The winless Denver Broncos are headed to South Beach for their first road game of the 2023-24 season against the undefeated Miami Dolphins, who boast the number-one offense in the league.
The Broncos offense with Sean Payton has looked way better compared to last season's with Nathaniel Hackett, but the defense has looked terrible in the first two games, a big problem for the team alongside the third quarter.
As I mentioned before, Miami has the number one offense in the NFL right now, averaging 462.5 yards per game, 133 more per game compared to the Broncos. Their average points per game is 30, which is six more points than the Broncos. With that being said, let's take a look at how the Denver Broncos can win this game...
1. Second Half, especially third quarter:
The Denver Broncos have been awful in the second half, especially in the third quarter in both previous games, against the Raiders and against the Commanders. The Broncos' offense has been great in the first half, scoring 13 points against Las Vegas and 21 against Washington.
Both, the Dolphins and Broncos have been bad teams in the third quarter so far in the season, as Denver has scored three, and Miami seven third-quarter points respectively. The Broncos have had 13-10, and 21-14 leads going into halftime, but have been outscored 7-3 and 21-12 in the second half of both games.
Regarding offensive three-and-outs in the second half, the Broncos have had one, which was against Washington in the opening drive of the 3rd quarter in Week 2.
Quarterback Russell Wilson spoke on the situation ...
""We have to play cleaner in the 3rd quarter. Coming out, the 3rd quarter is a really important quarter, especially when we get the ball first.""Russell Wilson (via Broncos PR)
The Broncos should take advantage that Miami has not been a good third-quarter team, but they should improve defensively...
2. Have a good and consistent run game from the first snap
Establishing a good and consistent run game with Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine from the beginning of the game will be key for the Broncos, due to multiple reasons. The Broncos signed tackle Mike McGlinchey who is a great run blocker, and guard Ben Powers. Additionally, Quinn Meinerz has been the second-highest-graded offensive guard so far in the season by Pro Football Focus, and Javonte Williams has looked more comfortable, so why not establish a consistent running game?
By establishing a consistent run game since the beginning of the game, the Broncos will be able to easily run the clock and they will avoid having the defense on the field.
The Miami Dolphins allowed 239 rushing yards to the Chargers on 41 attempts, which is 5.83 yards per attempt, and they allowed 88 rushing yards to the Patriots in 25 attempts, which is 3.52 yards per attempt. Which on average is 33 attempts for 163.5 yards and 4.95 yards per carry per game. Miami has allowed four rushing touchdowns in their first two games.
3. Explosive plays with Mims:
Like Miami has Tyreek Hill as their deep threat, the Denver Broncos have rookie Marvin Mims, and they traded up to draft him, despite receiver not being their top "need" going into the Draft. Miami's secondary is good but not great, according to PFF, Miami's highest-graded cornerback is Kader Kohou, at 76, not even Xavien Howard.
Mims destroyed Washington's secondary in the first half of their week 2 matchup, with 113 receiving yards in only two receptions. The first one was a 60-yard catch that was a touchdown, and the second one was a 53-yard catch, both in the first half. He was not targeted in the second half.
With Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton getting more attention, Russell Wilson should take advantage of Mims and make those big plays. Mims can easily beat Miami's defenders in one-on-one deep plays.
Obviously, there are more ways the Broncos can defeat the Miami Dolphins in week three, but these are three that could be worth mentioning ...
Can the Broncos upset the Dolphins on the road and win their first game of the season?