Analyzing The Broncos

Sorry it's been so long. Life's been nuts-church, music, school, and FOOTBALL. I watch the Broncos every week, and I'm a little frustrated with them. This is my analysis of where the team is right now, and what they could do to improve.

QB Issue: Who’s The Starter?

Siemian is 7-3 in his first 10 starts. Paxton Lynch is 1-1, and his win was not very impressive. “Whoop-de-do! We barely held on against the near-hopeless Jaguars!” In my opinion, Lynch is not ready to start. Siemian, while he may not be flashy, can win games for us and not blow them with bad picks. All he needs to be is a game manager at this point.

Running game: What's The Solution?

Our running game is our big weakness right now. I think it could be better if we used our running backs the right way. Devontae Booker is an outside running back. We should be sending him to the outside on draw plays and sweeps. Juwan Thompson is more of an
​up-the-middle guy. As it stands, neither back is doing his specialty. Justin Forsett was a good pick; he should add some versatility to the position. And our offensive line absolutely needs to improve.

Play calling: What Aren't We Doing?

I think our plays need a lot more creativity; our predictability is becoming a weakness. (Think Janovich’s touchdown play against Carolina.) Other than that, our big problem is third down. On third down, you have got to go for the line. Receivers rarely make it more than a yard or so past the point where they catch the ball, so they need to catch the ball at or near the first-down line. I realize that Kubiak is playing the field position game, but the idea of team sports is to keep the ball as long as you can and score points while you have it.

Our Opponents: How Do Things Look?

If we win out, we have a 12-4 record with a 3-3 divisional record and a 9-3 conference record. If the Raiders and Chiefs both lose one more game as well, we may win the division depending on who beats the Raiders. If that happens, and the Patriots lose another game, we’ll get the number 1 seed. If Miami wins out and the Patriots lose out, the Dolphins will win their division and the Patriots might miss the playoffs. I think that if we make the playoffs, we can really improve with a bye and go to the Super Bowl.

Conclusion

Everyone wrote off the post-Peyton Broncos as a quarterback-needy team that would have little hope for the long run. But we're 8-4 and have a spot in the playoffs. Our quarterback, when he's healthy, is doing a fantastic job, and our backup isn't terrible. Our receivers and defense are more good enough to make up for our running problems. We have what may be the deepest roster in the league.

We're about to face four playoff contenders to close out our season: the Titans, Patriots, Chiefs and Raiders. We can either prove everybody wrong with a sweep, or put on a bad showing and get, at best, the number 5 seed.

Are you ready for this?