Aggressive defense
It’s fair to say the offense didn’t have a great first half last night, but the bigger problem was that they didn’t have the ball. The Bengals completely dominated the time of possession through the first two quarters, limiting the Broncos offense to just three drives in the game’s first 30 minutes; that falls on the defense.
Through those first two quarters, Denver just couldn’t stop the Bengals, allowing AJ McCarron to eat them up on third down like he was Tom Brady. They started off the game with a seven-minute drive and followed that up with five- and six-minute drives to close out the first half. The Broncos defense that had dominated the NFL for the majority of the season suddenly looked like the passive, play-it-safe defense we witnessed with Jack Del Rio over the last few seasons.
It wasn’t until the second half that Wade Phillips turned up the heat, bringing another man into the box and letting his Pro Bowl corners hold their own on the outside.
Through the first half, Denver could hardly get a finger on McCarron, giving him all the time in the world to fit the ball into A.J. Green or any number of the other Bengals wideouts; in the second half, they forced him off his spot over and over again, and the Bengals offense sputtered to a halt.
This defense is at its best when they’re setting the tempo; the Broncos’ front seven needs to be set free from the get go, and if the offense wants to make them pay, they’ll have to go against Denver’s all-world secondary.
And if the Aqib Talib or Chris Harris gets burned for a long reception in one-on-one coverage, so be it. Honestly, a quick score is much better than a seven-minute, energy-draining touchdown drive; the Broncos offense is fully capable of generating a scoring drive, but they’ve proven that they need several opportunities to do so.
