NFL
By Keith Richards
To say that the Denver Broncos are in turmoil would be an understatement. From the growing injury report to the ridiculous coverage of exercises done on the flight to London, there has been very little about the game on Sunday. In case anyone forgot, in Week 8, the Broncos will face the London Jaguars. I’m sorry. I mean the Jacksonville Jaguars. We’ll get to that in a second as we discuss the offensive and defensive keys to victory for the Denver Broncos in Week 8.
Offensive Keys to Victory
It’s an easy slip of the tongue to call the Jacksonville Jaguars the London Jaguars. The Jaguars’ Week 8 matchup will be their ninth “match” on a London “pitch.” While the Jaguars have been (arguably) bottom feeders here in the States, they’re a 500 team across the pond. So, the key offensive key to victory in Week 8 for Denver is to settle in.
An old adage in sports is that you just have to play the game. While that is true, it’s still not that simple. This will only be Denver’s second London game. The food is not the same, you’re in a different time zone, and the fan energy will be completely different. As someone who watches English Premier League matches on Saturday and Sunday, I can personally tell you that these are not NFL fans.
They’re football fans but they’re not American football. As the kids say, if you know, you know. This, though, could be a good thing for Broncos. There’s been so much noise at home that a change of scenery might be nice, which leads to the second key to victory in Week 8. Denver has to block out the noise of the sports media.
If I hear another discussion or see another op-ed about Wilson doing lunges on the plane or that he wore sunglasses to the practice field, my head is going to explode. I want to talk football. The block button has been a phenomenal tool on Twitter these past two weeks. Denver has to use their mental block button and focus on this game.
How was the throwing session with Wilson, Jeudy, and Hamler in practice this week? Is Russell’s hamstring really good to go? How does the team plan to compensate for a struggling offensive line that will again be missing Cam Fleming? These are the things I want to know and I’m sure it’s the Broncos’ focus heading into Sunday.
Defensive Key to Victory
In Week 8, as with throughout the season, there’s not much to nitpick with the Broncos defense. They’re only giving up 286 yards per game and 16.4 points per game. That’s second and third in the league respectively. If there is one area of concern for the Denver defense, it’s turnovers, which is the defensive key to victory.
On the season, the Broncos have seven takeaways and eight giveaways. That’s good for a difference of minus one. If Denver is going to win in Week 8, and moving forward, the defense has to win the turnover battle. The defense has to have more takeaways than the offense has giveaways.
Is it unfair to place another burden on the defense? Yes, but that is the reality of the situation. Sometimes the defense carries the offense. Sometimes the offense carries the defense. One team, one dream. Whether with Hackett or without, the offense will get right. When it does, if the defense continues to play at this level, this team play at the level it was expected to in the preseason.
The Prediction
This is a tough game to call. Both teams come into Week 8 on four-game losing streaks. Like Denver, Jacksonville is minus one in turnover differential. The Jaguars only give up 19.6 points per game. Denver only scores 14.3 points per game. So, who wins? No one. I’m calling a tie. It’s been a while since we had a tie and this is the perfect game for it. 20-20. That will be the final score.
Next week, the Broncos have a bye but we’ll still have Broncos’ business to discuss. So, be on the lookout for that. Also, during the bye, don’t forget to refresh your Broncos gear! REPRESENT!
