Denver Broncos 5 keys to victory vs Washington Commanders

As the Denver Broncos prepare for their Week 2 matchup vs. the Washington Commanders, pressure rises for Denver to perform at a high level on both sides of the ball against a rather less difficult opponent. If the Broncos are a legitimate playoff contender, then they can prove that with their first win of the season coming in Week 2 against a team that should be an easy victory on the win column because from here on out, the opponents do not get much easier.

While the Washington Commanders did start off their season with a win over the Arizona Cardinals, there are weaknesses on the roster that the Broncos can exploit and attack in a multitude of ways. Denver can absolutely not afford to begin their 2023 season with back-to-back losses and it starts by winning as many positional matchups on Sunday as possible.

1. Contain Commanders WRs Curtis Samuel and Jahan Dotson

One of a few reasons the Broncos dropped their season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders was a result of poor coverage in the secondary, mostly in part from second-year corner Damarri Mathis. If the Broncos want to shut down Washington's speedy wide receiver core, the secondary will first have to be on the same page and maintain good communication throughout all four quarters. There were too many instances last week where players were not executing their assignments but defensive playcalling as well seemed a bit odd at times.

Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will have to come into this matchup with an entirely different game plan against a young offense looking to spread the field. Washington was not explosive by any means in the passing game in their season opener against the Arizona Cardinals however, their weapons should be respected. The reason for star WR Terry McLaurin not being mentioned? Well, the best corner in football will be assigned to shadow him around.