2014 Broncos Season, Week 3

Here's my Broncos recap for the week. It was better than the Super Bowl, but the Broncos still can't get by the Seattle Seahawks.

Week 3: Seattle Seahawks 26, Broncos 20
Season Record: 2-1 (2-0 Home)
Key Play: Facing a third and four in overtime, deep in Broncos territory, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson saw the play break down, broke containment, and scrambled for five yards and a first down. Marshawn Lynch plunged into the end zone two plays later to give the Seahawks a six-point overtime victory.

Recap: The shame of the Super Bowl last February has dogged the Broncos for months. Sunday was supposed to be a chance to get a measure of redemption — and a chance to see if the changes in the off season helped the Broncos stack up better against the defending champs. From that standpoint, it was a success. But in the end, it's a regular season loss. The Broncos looked tougher. The defense looked better. And the team was in the game until the end. That's all good. But nothing will make up for losing a Super Bowl like that. I think Denver played tough, but some of the problems that have plagued the team this season were on display. The Broncos have a bye week now, so perhaps that will give them some time to get back on track. But it won't get any easier. The Broncos host Arizona — which is 3-0, will be coming off its own bye, and has a stout defense. Then, on October 19, the Broncos host the San Francisco 49ers, with the Chargers coming to town the following Thursday. It's a brutal schedule that will see the Broncos play five of their eight home games by the end of October before beginning a three game road stretch November 2 in New England. This team has talent, and it has improved. It is still a strong contender to win it all, but they need to be more consistent — especially on offense. After putting up record numbers in 2013, the offense has been hit-and-miss through three games in 2014. That needs to improve if the Broncos want to win it all.

Game Balls:
* Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders has proven to be a great new addition. He's been a fierce receiver through three games, including 11 catches for 149 yards in yesterday's game.
* Wes Welker. It was great to see Welker shake of the rust of a concussion and suspension and back in uniform. He caught six passes for 60 yards, including a number of key grabs. That gives the Broncos' offense depth.
* Denver's Defense. The whole defense gets a game ball. DeMarcus Ware, T.J. Ward, Aqib Talib, Von Miller, Derek Wolfe, Chris Harris and Rahim Moore — none of them were on the field in February, and it showed yesterday. It's a shame that the game will be remembered for the Broncos defense getting beat in overtime, but the game wouldn't have gone to overtime were it not for the defense.

Lingering Areas of Concern:
* The Running Game. Montee Ball doesn't look good. He hasn't come close to sniffing 100 yards in a game, his yards per carry is low, and the lack of a running game is hurting the flow of the offense. We miss Knowshon Moreno in a big way.

* Peyton Manning. I think Manning has a hard time with Seattle. He looked rushed in a lot of throws early in the game, and that interception was a big mis-read of the coverage. He's looked off at times in all three games, and I wonder if he isn't quite dialed in this season.

* Team identity. What is this team going to be? Last year the high flying offense was the identity. This year, the Broncos have looked a bit off in all their games. They need to use the bye week to figure it out, and quick.