Denver Broncos Defeat Seattle Seahawks: Sharp Attack Brings Results

Last week the Denver Broncos were not a very sharp football team on the field of play as they fell to a physical Jacksonville Jaguars squad. So it was even more important for the team to get off on the right foot at home on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks.

When the game started, it looked like the Seahawks had the fire still burning in their engines from last week. The Seahawks, who were not expected to do much this season, dominated their projected division winner and rival the San Francisco 49ers to the tune of 31-6.

The 'Hawks offense played well at the start against the Broncos and was balanced, methodical, and sharp at the point of attack. Following an early timeout Seattle got down to business behind their quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck, as he hooked up multiple times with Deon Butler on a cross route, a fly pattern, and a post that reached the Denver one-yard line. 

The 'Hawks were in business early, but they were their own worst enemy inside the red-zone. 

They had two penalties that pushed the ball back from the one and cancelled out a touchdown. The icing on the cake was Hasselbeck picking on Champ Bailey's side and the Broncos All-Pro corner making the game changing pick.

What resulted on the stat sheet was a 14-point differential, what really happened was a permanent shift in the tide and tone of the game. The Broncos went on to win 31-14.

The Broncos Assault

The Broncos early drive stalled but they received a gift when the Seahawks muffed their chances away. The ball made its way into the hands of Broncos special teamer and reserve corner Cassius Vaughn in excellent field position at Seattle’s 13-yard line.

From the twelve Kyle Orton found how the Royal’e with cheese is best served, on a roll.  Orton connected with Eddie Royal on a deep slant as the receiver fell at the one and rolled into the end zone for the score.

The point of note on the day was that the Broncos offense was sharp enough to carry the team with the defense coming up big in key situations.

The emergence of Demaryius Thomas was a significant point of note. He had a breakout segment during the game that served as a message sent to the rest of the league and fantasy football fans alike.

Josh McDaniels may have well found the perfect receiver to run his bubble package in the process. Thomas finished with eight catches for 97 yards, one touchdown, and a long play of 21 yards off the bubble screen.

On the day, Kyle Orton went 25 for 35 passing with 307 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Knowshon Moreno did not have stellar rushing numbers, but he made up for it in the passing game. On the ground Moreno gained 51 yards on 24 carries and one touchdown, averaging just over two yards a carry.  Moreno did, however, have four receptions for 67 yards including a play that went for 45 yards, his career high.

Moreno’s rushing stats, however, are indicative of an issue that currently acts as an Achilles heal of the Broncos offense.

Along the way to the Broncos' success they had a number of misfires, but overcame it with the big play. It’s certainly a point of contention with this offense and it works as a positive/negative.

This offense is capable of getting the big play almost at will. The real problem is that some of the play calling puts the offense in a hole from where conversion becomes crucial. Keep in mind Seattle has a fast defense but they are not very physical as a unit.

Another key point of note here is the Broncos struggled in short yardage situations near the goal line again.

This time the Broncos had two opportunities inside the five and one from the seven. From these spots the Broncos needed a total of ten downs to get seventeen points.

What comes across is that there is still not enough push up front for the run game to be feared by any team. The Broncos did score touchdowns but they were within a foot of only scoring ten points instead of the seventeen put on the board, and that is important to note.

Knowshon Moreno’s greatest success in running the ball has come between the tackles this season and it’s important to keep that in mind moving forward. Part of the dependency of any offensive system is that they are able to stretch the defense laterally in the run game and vertically in the pass game.

Once this happens gaps in coverage happen and the entire offense opens up.

Right now the Broncos are struggling to keep the offense cohesive and smooth. The Broncos attack was too strong for a Seattle defense that is young, but how they play the murderers row of teams they are about to face is anyones guess?

Not to drum over the past, but didn't the Broncos used to have Peyton Hillis on the roster? Just curious.

To their credit, the Broncos faithful were there in force for the team with one notable absence, that of Tim McKernan aka Barrel Man who passed away in December 2009. The Broncos fans, however, have toed the line for the new era despite the numerous controversies and divisions of opinions.

This might have been the first time the fans truly started to rally behind this team in unison since sometime during Mike Shanahan’s stay in Denver.

The Defensive Rests

The Denver Broncos defense kept the Seattle Seahawks at bay by bending, not breaking, and causing turnovers.

The onslaught began with Champ Bailey's interception inside the Broncos ten yard line to deny the Seahawks early. Midway through the second quarter Brian Dawkins was not to be out done and found his own interception inside the Broncos ten-yard line to contribute to the cause. Broncos rookie cornerback Perrish Cox made another one in the game as well.

The point of note here is the Broncos caused turnovers that really cost the Seahawks any chance of winning the game.

The Broncos gave up 230 yards through the air and 109 on the ground. It was less than what they allowed at Jacksonville, but more importantly they found a way to cause valuable turnovers.

Just as importantly, it gave the defense time to rest and not be on the field the entire game.

The Broncos still lack a solid pass rush, but did get one sack of Hasselbeck early on.

Special Teams Still Lagging

Last week it was the long kick returns that did the Broncos in. Against Seattle the punt returns had the potential to do the same.

Denver punter Britton Colquitt had a punt average of 51+ yards and had to settle for a net around 31 yards because of the poor punt coverage. It’s an area the Broncos have to take seriously before it costs them more games.

Final Shout

This game should serve as a stepping stone for this young Broncos team.

It is the template the Broncos have to use if they are going to win a lot of football games.They have to cause turnovers and let the offense take over.

The running game is still ineffective and that needs a lot of work. The O-Line is not markedly better than it was a year ago in the run game. That is the area the Broncos most need to sharpen up at this juncture.

All in all however this was a much sharper effort given by the Broncos. These are Josh McDaniels Broncos in full now and he has to get his team to perform.

But this was a game where the Orange and Blue showed the potential of what they could become. With a notable team like the Dallas Cowboys starting out 0-2, the Broncos are happy to be 1-1.

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