2015 Broncos Season — Week 6


Here's a look at my thoughts on the Broncos' win over the Browns

Week Six: Broncos 26, Cleveland Browns 23
Season Record: 6-0 (2-0 Home)
Key Play: In overtime, after the Browns picked off Peyton Manning, Malik Jackson sacked Josh McCown for an eight-yard loss on second and long, knocking the Browns out of scoring range. The Broncos got the ball back and marched down the field to score the winning field goal.

Recap: By this point in the season, we known who these teams are. The first couple of weeks it was reasonable to wonder if it would just take the Broncos offense a while to get going. Now, it might be time for some genuine concern. The Broncos' offense isn't very good, and it's going to get to them at some point. They need to use the bye week to get better. Part of the problem is Peyton Manning, who threw three more interceptions on Sunday and heads into the bye week with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. That's an alarming number. Less alarming is the Broncos record — 6-0 — and their division lead — 3.5 games — over the Oakland Raiders (2-3). The Broncos are a playoff team. But they have loftier aspirations, as they should with this defense. So far the defense has won all six games. Manning is hardly the only problem — the line doesn't look great and we can't consistently run, which was better on Sunday, but still. You play to win the game, but when you win ugly it's fair to wonder how long the run can last. Getting to the playoffs isn't the goal here — winning in the playoffs is. Defense wins championships, sure, but you have to have some offense at some point. The Broncos second half includes home games with the undefeated Patriots, Packers, and Bengals, and road games with the Steelers and Colts. That's in addition to four division games. It only gets tougher for the Broncos, and they need to improve.

Game Balls:
* Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders continues to shine when he gets the ball. He had a 75-yard touchdown that was the offensive highlight and nearly made another circus catch.
* Ronnie Hillman. 111 yards on 20 carries is impressive. Hillman looked good making runs and cuts and looks like the better running back.
* Aqib Talib. Talib had another interception returned for a touchdown, which was a huge factor in getting the win for the Broncos.
* Shaquill Barrett. Barrett filled in for DeMarcus Ware and looked great. His sack and fumble recovery from McCown was a key moment in the game.

Lingering Concerns:
* Peyton Manning. Manning hasn't looked right for a long time. It's possible the old Manning is gone for good. The question is whether the Broncos can win with this Manning.
* CJ Anderson. We saw some vintage Anderson in overtime Sunday, but he had just 41 yards on 13 carries and that was his best game of the year. I'm bummed at the way he's played.
* Punt and Kick Returns. The Broncos need a spark in the return game, and with Sanders banged up, that's only going to be more of a challenge.

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