2013 Broncos Season: Week Two

Another week, another Broncos' victory. This time Peyton moved to 3-0 in Manning bowls as Denver gets off to a hot start.

Week 2: Broncos 41, Giants 23
Season Record: 2-0 (1-0 Home)
Key Play: After the Giants benefitted from some defensive penalties and scored on a one-yard touchdown run from Brandon Jacobs to make it 17-16 in the third quarter, the Broncos came storming back. Knowshon Moreno, who had recovered and advanced a fumble from teammate Demaryius Thomas earlier in the drive, broke free on a 25-yard touchdown scamper, his second of the day, to make it 24-16. That added pressure led to sloppy play from the Giants, who imploded in the fourth quarter to lose by 18 points at home.

Recap: In two weeks, the Broncos have faced two preseason favorites — the Baltimore Ravens and New York Giants — and dispatched them with ease. The team is averaging 45 points a game, and appears to have a fairly unstoppable offense. What was impressive in week two — also a road contest — was that the Broncos made plays in all three phases of the game. Despite missing Von Miller and Champ Bailey for a second straight game, the Broncos defense pressured Eli Manning, bottled up the Giants running game, and made four interceptions. Some were poor decisions/throws from Eli, but the Broncos coverage was stout. Three of the interceptions came on receivers that were triple covered. That is a promising sign, especially considering the Giants pass offense looked good the previous week in Dallas. On special teams, Trindon Holliday showed why he is an electric return man, probably the best returner the Broncos' have ever had. To salt away the game late, Holliday picked up a punt on a bounce and took it to the house, building a 38-16 lead. Those kind of dynamic returns can change games and are invaluable. On offense, Peyton had a quiet game. He threw for 307 yards and two scores, but it was a quietly confident performance. For the season, he has nearly 800 yards passing, nine touchdown passes, and no interceptions. He's off to an even better start than last year, if you can believe it. But probably most heartening was that the Broncos finally got the running game going. While I still think Montee Ball should be on the bench, Knowshon Moreno gave the Broncos' offense balance. He appears to have established himself as the No. 1 option for the team on the ground.

Game Balls:
* Knowshon Moreno. After Willis McGahee got hurt last year, Moreno came in and led the Broncos rushing attack well. Despite that, heading into the season he wasn't high on the depth chart. In preseason he looked like the most effective running back and got the job. On Sunday, we saw why. He ran for 93 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries and looked sharp as a pass catcher and blocker as well. Finally, Moreno is showing why he was a top draft pick four years ago.

* Trindon Holliday. He always makes returns exciting. He had a couple good ones on Sunday, but the crown jewel was an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Having an aces return man is a weapon, and that's what the Broncos have.

* Julius Thomas. Finally getting a chance to play, Thomas continues to shine. Week one was not a fluke. Thomas followed that up with six catches for 47 yards and a touchdown.

* Broncos' secondary. The Broncos came up with four big interceptions on Sunday. Despite some questionable calls, the Broncos held the Giants offense in check even without Champ Bailey in the lineup.

Areas of Concern:
* Montee Ball. In week one, some argued Ball didn't get enough carries to show what he can do. On Sunday, he got 12 carries and ran for just 16 yards with a fumble in the end zone that killed the first quarter momentum for the Broncos. He had a couple receptions, but he still doesn't look good.

* Ronnie Hillman. He must be in the dog house. Hillman had fumble problems in the preseason, but he has an explosive burst. On Sunday, he got just one carry. I would much prefer to see him over Ball, but we'll have to see how it goes.

* Slow starts. It seems funny to criticize a team that is averaging 45 points a game, but the Broncos have done almost all their damage in the second half. The team posted 35 points in the second half against the Ravens and 31 points in the second half Sunday. In the first half, just 14 points week one and 10 points Sunday. The team closes well, but it would be nice to see them get on track a little earlier in the game.