2014 Broncos Season, Wild Card Weekend


The first weekend of the post season is over, and the Broncos now know who they're going to play in their first playoff game of the season, the Indianapolis Colts.

Recap: It wasn't a great Wild Card Weekend. Three of the games were rough, leaving only the Cowboys vs. Lions game as a thriller to the end, with the Cowboys winning 24-20. In the other NFC game, the Carolina Panthers beat up an Arizona Cardinals team that just had too many injuries. Neither team looked great, but the Panthers were clearly the better team. Whether that will be the case when they travel to Seattle remains to be seen. In the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers fell apart without Le'Veon Bell, losing badly to the Baltimore Ravens. That sets up an interesting matchup with the Patriots. The Ravens always play the Patriots tough, and they're used to make a run from the sixth seed to the Super Bowl. The Ravens looked awful at times in the regular season, but who knows what will happen in the playoffs. I think the Patriots will still win, but it could be a tight game.

In the other AFC matchup the Cincinnati Bengals, without wideout A.J. Green, fell apart in the second half in Indianapolis. The Colts took a three point half-time lead and exploded to an easy win. They will now come to Denver. The Broncos beat the Colts 31-24 in the first game of the regular season, and the Broncos have been a tough home team. I feel pretty good about the matchup, but the Colts have a good passing game. It will really depend on which Denver team shows up on Sunday. Of course, if the Broncos win and the Ravens pull the upset, Denver could be home again for the AFC Championship, which would be ideal.

Lingering Questions:
* Special Teams. We saw in the first weekend that Special Teams can be the difference. Can the Broncos step it up on Special Teams.
* Pass protection. At times the pass protection has been rough for the Broncos. In order to win in the playoffs, the Broncos need to protect better.
* Can the Defense Hold Up. The Broncos had a lot of defensive injuries late in the season. Hopefully the bye week has gotten them healthier as they look to make a deep run in the playoffs.

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