Week 15 Reaction

Another abysmal second half caused the Broncos to drop a second consecutive game and fall to 10-4 on the year. The offense again scored zero points in the second half, but this time it was after putting up four touchdowns in the first rather than four field goals. But this was Pittsburgh, not Oakland. Brock seems to be reluctant to go downfield with the football in the second half even though that was part of his success in the first half. He was doing his part in the first half of picking apart that shaky secondary then he decided to be conservative with his throws in the second half. The defense was not playing like one would expect the 2015 Broncos defense to play, especially in the secondary.The culmination of; talent that Pittsburgh has at wide receiver, bad play and injuries ultimately spelled doom for the defense in the second half. 

Brock was awful in the second half. There is no way around it. He was 7-26 after he went down with a left shoulder injury late in the first half. His poor play could be explained by that injury, but he has not proved during the past month to be a different second half player than the player he was today. Time will tell, but if the coaches do think the injury is to blame, we could see Manning in 8 days. 

One last gripe about the offense is that CJ Anderson was left out of the running game. Hillman played well, but CJ needs to see more touches than he did today. Maybe they were saving him since it was his first week back from injury, I’m not sure. 

The defense could not have been asked to hold up any longer against Pittsburgh’s vaunted passing attack. Constant three and outs in the second half caused the defense to ire out much quicker than it would have under normal circumstance. The lack of TJ Ward, Darian Stewart and a banged up David Bruton left the Broncos without adequate help up top and the corners were left out to dry. Chris Harris played his worst game as a pro football player and if these two teams were to meet up again, I would not expect the same play from him. For the most part, the corners held up just about as well as they could without any help from the safeties. 

The biggest issue to come out of the game was not the loss itself, but the fact that the team needs to win out to ensure the division and a playoff spot. Cincinnati beat San Francisco this week, but I believe Denver can and will beat them. Hopefully Manning is healthy enough to suit up for that game. 

Denver @ Pittsburgh Preview

This is likely a make or break game for Brock Osweiler, in terms of his potential to start ahead of a healthy Peyton Manning. The offense has not scored a touchdown in 23 straight drives and if Brock is not able to get it done in the red-zone on Thursday. Brock has been pretty good for the majority of his 4 starts, but I would trust Manning more for the remainder of the season. Based on his performance during the beginning of the season, there is no reason to believe the Broncos can win a Super Bowl when is he under center, or more appropriately, behind center. 

Although Manning was able to practice this week, Brock will get the start as they wait for Manning to get to 100%. He will have a favorable matchup against the Steeler’s secondary, which has struggled for the majority of the season. However, they can be very opportunistic so it is important for Brock to be precise with his passes. He needs to get the ball out of his hands earlier in order to avoid the pass rush. CJ Anderson practiced this week, which hopefully indicates that he will play this week. They sorely missed him in the run game and in pass protection against Oakland. His return will be an instant boom to the offense and he should be able to put them in the end-zone for the first time in a game and a half. Emmanuel Sanders needs to be a lot more involved in the offense if they want to be effective in the passing game. Without Vernon Davis, Virgil Green will find himself playing a lot more snaps this week. 

The Secondary’s ability to cover Antonio Brown effectively without giving too much help is paramount to the success of the defense. Chris Harris should be able to get the job done, but fans need to remember that Antonio Brown is one of the best receivers in the NFL and will be a difficult matchup. Part of their ability to limit Pittsburg’s passing attack lies in the health of David Bruton. The pass rush needs to consistently get multiple players to Ben Rothlisberger because one is often not enough. Von Miller has been playing very well this year and I see no reason that he wont be able to continue his success this week. Demarcus Ware should see more snaps this week after only playing 26 downs last week. Danny Trevathan should also make his way back onto the field after missing last week with a concussion. Todd Davis played well in his absence, but its always good to have a starter back. 

Brandon McManus has missed a field goal in each of the past three games and it ended up being the reason why the game against Oakland did not go into overtime. I’m not blaming him for the loss because obviously the offense should have put it in the end zone on at least one of their drive. He has proven to be a really good kicker and I don't think his struggles the previous three weeks will be any indicator of his reliability going into this game or into the future. 

I would not bet on the Broncos to win this game, but they definitely do have a chance if the offense is able to score touchdowns instead of field goals. The addition of CJ Anderson should alleviate a lot of the problems the offense has had and I think Brock might be able to take advantage of a sub-standard Steelers secondary. The key is limiting Pittsburgh’s passing attack by not letting them convert huge plays. With Bruton likely playing, the passing defense shouldn't let up big plays downfield like they did on Oakland’s go ahead touchdown last week.  The Broncos should make this a competitive one score game, but there is no way that expect to win this week. 

Who and What to Watch For on Saturday Against the Texans

Peyton Manning: He will be making his debut in the new offense against the Texans, which is probably the most intriguing thing about this game. Everyone knows Manning is a great QB, but for some reason, some talking heads don't think he will be able to succeed in this offense. Some have said that the Broncos wont even win the division and a few have questioned their ability to make playoffs this season. Most of this stems from Manning's unspectacular finish to last season, but that was caused by a torn quad and is not indicative of his future. Manning will come out strong on Saturday and prove to everyone that he is ready to ball out this season.

Ronnie Hilliman: He played great against Seattle and it would be nice to see him prove that he can continue to play well. I think he will show that he will play an important role in this offense after his performance on Saturday.

Demaryius Thomas: He will be seeing his first action since signing his new contract. He will be playing for as long as Manning does and it will be fantastic to see both of them work in Kubiak's offense.

Left side of the offensive line: Sambrailo, Garcia and Paradis were all making their first starts and it showed during the game. Sambrailo mostly struggle. Hopefully he is able to correct his mistakes because Manning will be behind center on Saturday. Garcia and Paradis both played well. Garcia could improve his pass blocking a little bit, but he should he will be a very effective run blocker in his first season. Paradis also played well and coaches love him and it would be great if he followed with another good performance.

Shaq Barret: He was outstanding against the Seahawks and with another stellar performance he could solidify a roster spot. His new physique was obviously beneficial to his game and it will be great to see dominate again.

Todd Davis: He did not play well against the Seahawks, but I know that he has the potential to be a good player in this league. I think he will be able to demonstrate his potential when he gets into the groove against Houston.

Competition for the Fifth Cornerback Spot: Tony Carter, Curtis Marsh, Lorenzo Doss and Taurean Nixon are all competing although it looks as if Nixon could find himself on the practice Squad. Doss likely would not pass through waivers because he is a fifth round pock so it is important that he wins the job. I'm not a fan of Tony Carter and am indifferent to Marsh. I think the battle will boil down to Marsh and Doss, but their performances in this game will have a lot sway in that decision.

Three Ways the Broncos Can Make a Run for the Superbowl in 2014

1. Draft well
In Order to be effective next season, the Broncos need to draft well NOW. If they can grab a starter in the first or second round they will be where they need to be in terms of quality players. Middle linebacker, running back, Defensive tackle and safety are all options for the Broncos to consider. If they can snag a smart slot receiver it will boost their already robust passing game.

2. Do not let John Fox run the offense
Fox is a great defensive coach, but he is way too conservative on the offensive side of the ball. He game plans like Kyle Orton or Tebow are still the QB's. This is Peyton Manning, let him be Peyton Manning. Too many times McCoy called a running play on 3rd down when we know Peyton could have thrown for it. Hopefully a new offensive coordinator will change the play calling, but the final say resides with Fox.

3. Continue to unleash Thomas and Decker
Decker and Thomas were both able to catch 80+ passes for 1,000+ yards and 10+ TD's. Teams could not stop them and they meshed well with Peyton Manning. The offense should continue to feature them and show the league that it will be very hard to stop this team.