loss. Except last year, the Broncos also provided an example of running the ball at the expense of the passing game in a 34-31 overtime loss to the New England Patriots in Foxborough. The Broncos had 280 rushing yards to just 132 passing yards in that game.

Offensive coordinator Adam Gase explained the team's desire to be balanced via Woody Paige of The Denver Post:

"

The lesson we learned from the Super Bowl is that we must be a multiple personality on offense. If it means using different personnel groups, that we might have to slow down, and we would have to run more to get to the next step, then we'd do it. It was no fun to go to that game (in New Jersey) and lose.

"

Perhaps the best example of how a balanced offense can help the Broncos came in a 39-36 win over the Miami Dolphins a few weeks ago. In a game in which the defense didn’t play particularly well, the offense used a balanced attack to rack up 450 total yards and a season-high 29 first downs.

The Dolphins have a good pass defense, but their run defense is vulnerable. A week after they lost to the Broncos, the New York Jets totally abandoned the pass in favor of the run and nearly beat the Dolphins. If not for the Broncos having a more balanced attack, it’s possible the defense would’ve been exposed one too many times for them to beat the Dolphins.

In addition to the run game, the Broncos have proven they can win games with their defense. In nine of 13 games this season, the Broncos have held their opponents under the league average of 23 points. The Broncos are 29-1 with Manning when the defense hold opponents under 23 points and the only exception came a few weeks ago in St. Louis when the Rams won 22-7.

Manning is 136-13 in his career when his defense holds opponents to 23 points or less. While a team’s record should be good if it holds  opponents to 23 points or less, it nets the Broncos a win a ridiculous 96.7 percent of the time. Until the loss to the Rams, they were a perfect 27-0 with Manning when the defense held opponents to 23 points or less.

Split	Record	Pass Yards/Game Allowed	Rush Yards/Game Allowed	Points Scored/Game
23 Points or Less	29-1	299.0	121.7	33.0
24 Points or More	7-8	322.2	100.1	32.2

The defense had a few hiccups early this season, but it has played more consistently of late. The defense has allowed over 100 rushing yards three times, and the Broncos are 1-2 in those games. The lone win came down to the wire against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 at home.

"We didn't ever let ourselves get down. Coach Del Rio kept emphasizing 'keep attacking, keep attacking,' that eventually it was going to roll our way," said defensive tackle Terrance Knighton about how the defense rebounded via Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post. "That is exactly what has happened. 

Lately, the defense and running game have been combining to help the Broncos win games. Since Week 6, six of the Broncos’ seven wins have featured the defense holding the opponent under 23 points, while the offense also rushed for 100 yards or more.  

"You can do experimentation early to midseason in order to be playing your best football in November and December and beyond," Gase said via Paige.

The more recent rushing surge with Anderson getting the bulk of the carries has also helped the Broncos gloss over the fact that the offense has turned the ball over 11 times in the last six games. The defense getting 11 turnovers of their own over the span also helps.

If anything, Broncos fans should be celebrating their team for how complete it is. The Broncos can win games in every way imaginable. About the only thing the Broncos still need to work on is special teams, but they’ve been working on it.   

 Unless otherwise noted, all statistics via Pro-Football-Reference.com.