Broncos Fanzone: Quick takes with Ryan Edwards

This week, I chat with Ryan Edwards from KOA News Radio to get his takes on the Broncos.

It is Raiders week for the Denver Broncos as the team is set for their first visit to Las Vegas to take on their AFC West rivals. It will be the first meeting of the season. Last year, the team’s split the series. It was rare to see the same teams face off to begin the season and end the season.

Denver almost lost both meetings, but a Shelby Harris bat down on the two-point conversion kept that from happening. As a result, Denver would finish the season second place in the AFC West.

This game has a lot of history. More of it will be added on Sunday as the Broncos play in Vegas for the first time. Hopefully Drew Lock and company can get the Vegas rivalry era off on the right foot.

With this being a huge midseason matchup, I have brought a special guest this week. Ryan Edwards is part of KOA News Radio. Most of Broncos Country knows him from his Broncos Country Tonight show.

Let us see what he has to say about the state of the Denver Broncos.

Ty: The Broncos suffered a tough loss on Sunday to Atlanta. What went wrong in that game in your opinion?

Ryan: I think a lot of people noticed that Denver got off to a slow start. It happened against the Chargers and it happened here again against the Falcons. It starts with the run. You have Gordon and Lindsay recording 10 yards on six carries. Overall, they were not running the ball effectively.

I thought Drew Lock overall made some good decisions. There are some things to build on. There is some miscommunication happening between the interior offensive line and Drew Lock. Finding out where the pressure is coming from, it is also post snap when Lock has the ball in his hands. What is he doing to trust the offensive line and what is the offensive line doing to gain trust from Lock. They are working out some things, but it is the combination of a perfect storm.

Ty: Over the last couple games, the Broncos have dealt with slow starts. Do you believe the shortened practices due to the world pandemic is the reason behind it due to limited practices or is there something more?

Ryan: I think it is pretty clear that COVID has affected them. Whether it is Graham Glasgow or Shelby Harris not being available. Or it could be practice time. Missing the preseason, we leaned on every team experiencing that, there are no excuses. Just because it is a fact doesn’t mean it effects you. Every team is different in their experiences. Just because Justin Herbert is off to a really hot start does not mean that the Broncos should be off to a hot start.

Pat Shurmur mentioned this week that Denver treated the first four games of the season as preseason. You hate to do that because they count, but they needed that time. I think this team is starting to get their feet under them. You are seeing the ability to move the ball, especially in the second half and to do some more explosive things on offense.

Ty: With the season halfway completed, what is your honest assessment on where the Broncos will be at the end of the season?

Ryan: It is a tough schedule, especially when you are playing inconsistently. In this league, you cannot do that in any of the phases. Each game, Denver has had some facet of their game let them down. For me, what I want to see is for the team to play some complete games. I’d like to see all three phases work together, play complimentary football, and not put each other in bad situations. Build on that into the future. I believe this team has a bright future.

Ty: The Broncos travel to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders. What will it take to get the win in the Sin City?

Ryan: The thing that I hammered home this week is converting on third down and in the red zone. They have shown improvement in the red zone, but Denver is one of the worst in the league when it comes to third down conversion.

Their down and distance is the worst in the league, averaging 8.3 yards to go on third down. They only convert 37-percent of third downs at that distance. But you saw when it was third and manageable, they were able to convert that with ease. All three of their wins were when they had great success on third down. You will need to get to third down and five or less. Work towards that and you will get first downs and get touchdowns.

Ty: Which Broncos player on the roster do you believe will have an effect on Sunday’s game?

Ryan: We mentioned to getting back to run the ball. I’d like to see Phillip Lindsay involved a bit more. Get him more involved in the 20’s, have Melvin Gordon be in a little more of the situational, third down back. The mix of those two could work out well.

Thank You Ryan for taking the time out to chat with me. Check out his show, Broncos Country Tonight, from 7 PM-11PM MST on weekdays and on where you listen to your podcasts. Hope the Broncos can right the ship soon. And if you would like to listen/watch the full interview, you can find it here. Go Broncos!