Denver Broncos: 4 sensational stats that defined the win over Giants

The Denver Broncos got the win against the New York Giants, and they did so in impressive fashion. Here are five sensational stats that defined the victory.

The Denver Broncos got themselves a win in September and for Vic Fangio, that was his first as a head coach of the team. Although the win came at a cost (Jerry Jeudy, at least for a bit), it was one of the most impressive season-opening victories the Denver Broncos have had in quite some time.

In terms of just controlling the game and playing well in all phases, it was probably the best victory the Denver Broncos have had in a season opener since Peyton Manning threw seven touchdowns against the Baltimore Ravens in the 2013 opener.

Digging into games statistically is always fun, but especially after victories. It’s not just the fact that the Denver Broncos won a game, but how?

There were a number of huge individual performances in this game as well as a variety of key team stats that contributed to the win against the New York Giants that are worth some extra attention.

Let’s take a look through five sensational stats that helped define this victory.

Denver Broncos: 5 game-defining stats vs. Giants

1. 35:08

Time of possession.

In this game against the New York Giants, time of possession was a critical stat for the Denver Broncos.

Let’s make one thing clear, though — time of possession doesn’t matter at all if you’re not converting that time with the ball in your possession into points.

Case in point.

The Denver Broncos were fifth in the NFL this past week in time of possession, and only two teams in the top five of this category won their respective games (Chargers were the other).

Although it took them most of the first half to finally get into the end zone, the Denver Broncos ended up with 27 points in this game to show for their time holding onto the ball, seven points more than they scored a season ago on average.

The 35:08 time of possession was also more than six minutes longer than the Broncos had the ball on average in a game a season ago.

Vic Fangio calls that kind of ball movement “matriculating” and the Broncos did that expertly against a tough Giants defense.

2. 21.52 (miles per hour)

Who was the fastest ball carrier in week one of the NFL season?

Melvin Gordon, that’s who.

This run by Gordon and top speed of 21.52 miles per hour would have ranked in the top 15 of the entire 2020 season as well, proving that Melvin Gordon is apparently much faster than anyone really thought he was.

Of course, compared to most of us, Gordon is insanely fast. But he’s certainly been known more for his power and ability to grind out yardage in the NFL.

He put the victory against the New York Giants on ice with one of the most impressive runs of his entire career, a 70-yard burst.

How about this for a bonus Melvin Gordon statistic?

Since he came into the league in 2015 out of Wisconsin, Gordon has three runs of 65 yards or longer. Two of those have been as a member of the Denver Broncos.

Gordon also now has 11 total touchdowns in his first 16 games with the Denver Broncos. I wonder how many fans are still bummed about the contract he received.

3. 3-for-3

One of the most critical stats from this game that defined the win, maybe the most critical stat?

The Denver Broncos were 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions.

Kudos to Vic Fangio for being willing to go for these plays. He admitted after the game that the decisions to go for it were not unanimously approved by the rest of the coaching staff, but Fangio went with his gut and it paid off.

He did use the Baltimore Ravens from a couple of seasons ago as a cautionary tale as a team that went for it a lot on fourth down and was successful a lot, but also that they got burned in the postseason when attempting some fourth downs.

Denver Broncos fans shouldn’t expect this kind of dice rolling every single game, but against the New York Giants and Daniel Jones with your defense playing rather well, it was a worthwhile risk.

Now, the double-edged sword here is that the Broncos have to be a little bit better on third down, but it is definitely notable that Fangio kept his offense on the field and actually ran plays with success in this one.

What else does this do besides show that the head coach has confidence in his offense?

It’s going to make defenses jumpy throughout the rest of the season. The Denver Broncos will have to prove they are willing to go for it more times than just these three, but think about future 4th-and-3 attempts from the opposing defensive perspective.

A hard count from Teddy Bridgewater and no plans to actually go for it could result in first downs for the Denver Broncos.

The aggressiveness from Vic Fangio here has long-term benefits as well as obviously being huge for the Denver Broncos winning this game.

4. 77.8

Seventy-seven point eight.

As in completion percentage.

As in extremely accurate.

With one throwaway and two drops, Teddy Bridgewater had an adjusted completion percentage in this game of 85.7 percent.

Even without adjusting the completion percentage, the percentage that will go down in the record books was already record-setting as far as the Denver Broncos go.

No quarterback in Denver Broncos history has a higher completion percentage in their debut start than Teddy Bridgewater’s 77.8 percent completion rate in this game against the New York Giants.

Remarkable.

It should be noted also — Bridgewater was 14th in the NFL in air yards per attempt (8.4) this past week, proving that he wasn’t just dumping the ball off every play, either.

His QB rating of 115.7 was the 10th-best in the NFL in week one, and his overall performance graded out as the best in football at the QB position according to Pro Football Focus.

Bridgewater was one of the best when he had a clean pocket, he was one of the best under pressure.

Denver Broncos: Teddy Bridgewater leads top 5 stars of week one

The Denver Broncos won their first game of the 2021 season. Teddy Bridgewater leads the top five stars of the week for the Broncos.

You’ve got to tip your cap to the guy after a stellar week one performance.