The Broncos lost to the 0-5 New York 23-10 Sunday night.
The Broncos offense looked confused. The defense looked dazed. McManus, the kicker, missed two field goals.
Brock played for the first time this year after Trevor exited the game late in the second quarter. He was not prepared to play and Trevor returned in the second half to finish the game.
The Giants rushing game silenced the Denver Broncos.
Fans were left wondering what the Denver Broncos did during their bye week.
The Broncos played “spin the finger of blame”.
The finger points to Trevor Siemian. Lets look at what he did vs the Giants and compare it to every quarterback that played.
QB stats Siemian Passing comp ypa TD INT Long Rating 58% 8 1 2 40 72 Rushing Att Yards Long TD 1 9 9 0 Sacked Times Yards Lost 4 28
Osweiler Passing comp ypa TD INT Long Rating 50% 5 0 0 9 63 Rushing Att Yards Long TD 1 -1 -1 0 Sacked Times Yards Lost 0 0
Manning Passing comp ypa TD INT Long Rating 58% 7 1 0 26 96 Rushing Att Yards Long TD 1 0 0 0 Sacked Times Yards Lost 3 10
The two interceptions by Trevor stand out, but Broncos fans that remember the super bowl run two years ago know that hall of fame quarterback Peyton Manning lead the team to a super bowl victory while leading the league in interceptions. Trevor was also sacked four times for almost 30 yards.
He tossed the longest ball in the game. He had a higher rating than Brock. He had the highest yards per attempt. He also attempted to pass the ball 50 times. Here’s a breakdown of the Broncos offense in the Giants game.
Den 50 Passing Attempts, 394 yards: 17 Runs for 46 yards NYG 19 Passing Attempts, 128 yards: 32 Runs for 148 yards Time of Possession NYG: 30:36 DEN: 29:24
So, the wide receivers are catching the ball and gaining yards. They’re just not getting into the end zone. Sounds like a wide receiver or coaching problem. Trevor did lose 30 yards due to sacks, so the offensive line is not protecting him. That’s an offensive line problem. Sure Trevor could get rid of the ball faster, but at 8 ypa, he’s getting rid of the ball pretty fast. I don’t know the wide receiver's 40 yard dash times, but I’d bet they are all between 4 and 5 seconds. So if you’re getting 8 ypa, that’s a release and catch time of less than 1-2 seconds depending on what the defense does. Wide receivers average about 4 seconds in the 40 yard dash. How many steps is that for a wide receiver at full stride?
The finger points to the wide receivers
I think I’ve already shown they’re catching the ball, the problem is getting into the end zone. That problem seems to point to McCoy’s play calling and coaching.
There’s a rumor going around that the Broncos wide receivers thought they could cash in against the Giant’s defense and that is why there were so many passing attempts. If true this could be a problem in the way the Broncos structure contracts. I do remember a similar situation occurring last year. Basically Trevor had to toss the ball more to someone to avoid a riot in the locker room. One reason Wade Philips left was the divide in the locker room. It’s also the reason Vance Joseph was hired. Elway hired him not as an “X”S and “O”S guy, but as a guy that could relate to the players and ‘heal’ the locker room.
The finger points to the Running Backs
The Broncos are using an ever expanding running back by committee system this year. Anderson’s the work horse. Charles is the media darling. Booker is a mystery and Henderson is missing. As noted earlier, the offensive coordinator only called 17 running plays. Here’s what the running backs did with that opportunity.
The Broncos Rushing Attack
Carries AYPC Charles 5 4 Anderson 9 2 Booker 1 2 *AYPC is average yards per carry
The Finger points to McCoy
I’ve already included the stats vs the Giants but I’m adding it back here for completeness. Here is what McCoy has called in 2017 along with the result.
Week 1 Den 28 Passing Attempts, 219 yards: 36 Runs for 140 yards: Win Week 2 Den 32 Passing Attempts, 231 yards: 39 Runs for 178 yards: Win week 3 Den 40 Passing Attempts, 259 yards: 23 Runs for 111 yards: Loss Week 4 Den 26 Passing Attempts, 179 yards: 32 Runs for 143 yards: Win Week 5 Bye Week 6 Den 50 Passing Attempts, 394 yards: 17 Runs for 46 yards: Loss
Years ago Josh McDaniels introduced a few ideas like the season is divided into quarters and that basically after week 6 teams everyone knows how to attack you. He called this scouting compilation the ‘book’. The book is now out. Basically it says, the more the Broncos throw the ball, the more likely they are to lose. Instead of pointing the finger at McCoy, the local media, Paxton Lynch supporters, and some fans... have jumped on this and want a change of quarterback. Some media members have even suggested trading for Andrew Luck, while one media member said,”I wouldn’t trade a pizza box for Andrew Luck.” Some even speculated about bringing in Rivers. Will McCoy take note and adjust his play calling? Did McCoy design and new plays this week? Will the offense ever open up the play book?
Last year under KubiaK the Broncos offense was averaging 23 PPG. Under McCoy they’re averaging 22. Since week 3 they’re averaging 14 PPG. Under Kubiak during the same stretch, they were averaging 21. McCoy’s offense has lost a touchdown per game.
Pointing a finger at Vance Joseph
Will he acknowledge the slump? Will he trow Trevor under the bus? One thing the Broncos need to acknowledge is that during this slump the offense is averaging 14 points, but the defense is allowing 20 points per game.
Alright enough about the Giants game.
The Raiders needed a few untimed downs to beat Kansas City on Thursday 31-30. I’m shocked Oakland was able to score that many points, but since they did, it means Carr is back. This afternoon the Broncos face the Chargers.
Before week 7 started, here are some notable trends in the west.
AFC West trends (points scored) weeks 1-2 vs weeks 3-6
Kansas City Los Angeles Denver Oakland Weeks 1-2 +22 -5 +28 +35 Weeks 3-6 +25 -10 -17 -37 Change +3 -5 -45 -72
Current AFC West Divisional Standings
Victories Defeats Winning % Points Scored Points Allowed Broncos 2 0 100% 40 31 Chiefs 1 1 50% 54 41 Raiders 1 2 33.3% 57 63 Chargers 1 2 33.3% 48 64
The Broncos have yet to win a road game in 2017 (only played one) and this game is being played in Los Angeles at the soccer stadium.
The Chargers have won two straight games, including one against the Giants.
Since week 3 and before week 7 started, the Broncos offense fell off a cliff and during this time period, the offense ranked 31st out of 32 teams. Oakland ranked 30th.
That trend reflects overall play though, in the west the Broncos are 2-0 and +9 against divisional opponents.
Final thought, the Raiders beat the Chiefs after their offense fell off a cliff, so anything is possible. :)
