With the divisional round set, Brandon Marianne Lee and I discuss the Broncos’ 2015 regular season and this weekend’s matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Well Broncos Country, the team is now one of the final eight in the league. With Wild Card weekend in the books, it is time to focus on the AFC Divisional Round.
By virtue of the Steelers beating the Bengals, the Broncos get to welcome the team from Western Pennsylvania to the Mile High City. Because the Broncos are the No. 1 seed, they face the lowest remaining seed from the Wild Card round. The sixth seed is as low as it can go.
This will be a rematch of the Week 15 matchup that took place at Heinz Field just a little under a month ago. The Broncos went into halftime with a 27-13 lead, but failed to come out in the second half as the Steelers outscored them 21-0 in the final 30 minutes.
There is no doubt that the Broncos will be looking to get some “Pey-back” from that 34-27 defeat. And speaking of Pey, one of the greatest of all time quarterbacks will be in the huddle. Peyton Manning will be starting his first game since Week 10 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
This season has been quite the rollercoaster ride. And since we still have that to catch up on, I have decided to make this fanzone article a recap of the regular season and a brief look at this weekend’s matchup.
For that, I got to talk to Brandon Marianne Lee. She is the Co-Founder over at Her Fantasy Football and provides daily football analysis over at FanDuel. Her wisdom on fantasy is quite impressive. We sat for a few moments and talked about the Broncos 12-4 season and spent a few minutes talking about the divisional matchup.
As we know, the Broncos defeated the Chargers in the regular season finale and secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC. I asked Brandon what she was most impressed by in that game.
“I am most impressed by the flexibility of our two quarterbacks. Brock Osweiler’s affable nature was almost unsettling, but in this current situation, it’s what we need.”
“I’m a rather competitive person and if I had my job stolen from me in that matter, I would have lost my mind. However, we must really tip our hat to the defense. Without them, we are nowhere. Absolutely nowhere.”
I could not agree more Brandon. I mentioned how Osweiler was such a good sport about it when the press talked to him and his ability to recognize that a spark was needed in order to help the team was required.
And as we have said here many times, that defense is something special. This could be the unit that gets us to the promise land for the first time in quite some time.
As we all know, Manning played for the first time since partially tearing his plantar fascia, which was made light of in the Week 10 matchup against the Chiefs. So I must ask Brandon what she thought of Manning’s performance and if she saw enough of him to be convinced that he is ready to play?
“I believe that he was fine. More importantly he clearly got a reality check. Peyton Manning is not the same athlete he once was. Whom among us is the same as we are? I ask you. He completed five of nine passes for 69 yards.”
“But you know as well as I do that defenses have to defend against the pass against Manning in a different way than they do against Osweiler. That in turn opens up the run.”
“We need to run and lean on our defense. I believe that the time that Manning spent out due to injury brought him to that conclusion. I am still a Manning fan.”
Good points Brandon. Especially for the playoffs, the Broncos are going to need both of those units (run game and defense) to really step up. If you can run the ball in January, you have a good shot at winning a game. And of course, the old saying goes… “Defense wins Championships.”
A healthy dose of C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman, with a big hearty helping of Orange Crush defense will lead the way.
One unit that will definitely need to step things up is the offensive line. Michael Schofield was benched when Manning came in and replaced by Tyler Polumbus. It went almost unnoticed. But fans started to recognize it. So I asked Brandon if she thinks putting Polumbus in the lineup might help the offensive line.
“Yes and no. The chemistry on the O-Line is No. 1. I hear conflicting reports about chemistry, so I am going to defer to the coaches on this one. However, the O-Line must be a priority this offseason, regardless of the playoff outcome.”
“It’s not only a quarterback protection problem, but obviously the run was abysmal nine times out of ten.”
Agreed Brandon. I have been sick to my stomach when it came to the offensive line not holding strong. And I will agree that this offseason should be focused on finding the offensive line that will keep the quarterback’s jersey clean and open up holes for the running game.
Looking at the flip side, the Broncos defense had some great numbers to end the year. Tops in pass defense, total yards, and sacks. So, Brandon, what has made this unit so special and could they play a big part in the postseason?
“I am incredibly excited about cheering for this version of my Broncos that leans on the defense to win. Two years ago I knew that we’d lose to the Seahawks because we didn’t have a defense. Last year was an improvement, but I knew we’d lose to the Colts because Manning was so hurt.”
“This year, however, I can’t see a reason why we’d absolutely lose. Our defense is elite. Manning is rested up and healthy. We even have another quarterback with a decent amount of NFL experience. In a weird way, this maybe our best shot.”
Interesting take on that. Two years is a memory that I would love to forget, but it brings a good point. John Elway saw that Seattle defense and knew that a high powered offense was great, but what good was it if they can’t score against a stout defense. So, for the past two years, he’s been gathering the players needed to get to this point.
If he can re-sign some key talent in the offseason, I look for this unit to be a tough one to beat for years to come.
So, as Kubiak made note last Thursday, Manning will be starting for the Broncos. Therefore we must know, does Brandon believe that he gives us the best chance to win?
“I agree with Kubiak’s decision to go with Manning. I’m sure there was a “real” conversation about how he could be pulled at any moment. And frankly, I believe Kubiak. He did it before.”
“If Manning can keep to the game script, lean on the run and the defense, then we are good to go. If he improvises and starts throwing interceptions, then he’ll get pulled and it will be his own fault. I think everyone knows the score, therefore, I am okay with it.”
Very true Brandon. We know now that Kubaik is willing to do whatever it takes to win a game now. Especially since those second half collapses against the Raiders and Steelers. The key is to adjust when the opponent adjusts as well.
We haven’t gotten a chance to really talk about the game, so I wanted to ask Brandon what her prediction was for this game and if she had any bold predictions as well.
“This week will be a challenge. Much of my thoughts about this game is tied into whether or not Antonio Brown can play. I hope that Brown didn’t get to into Harris Jr’s head. Frankly, having home field advantage is huge for us. It is cold, the other team needs oxygen due to the altitude, ect.”
“My final score prediction as the injuries stand at this particular moment, is 34-27. Same score as last time, but with the Broncos on top.”
We can all agree that the health of Big Ben and Antonio Brown is going to play a key part in this game. Recent reports are saying that Ben will be good to go, but how will he perform with a hurt shoulder and that Brown is looking like he could miss the game.
But we shall see when we get there. Before we close out, I asked Brandon one more question. Who is your MVP for the Broncos this season?
“Chris Harris Jr. I know he had a tough going against Brown, but he’s been clutch for years. This week, I hope he gets a chance to exact revenge and hold him to minimal yards and keep him out of the endzone. He deserves it.”
“Prior to that sad, sad outing, Harris Jr. didn’t surrender a touchdown for 35 games. As of now, Brown is going through the concussion protocol and I hope he is healthy enough to play. I hope all players are healthy. (I don’t EVER wish injuries on players.)”
“I believe in Chris Harris Jr. and I am extremely thankful and proud that he is a Bronco. Let’s do this!”
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Well said Brandon. I would have to agree. He will be a big part of the defense for years to come. Thank You for taking the time out for this interview.
If you want to learn more about Brandon’s job over at Her Fantasy Football, follow the link here. And I sure hope to have you back here next season. Go Broncos!