Denver Broncos New-Look, Hurry-Up Offense May Be Here to Stay

The Denver Broncos are in the playoffs after beating the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football in Week 16. They fell behind early and had a poor first-half performance. A late drive in the second quarter to get on the board with a field goal showed something we hadn’t seen a lot from the Broncos with Brock Osweiler as the starting quarterback.

The Broncos moved the ball effectively with time running down by pushing the tempo against the Bengals and working from the shotgun formation.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak admitted why the team had to turn to the hurry-up offense.

“We got some tempo going. I think it helped us with their pass rush. We really struggle with their pass rush and a lot of people do. When we went fast, I think it helped us wear them down maybe a little bit from that standpoint.”

Kubiak praised Osweiler for his performance out of the shotgun formation.

“I just think the fact that he’s played enough now, he’s very comfortable in what we’re doing and being able to do it fast. There is a point, too, as a quarterback where you’re comfortable getting everybody else to do it. You know what I mean? I think that’s someplace he’s grown.”

Now that they’ve shown the ability to run a hurry-up offense with Osweiler in the shotgun, is that going to become their primary formation as they head into the postseason?

Tempo as a Weapon

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We saw the Broncos offense transform on Monday night against the Bengals. Osweiler was able to move the ball through the air and make tough throws by using the hurry-up offense. Utilizing the shotgun formation helped keep the Bengals defense at bay, and Osweiler showed that he could make tough throws into tight spaces when given enough time.

vs Bengals	Dropbacks	Comp	Att	Yards	TD
Shotgun	33	22	30	263	1
Under Center	11	5	9	36	0

Kubiak admits the team will do what it takes to win.

“We’re going to do what we think we have to do to win. We knew they had a good defensive football team. We felt like we know we got one, too.”

Kubiak continued, “We thought we’d be in a game kind of like it ended up—a low-scoring football game. But no, I think at that time it was just a matter of us doing what we had to do. If we’ve got to do it again, it’s nice to know we can do it well.”

The Broncos may not use the hurry-up offense as their primary offense, but it’s nice to know they can execute at a high level when using tempo as a weapon.

Staying Committed to the Run

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Even though they were down 14-3 at halftime, the Broncos stayed dedicated to the run as they made their comeback. Ronnie Hillman started the game for the Broncos, but he only had four rushing attempts for 10 yards in the first half. C.J. Anderson barely played in the first two quarters against the Bengals, and he had just one carry for zero yards during that time.

They were down at halftime, but the Broncos ran the ball even more over the final two quarters (and overtime) against the Bengals.

In the second half, we saw Anderson become much more productive. His 39-yard touchdown run in the third quarter helped spark the offense, and Anderson finished the game with 73 yards rushing on nine carries. Hillman showed some burst and speed on a few carries in the second half, and he finished the contest with 35 yards on nine carries.

Kubiak strives for balance if the game script allows it.

“I think it’s probably easier for me to say after the game, but the fact was that once we got ourselves back into the game, we stayed pretty balanced—even through the last three drives in the end-of-regulation and overtime drives. We actually ran the ball well on those drives. I think it was just a combination of saying, ‘Hey, let’s continue to play fast even when we were up. Let’s run the ball. Let’s do what we do.’ You can play fast and use the clock, too.”

Hillman should remain as the starter for the Broncos. His speed is a nice asset to have, and he’s capable of breaking off a big play on any carry. In recent weeks, we’ve seen the Broncos start to use Hillman more as a receiver out of the backfield.

Anderson may be the better all-purpose back, but it looks like he’s going to continue as the change-of-pace back for the Broncos. He’s got power to grind down opponents, and Anderson is great in pass-protection and a fine receiver out of the backfield. Anderson missed a little time in the Bengals game with a minor back injury, but he should be ready to go for the Chargers game on Sunday.

With this duo running the ball, the Broncos should be able to stay committed to the run—even when they fall behind. In the event that the Broncos have to play catch-up football, they can essentially use the hurry-up passing game to set up the run.

Osweiler Staying Poised

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We’ve now seen Brock Osweiler through six starts this season. There have been some rough spots along the way for the young quarterback. However, we’ve seen him bring the team back from 14-point deficits twice to secure wins for the Broncos. Osweiler looks more comfortable as he gets more playing time, and his production has shown consistency in recent weeks.

Week	Opponent	Comp	Att	Yds	TDs	INTs
11	Bears	20	27	250	2	0
12	Patriots	23	42	270	1	1
13	Chargers	16	26	166	1	1
14	Raiders	35	51	308	0	0
15	Steelers	21	44	296	3	1
16	Bengals	27	39	299	1	0

Kubiak likes what he’s seen from the young quarterback.

“I think he’s been very poised. What was that—six starts? Am I right? It was six starts for him, and we’ve been in position to win all those football games.”

Kubiak continued, “I think he’s learning how to play in close games. He’s realizing that that’s how most games are in this league. I think he’s staying very even keeled.”

The Broncos need to make Osweiler as comfortable as possible as they head into the postseason. If he’s comfortable, the offense will run better and more efficiently. When the proper level of comfort is achieved, the Broncos need to make sure they don’t take the foot off the gas.

Kubiak revealed that Osweiler is more vocal about his likes and dislikes during the game.

“He talks during the game a lot more now than he did in the first two starts. His opinion, ‘Kub, I don’t like that, give me this,’ so that’s where I really see the growth, and that’s his confidence in what we’re doing and confidence in his teammates and what he’s trying to get done.”

Being vocal about what he wants shows that Osweiler is much more comfortable than he was earlier this year. That’s a good sign going forward for the Broncos.

Summary

The Broncos don’t have an easy game coming up on Sunday. The Chargers played on Thursday night in Week 16, so they’ll have 10 days of rest before they play the Broncos in Week 17. The Broncos have a short week since they played on Monday night, and that week is even a bit shorter, as their game against the Bengals went into overtime.

Kubiak is ready for the short week of preparation.

“Yeah, I talked to the coaches about that a while ago as we prepare. It’s a quick turnaround. When you play that much football on a given night, it takes a lot out of you, so we’ve got to really do a good job with them this week.”

Kubiak admitted, “We’re going to have a lot of guys that will probably be right up to game day, but I think we’ll get there. I’m working with the practice schedules right now. We’re going to work tomorrow night. I’m actually giving them tomorrow during the day off, so we’ll change some things up, but that will be a high priority is getting them as fresh as I possibly can.”

The Broncos have what it takes to make a deep postseason run. If they beat the Chargers, they win the AFC West for the fifth straight year. They will also secure a much-needed bye in the first round of the playoffs with a win over the Chargers.

The Broncos may utilize the shotgun formation now that Osweiler has gained more experience, but will we see more of the hurry-up offense?

If that’s what it takes to win, then the answer is yes—yes we will.

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.