C.J. Anderson brings home the Broncos’ second straight AFC Offensive Player of the Week

MHS Staff

8 years ago

1. Von Miller Peyton Manning may be the most famous person on the Denver Broncos, but Von Miller is definitely the most popular, and it's well deserved. Coming off what may have been the best performance of his career, Miller has been thrust into the national spotlight, and he loves it. He's funny, he's smart and he's all about the Denver Broncos. Part of what goes into deciding the Super Bowl MVP is simply how well everybody knows your name. And with the Denver Broncos defense being a main topic of discussion, everybody knows Von Miller's name. The only reason he's not higher on this list is because Miller's impact can go unnoticed at times. Offenses key on Von more than just about any other pass rusher in the league, and that means he's not always going to put up the stats he put up in the AFC Championship game. Instead, he paves the way for guys like Malik Jackson and Derek Wolfe to clean up on the inside. Plus, if Wade Phillips really wants to stop Cam Newton from scrambling, he's going to have to get Miller and Ware to maintain containment, as opposed to crashing around the edge. Nonetheless, even if the stats don't reflect, Von Miller is probably the most important person to a Broncos victory.

So much for a struggling offense, huh?

Broncos RB C.J. Anderson has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) December 2, 2015

With C.J. Anderson being named as the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, the Denver Broncos have now grabbed the award after two straight performances (Brock Osweiler won last week). For a unit that has been drawing harsh criticism all season, this is quite the improvement.

Anderson’s 113-yard, two-touchdown outing was highlighted by his 48-yard, game-winning touchdown run in overtime to beat the Patriots, a moment no football fan will soon forget.

https://twitter.com/JonathanKucera/status/671321464432230400

And there’s a case to be made that the Broncos’ offensive turnaround is just as much a product of Anderson and the running game as it is of Osweiler; as we wrote earlier this week, the C.J. Anderson we came to love at the end of last season is only just beginning to make an appearance in the 2015 campaign. Since the bye week, the Broncos’ Pro Bowl running back has been averaging over 6 yards a carry and has the burst, power and elusiveness he demonstrated down the stretch of last season.

This team, which has faced a lot of adversity and question marks through 11 weeks, is finally starting to fall into place; a huge part of that is the emergence (or return) of C.J. Anderson.