Tom Brady–Peyton Manning XVII may be the selling point of this weekend’s game, but if there’s one matchup that’ll mean almost nothing on Sunday, that’s it. For as much as I’d love to see Manning pull a spin move on Sebastian Volmer and sack Brady, I highly doubt that’s going to happen.
While it may sound blasphemous, particularly in this quarterback-driven day and age, Peyton Manning may not be one of the five most important Broncos in this game. And in reality, that’s just the way Denver should want it. This game needs to revolve around the run game and the defense; that’s the only way the Broncos are going to be able to keep Tom Brady off the field.
And if Manning were to end up becoming a major factor in the outcome, it’ll likely be because he helped lead the Broncos to a loss, not a win.
Now, I’m not trying to be negative; I’m trying to be realistic. The same was said about the Broncos Super Bowl runs back in ’97 and ’98, where John Elway finished with under 200 yards passing in four of seven postseason games, and look where that got them.
If the Broncos are going to win, it’s not going to be because of Peyton Manning; it’s going to be because of these three guys:
Von Miller
The last time Von Miller faced the Patriots, he grabbed a sack, two quarterback hits and two quarterback hurries; he needs to be much, much better than that this Sunday.
And that’s not to say Von’s performance was bad — it wasn’t — but the Denver Broncos need Miller to be the All-World Superstar we know he can be.
I’ve got a feeling that Wade Phillips is going to rely heavily on his front four to get pressure on Brady, leaving the rest to help out in coverage, and while that makes sense, it’s dangerous. For every millisecond Brady is gifted, there’s more of an opportunity for the defense to get burned, and they will get burned — this is Tom Brady we’re talking about.
Denver absolutely has to get to Tom Brady. They need to knock him down, they need to bang him up and they need to make him cringe every time he feels a breeze coming around the outside. If not, they’ll lose, plain and simple.
Since the New York Giants crafted the blueprint back in 2007, there’s only been one way to slow down Brady, and that’s by giving him a face-to-face meeting with the turf.
For the Broncos, that all starts with Von Miller. If there was ever a time to have the game of his career, this is it. Plus, thanks to Butterfinger, he can celebrate all he wants!
C.J. Anderson
What would you do if I told you there was a running back on the Broncos averaging 6.4 yards per carry? Probably call me a liar, right? I mean, everybody knows the Denver Broncos don’t have a running game, let alone a consistent option.
Well, actually, they do. Gary Kubiak has just made the decision not to utilize it, apparently.
From Week 8 on, when the Broncos returned from their bye, C.J. Anderson averaged 6.4 yards per attempt on the season. That’s more than Adrian Peterson, Doug Martin, LeSean McCoy, Todd Gurley and, yes, Ronnie Hillman. In fact, it’s more than any running back in the NFL.
“But if that’s the case, how come he’s not getting the ball more?”
That, my imaginary friend, is a very good question. And I’ve been asking myself the same thing an awful lot this week. Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer. Every which way I splice it, it’s about as illogical of a decision as I can fathom.
I mean, if we think back to every great moment from this Broncos offense, there’s one linking factor: A huge, impactful C.J. Anderson run. So why not give him the ball? He didn’t even get a carry until the second quarter against the Steelers!
I am holding out hope that Kubiak finds a way to get Anderson involved from the get go, and he has to be great. The Broncos need to keep Tom Brady off the field, and the best way to do that is by running the ball down the Patriots throats. Not to mention, that’s the one part of New England’s defense that is actually looking a little vulnerable heading into the game.
Just as he had the first time around, C.J. Anderson needs to finish the game with 100-plus yards and two touchdowns.
This piece brought to you in part by …
[adrotate banner=”10″]T.J. Ward
You don’t have to be an expert to understand that stopping Rob Gronkowski will be critical to a Denver Broncos victory, and a large portion of that responsibility is going to fall on T.J. Ward’s shoulders.
Now, if you were watching Broncos games closely last season, the prospect of having Ward covering the greatest tight end of our generation, if not all time, should probably scare you. He was, to put it nicely, miserable in coverage last year, grading out as the 82nd best safety in coverage (out of 87) in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus.
This year, though, things have been noticeably different. Now, he’s a very average 24th! And a big reason why was the emergence of David Bruton as a regular contributor. Whereas Ward was forced to cover elite tight ends one-on-one in ’14, Wade Phillips shifted a good deal of that role over to Bruton, who was able to come on and do a great job for the Broncos this season.
Unfortunately, as we’re all well aware, Bruton broke his leg in Week 15, placing him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. Now, that responsibility has been shifted back to Ward, and he’ll have to deliver. And based on what we’ve seen, he just might. With coverage grades of 1.8 and 1.7 in his last two games, Ward notched his two highest coverage grades of the season.
Still, Rob Gronkowski is a different beast, and he proved it the last time he faced the Broncos, bringing in six receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown. If you’re looking for a bright side, though, none of that came against Ward, who was knocked out of the game with an injury in the early minutes; most of Gronkowski’s production came against Darian Stewart, who was forced to cover No. 87 in Ward’s absence.
It’ll be a tall task, but Ward has to get the job done. Rob Gronkowski cannot be allowed to beat the Denver Broncos by himself.