2014 Broncos Season, Week 2

Below is my recap for week two. The good news is the Broncos are 2-0. The bad news is the team hasn't looked great in winning two games and now travels to play an angry Seahawks team…

Week 2: Broncos 24, Kansas City Chiefs 17
Season Record: 2-0 (2-0 Home)
Key Play: With 18 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and the Broncos up by seven points, Kansas City had the ball at the two yard line and faced fourth down. Alex Smith dropped back to pass and fired over the middle, but defensive tackle Terrance "Pot Roast" Knighton got his paw up in the air, deflecting the pass, which fell on the turf. The Broncos offense came out and knelt down, ending the game.

Recap: Two weeks, two wins. Two weeks, two game-saving defensive stands. Two weeks, two mildly disappointing performances. There are a lot of ways to look at how the Broncos have started the season. They have battled a pair of AFC playoff teams and come away with seven point wins. At times they've looked great. At times they haven't. Both games have been at home, and the Broncos needed to win both games. They did. They did what they needed to do. But this doesn't look like the dominant team that began last season. It looks more like the team that ended last season, the team that lost to the Chargers at home in the regular season and nearly pulled the same trick in the playoffs. This is a team that starts fast but has trouble keeping it all going. But it might also be a team with a better defense. You could argue that both games have seen comebacks and teams driving on the Broncos. But is that all on the defense? I don't think it is. Through two games I've thought the defense looked better at times. They forced some turnovers in week one and had some big stops yesterday. And at times the offense looks good, too. They move the ball quickly and score. But at other times the offense can't stay on the field. Following a long, 10-minute drive from the Chiefs to open the second half — a drive that resulted in no points for the Chiefs — the Broncos' offense struggled with penalties and bad plays. Were it not for a big third down play, the Broncos would have quickly given the ball back to the Chiefs. That same thing happened in week one. That's partially how the Colts were able to come back and make it so close. It's early in the season, and the Broncos have arguably faced tough competition, but the team needs to be more consistent. That starts Sunday as they travel to face the Seattle Seahawks, a team coming off a tough loss yesterday.

Game Balls:
* Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Julius Thomas. The three primary receivers played well yesterday. Without Wes Welker, the Broncos receivers have stepped up. Sanders has played well in the first two games, Julius already has four touchdowns, and Demaryius showed flashes of his raw skill and ability. He also nearly had a break-away touchdown, but it was called back for a penalty. He did, however, make an incredible touchdown catch late in the first half to give the Broncos some cushion.

* Andre Caldwell. Caldwell hasn't been a big contributor on offense, but he had the most important play in the second half, returning a kick-off 53 yards to set up a Broncos' field goal, their only score in the second half. Without that, the pressure would have been on the Broncos' defense.

* Defensive Front. Those guys are working hard. DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller get a lot of praise, and both played well, but it was the whole of the Broncos' front that made the game work. Knighton was great inside, including making the game-saving deflection. The Broncos only allowed Knile Davis 79 yards on 22 carries, and helped put pressure on Smith in key sequences of the game. Ware probably also should have been credited with a strip sack on that final drive. It was a big game in big moments for the defensive front.

Lingering Questions:
* Where's the consistency? I mentioned it above, but the Broncos only look dominant in stretches. They have yet to play a complete game on offense. When that happens, look out. But the longer it doesn't happen, the more you have to wonder.

* Can we run? Last year Knowshon Moreno did the heavy lifting. He's gone, and Montee Ball is supposed to be the workhorse. He had a nice play on third and long to keep a drive alive, getting 23 yards. But aside from that, he had 11 carries for 37 yards. That's not great. He has yet to get more than 70 yards in either game, also not great. In fact, I think CJ Anderson looks like the better back.

* Did we improve enough? The Broncos wanted to be faster and more physical this year. Sometimes they look it, other times not so much. The big test is Sunday in Seattle. How much have the Broncos really improved?