Last year, I decided to do a Broncos Mailbag after the
regular season and before the postseason. I wanted to do a postseason mailbag
eventually after a Broncos Super Bowl win. Denver lost in their first playoff
game to Baltimore, so I decided to change it up this year. I will do a final
mailbag once the Broncos entire season is over-hopefully after a Super Bowl
victory. Let’s change it up with a look at the five biggest storylines for the
Broncos as they enter the postseason.
1)
Orange Crush? Denver’s
defense has been pretty inconsistent all year long. They have put some good
stretches together, but they have also looked absolutely terrible at times.
Now, Denver enters the playoffs without their best defensive player, Von
Miller, who is out with an ACL injury. How will John Fox and Jack Del Rio get
this defense ready for a playoff run? They don’t need to be great for three
games, they just need to get some key stops at certain times.
2)
Happy Holliday: We
all remember how much of a force that Trindon Holliday was in last year’s
playoff game against Baltimore. He returned a punt and a kick for a touchdown.
He had a punt and a kick return for a touchdown in the first four weeks of the
season, but he has basically disappeared since then. I know that he has had some
issues fielding punts, but he is a gamebreaker. The Broncos need him to make an
impact once again in these playoffs.
3)
Special Teams
Playing Special: The Broncos overall special teams play has been spotty the
past few months. They have struggled on returns, and they have had trouble with
almost every aspect in the coverage units. They need to avoid these mistakes in
the playoffs. Matt Prater had a fine year this year. He missed only one field
goal attempt all season, and he broke the NFL record for longest field goal
with a 64 yarder against the Titans. He had a really bad game last year against
Baltimore, and he is going to have to come up huge this week and going forward
if the Broncos advance. Last year, they had one of the best special teams units
in the NFL. This year, they haven’t been consistent enough. They need to
tighten that unit up in the playoffs.
4)
Last Year’s
Scar: The Broncos went into last year’s Divisional Playoffs as huge
favorites over the Ravens. They were also the consensus pick to win the Super
Bowl. We all know how it worked out. Their defeat at the hands of the Ravens
was probably the hardest defeat in franchise history. A year later, they are in
the same exact spot. They finished 13-3 and they are the #1 seed in the AFC.
They are favored at home over San Diego. They have a chance to erase last
year’s memory of playoff defeat. All year long they talked about using last
year’s loss as motivation. Can they do that? Can they take advantage of being
in the same position the second time around?
5)
All About
Manning: The entire NFL playoffs revolve around Peyton Manning. Can he win
another Super Bowl? He is probably the greatest regular season QB of all time,
but he needs another ring to cement his legacy as the greatest QB who ever
lived. He can do that if he wins that elusive second Super Bowl this year. He
has faced a year of criticism after losing to the Ravens last year. His playoff
record stands at 9-11. He needs to make one more run to the Super Bowl. He has
a record-setting offense that put up over 600 points this season. This is his
moment. He can’t let it slip away once again.
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