Hi all, Broncos fan here. Look forward to a good matchup with you guys! Maybe I can shed a little light on our team, and a few of the issues/questions that have cropped up in my quick read through the comments here....
-Concerning Peyton Manning, there's very little indication that his arm is a problem anymore. His three interceptions against Atlanta were a consequence of poor reads, not poor throws, and he's made a few impressive deep throws or throws into tight windows. More problematic might be whether he has a solid enough chemistry with his receivers. Thomas and Decker have become one of the better young WR tandems in the NFL, but have flashes of making bonehead plays (dropping wide open catches, fumbling, etc). Brandon Stokley and Jacob Tamme, the old Colt targets, have become the "clutch" options (the guy Manning goes to on, say, 3rd and 5).
- Concerning our defense, it is fairly inconsistent, but we do have plenty of star players. We've upgraded the secondary with Tracy Porter at CB and Mike Adams at safety since last year, and it helps us that Aaron Hernandez won't be around. Rahim Moore (the other safety) is a liability. Champ is still doing what Champ does...it's true that he lost a step, and gives up some 10-15 yard passes once in a while, but if you watch Denver games you will see that teams still only challenge him maybe 2-3 times a game, and none of the plays are usually game-changing (like big touchdowns over his head, etc). He might not intercept every other pass going his way anymore, but he still is avoided and should be in the discussion of top 5 CBs...and is still one of the best tackling defensive backs in the NFL. Look to see Tracy Porter and Chris Harris' name quite a bit.
I suspect Brady will have a very solid stat line against us, particularly with intermediate throws and screens, but it shouldn't be like the blowouts last year...both because the defense is better, but also because we no longer have a joke QB who can't stay on the field.
- Our pass rush is inconsistent, which might seem odd given that we have two pro bowl pass rushers on our squad. Von Miller is a beast, and Elvis Dumervil is very good at getting sacks, but it's been tough getting consistent pressure. We might have the best pass rush in the league when up by a few scores, but that will be tough to do against your team...the first half pressure has been tamed somewhat by quick passes.
- One of the largest problems is our ability to "follow through." There have been a lot of would-be stops on the running back in the backfield, that ended up turning into a 4-5 yard gains. Too many destroying the offense on first and second down, and then giving up a first down on 3rd and 15. Too many "almost sacks" and too many great drives that end in field goals. These things, I suspect, will decide our fate against you guys this week.
