2013 Broncos Season, Week 8

The bye week is here, and it's coming at the right time. Sure, the Broncos are 7-1 and put up 45 points yesterday. But the team is banged up and needs to dial it in a little better to get to the Super Bowl.

Week 8: Broncos 45, Redskins 21
Season Record: 7-1 (5-0 Home)
Key Play: With the score tied at 21-21 in the early fourth quarter, the Redskins had a quick three and out. Punter Sav Rocca shanked the punt, which went just 15 yards and set the Broncos up with a first down at the Redskins' 35 yard line. On the next play, Peyton Manning connected with Knowshon Moreno on a 35-yard screen pass for the touchdown, making it 28-21. The Broncos never looked back.

Recap: Don't be fooled by the final score, this was a sloppy game. It was particularly sloppy on offense. Part of that is due to the injuries the Broncos are dealing with. Julius Thomas, who has eight TD grabs and has been one of the best tight ends in football this season, was hurt early. Peyton Manning is dealing with a pair of high ankle sprains which have led to suspect ball placement for three weeks. And the sloppiness of the offense has led to multiple turnovers these past few weeks, with Manning adding a fumble and three interceptions to his 2013 resume. Despite all that, the Broncos were the superior team. And for the first time in a while, it was the defense that was the engine to fuel the Broncos' victory. After a pair of turnovers led to a 21-7 deficit in the early third quarter, the Broncos' defense buckled down. They turned the ball over, harassed Robert Griffin III, and even tallied a touchdown. It was a complete team effort to get the win, and the Broncos have played half the season and tallied an impressive 7-1 record while recording the most points ever for a team through eight games. That's the good news. Now if they can heal up and work on regaining that early season form during the bye week that would be great, because weeks 10 through 13 are brutal. The Broncos head to San Diego, battle Kansas City at home, travel to New England for Sunday Night Football, then head to Kansas City in week 13. That will be the stretch that shows what kind of a team we really have. And despite the hot start, the Broncos are in second place in their own division. If we want to play at home  — a serious advantage for Super Bowl hopefuls — we need to get the better of Kansas City and New England.

Game Balls:
* Von Miller. After being suspended for six games, Miller returned versus Indianapolis, but he didn't have a huge impact. He looked more like himself on Sunday. Miller tracked RGIII and helped keep him contained, then he also forced a huge sack/fumble. We need a good pass rush, and having Miller back helps get that done.

* Broncos secondary. This group has been maligned, and they have given up some big yardage totals. But on Sunday, they were fierce competitors. Chris Harris, Jr., Raheem Moore, and Dominic Rodgers-Cormartie all had big interceptions, with Rodgers-Cromartie taking it back to the house. That helped hold the Redskins — who scored 45 points the previous week — in check.

* Montee Ball and CJ Anderson. Moreno is the NO. 1 back, and he continues to shine, but the Broncos had strong depth on Sunday too. I haven't been a fan of Ball this season, but Sunday he ran hard and well, tallying 37 yards and a touchdown. And, in his first game of the season, Anderson impressed too, tallying 22 yards on just four carries. That shows a bit of muscle and depth to the Broncos' backfield.

Areas of Concern:
* Protection. Our offensive line has had a lot of injuries, so it's understandable that it is taking some time to get on track. But for the third game in a row Manning took a lot of hits. We need to shore up that group before facing the ferocious defensive front of Kansas City. We have to keep Manning healthy.

* Too many turnovers. For the first few weeks of the season we were essentially flawless. That hasn't been the case the past few weeks. We have given the ball away too much in critical junctures. The team came back yesterday, but the sloppy ball handling in the second half didn't help. That has to get cleaned up if we want to compete for a title.

* Health. Manning is dinged up. So is Julius Thomas, Champ Bailey, Eric Decker, Wes Welker, and several of our other defenders. We need this bye week to get healthy. It will be a tough second half, and we need all our players good to go.