No. 2 – Demaryius Thomas
This is meant to take nothing away from Emmanuel Sanders, who prior to Sunday’s three catches on eight targets had been Denver’s go-to wide receiver in clutch situations all year, but there is no greater offensive loss the Broncos could suffer than Demaryius Thomas.
Yes, the loss against Kansas City was exacerbated by Sanders’ early exit, but with a week to game plan without him (and without Peyton Manning for the first time in three and a half years), Denver’s offense rebounded to the tune of 389 yards, 219 of that through the air.
Thomas has not been without his faults this year. His performance against New England was as bad a game as he’s ever played, and his struggles early in the year and early in games are well documented. But Thomas still represents the greatest offensive threat in Denver’s offense and one of the few players on that side of the ball that commands the attention of two, sometimes even three, defenders.
Denver has a cadre of receivers in Sanders’ mold. Sure, Andre Caldwell, Bennie Fowler and Jordan Norwood are far cries from Denver’s No. 2 downfield threat, but none of them – even Sanders – compare to Thomas physically or in the way teams must defend when he’s on the field.
Thomas and Sanders are a dangerous one-two punch. Without Thomas, Denver has some jabs, but nothing that can deliver a knockout.
