2014 Broncos Season, Week Six


The Broncos returned to the New York, the site of their Super Fiasco last February, and came away with a win. It wasn't incredible, but it was a win.

Week Six: Broncos 31, New York Jets 17
Season Record: 4-1 (3-0 Home)
Key Play: In the fourth quarter, with less than a minute left and the Broncos nursing a seven point lead, Von Miller went to work. He pressured Geno Smith into an incomplete on first down and combined with Derek Wolfe for a sack on second down. On third down, Smith sailed a ball that was picked off by Aqib Talib, who returned it for a touchdown with 15 seconds left to ice the game.

Recap: The Broncos won the game. The team is 4-1. The team is on track. But that doesn't mean they look great. At this point, it's time to accept that this isn't the same dominant Broncos team that made it to the Super Bowl last season.That doesn't mean the Broncos can't get back to the Super Bowl. The team is talented and, frankly, there aren't really any dominant teams in the NFL this season, at least not yet. The Broncos have improved on defense, and still have enough talented players on offense to be successful. I still don't think the team has played a complete game, and I still have questions about the Special Teams unit. But the Broncos are 4-1. They are entering a brutal stretch — San Francisco on Sunday followed by the 5-1 Chargers on Thursday night, then a three game road trip that begins with a trip to New England on Nov. 2. That will be the kind of stretch that will tell us how for real the Broncos are. If the team is 7-1 on Nov. 3, it's time to believe the Super Bowl is within their sights again. But a team that has been 13-3 the past two seasons, a team that's been the AFC's top playoff seed that past two seasons, has to do a lot to convince us that they are better and have a better shot at winning a title. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm hopeful.

Game Balls:
* Julius Thomas. All he does is catch touchdowns. OK, he does a little more than that, but Thomas has caught at least one — and often more than one — in each of the Broncos' first five games. He's on quite a pace this season.
* Ronnie Hillman. I've made no secret of the fact I'm unimpressed with Montee Ball. Hillman was great yesterday, and just might have won himself the permanent job. He had 100 yards on 24 carries versus a stout defense.
* Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. The Broncos didn't have the most explosive pass rush last season. That has changed this year. Miller looks like a force at outside linebacker, while Ware has brought some explosiveness to the defensive line. The pair combined for three sacks yesterday, and they pressured the Jets into many bad plays.
* Aqib Talib. Talib had a number of nice plays, including the pick-six that sealed the win.

Lingering Questions:
* Special Teams. The Broncos' special teams hasn't been special, particularly when it comes to returns. Isaiah Burse has been OK, but that's about it. And yesterday Andre Caldwell seemed like a liability returning kicks.
* Offensive inconsistency. The Broncos have struggled to put teams away, due in large part to break downs in the passing game. Yesterday the Broncos ran better but still looked lost at times. Hopefully that will improve as they find their groove.

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