The Broncos are being disrespected. And it is not okay.
Despite being undefeated, despite sporting one of the best defenses in recent memory, despite being one of the best teams in the NFL over the last three seasons, despite having a Hall of Fame quarterback, despite being AT HOME, the Denver Broncos opened as three-point underdogs to the Green Bay Packers.
Let me ask one thing: How do they get off?
And listen, I get where they’re coming from — we’ve been talking about the same question marks all week — but when was the last time you saw an undefeated team enter a home game as an underdog, especially this far into the season?
I mean, we, as Broncos fans, are allowed to dissect the team to the Nth degree; it’s our team. But the second the rest of America starts doing it, my guard goes up. It’s like being a protective sibling; only I can call Peyton Manning names.
So while the rest of the world is already counting the Broncos out, let me show you why we should be backing them up. Here are three reasons why the Denver Broncos will beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday:
3. Eddie Lacy isn’t Eddie Lacy
When they’re at their best, the Packer offense packs a dynamic one-two punch: Lay the groundwork with Eddie Lacy and put them to sleep with Aaron Rodgers.
Fortunately for the Broncos, this isn’t the Eddie Lacy we’re used to. No, unlike the monstrous running back that rushed for 4.6 yards per carry last season and scored nine touchdowns, this Eddie Lacy has been, uh, fat …
I remember the day Twitter blew up 'cause of this fat Eddie Lacy picture. He did alright for himself pic.twitter.com/LpMhIv3PIx
— Carl 🇭🇹 (@CarlTheHaitian) October 3, 2014
Yeah, that’s an old picture, but it’s not far off.
The thing is that Lacy has always been a slow starter; he comes into the season a little out of shape, but by the time Week 4 or 5 rolls around, he’s playing like a top-five running back. But this season he hasn’t been able to work himself into shape. Thanks to a somewhat mysterious ankle injury — the Packers never placed him on the injury report — Lacy continues to look out of shape and out of place.
While the Packers may be counting on the bye week allowing Lacy to heal up, he still needs to work himself into shape. That’s going to take a little more time.
2. Rodgers’ weapons are ailing
Before we go any further, let me get one thing straight: Nobody’s going to get me to say anything negative about Aaron Rodgers. It’s just not happening. He’s easily the best quarterback in the NFL — sorry Tom Brady — and there’s no question that he can win this game all by himself.
That said, it’s not going to be easy.
As we already know, Jordy Nelson is out for the season, and both the Packers’ other starting wideouts, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams, have been dealing with injuries all season, too. They’re banged up, and if it wasn’t for Rodgers pinpointing the ball into triple coverage where only James Jones can grab it, most of America might realize it.
Right now, I’ll take Rodgers over literally everybody, but I’ll take the Broncos secondary over the Packers banged up wide receiving corps. Rodgers will win his fair share of battles, but if the Broncos can win the aerial war, they’ll have every opportunity to win the game.
This piece brought to you in part by …
[adrotate banner=”9″]3. Pressure, pressure, pressure
If there’s one thing that could derail Aaron Rodgers, it’s pressure. And luckily, the Broncos bring a lot of it.
According to Pro Football Focus, Rodgers is only the 11th best quarterback in the NFL when facing pressure, and for Rodgers, that’s horrible. But he also only faces pressure on just 34 percent of his drop backs, which is the 12th lowest mark in the league.
Against the Broncos, who have PFF’s No. 2 ranked pass rush, I’ve got a feeling he’s going to face a little more pressure than that.
But generating a pass rush won’t be enough. The Broncos have to keep contain. Not many quarterbacks can extend a play better than Aaron Rodgers, and that’s evidenced by the the fact that he takes an average of 2.95 seconds (third slowest in the league) to throw the ball.
Now, for the last few years we’ve heard commentator after commentator marvel at how quickly Peyton Manning gets the ball out of his hand — currently 2.27 seconds (third fastest in the league) — and it’s true; the ability to diagnose the play and get the ball out that quickly is a unique skill.
But to say that Rodgers release time is indicative of anything other than a great quarterback would be wrong. Unlike Manning, who needs to get the ball out quickly to survive, Rodgers is most dangerous when he can extend the play, break the pocket, run around and find a wideout streaking down the field. That’s what the Broncos have to stop.
If Rodgers beats the Broncos by getting the ball out in 2.27 seconds, fine. There’s not much they can do about that. But if the Broncos give Rodgers four or five seconds to scramble around and find an open wide receiver, they’re done for.
But if there’s any defense capable of containing Aaron Rodgers, it’s these Denver Broncos.