Broncos Hump Day Hot Reads: Broncos Survive Jags To Move To 6-0

Oct 13, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno (27) runs the ball during the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Whoop Whoop!  The Broncos improved to 6-0 this weekend with their 35-19 win over the Jaguars.  Unfortunately, the Chiefs also improved to 6-0 and these two are now the only unbeatens in the NFL. The Broncos were favored by 28 points over Jacksonville but didn’t cover the spread. Knowshon Moreno scored three touchdowns for the Broncos in their win. Orlando Franklin had to leave the game with an injury but the Broncos stille escaped with a solid win. Here is what I liked, what I didn’t like, and what’s up next for the Broncos.

What I Liked

Winning Ugly

Obviously, winning ugly is not ideal but it is good for a team to be battle tested in scenarios like this rather than just blowing by every opponent. The Broncos definitely didn’t play their best game on Sunday but still moved to 6-0. This is the second week in a row that they did not play great but still got a win, which is very encouraging. Another encouraging thing is that Von Miller is able to return from his suspension this week which should give the struggling defense a boost. The defense will need to be better than the last two weeks, when they gave up 48 points to the Cowboys last week and allowed Justin Blackmon to have a huge game this week. Between the injuries the Broncos have had and Miller’s suspension, the Broncos have done a great job to stay unblemished.

What I Didn’t Like

Turnovers

The Broncos had 3 turnovers against the Jaguars this week, two fumbles and an interception that allowed the Jaguars to stay in the game. The fumbles were both fumbled snaps, which is very frustrating because the running backs had been the ones coughing the ball up, but the running backs were not the problem this week. The interception was a bad throw by Peyton Manning, which turned into a pick-six by Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny.  The Broncos were able to overcome these turnovers this week but against other teams it will be much more difficult to have turnovers like this and still win.

What’s Next

Broncos at Colts

It’s Manning’s homecoming Sunday night in Indianapolis this weekend when the Broncos travel to take on the 4-2 Colts. The Colts are coming off a loss Monday night to the Broncos’ division rival, the San Diego Chargers. The Broncos defense will need to continue to shut down the run and keep Trent Richardson in check. The Broncos will also need to put pressure on Andrew Luck if they want to have success, and with this guy coming back they should do a better job of that.

Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. MST.

Make sure you follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook and on Twitter.