Denver Broncos Team Stats None Denver Broncos Stats
0-0, T-1st AFC West
@ NYG
8:25 pm GMT , 9/12
After adding a lot of wide receivers in the NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos have loaded up weapons for Drew Lock to use. They also added Melvin Gordon. Denver’s offense clearly needed a jolt and they have nowhere to go but up in offensive rankings this season. The run game wasn’t too bad as Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman was a decent duo last year. Defensively this team should move up a few spots given they have filled some needs on the defensive side. They lacked
Away Record: 0-0
Conference Record: 0-0
Division Record: 0-0
Head Coach: Vic Fangio
Offensive Coordinator: Pat Shurmur
Defensive Coordinator: Ed Donatell
Owner: Pat Bowlen
Stadium: Sports Authority Field at Mile High
Surface: Grass
Offensive Scheme: 3WR
Defensive Alignment: 3-4
The Passing Game is A Question Mark
Will Denver Get Production Out Of The Passing Game?
Denver drafted Drew Lock out of Missouri in the latest draft, suggesting he will be in a competition with Joe Flacco, who they traded for in the offseason. Lock has a big arm and has a chance to establish himself with this offense in 2019. Flacco will give some starts away, and has struggled the last few seasons. Of course playing in Baltimore has not helped given the weapons and play-calling around him. However, Denver doesn't present Flacco with a better system. The Broncos averaged 6.7 yards per pass last season, which was not ideal. It was a timid passing game, and there isn't a great surrounding cast at the moment. Emmanuel Sanders is coming off a major Achilles tear, and they have some unproven young wideouts that will have to step up.
Can The Running Backs Duplicate 2018 Stats?
UDFA, Phillip Lindsay, was a stud in 2018. He finished with over 1,000 yards. His yards per attempt were over five. It was a bit surprising as former Oregon back, Royce Freeman, was a highly touted pick. Freeman had over 500 yards on the ground, and five touchdowns. They were a nice one-two punch and the Broncos averaged 119 rushing yards per game. This was in the top half in terms of production for the league. Lindsay had wrist surgery in the offseason, and Freeman was teetering on breakout games at times. He did see a lot of 8+ man boxes, which hurt Freeman's efficiency. With the passing game in the shape that it is in, we should expect the Broncos to rely on their defense and passing game.
Is The Run Defense Going To Be Better?
The Broncos allowed nearly 120 rushing yards per game this past season, and opponents had 4.5 yards per carry against them. These are not great numbers for getting off the field. Opposing teams would rush about 26.8 plays per game, which was actually middle of the road. This has a little to due with games still being somewhat competitive. 33% of the yards still came on the ground against Denver in comparison to the air. They allowed just 21.8 points per game, often playing in very low scoring affairs. This would be a recipe for success given the fact the offense isn't going to blow anyone out of the water. No major moves were made, so it could be tough sledding again.
