The Broncos took the field on Sunday knowing that all they had to do was beat the Raiders and they would have the #2 seed in the AFC. All week leading up to the game, there was a lot of negative talk about this Broncos team after the loss at Cincy in Week 16. None of that mattered anymore because what the Broncos could control, a first round bye and a #2 seed, was right in front of them against the 3-12 Raiders. The Broncos did indeed take care of their business and buried the Raiders en route to an easy 47-14 victory. The win got the Broncos back on track, secured the #2 seed, and gave them that much needed bye in the first round. It was a total domination on both sides of the ball. The defense smothered the Raiders and David Carr, and the offense led by Peyton Manning moved the ball effectively all game long. It was the kind of victory that they needed- a complete blowout of an inferior opponent. We'll have plenty of time to talk about the regular season and the playoffs coming up in the next two weeks, but here are my thoughts and observations for the win over the Raiders.....
1) The Broncos defense basically manhandled the Raiders all game long. Consider these stats from the game: They limited the Raiders to 199 total yards, forced two turnovers, totaled three sacks, forced nine punts, and added a fumble return for a touchdown. They completely dominated up front and pressured Derek Carr all game long. Von Miller was dominating all game long. He got a sack, and he played really well in the run game. DeMarcus Ware also played well as did Malik Jackson. I really like the pass rushing group of Jackson, Ware, Miller, and Derek Wolfe. Also, Todd Davis improved from his performance in the loss to the Bengals.
2) The Broncos secondary was a strong point once again. Aqib Talib set the tone with a sack on the second series, and there were just no receivers open. Chris Harris was again tremendous and he put the bow on a spectacular year. Without the injured T.J. Ward, I thought Rahim Moore played a lot better than he has in previous weeks. Denver's defense at home has been lights out at times this year, and they were once again on Sunday.
3) I thought the Broncos offense was a lot better on Sunday than it has been in recent weeks. Peyton Manning was very effective for most of the game. At first glance, Manning's numbers don't jump off the page (21-37 for 273 yards and 0 TDs and 0 INT), but he threw the ball very solid. The play action game worked very well early on, and he put the ball on the money a few times and the receivers simply dropped the ball on him. I thought it was a good bounce back game for Manning, and I will be looking for him to play very well in the playoffs.
4) The Broncos continued their balanced attack and C.J. Anderson played really well again. He had 87 yards on just 13 carries and scored 3 touchdowns. It was nice to see Ronnie Hillman back and he brought that burst again. Hillman notched 56 yards on 15 carries. It will be a nice 1-2 punch with Hillman and Anderson come playoff time.
5) It stinks that Manning couldn't get at least 1 more touchdown pass to get to 40 on the year, but every time the Broncos drove the ball deep in Raider territory, Anderson would march in for an easy touchdown. For example, up 3-0 in the 1st quarter, Manning hit Emmanuel Sanders for 13 yards and Demaryius Thomas for 27 yards to put Denver at the Oakland 11. The next play, Anderson burst through for an 11 yard touchdown run to give Denver a 10-0 lead. Later on, Manning hit Sanders for a 39 yard gain to set them up in Raider territory. He also hit Thomas down the seam, and Thomas got tripped up at the 1 to give the Broncos a 1st and goal situation. The next play, Anderson strolled into the endzone to give Denver a 17-7 lead. Manning was basically setting up the drives, and Anderson was finishing them. This game was over when it was 10-0.
6) The only positive for the Raiders in the first half was a fluke play that Justin Tuck deflected of a Manning screen to Sanders that the Raiders picked up and returned for a touchdown. That was the only real positive the Raiders had until they scored a touchdown late in the third quarter. It was that kind of a dominating performance by the Broncos on Sunday.
7) The Broncos needed to go out there and dominate the Raiders, and that is what they did. They completely destroyed a 3 win team, and finished their season with a confidence that they needed before they enter the playoffs. It was the kind of the game that they had to have and they did it the way they needed to do it.
8) With the win the Broncos finish 2014 at 12-4. They obviously won their 4th straight AFC West title, and head into the playoffs as the #2 seed. They finished 8-0 at home for the first time since 2005. The Broncos scored a total 482 points which averages out to about 30 points a game. They gave up a total of 354 points, but finished in the top five in total defense. Manning finished with a completion percentage of 66% with 4,727 yards 39 TDs and 15 INT and a rating of 101.5. Their top receivers were Demaryius Thomas who hauled in 111 receptions for 1,1619 yards and 11 TDs and Emmanuel Sanders, who finished with 101 catches for 1,404 yards and 9 TDs. Julius Thomas finished with 43 receptions for 489 yards and 12 TDs, but he was injured for the last part of the season. C.J. Anderson led the team with 849 yards rushing and 8 TDs. On defense, Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware led the team with 14 and 10 sacks each. Aqib Talib and Rahim Moore both led the secondary with 4 INTS and Chris Harris was second on the team with 3 INTS. Brandon Marshall led the team with 113 total tackles. The additions of Emmanuel Sanders, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, and T.J. Ward were all successful, as each player contributed and did what they were supposed to do when they were brought in as free agents. Marshall was a find at LB when he stepped in for Danny Trevathan, and rookie DB Bradley Roby was a real gem of a pick as a first round pick and key contributor. There are a lot issues, questions, and storylines about this group as we head into the playoffs, but that will be for next week to discuss. Now, the Broncos have a week off to regroup, get healthy, and prepare to make a run at the Super Bowl that they covet so dearly. It's time to get ready for the playoffs, and as they in Denver during the playoffs it is "Time to Ride." Go Broncos!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment