Parker Gabriel, Broncos beat reporter: Welcome back to the roundtable, dudes. Improbably, the Denver Broncos Football Club finally lost a game. Pretty impressive to reel off five straight and go from Oct. 12 to Dec. 3 without taking an ‘L.’ Now Sean Payton’s team has to win four of its final five to have a real chance at making the postseason.
Here’s an interesting conundrum — or opportunity, depending on how you look at it. Four of the Broncos’ final five games feature opponents that currently rank in the bottom 12 of the league in pass defense efficiency. So, too, were the Texans. Denver still ended up running the ball 30 times against Houston, though some of that was due to called passes that quarterback Russell Wilson turned into rush attempts. Even still, you could sense the way in which Payton and the Denver offense wanted to attack down the field given Houston’s vulnerabilities on the back end. The big plays in the passing game returned, but so, too, did the turnovers.
This is a bit of a generalization — not going to ask you to script the first 15 plays of each of the next five games unless you’ve really got a hankering — but if you’re Payton, are you pushing the aggressiveness in the passing game or are you going back to, “let’s run the ball 35 times and try to win these things 17-13?” Some of the down-the-field stuff looks good, but somewhere between Houston and Minnesota’s probably the sweet spot.
Ryan McFadden, Broncos beat reporter: If I’m Payton, I’m sticking with what has worked for the offense this season. Sure, it’s not pretty but the Broncos were able to get the job done and that’s what matters. I think if Denver continues its run-heavy approach, it will open the door for those big passing plays. At 6-6, Denver has no room for error. The Broncos have an uphill climb to make the playoffs so this isn’t the best time to change their approach, especially when running the ball 30-plus times seems to have worked. The way the Broncos’ defense has played lately, the offense can afford to stay patient. The big passing plays are sexy and get the people going. I’m not saying abandon it, but why turn away from your bread and butter?
If the Broncos continue to be more aggressive in the passing game moving forward, this could be an opportunity for rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. He is arguably the team’s best deep ball threat as well as Courtland Sutton so it would be interesting to see if his role increases.
Sean Keeler, sports columnist: What’s the adage about doing the same thing over and over again, while expecting a different result, being the definition of insanity? Over the Broncos’ last 17 games, a span that covers two coaches and an interim, the squad’s 8-9. Among those 17, they’ve either by design or adjustment had to throw the ball at least 30 times in a game on eight different occasions.
You know how many of those eight tilts the Broncos won? One.
Now some of those games had to be chased, for one reason or another, forcing Russell Wilson to air it out. But Payton’s already found the formula, painful as it sometimes looks. Heck, our man Jerry Rosburg rolled out the formula late last year: Less Russ, More Us. No. 3’s good for end-of-half and end-of-game spurts. Two-minute drills. Otherwise, he’s just good enough to get ya beat. If the opposing defensive front forces seconds- and thirds-and-forevers, so be it. Sure, you’ve gotta be flexible. Of course, you’ve gotta mix it up. But if you’re leading with Wilson downfield as the offense’s main course and not a desert or a side dish? It’s your ulcer, pal.
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