Closer Look at the Denver Defense

[Metaphors]

This game should be a real test for the Denver defense. Consider:

- Cleveland and Oakland are historically bad offenses. So bad that you really have to throw out those games when discussing the Denver D (not Denver's fault, but can't draw conclusions from those efforts).

- Cincy got into Denver territory on every 1st half drive. 5 for 5. No points.
--- 1st and 10 at DEN 43...Holding penalty
--- 3rd and 3 at DEN 11...Short on rush and then high snap on FG
--- 1st and 10 at DEN 34...Sack
--- 3rd and 6 at DEN 27...Interception on tipped pass
--- 3rd and 4 at DEN 49...Incomplete short pass

- Cowboys 1st quarter drives totaled 119 yards, 9 first downs and 10 points. In fact, Dallas only had 1 drive in the whole game without a first down.

- The Denver D played much better coming out of halftime, effectively giving up little in the first 4 drives after half against both the Boys and Bengals. Denver adjusted well. Boys/Bengals...not so much.

- However, the D gave up huge late drives in both games (11 play 91 yd against Cincy, 10 play 78 yd against Dallas).

None of these areas trend well for the Broncos this week. If Brady stays upright and the Pats offense doesn't commit bonehead penalties, this game could turn really bad really fast for the home team.

 

[Xplicit]

Denver fans can exclaim how amazing their #1 defense is all they want. I'm not convinced and I don't see how they can stop our offense when Brady keeps getting more and more comfortable. Welker, Moss, Edelman...dare I say Galloway? Along with a hopefully motivated Maroney and the reliable Morris and Faulk, we will be tough to handle.

on a side not I'm going to explode in my pants if I see Mayo dressed.

 

[mayoclinic]

The Denver defense is legitimately a good defense, no doubt about that - definitely top 10, could end up in the top 5. But it's results have clearly benefitted from playing anemic offenses. It will be very interesting to see how our offense does tomorrow. As the OP notes, both Cincy and Dallas moved the ball quite well on Denver, but had trouble scoring points. Dallas moved the ball at will on the final drive until they got inside the red zone, which is still a bit of a sore point for us. I can't see this Denver defense shutting down Tom Brady if he is at all on his game. I think they will have their work cut out to hold us under 20 points, and even more work cut out to score that many points.

 

[IcyPatriot]

Denver is dinged up in the secondary ... the Patriots will exploit it and be successfull.

 

[Marqui]

Denver is dinged up in the secondary ... the Patriots will exploit it and be successfull.

I hope so.

 

[The Dynasty]

Denver is dinged up in the secondary ... the Patriots will exploit it and be successfull.

I agree, I say the attack will be 70% pass and 30% run and Brady has his best game of the year.

 

[Karnage]

That's such a weak excuse...Oakland and Cleveland are bad...and Denver beat them both by 20+ what a good team does....the reason Dallas and Cincy didn't have success is because Denver's defense dominated them....are you really going to tell me looking at what Dallas did in the first quarter overshadows shutting them out for the last 3?...give me a break...show me the record of the opponents all the other undefeated teams have played....the reason it looks like every team Denver plays is ending up dropping in offensive statistics is because Denver is making them by stopping them....seriously you show 5 drives of Cincy that all end with no points and that's proof Denver's D is no good...I swear it's one thing to believe in your team and think/hope they can win...it's another to dig that deep into a stat line to bend reality to your lack of acceptance....Dallas drive was Romo making a play on a broken 4th and 3 that went for 53...how many points did they score at the end of that one? That's like saying New England is no good because they could only score 9 on the Jets and needed a "miracle" to beat Buffalo...New England is a good team, Denver is a good team...should be a good game

 

[Patspsycho]

Denver is dinged up in the secondary ... the Patriots will exploit it and be successfull.

How so? I didn't hear anything about Dawkins or Champ being injured and they are the keys to the secondary. Did I miss something?

 

[Broncosfan15]

How so? I didn't hear anything about Dawkins or Champ being injured and they are the keys to the secondary. Did I miss something?

B dawks has been sitting out the past couple days just for R & R..he was back on the field friday there are no injuries....no clue what he is talking about.

 

[mayoclinic]

That's such a weak excuse...Oakland and Cleveland are bad...and Denver beat them both by 20+ what a good team does....the reason Dallas and Cincy didn't have success is because Denver's defense dominated them....are you really going to tell me looking at what Dallas did in the first quarter overshadows shutting them out for the last 3?...give me a break...show me the record of the opponents all the other undefeated teams have played....the reason it looks like every team Denver plays is ending up dropping in offensive statistics is because Denver is making them by stopping them....seriously you show 5 drives of Cincy that all end with no points and that's proof Denver's D is no good...I swear it's one thing to believe in your team and think/hope they can win...it's another to dig that deep into a stat line to bend reality to your lack of acceptance....Dallas drive was Romo making a play on a broken 4th and 3 that went for 53...how many points did they score at the end of that one? That's like saying New England is no good because they could only score 9 on the Jets and needed a "miracle" to beat Buffalo...New England is a good team, Denver is a good team...should be a good game

Of course it should be a good game, and of course you have a good defense. I can't recall any posts suggesting that Denver does not have a good defense. On the other hand, I can't recall a single post by a Denver fan suggesting that you all believe you will go through the season allowing less than 7 PPG. The fewest PPG ever allowed in a 16 game season was 10.3 by the 2000 Ravens, and I don't think it is lame to suggest that 4 games is not enough to compare the Denver defense to the 2000 Ravens.

You have a terrific defense. That doesn't mean it can't be scored on. It could conceivably shut down our offense, but I don't think it's a "weak excuse" to say that it hasn't faced an offense yet with our capability, and that the odds of shutting it down are low.

 

[footstepsfrom#27]

The Denver D played much better coming out of halftime, effectively giving up little in the first 4 drives after half against both the Boys and Bengals. Denver adjusted well. Boys/Bengals...not so much.

Ochocinco made a couple of big plays on Cincy's final drive and Romo made a great play on the 4th down scramble to keep Dallas alive. Here's another way of looking at at the same stats however:

The first four drives (actually 5 for Cincy) constituted the entire 2nd half offensive production for each team prior to their final drive. Checking the play-by-play here's what Cincinnati and Dallas each got before the that point:

Cincinnati: 20 plays/44 yards
Dallas: 28 plays/56 yards

That's a combined 100 yards on 48 plays, or 2.08 yards per play

Denver is currently requiring opposing offenses to gain 258 yards in order to score 7 points, by far the highest yards to points ratio in the NFL. By way of comparison, last year's 30th ranked Bronco defense required teams to only travel 93 yards for 7 points...a 277% improvement.

Should be an interesting game.

 

[Karnage]

Of course it should be a good game, and of course you have a good defense. I can't recall any posts suggesting that Denver does not have a good defense. On the other hand, I can't recall a single post by a Denver fan suggesting that you all believe you will go through the season allowing less than 7 PPG. The fewest PPG ever allowed in a 16 game season was 10.3 by the 2000 Ravens, and I don't think it is lame to suggest that 4 games is not enough to compare the Denver defense to the 2000 Ravens.

You have a terrific defense. That doesn't mean it can't be scored on. It could conceivably shut down our offense, but I don't think it's a "weak excuse" to say that it hasn't faced an offense yet with our capability, and that the odds of shutting it down are low.

I don't think it's weak to think it can be scored on...I mean to break out a couple of drives as a way to discredit them...I highly doubt they can go all year with just 7ppg but I'd like for them to prove me wrong...Look at what Cincy has done since then..they blew up on Green Bay, and stormed back on Pitts D with like 15 - 20 in the 4th? Maybe I just misread it...this is your guys board and I don't wanna be rude...and if there is a guy that can put points up on any defense it's Brady...the guy is sensational...sorry if I came across as a jerk..and here's to enjoying a good game.

 

[makoute]

I don't think it's weak to think it can be scored on...I mean to break out a couple of drives as a way to discredit them...I highly doubt they can go all year with just 7ppg but I'd like for them to prove me wrong...Look at what Cincy has done since then..they blew up on Green Bay, and stormed back on Pitts D with like 15 - 20 in the 4th? Maybe I just misread it...this is your guys board and I don't wanna be rude...and if there is a guy that can put points up on any defense it's Brady...the guy is sensational...sorry if I came across as a jerk..and here's to enjoying a good game.

I agree with you, I think the Broncos did a great job defensively shutting down all the teams they've played, with that said, I think the Pats mostly have to score about 16 points to win this game, and I believe they can do so.

 

[chrisfx811]

For a team with so much change since last season, Denver is playing amazing. They've switched their entire scheme, added some players and have fired out of the gates by flat out, not giving up points.

They've played who they've played, I don't fault them for that. Dallas' offense, especially they're running game is solid, and Cincy, although not as potent as they once were, is still good as well. This game will be a good measuring stick for Denver's progress.

The weather will not help the Pats on offense, I'm even tempted to change my prediction to something with both teams in the teens.

 

[Metaphors]

I don't think it's weak to think it can be scored on...I mean to break out a couple of drives as a way to discredit them...I highly doubt they can go all year with just 7ppg but I'd like for them to prove me wrong...Look at what Cincy has done since then..they blew up on Green Bay, and stormed back on Pitts D with like 15 - 20 in the 4th? Maybe I just misread it...this is your guys board and I don't wanna be rude...and if there is a guy that can put points up on any defense it's Brady...the guy is sensational...sorry if I came across as a jerk..and here's to enjoying a good game.

You read too much into my post. I was pointing out trends that don't bode well for playing the Pats:

1. Letting the opponent get off to a good start.
2. Surviving because the opponent took a key sack or dumb penalty.
3. Being better than your opponent with adjustments coming out of halftime.
4. Not being able to shut down the opponent late with the game on the line.

The Pats generally bury teams that let them get out of the gate quickly.
The Pats are generally disciplined and situationally intelligent.
The Pats generally make smart 2nd half adjustments.
The Pats generally cash in on late drives to win or put away a game.

This doesn't guarantee anything this afternoon. But it does mean that the matchups and trends are favorable for the Pats. The wildcard is McDaniels. If I can figure this out, he certainly can as well. Whether or not he has the team to change these dynamics...we will know that about 7:30 tonite.