NFLWell, here we are! Week 4 of the NFL season and the Denver Broncos are still winless. In hindsight, my aggressive pick of a 9-7 season was a bit foolish but not all hope is lost. Despite constantly complaining (no need to point fingers), this is still a good football team. Besides, no one expected them to be very good anyway.
Still, I think this is the week. This will be the week the Denver Broncos get their first win. How? We will discuss that with the keys to victory for the offense and defense. Also, we will discuss who to watch out for on the opposing sideline. Lastly, we give our prediction. So, let’s get it!
Keys to Victory on Offense
First and foremost, the Denver Broncos must limit the mistakes on offense. As discussed in the week 3 review, the defense is doing quite well. What hurts the defense is the short fields that offensive turnovers throw on them. Conversely, that’s a two-way street but we’ll come back to that. The way to prevent the turnovers is to have the ball in Flacco’s hands as little as possible. Doing so is simple.
To keep the ball out of the quarterback’s hands, the Denver Broncos have to keep the momentum of Phillip Lindsay going. No doubt, last week was easily his best game of the season but he has to do better. Why? Because he can do better. Phillip is far from reaching his full potential. When Lindsay is hot, the offense is hot. Because he is such of a matchup nightmare, Phillip opens up things for the rest of the offense. They have to keep him going.
Keys to Victory on Defense
There is a legend growing down in Jacksonville. He may look like Uncle Rico from Napoleon Dynamite but he plays far better than Rico. The legend’s name is Gardner Minshew II. Don’t let the name fool you. This kid can flat out ball. The Denver Broncos have to make him look like a rookie. While Minshew hasn’t so far, it is possible. The Broncos have to be in his face all game and expose the one glaring weakness Gardner has.
Minshew has only been sacked five times but he’s also fumbled three times. Von Miller, a strip-sack connoisseur, has to be salivating at this opportunity. Ask Cam Newton how good Von Miller is with the strip-sack. Poor Cam has not been the same since he faced Von in that Super Bowl. This Denver Broncos team feeds off of the defense. This defense feeds off of Von Miller. Von has to get it going and this is the week to do so. Giving the offense a short field will go a long way.
Players to Look Out For
Certainly, one would think Gardner Minshew is a player to look out for. Yes, he is important but taking out his support system is more important. That starts with slowing down the beast: Leonard Fournette. On paper, this should not be too difficult. So far this season, Fournette has only rushed for 179 yards on 43 carries. The 4.2 yards per carry is decent, but the total yards is not. The Denver Broncos have to force Mineshew to beat them. The first step in doing that is containing Leonard Fournette. This will allow the defense to tee off on Minshew.
Secondly, the Broncos have to contain Calais Campbell. The Jaguars defensive end currently ranks in the top 10 in the league with 3.0 sacks. I hate to sound like a broken record but the offensive line of the Denver Broncos has to do better keeping Flacco upright. That starts with slowing down this man. It won’t be an easy task but the Broncos have to keep Campbell out of their backfield.
The Prediction
I’m a little gunshy but I’m picking the Broncos to win this game. This is a game the Denver Broncos should win. ESPN’s FPI gives the Broncos a 58.7% chance of winning. I like those odds to the tune of a 31-20 victory. Furthermore, I also predict that the defense will get a turnover this week. It’s going to happen!
Check back with us at the beginning of the week as we recap this week 4 matchup. Hopefully, we will have good news to share!
