Broncos Mailbag Part 1: The Regular Season

I always head into the offseason with a mailbag discussing various questions that I had related to the Broncos and their just completed season. This year I get to do a mailbag for the Broncos as Super Bowl Champions. How sweet is that to say? I'll start with a mailbag related to the Broncos regular season. Here we go...

Did this regular season exceed your expectations for the Broncos this year?
Yes it did. The Broncos finished 12-4, won the AFC West, and made the playoffs once again. I predicted that Denver would make the playoffs-I had them in as a wild card though- and I figured that they could make a run once they got there. I was optimistic with Peyton Manning coming back, the emphasis of the running game with new head coach Gary Kubiak, and a defense that was good last year. Add it all up and I felt that Denver was going to be a playoff team. I also looked at their schedule and I liked the fact that most of their key games were at home: New England, Cincy, Green Bay all were coming to Mile High in 2015. I wasn't surprised to see them win 12 games, but I didn't think they would be the #1 seed, but I liked their chances to have a successful regular season.

How good historically was this defense in 2015?
The Broncos defense was the best in the league in the regular season. They had the most sacks, led the league in total yards and they only gave up an average of 18 points a game. They scored five defensive touchdowns, forced 27 turnovers, and they were dominant from Week 1 to Week 17. Their only blemish was in Week 15 when they gave up 34 points at Pittsburgh and they gave up 21 second half points in the 34-27 loss. They basically carried the Broncos and their offense the entire regular season. They weren't as dominant as the '85 Bears or the 2000 Ravens in the regular season, but they were right there behind them. Wade Phillips was a great hire as the new Defensive Coordinator and he brought an attacking and relentless style to his group. It was just fun to watch this defense do their job all year long.

Why do you think the offense struggled so much in the regular season?
The Broncos offense scored a total of 319 points this season. That averages to just over 18 points a game on offense. The Broncos scored a total of 355 points including defensive and special teams touchdowns. They only scored 30 or more points as an offense once during the whole season. The reason for their struggles on offense were a combination of a few things. First, Peyton Manning was basically on his last legs as a NFL starting QB. His age and injuries caught up to him, and he had to adjust to a new offense under Kubiak, and he never seemed comfortable. Second, the Broncos lost starting LT Ryan Clady to a torn ACL in OTAs, and he missed the entire season. Then, they lost starting RT Ty Sambraillo to torn shoulder in Week 3, so they were without their starting tackles for most of the year. Ryan Harris filled in admirably in at LT and Michael Schofield was overmatched at times at RT. In addition, after Manning's injuries forced him to shut it down for six weeks, Brock Osweiler took over as a starter and played his first meaningful games in his career down the stretch. Also, the running game never really got going. We know how important the running game is to Kubiak's offense and it just never really materialized the way they envisioned with C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman both being inconsistent at times. All of those factors resulted in a very average offensive group in 2015.

What was one of the biggest surprises of the regular season for the Broncos as far as individual performances go?
Kicker Brandon McManus was a very key player for us this year. For most of the beginning of the season, he was the offensive MVP. He finished 30-35 on field goals and hit five field goals over 50 yards during the season. He was solid all year-with the exception of a few misses later in the year-and he bounced back very nicely after an inconsistent 2014 season. Also, Shaq Barrett was really good in relief of the injured Demarcus Ware during the middle part of the season. He has a bright future in Denver after what he showed this year as a pass rusher and as a run defender.

Who were the best players on the Broncos in the regular season this year?
You can say the entire Broncos defense but the guys that stood out all year were Von Miller, Chris Harris, Aqib Talib, Darian Stewart, Bradley Roby, Danny Trevathan, Brandon Marshall, Derek Wolfe, Demarcus Ware (When he wasn't hurt), and Malik Jackson. On offense, McManus was a very key player and Emmanuel Sanders was solid and very valuable player all year long. He outplayed Demaryius Thomas by a wide margin.

What was the turning point in this season?
A lot of people point to the loss to Pittsburgh in Week 15 as a turning point, but I think there are two key turning points of the year. The first one was the comeback win over New England in Week 12. It was Osweiler's second start of his career and it came against the Pats on Sunday Night Football on Thanksgiving weekend. The Broncos rallied from a 21-7 deficit in the 4th quarter and won the game in overtime 30-24. It put the Broncos at 9-2 and gave them a tiebreaker over the Pats in the playoff race. The second one is a little obscure. The Broncos were down 14-0 to the Bengals in a huge game in Week 16 on Monday Night Football. The Bengals were attempting a field goal late in the first half to make it 17-0. Mike Nugent missed the kick, the Broncos came down and got a field goal to make it 14-3 right before the half, and eventually came all the way back to win the game 20-17 in overtime. If Nugent makes that kick, then I don't know if Denver would have come back to win that game if they fell behind 17-0 before the half. With that win, Denver clinched a playoff berth that night and took some pressure off them heading into Week 17.

What was the biggest break the Broncos got during the year?
The Broncos got a lot of breaks during the year as far as turnovers, missed field goals, etc.. but the biggest break was the Patriots sleepwalking through their Week 17 game at Miami and losing to the Dolphins. The loss opened the door for the Broncos to get the #1 seed in the AFC later in the day and the Broncos capitalized by beating San Diego 27-20 and getting homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

What was the most underrated part of this team this year?
Gary Kubiak did a really good job in his first year as head coach in Denver. He handled the Manning injury very well, he went with Osweiler when he had to, and he managed the ensuing QB controversy in textbook fashion. He also had a great pulse of his team. He played the games to his team's strength, which was a dominant defense, and he was able to get the most out of this group. Kubiak should have gotten more votes for coach of the year than he did. Also, he should get credit for making the most important move of the offseason when he hired his old friend Wade Phillips to run the defense. Phillips did an amazing job with this defense and took a good defense to a dominant and historic level.

What were the best games of the year?
There were a lot of games to choose from but the ones that will stand out the most were the comeback and miraculous win over the Chiefs in Week 2 on Thursday Night Football in Arrowhead. They rallied after being down 14-0, tied it late at 24 on a Manning drive, and won it in the final seconds on Bradley Roby's miracle fumble return for a 31-24 shocker. The win over New England in Denver in overtime was one of the best games of the year in the entire NFL. The overtime, comeback win over the Bengals in Week 16 was a great game and had a playoff feel to it. The dominant performance by the defense and the offense in the 29-10 win over Green Bay in Week 8 on Sunday Night Football was special because both teams came into the game at 6-0. The win over San Diego in Week 17 was great because of the fact that Peyton Manning returned to the lineup in the second half to rescue the Broncos and they pulled out the 27-20 on a Ronnie Hillman touchdown run late to secure the AFC West and the #1 seed in the AFC. All of those games were the defining games of the season.

How did you handle this regular season with all the close games the Broncos were involved in?
It was crazy because every week was basically a nail-biter. It was certainly a difference from the first three years under Peyton Manning when the Broncos routinely blew teams out. Every game was a battle and every game was basically giving me a heart attack. The Broncos played 12 games that were decided by 7 points or less and they won 9 of those games. It was exciting at times because they were winning, but it was crazy how tight this entire season was for the Broncos.

Was there ever a time you were really worried about this team during the regular season?
Once the Broncos got off to a fast start and were 7-0 after pounding the Packers on SNF in Week 8, I was content that they were going to have a good regular season and be a playoff team. Even after Manning got hurt, and the Broncos dropped to 7-2 and had to turn to Osweiler, I wasn't that worried that their season was going to collapse because Manning had not played well up until that point, and if they got anything decent out of Brock, then they would be okay. The only part that I was really worried was going into Week 16. Denver was 10-4, lost two in a row, and Pittsburgh, KC, and the Jets were all 9-5. KC had won eight in a row and they were only a game back in the West, and the Jets and Steelers were both hot coming down the stretch. If all three won their games in Week 16, and Denver lost to Cincy that week, then Denver's playoff fate would be out of their hands going into Week 17. In Week 16, KC beat Cleveland at home, the Jets beat the Pats in OT at home, but Pittsburgh lost a thriller in Baltimore, so even if Denver lost to Bengals, they could still make the playoffs with a win over the Chargers at home in Week 17. Trust me, I was definitely worried that morning watching all the early games.