Talking to a Jets fan at a sports bar in New York yesterday afternoon, he muttered “Why can’t the Jets have players like the Broncos on offense?” The Broncos have been consistently good on offense all season long by averaging 42.9 points per game through eight games. That’s amazing in a league where inconsistency is the norm.
So it was surprising the Broncos scored only 28 points yesterday in their 28-20 victory over the Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium.
There’s no question the bye week may have gotten some of the guys off track, but it will still impressive nevertheless. This game was over when the Broncos took a 28-6 lead over the Chargers in the third quarter. As good as the Chargers did in making this game interesting in the end, it was hard to believe the Broncos were blowing this one with their defense capable of making couple of stops.
The Broncos have been a highlight reel offensively. They have been a fantasy owner’s dream with their players producing good numbers. They have gotten people talking whenever Julius Thomas break through defenders in getting to the end zone or Demaryius Thomas making acrobatic touches or Wes Welker making key plays in third downs.
Whenever the Broncos score a touchdown, all I can say is WOW! They just make it look easy than it really is. This is an offense that features special playmakers. It starts with the quarterback in Peyton Manning. He is the maestro that makes the offense go, and the wide receivers make him better when they make plays that are hard to do.
The Broncos offense is hard to exploit so far. They have too many playmakers that makes it hard for the opposing team to stop, and if a team shuts down the entire wide receivers, Knowshown Moreno is capable of having a great day of rushing. In a way, this offense reminds me of the 1999 Vikings offense. Both team’s offense gave their respective team to believe they can win when they are out on the field.
With so many playmakers the Broncos have, they have the edge over the Chiefs in winning the AFC West, and that’s why the Broncos are the odds on favorite to go to the Super Bowl in February. This offense makes them go. It has given them an identity.
There are going to be questions if the cold weather will slow the elements down, but my theory is if the wide receivers are good enough, they can handle playing in January. This isn’t a dome team. This is a team that has scored in the cold elements going back to last season. In fact, their offense scored 21 points in their 38-35 double overtime playoff loss to the Ravens in frigid conditions.
What will stop this offense is if Manning is ineffective. That’s why Broncos and their fans are praying that his injury is not serious when he undergoes an MRI this afternoon.
There’s no question the future Hall of Famer will play Sunday in the divisional showdown against the Chiefs even if he is hurting. He is not about to bail out his teammates by not playing in the team’s biggest game of the season.
Still, there are going to be questions if his body and knees can hold up in the final weeks. He is a freak of nature, but he is also 37, and the wear and tear can catch up to him. Teams are going to have their defensive players hit his knees often, and the Chiefs and Patriots will be more than happy to do so.
The Broncos offensive line has to find a way to give Manning protection, and there are questions if they are capable of doing so with the way their quarterback is getting hit. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. That’s where losing Ryan Clady to Lifstrec injury hurts now since he was his quarterback’s biggest protector. It’s hard to replace good offensive lineman.
It’s hope for the best for Manning now and for the rest of the season for the Broncos.
As long as the Broncos star is playing, this offense is going to be potent. He is capable of playing well even if he is not 100 percent.
This offense would be hard-pressed to duplicate this heading to next season. It’s hard to do. If it was easy, many teams would do this every year. The offense is going to be fine next season, but it’s hard to believe they will put up fantasy numbers like this season.
While everyone is worried about Manning’s MRI test today, they should be better off appreciating what this offense has done this season.
There may not be an offense like this again in our lifetime.
Contact or follow Leslie Monteiro at @LightRodWriter
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Leslie Monteiro
Leslie is a contributor for Lightning Rod Sports. He covered high school sports in Bergen County out in North Jersey, and has written op-ed columns on sports such as Bleacher Report and NY Sports Digest.
Peyton is back. Aggravated the ankle and no new injury to the knee.
I knew Peyton was going to be okay. If the injury was serious, he wouldn’t have gone up to throw again yesterday. Now, the injury can linger in January and effect him. That’s a concern moving forward. Peyton is going to get hit a lot, Shayne.
What you worry about is can Peyton be effective and in good shape heading to January. Can the offensive line protect him?