On the next edition of the Denver Broncos Fanzone, I chat with Predominantly Orange writer Shelby Manning and get her takes on the Broncos after one week.
Well, Monday night did not go as Broncos Country had hoped as the team fell flat in the first half. That ended up becoming the difference in the Denver Broncos’ 24-16 loss to the Oakland Raiders. But there are still 15 more games left in the season.
A loss in week one should be no reason to panic, at least for the Denver Broncos. A tough road game against a divisional opponent is never an easy task. But the team needs to learn from the loss and get back to even against the Chicago Bears this weekend.
I look for this to be a defensive, low scoring game. It could very well come down to the final play of the game to decide this one. Hopefully that will go in favor of the Denver Broncos in week two.
As far as the fanzone is concerned, we are continuing it as I sat down with Shelby Manning, who joined the Predominantly Orange staff over the offseason. I, for one, am very excited to have her join the team.
Let us see what she has to say about the Denver Broncos one week into the season.
After Denver’s loss to the Oakland Raiders, what do you believe was the biggest reason behind the loss? Is it something that the team can learn from and get better?
I think the biggest reason behind the loss was that the team seems to have simply been unprepared in all three phases. Denver was outplayed and out coached in all three phases. Oakland looked ready to play and Denver did not.
Perhaps the limited snaps the starters saw in the preseason made them rusty. However, if I have to pick a big factor, it was how easily Derek Carr was able to pick apart the defense and the lack of any pressure on Carr.
Despite the loss, was there one player on the Broncos that impressed you the most and why?
The most impressive guy on Monday night was definitely Courtland Sutton. He proved to be a tough task for the Raiders secondary and going forward, he is going to be a matchup nightmare for defenses to game plan around. He really is coming into his own.
What is your favorite all time memory as a fan of the Denver Broncos?
This is so hard to choose! Champ Bailey in his prime was fun. Being only 23, I was too young to see the Super Bowls live and actually remember them.
I may get hate for this, but the Tebow season was so much fun and so electrifying. We were never out of it with Tebow. The 2013 Broncos offense was so much fun, even though that season ended in heartbreak. The 2015 Super Bowl season has to be my favorite and crushing “SuperCam” in the Super Bowl.
The Broncos are set to take on the Bears this weekend. What is the key to a win?
Key to the win is the pass rush needs to be more active than against Oakland. If the front seven can make Trubisky uncomfortable, he makes mistakes. This is something the Broncos need to capitalize on. If the team is struggling in the first half, the coaching staff needs to be proactive in making half time adjustments as well.
Which player do you believe will have a bounce back performance and why?
I believe Von Miller bounces back this weekend after hardly hearing his name on Monday. Trent Brown was able to keep Von Miller away from Derek Carr, but I don’t believe the Bears line will have this much success. Hopefully he gets sack #99 and #100 this weekend.
Thank You Shelby for taking the time out to chat with me. If you want to see what she has been working on with us at Predominantly Orange, you can check it out here.