Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Broncos Pound the Texans and Brock Osweiler 27-9 on Monday Night Football,

The Broncos got revenge on their old buddy Brock Osweiler on Monday Night Football as they pounded the Texans 27-9 in dominating fashion. The Broncos, 5-2, trailed 6-0 early, but they stormed back, took control of the game in the second half to take a 14-6 lead at the half, and then they put the game away late in the 3rd quarter to win the game going away. Osweiler struggled mightily as expected, and the Broncos defense played it best game in three weeks. It was a big game for the Broncos and the return of Osweiler certainly had their attention, and you could tell that the defense was very pumped up for the game. Overall, it was a good win, and now the Broncos have to prepare for two huge AFC West games the next two weeks. Here are my thoughts and observations on the game...

1) The Broncos defense didn't really start slow even though they trailed 6-0 at the end of the first quarter. They were put in bad field position because the Broncos offense couldn't get out of their own way. The Texans only hit a couple of run plays and they came away with two field goals. I felt really good about this game at that point since we were only down 6.

2) The Broncos offense sputtered early on, and they are getting killed with holding penalties-especially by Russell Okung. Once the 2nd quarter started, the Broncos offense got going. The run game was effective last night. C.J. Anderson ran for 107 yards on 16 carries and he added a 7 yard touchdown run to make it 7-6. Anderson ran well and he ran with an attitude. I'm glad he got over the 100 yard mark of the first time this year. Devontae Booker spelled Anderson, and he ran really hard again for the second straight week. Booker finished with 83 yards on 17 carries, and he added a 1 yard touchdown to make it 21-9 late in the 3rd quarter. Both guys ran hard and punished the Texans defenders. It was the perfect balance for the Broncos, and this is how the offense is effective. If Anderson and Booker can run well like they did on Monday night, then the Broncos will be tough to beat because they will be able to score points.

3) Trevor Siemian wasn't flashy but he showed poise, and made some really nice throws to give the Broncos and their offense a lead and maintain it. Siemian finished 14-25 for 157 yards and 1 TD and 0 INT. He played solid and threw a really sweet 4 yard TD pass to Demaryius Thomas to make it 14-6 in the 2nd quarter. He also hit Emmanuel Sanders on a really nice deep ball down the sideline to set up the touchdown to make it 21-9 in the third quarter. He certainly outplayed Osweiler in this game.

4) Now, let's get to Osweiler. It is apparent that Brock is still getting used to Bill O'Brien and the new offense. Not once did I feel that Osweiler was going to beat us with his arm in this game. Other QBs put the fear of death in you, Osweiler does not have in him right now. The Broncos defense didn't seemed fooled at all, and they really were dialed in on Brock and the passing game. Osweiler finished  22-41 for 131 yards. He got most of those yards late in the game, and he had a crucial fumble at 21-9 in the 4th quarter when the ball slipped out of his hands. He had a rough night, and you knew the Broncos defense was going to give him a tough time, and they backed it up.

5) The turning point of the game was when Darian Stewart and T.J. Ward crushed Alfred Blue and caused a huge fumble in Denver territory with about 4 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter with the Broncos up 14-9. It was a great hit, and Stewart has been really solid the last two years, and he made a great play to cause the fumble. The Broncos went right down the field and scored a touchdown to make it 21-9.

6) This was a big win for the Broncos to get back on track after losing two straight games. At 5-2, the Broncos needed this game for some confidence and momentum, and now they host the Chargers next Sunday in a very important game in the AFC West. Great win for the Broncos and now let's hope they keep it going. Go Broncos!

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