Denver Broncos: Brock Osweiler must break out on MNF

Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler needs a breakout game on Monday Night Football, not just for the present issues surrounding the team, but for his future…

It’s not an overreaction if it pertains to the NFL. I think Brock Osweiler needs a big game against the Cincinnati Bengals, not just because the present status of the 10-4 Broncos (in danger of dropping to second place with a loss) but because of his future standing with the organization hangs in the balance.

In six games worth of work, Osweiler has managed to throw just eight touchdown passes to go along with four interceptions. It hasn’t been spectacular, but it hasn’t been awful either. Osweiler has been excellent at times between the 20s, but when it comes to punching the ball into the end zone, he’s struggled with that dating back to his first pre-season action with the team.

The lack of touchdowns, specifically in the second half, has been troublesome for the Broncos, who have lost four of their last seven games and have seen a five game lead in the division dwindle to just half a game with the Monday Night contest against the Bengals looking more and more like a probable game-changer for this season.

And it all rests on Osweiler’s (good) shoulder.

After blowing first half leads of 12 and 14 points in consecutive weeks, it’s become more than apparent that the Broncos’ issues offensively are more glaring than just the former scapegoat, Peyton Manning. The inability to consistently run the football, the dropped passes, the play-calling issues, and the general lack of communication in pass protection give the Broncos the look of a team that should be fighting for an 8-8 record rather than a team that should be competing for the Super Bowl.

At least the defense has held up its end of the bargain, ranking first in the NFL in total defense and continually providing the offense opportunities, but there’s only so much they can do when the offense is giving up field position in the second half and Britton Colquitt is utterly incapable of doing the job he gets paid plenty of money to do.

And yet, here we are again, talking about how meaningful this game is specifically for the quarterback. Obviously Brock Osweiler needs to find a way to win this game so the Broncos have a chance to not only play for a Super Bowl title but to even make the playoffs in the first place.

Osweiler needs to prove that he can be a franchise quarterback. He needs to show the entire football world that he is not just some meager replacement for a legend that will be an afterthought once the season is completed. He needs to stake his claim on the starting job and do it with some flair.

We haven’t seen a full game put on by Osweiler that we could really hang our hats on and say, “Man, that guy looks like the future franchise QB of the Denver Broncos.”

Just six games in, perhaps that expectation is a bit unfair, but this is more than just a Monday Night Football game — this is about the present and future of the Denver Broncos, and it has everything to do with Brock Osweiler.