ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As the Broncos exit the bye and approach a seven-game slate that features five division matchups, their goals remain ahead of them.
There's less margin for error than there was when the Broncos started the season 3-0 or after an upset win over the Cowboys, but it remains possible for the Broncos to go on a late-run to secure a playoff bid.
"It's one game at a time, and we've got to take it one day at a time in our preparation," Head Coach Vic Fangio said ahead of the bye. "We have to try and fix all of our correctable errors and we have to do a better job of coaching these guys. We've got to do a better job of calling the game — me defensively [and] [Offensive Coordinator] Pat [Shurmur] and [Quarterbacks Coach] Mike [Shula] offensively. We all have to be better."
If Denver is going to make a playoff push, it must answer several crucial questions.
These are those questions:
CAN THE OFFENSE FIND MORE CONSISTENCY ON THIRD DOWN?
The Broncos broke out in Week 9 against the Cowboys, as Denver reached the 30-point mark for the first time in 2021. In that win, the Broncos put together more than 400 yards of offense, ran for 190 yards, dominated time of possession and converted more than 50 percent of their third downs.
At its best, the Denver offense has run the ball effectively, controlled the clock and stayed in third-and-short scenarios to keep the chains moving. The return of Jerry Jeudy has helped the third-down offense, but the team struggled again in that area in a Week 10 loss to the Eagles.
"One-for-11 on third down is not the way you go about winning a game in the NFL, and it's critical that we stay out there," Fangio said before the bye. "We had done that in the previous few weeks. [Against the Eagles] we obviously didn't get that done, but that is an area of emphasis for us every week."
CAN TEDDY BRIDGEWATER AND THE BRONCOS PUSH THE BALL DOWN THE FIELD?
The Broncos' offense has seemingly been at its best when the team has been able to push the ball down the field to its weapons. Whether it's Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Noah Fant or Albert Okwuegbunam, the Broncos have the pieces to pick up big gains through the air. In the second half of the season, it will be imperative that Teddy Bridgewater can connect with those players for chunk plays.
In the win over the Cowboys, the Broncos had seven passes of at least 16 yards, including three gains of at least 25 yards. In their loss to the Eagles, Denver had just two such plays — and just one of those gains came on a pass of more than 20 yards down the field.
Bridgewater has certainly pushed the ball down the field at times this year, as he's connected on big shots in games against the Jaguars and Steelers, among others. For the Broncos to avoid stacked boxes in the run game and to have the ability to score quickly, Denver must make those big plays on a more consistent basis.
CAN THE BRONCOS BE BETTER ON OPENING DRIVES?
On both sides of the ball, the Broncos must do a better job setting the tone early to start stacking wins.
On offense, the Broncos have scored just twice on opening drives all season. They posted a field goal against Jacksonville and broke a 24-game streak without an opening-drive touchdown against the Raiders in Week 6. In all, Denver has scored just 26 points (2.6 per game) in first quarters this season.
"Well, every week it's something different, but basically, we haven't run it or thrown it well enough in those first drives to get them going," Fangio said. "We've had a few too many three-and-outs in those situations, and we need to start better. There's no doubt about that."
Defensively, the Broncos must also improve. Denver has allowed opening-drive touchdowns on four occasions and allowed an opening-drive field goal to the Eagles in Week 10. When Denver's defense can play with a lead, it tends to bring out the strength of the unit. An early deficit, though, has brought issues at times for Denver.
On their road toward a playoff berth, Denver would benefit from some fast starts.
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November 24, 2021 at 07:36AM
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