Broncos:

• The team is hurting at receiver, but Marshall will play on Sunday.
• Dr. Doom is giving Ryan Clady props.
• Here’s your chance to ask Brandon Stokley a question.
• Darrell Reid is one happy Bronco.
• This could be Mitch Berger’s last chance to punt.
• It’s the young guns that need to emerge more.

AFC West:

• Just Blog Baby captures a decade of Raider football.
• Todd Haley as an offensive mastermind? I hope not on Sunday.
• Five Chargers made the Pro Bowl roster.

Random:

• Aren’t Tony Parker and Eva Longoria the perfect couple. Vomit.
• LeBron got the best birthday present from Shaq.
• The best sports related sound bites of the decade.
• Candy to make you lose weight? Fail.
• Best NFL game of the week right here. I love to see Jerry Jones cry.
• Everyone got into the act on this.

Have a happy and safe New Year’s!

Offense

Broncos - There’s no way the Broncos offense can out produce the Colts’ offense. However, they need to at least put 24-27 points on the board to be able contend with them. Look for the Broncos to favor the run just to keep the ball out of Manning’s hands. However, I see them continuing to throw a lot of balls to the tightends and the backs to pick up 6-7 yards per play and keep the clock moving. Josh McDaniels is going to emphasize the short game at first and then take a few shots down field later on. Protection from the offensive line is key for this Broncos unit. Ryan Harris is done for the season which isn’t comforting knowing that the Colts’ have two of the quickest defensive ends in the league. Kyle Orton cannot be thrown off his game  just because the speed in which the Colts play is faster than most teams in the league. Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter will need to relieve the pressure put on Orton by getting the run game off to a great start early on.               

Colts- The Colts are so lopsided on offense being #1 in passing and #32 in rushing. One would think that would make playing defense much easier. However, when Manning is behind center he sees the blitz coming and then changes the entire play without any help from the sidelines. That’s why it’s so hard to prepare defensively when going up against him. You can show him different things right before the snap and he will call you out. Manning has three incredible targets in Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and Pierre Garcon. Garcon is actually the guy that could torch the Broncos since a lot of focus will be placed on Wayne and Clark. Manning works his way down field, and then Joseph Addai is very capable of running it in for the score. The Colts capitalize on long drives by converting in the redzone. Even if coming from behind, the game is never out of reach because of this offense. Don’t believe me? Ask the Patriots.               

Defense

Broncos - This is the crew that wins the game for the Broncos. They only have a shot if they can force turnovers. Manning has thrown 7 INTs in his last 5 games, proving he’s prone to mistakes just like the rest of the world. Now, Kid McD was a QB coach. If he and Mike Nolan were to figure out how to rustle Manning’s feathers a little bit, I wouldn’t be at all shocked. One important aspect is bringing all different kinds of looks on defense. The Colts’ offensive line has been great this year. Manning has been sacked just 10 times and hasn’t lost a fumble. It’s going to be difficult for Elvis Dumervil, but I think he can wear down some linemen and put more pressure on Manning in the 2nd half of the game. Out of all things, I would allow Dallas Clark a little more room to work in the middle and really defend the sides of the field. The Texans did something similar and they lost by just 3 points and held the Colts to 20 points.               

Colts- They’re ranked 18th in rush defense and 19th in pass defense, but don’t let that fool you. They’re fast and they’re ranked 2nd in the league for points allowed. Big plays won’t come easy for the Broncos with Antoine Bethea (4 INTs), Clint Session, and Jacob Lacey covering down field. Both Session and Lacey have 2 INTs each and 1 INT returned for a TD each. The success in the secondary comes from the pressure up front. Dwight Freeney has 10.5 sacks on the year and Robert Mathis has 9.5. The defensive line gets off the line of scrimmage fast and they show different types of blitz packages. Orton cannot let the speed of the game throw him off his game. He kind of becomes a headcase once he throws a pick or gets sacked. Who can blame him after all the hits he took in Chicago. Bottom line is this defense is underrated, and they can easily create turnovers.      

Special Teams  

Broncos - Special teams is very important on Sunday. Punter Mitch Berger and kicker Matt Prater need to boot the ball as far as possible to make Manning and his offense work the entire field. Defensive coverage can’t let big plays break. That’s all we need – people other than Manning moving the ball down field.   

Colts-  Chad Simpson (long: 39) and T.J. Rushing (long: 22) handle kick and punt returns. Neither has returned one for a TD this season. Matt Stover replaced Adam Vinatieri in week 5 when he went down with a knee injury. He’s 9 for 11 on the year. Punter Pat McAfee, who probably has the easiest job in the league, has only punted the ball 44 times with 16 landing inside the 20 and 6 landing inside the 10.   

Coaching

Broncos -  Josh McDaniels loves these kind of games – The games that the media plays up for whatever reason. He’s coached against Manning plenty of times, and he’s treating this just like any other game. However, I think if the Broncos win, we’ll see some more fist pumping on the sidelines.  

Colts- Jim Caldwell is having the ultimate coaching experience as rookie head coach. His team is 12-0 and he made the transition from a Tony Dungy led team very easy for this already successful team. It helped that he was an associate head coach with the team last season, but still, taking full control over an NFL team guarantees nothing.  

 Go Broncos!

Two losses in a row won’t make or break a team at this point in the season. There’s such a thing as peaking at the wrong time, so now it’s time for the Broncos to make their adjustments for the final half of the season. They’ve been a second half team anyway this season. This week, the Broncos travel to our nation’s capital to face the Washington Redskins (2-6). It’s hard to remember a time when the White House had a better starting lineup than the Skins’, but this may be the year where that is the case. The Redskins have lost their last 3 in a row, and they helped Detroit snap their 19 game losing streak earlier this season. If there was ever a time for the Broncos to face a football team that is slightly better than a high school J.V. team, this is it. The Broncos will get their confidence back. My Prediction: Broncos 28 Redskins 13.         

Offense

Broncos - Denver’s offensive line is hurting right now, and a little pressure in Kyle Orton’s face has thrown his game off the past two weeks. Don’t expect that pressure to let up in Washington. The offensive line is going to have their hands full with $100 million man, Albert Haynesworth. The Redskins have a great pass defense, but a lousy rush defense. Now, is the time for the Broncos running game to get back on track. Last week, the Broncos accounted for just 27 yards on the ground. Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter will need to make it up this week. As usual, don’t expect Orton to take big risks downfield. Josh McDaniels will be calling an even more conservative game than usual from a passing perspective just to get Orton’s confidence back. Short dump off passes won’t allow DeAngelo Hall to get his mitts on an errant long ball. This offense has become one dimensional going from a great rushing team in one game to a great passing team in another. Once the balance is restored, the scoreboard will be too – in the Broncos favor.   

Redskins- There is so much talent on this Redskins offense that it’s hard to believe they’re 23rd in rushing and 20th in passing. Clinton Portis is out (concussion) as is Chris Cooley (broken foot) so that takes away a major part of their offense. Their receiving core is filled with all-stars. Antwaan Randle El and Santana Moss are great targets for Jason Campbell, but their offense can’t really sustain drives.  It doesn’t help that the offensive line can’t protect Campbell either. He’s third in the league as far as being sacked goes. He’s also fumbled the ball 8 times, losing 3 of them. Sherman Williams has been handling play calling duties, and to no one’s surprise, the Skins’ are still exposed on offense. If you look at the Redskins’ stat page, you can see they’ve tried every play in the book to find something that’s going to be effective. They’ve had 9 different players rush this season, and 3 different players take a snap. They’re going to have a helluva time against a fired up Broncos defense.       

Defense

Broncos - The Broncos now sit 8th for rush defense and 7th for pass defense. It’s a blessing they don’t have to worry about Portis, and they can concentrate on getting to Campbell and coverage downfield. Campbell has been sacked 25 times already and this Broncos defense is 3rd in the league in sacks. Campbell doesn’t handle pressure well at all and he has trouble connecting in the red zone. The Broncos could have a field day if their defense is back to normal. D.J. Williams is leading the team in total tackles, while Elvis Dumervil is 2nd in the league in sacks (10.5), and a handful of players have interceptions. This week will be good practice for new safety Ty Law to become more familiar with the defense. After two rough weeks of hard-nosed defense, the Broncos offense needs to do their best to give the defense a break.      

Redskins-  The Redskins are #1 in pass defense and #25 in rush defense. DeAngelo Hall has 3 INTs on the season. Reed Doughty, LaRon Landry, Carlos Rogers, and Fred Smoot are the notable players covering the Skins’ backfield. Call Albert Haynesworth overpaid or dirty, but he clogs the middle of the field, and has helped the Skins’ to their #1 pass defense ranking by calling attention towards him. That’s allowed London Fletcher, Andre Carter, and rookie Brian Orakpo to stand out defensively. They are able to pressure opposing QBs into bad passes where their secondary can intercept or deflect balls. Their defensive line is big, but quick. They are going to challenge Denver’s o-line tremendously. The Broncos could really use Ryan Harris out there, but as long as the Broncos are balanced offensively, I think it will throw the Skins’ defense off.   

Special Teams  

Broncos - I still think Brett Kern is a better punter than Mitch Berger. It was frustrating watching him during the Steelers game. Keep an eye on him to see if he can help the defense out a bit. 

Redskins-  Shaun Suisham is perfect on the year for field goals. Rock Cartwright handles kick returns and he’s averaging 23 yards per return. Antwaan Randle El and Santana Moss are taking care of punt returns, but have not broken out for a big play.

Coaching

Broncos -  Josh McDaniels knows this is a must win game. He will probably focus more on balanced play calling despite the Skins’ talent covering the pass. He will call a more conservative game than usual just to get the offense flowing and Kyle Orton’s confidence up to par.        

Redskins- Jim Zorn is just on the sidelines to take up space, and give the occasional pep talk. Mr. Positive had his play calling rights revoked weeks ago. Dan Snyder will wait until the season is over to fire him. Until then, it’s about keeping games competitive. Give the upper hand to McD – who should run away with this game.

GO BRONCOS!!!

  ]]> http://predominantlyorange.com/2009/11/13/broncos-vs-redskins-preview/feed/ 0