Denver Broncos Proved they can be Special After Week 1
After the Denver Broncos’ week 1 victory over the New York Giants, they quickly proved why they can be a special team in 2021.
The 2021 Denver Broncos can be special.
I know, it might be an overreaction, but I really mean it.
Every year it seems like we hype up the Broncos in some way.
Many of us were expecting Drew Lock to make a giant leap in year two — as did some among the national media.
Lots of us thought Joe Flacco was going to be a perfect solution for a team with a strong defense.
And many of us thought Case Friggin’ Keenum would be enough to put the Broncos over the edge.
Could Teddy Bridgewater, after all of these years, really be that guy?
Well, he may not have the same impact on a team that great quarterbacks in the NFL do, but he can certainly help the team’s cause.
What we saw on Sunday was a total and complete drubbing of a good, well-coached football team.
The 2020 New York Giants made great strides that they are trying to bring into this year. After beginning the season 0-5, they finished 6-5, had the 9th best scoring defense and were the 5th least penalized team in the NFL in 2020.
Don’t let anyone take your strong feelings of this game away from you, and don’t let them tell you the Broncos cannot be great.
The Denver Broncos have one of the easiest remaining schedules in the NFL this year, and their next two games are against rookie quarterbacks on bad teams.
Teddy Bridgewater completed 78% of his passes, threw for over 250 yards and two touchdowns against a really, really good secondary.
The Denver Broncos’ defense came to play when it mattered most–there was no “bend but don’t break” nonsense in week 1, like we’ve been accustomed to seeing for years. Instead, they were in control.
Vic Fangio showed some cojones when he decided to go for it on fourth down, not once, not twice, but three times.
The Denver Broncos also dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for over 35 minutes, giving their defense time to rest, something they struggled with in recent years.
The Broncos also had a balanced attack, rushing for over 150 yards, and scoring touchdowns through the air, on the ground, and put points up on special teams.
They scored 27 total points, which would have ranked 10th in the NFL in 2020 for points per game.
Their defense also held the Giants’ offense to just 13 points, a number that would rank at the top of the league every season.
John Elway, for all the criticism he gets, was able to piece together three very solid drafts before he stepped down as General Manager.
We have seen and are beginning to see more these draft picks have begun to become regular and elite contributors for the Broncos.
Players like Bradley Chubb and Courtland Sutton are franchise cornerstones, and at the very top at their positions.
Josey Jewell has played very well since the beginning of 2020 and has proved to be an above-average starting linebacker.
Dalton Risner is one of the better guards in the NFL and has Pro Bowl-level talent.
Noah Fant, who was statistically a top 7 tight end last year, is set to explode in 2021.
Dre’Mont Jones, another 2019 draft pick, has quietly turned into a quality starter
Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler are both young, exciting receivers who have high-end potential.
For all the quarterback carousel jokes the Broncos have had to endure for the past six seasons, they have slowly but surely undergone a total roster makeover.
They have young studs on both sides of the ball, and savvy veterans mixed in.
They have elite players on all three sides of the ball–including special teams.
The Denver Broncos have to eventually put it all together. History shows us that bad teams don’t stay bad forever.
Even if they only enjoy success for a couple of seasons, bad teams, or underperforming teams eventually break through the chains of mediocrity.
The Broncos have been a bad team since 2017. They’ve endured four seasons of yuck, but that inside that yuck has been strong draft picks, solid free agent signings, and hope.