Denver Broncos: 3 biggest things to watch out for in Week 2 against Washington

Can the Denver Broncos get their first win of the season in Week 2?

Washington Football Team v Denver Broncos
Washington Football Team v Denver Broncos | Justin Edmonds/GettyImages
1 of 3

The Denver Broncos now already enter a must-win game in Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season. What should we look out for against the Washington Commanders? In Week 1, the Broncos fell to the Las Vegas Raiders, and it was an interesting game. The defense held the Raiders' rushing attack in check and held the offense to 17 points.

That would certainly be a recipe for success, but Denver had quite a few penalties, only six offensive drives, and kicker Will Lutz missed four points worth of kicks. Russell Wilson was very efficient and the Broncos' run game was also able to churn up yards. It just felt like a weird game overall, but the Broncos have a chance to get back on track against the Commanders, a team that needed the entire game to beat the lowly Arizona Cardinals by four points.

On paper and otherwise, Denver should win this game, and at this point, I think it's a must-win for them already. What are the three biggest things we should be looking out for in this matchup?

Denver Broncos: 3 biggest things to watch out for in Week 2 against Washington
1. Damarri Mathis having another tough test

The Washington Commanders have a nice stable of wide receivers that will keep Damarri Mathis busy. Their top three receivers are Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, and Curtis Samuel. While the trio isn't as good as what the Raiders fielded last week, Mathis will surely be forced to cover all three of these players at some point.

Mathis probably had the worst game of his career last week, giving up a ton of receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He was a true liability in coverage and got tested quite a bit because of how lockdown Patrick Surtain II is. With Caden Sterns out for the year and K'Waun Williams still out for a while, the secondary has taken a hit, and if Mathis is going to continue to struggle, this unit is a lot weaker than most of us thought.

Schedule