2015 Broncos Season, Divisional Round



The playoffs have begun, and the Broncos held serve.

Division Round: Broncos 23, Pittsburgh Steelers 16
Season Record: 13-4 (7-2 Home)
Key Play: In the fourth quarter, trailing 13-12, Bradley Roby forced a fumble from Fitzgerald Touissant, and DeMarcus Ware recovered for the Broncos. On the ensuing drive, CJ Anderson scored a one-yard touchdown run and Demaryius Thomas grabbed a two-point conversion to give the Broncos a seven-point lead.

Recap: It wasn't a pretty game, especially offensively. Peyton Manning looked better than he did during the regular season, and didn't turn the ball over. But the Broncos dropped plenty of passes, failed to capitalize on chances in the first half, and didn't get control of the game until late in the fourth quarter. That's not a great way to play a game. But in the playoffs, it's win or go home. The Broncos won, and that's all that matters for now. And now Manning will get another shot at Tom Brady and the Patriots, who come to town on Sunday for the AFC Championship. The Broncos are one win away from Super Bowl 50, and two wins away from where they want to be. That's the good news. The bad news is that there is still plenty of work to be done, and the road won't get any easier.

Game Balls:
* CJ Anderson. Anderson was a beast down the stretch, and he was a beast for the Broncos Sunday. He carried the ball 15 times for 72 yards and the sole touchdown of the game for the Broncos.
* Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders didn't have a huge game, and did have a costly drop. But he made five grabs for 85 clutch yards for the Broncos.
* Brandon McManus. Speaking of clutch, McManus made all five of his field goals to spur the Broncos to victory.
* DeMarcus Ware. Ware had a sack and a huge fumble recovery. The talk has been about Manning making one last shot at the Super Bowl, but a big part of me wants that for Ware, too.

Lingering Questions:
* Offensive scheme. Can the Broncos generate better offense and scoring next week? They'll have to if they want to make it to the Super Bowl. Manning was fine Sunday, but we need more to win.
* Pressuring Brady/Covering Gronk. That's the challenge for the Denver defense. Can they get to Tom Brady and can they cover Rob Gronkowski. That is what it will take to win.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Burial a courtroom drama with heart

Image
Willie Gary (Jamie Foxx) is a brash trial lawyer who is good at rallying a jury to his cause. Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) is a quiet grandfather who is trying to ensure the business his family built remains viable after he’s gone. These two don’t appear to have much in common on the surface. But when they’re brought together by young lawyer Hal Dockins (Mamoudou Athie) brings them together, a connection is formed over their shared background of working hard to become self-made men. And it turned out that Willie was just who Jerry needed in his corner to win the fight of his life. The new Prime Video film The Burial, which opened in theaters October 6 and started streaming October 13, captures that trial against the Loewen Group that changed the course of their lives. The film is based on the true story and covers the trial, but more importantly captures the relationship between the men. The film plays out like a traditional courtroom drama. Foxx is solid as Willie Gary, while Ju
Read more

Broncos Draft Targets

Image
  The NFL Draft is just a few days away. On April 25, the Denver Broncos will head into the draft in the midst of something of a rebuild. In the draft, the Broncos have the No. 12 pick in Round 1, then have a Third Round Pick, Fourth Round Pick, three Fifth Round Picks, a Sixth Round Pick, and a Seventh Round Pick. So, what might they be targeting? Let's dive in and look at possible positions. Quarterback : The team clearly needs a long-term quarterback. Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are there but the team could certainly use someone else. Could they move up for Drake Maye or J.J. McCarthy? Yes, they could. Will the take Bo Nix at 12? It's possible. Or will the Broncos wait until next off-season to make a move? Anything is in play for the Broncos in 2024, but quarterback is surely a need. Tight End: The team brought back Adam Trautman and still has Greg Dulcich, but it's still a need. Dulcich hasn't been able to get on the field and Trautman hasn't been great. Co
Read more

Favorite Westerns, No. 43

Image
  Do you like a good Western? It's a classic genre in film and this year I've decided to look at some of my favorite Westerns. So, join me each Friday as I count down my favorite Westerns from No. 50 to No. 1. Rooster Cogburn : [ watching Mattie ford the river hanging on the back of her horse] By God. She reminds me of me. True Grit (1969) Starring : John Wayne, Kim Darby, Glen Campbell, Robert Duvall, and Dennis Hopper Director : Henry Hathaway About: This is the third straight week with a film from Wayne. As you might guess, we're not done. As I've mentioned, he sets a standard for the genre. Here, we seen him bring to life an iconic character. This one is based on a novel, and it has endured. He's great as Rooster Cogburn, so good that he got a sequel in the same character. But this is a later film in his career. This is a different, more grizzled Wayne. He's still quite good and this is a film that really has stood the test of time. It's not the only ve
Read more