2015 Denver Broncos Already Building Playoff Foundation
The Denver Broncos are not running away with victories this year. In years past, we’ve seen the Broncos put away opponents early with a record-setting offense. This year, that’s not the case—but that’s not a bad thing.
By winning close/tough games on the road and at home, this Broncos team is becoming battle-tested. This is something that will aid the team greatly later in the year and into the postseason.
Head coach Gary Kubiak appreciates what the team has done this season in winning tough games and staying undefeated.
TOP NEWS
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Colts Release Kenny Moore
Projecting Every NFL Team's Starting Lineup 🔮
Rookie WRs Who Will Outplay Their Draft Value 📈
"The thing that I love about the football team is I think it has the belief that it's going to find a way. It's going to find a way to make a play or win the football game. I think we're responding in the right situations.
“We need to respond consistently through the course of the football game, but that is the NFL. You're going to play in a lot of close football games, and you better know how to win those. I think right now we feel like we can win all kind of ways.”
The team is focused on the goal at hand each week, but Broncos fans know that anything less than a Super Bowl title will be a disappointment in Denver.
Kubiak explained the mentality of the players inside the locker room: “We're also very humble. Our locker room is very humble in understanding that we have a long way to go and a lot to improve upon."
How are the Broncos building a playoff foundation four games into the season? Let’s take a look.
Pistol Formation Here to Stay
The Broncos quickly found out that quarterback Peyton Manning did not look comfortable operating from under center. That prompted a move to the pistol formation in Week 3 against the Detroit Lions.
That formation is now here to stay.
Over the last two games, Manning has seemed more comfortable, and the passing offense looks better than it did earlier in the year, when it kept trotting out the veteran quarterback under center.
In the pistol, the running game is better, because the back is lined up behind the quarterback and the formation does not give away which side the play is going to. In a shotgun formation, the back usually rushes to the opposite side of where he lines up when running the football.
Manning knows that balance is the key to having a successful offense.
“I think the more balanced we can be, the more pressure you can keep on a defense. I think for them not to know what you’re going to be doing on any first or second down, that’s what you’re looking for. You’re looking for them to be on their heels. ‘Boy, are they going to run it here? Are they going to drop back to pass? Are they going to run play action?’ You’re always going to be shooting for that balance.
“We’re especially looking for that balance, but you’ve got to have productivity in each phase. We’re always looking to do that, whether it’s the pass game or the run game.”
A comfortable Manning is a dangerous Manning.
The pistol formation also helps keep pass-rushers away from the veteran quarterback. The Broncos need Manning healthy if they want to make a deep postseason run this year.
Running Game Coming Around?
The team has not had much success on the ground this year. Starter C.J. Anderson has been banged up with a few different injuries and doesn’t look like the same player who dominated on the ground for the Broncos over the last six games of the 2014 season. Backup Ronnie Hillman works well as a change-of-pace back, but his workload needs to be monitored so that the small back won’t get banged up.
Against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4, the team finally had a 100-yard rusher in Hillman. He was able to break off a 72-yard touchdown scamper and provided the speed to the rushing attack that no other back on the roster had to that point.
Kubiak believes the team should keep doing what they’ve been doing in order to find success.
“We'll keep going the way that we're going. I think of them both [Hillman and Anderson] as starters, to be honest with you. I know that somebody has to walk out there on Play No. 1, but they're both going to play and will probably play right down the middle.”
So it looks like it will be a 50-50, running-back-by-committee approach in Denver, and the team could take a “hot hand” approach to the position as well. Kubiak understands that Hillman is playing his way into a larger role.
“It's obvious that Ronnie has earned the right to get more carries and play more than he has in the past. That happened yesterday, so I'll see that continues to happen.”
The Broncos will need to run the ball late in the year, when the schedule gets tougher. This team has designs on a Super Bowl run in 2015, and the rushing attack could lead the way offensively if the Broncos get it on track by the playoffs.
More Tight Ends, Please
A hallmark of the Kubiak offense is the two-tight end formation. The Broncos made some moves in free agency to get that position set this offseason.
First, the team kept Virgil Green around. The 2011 seventh-round pick has developed into one of the best blocking tight ends in the league. Green is also a seriously underrated receiver who could do more in that department if called upon.
Then the team went out and added a player who has rarely played a snap in the NFL for which Kubiak was not his head coach or offensive coordinator. Owen Daniels is a veteran tight end who knows this system like the back of his hand.
To start the season, we didn’t see that much of either tight end. However, over the last two weeks we’ve seen fewer snaps but more targets for Daniels—and he’s responded with touchdowns in back-to-back games.
Kubiak believes the team could use even more of Daniels going forward.
“I think that we can get him involved more, too, but I think that he's been doing a good job. We've been asking him to protect some. Since we've been getting some blitzes and stuff, we've had to keep him in. I think that he can help us.
"You're trying to get those guys touches so that they can affect the football game, but I think he's been doing a good job.”
Daniels is not as spry as he used to be, but the team also has Green waiting in the wings as a receiver. Either way, this team has strength at the tight end position. As the offensive line becomes better at blocking, it could free up this duo of tight ends to run more routes. When the playoffs roll around, it will be imperative that Daniels and Green are involved as much as possible.
Elite Pass-Rushing
The Broncos defense is arguably the scariest in the league. After four games, it leads the league with 18 sacks. Opponents are only converting 25 percent of third downs against the Broncos, which is good for No. 1 in the NFL. The league average in that category is 39.2 percent.
In a league designed for offensive production, the Broncos are going against the system.
Von Miller is getting a lot of attention on the edge. On 193 defensive snaps, Miller only has two sacks so far this year—but the pressure he is bringing is moving quarterbacks into the waiting arms of his teammates.
DeMarcus Ware is taking advantage of one-on-one blocking with so much attention paid to Miller. The future Hall of Fame player has move after move to confuse anyone tasked with blocking him. He and Miller give them a great pass-rushing duo as starters, but the Broncos have a collection of players to rotate onto the field in order to keep their primary duo fresh.
The top player in those reserves is rookie first-round pick Shane Ray. Coming out of college, Ray was known as a player who did not quit on his way to the quarterback. In Week 4 against the Vikings, Ray collected the first sack of his pro career—the first of what should be many to come.
Ray described the defense.
“You see guys, not just at the linebacker position but at all positions, just flying across the field and making plays. When you have a defense that is collectively hungry to make big plays and hungry to be aggressive and attack, a lot of good things happen.”
The Broncos have 11 players with at least one sack this season. That’s the most in team history through four games. The previous high was nine in 1984.
The most dominant part of a Peyton-Manning led team is not the offense—it’s the pass-rushers and the rest of the world-class defense general manager John Elway has built in Denver.
Versatile Secondary
The defense swarms to the ball aggressively on each play. The players up front are relentless, and the rotation of pass-rushers keeps quarterbacks under duress. This heat helps out the players in the secondary.
Cornerback Aqib Talib is big, fast and physical. He can blot out large receivers and make things difficult on the jump-passes quarterbacks like to throw in the red zone. If needed, Talib can also play against elite-level tight ends and slow them down.
Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. might be the best corner in the game today. He can line up outside or in the slot and bait quarterbacks into bad throws, and he is a threat to score from anywhere on the field after an interception.
Free safety Darian Stewart has been one of the most important additions to the entire team this offseason. He can stay back as a center fielder for the defense but can also be physical and play close to the line of scrimmage.
Strong safety T.J. Ward is one of the best at his position. Ward is one of the most intimidating players in the league and can be used essentially as an extra linebacker in the box. From time to time, Ward will be asked to swoop in on a blitz—and he’ll get after the quarterback.
Kubiak appreciates Ward’s versatility.
“That's a big factor. We were talking about that as coaches today. He's an excellent blitzer because he's a physical player. [Defensive Coordinator] Wade [Phillips] can move him around, do a lot of things with him.”
This defense is only getting better each week, and that secondary is certainly a strength of the team.
Kicking Game is Clutch
On more than one occasion, kicker Brandon McManus has hit long field goals to help his team. McManus has tried nine field goals this year and has hit them all. He’s also perfect on the new, longer extra points.
McManus has put three field goals through the uprights that measured 40-49 yards. He’s also been perfect on three field goals from a distance of 50 yards or more. Those marks are tops in the league among kickers.
Kubiak believes McManus has exceeded expectations.
“I think he's doing exactly what he did through the offseason. He won the job. It wasn't like anybody said, 'No, we're just going to go this way.' He consistently—throughout the offseason, throughout training camp—did his job. I think he's very confident right now.”
The Broncos had a kicker competition this offseason between McManus and Connor Barth. Even though Barth was more experienced and quite accurate, the team chose to go with McManus and his strong leg. That decision certainly looks like the correct one now that we’re a quarter done with the season.
Summary
The Broncos defense is carrying the team each week. The swarming pass-rushers get to the quarterback with great regularity. The inside linebackers are cleaning up against the run, while the secondary is feasting off opposing quarterbacks, who are constantly under duress.
The Broncos offense is a work in progress. The pistol formation has made Manning more comfortable, and it seems like the passing game is getting more efficient with more usage of the tight ends. The rushing attack has not quite been figured out, but by the time late-season or playoff football rolls around, things could be better.
The kicking game has been coming through with long field goals to put the team over the top. This will only build confidence in McManus—and the coaching staff—as long as that long-distance success continues.
Kubiak believes winning tough games now is incredibly important for success later in the year.
“I think it's very important, because in this league, everything says you're going to be in close games week in and week out. It's just the way this league is. Everybody has got good players.
“I think it is belief and continues to build character. I'm proud of the way we're finding ways to make the plays at the right time.”
This entire team is building a swagger that will help it as the season continues. Nothing is easy in the playoffs, and this team is being forged through close wins into a playoff-ready unit.
All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted. Advanced stats via ESPN's employees-only database.
Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
