2013 Broncos Season: Week 3

When the Broncos play the Raiders, it's always an interesting battle. Monday night's matchup moved the Broncos to 3-0 and closed out the third week of the NFL's regular season.

Week 3: Broncos 37, Raiders 21
Season Record: 3-0 (2-0 home)
Key Play: After giving up a long touchdown pass to Terrelle Pryor and the Raiders to cut the lead to 17-7, the Broncos came storming back. Peyton Manning connected with Eric Decker along the sideline for a 61-yard gain that got the offense moving again. Shortly after, Manning connected with tight end Julius Thomas on a 13-yard touchdown strike to make it 24-7.

Recap: Division games are always tough, and Raiders games are always something special. While I'm glad for the win, it's hard to get too excited. The game ended up closer than it should have been thanks to a couple blown coverages, some sloppy turn overs, and a garbage time touchdown. These teams aren't equal. Denver was supposed to win — big. The official line was between 14.5 and 16 points depending on whose book you looked at, so the Broncos winning by 16 points at home was expected. The Broncos are Super Bowl contenders. The Raiders are improved, but aren't a playoff team. That being said, it was a good game. The Broncos had some injuries and some turnovers that they had to over come, and they did. Denver moved the ball well on offense, though a few drives stalled out and resulted in field goals. It's also hard to really evaluate the fourth quarter as it looks like the Broncos took their foot off the pedal. Still, the win is the most important thing. Our offense looks nearly unstoppable, and I think the defense will only improve as our players return. Champ Bailey missed his third straight game with a foot injury, so we still haven't seen our best secondary alignment out there together. The biggest challenge for the Broncos might be health this season, and making sure we don't peak too early. I don't think we've peaked yet, which is encouraging. Next week will be a shoot out with the Eagles, so that will be a good test of the defense and, hopefully, Champ Bailey.

Game Balls:
* Eric Decker. Decker was a bit maligned after the first game. Manning set a record for passing touchdowns, and Decker was left out. In the two weeks since, he's been a steady and reliable target. Last night he made big plays, clutch catches, and got his first touchdown. It was great to see.

* Ronnie Hillman. Last week Hillman got a single carry. Last night, he got nine totes and a pass thrown his way and he made the most of his opportunities. He ran for a hard 66 yards, caught a pass for another 12 yards and got into the end zone. He demonstrated good burst and good ball security, which is more than we can say for Montee Ball. Hopefully this means Hillman will work himself more into the action in future weeks, though it seemed like a fairly even split last night.

* Julius Thomas. We had to wait a few years for Thomas to get into the game, but it's proving to be worth it. In three games, Julius Thomas has grabbed four of Manning's touchdown throws. He's been a steady blocker and a key cog in the offense.

* Broncos linebackers. Without Von Miller, this defense was supposed to scuffle. Then, when Stewart Bradley was injured, we were left without a veteran middle linebacker. Wesley Woodyard has taken over the middle and is leading the defense well. Meanwhile Nate Irving and Danny Trevathan have proven their worth on the outside. A big part of the reason the Broncos defense has played well is a credit to this group.

Areas of Concern:
* Left tackle. I thought Chris Clark did some nice things on Monday night, but he also missed a key block that led to Manning being thrown down hard and fumbling. The Raiders don't have an incredible pass rush, so it was a good way to ease into the new lineup, but this bears watching. Ryan Clady is a special talent, and now that he's gone for the year Clark has big shoes to fill.

* Big plays. The Broncos, whether due to the big lead or mental lapses, allowed some big plays Monday night. They still won the game comfortably and made the stops when they needed them most, but that has to be cleaned up. Depth might become a factor, too, as a number of defensive backs suffered injuries.

* Montee Ball. Ugh. On Monday Ball finally ran with more gusto and got some yardage. Then he also fumbled in a key spot. I am not impressed with what I've seen so far.