What have the Broncos learned from the last game?
November 24th, the Patriots squared off in a very windy Gillette Stadium against the Broncos and in no relation to the date, the Patriots faced a 24 point deficit by halftime before magically coming back. But what exactly did the Denver Broncos learn from that loss? In what could be called Peyton's worst game of the season, it wasn't exactly the defense playing great, the wind played a key role. Manning only got sacked twice and the Broncos running game totally ripped the New England defense as they accounted for 280 rushing yards. So what did the Broncos learn?
One thing they learned is to not play conservative. The Broncos seemed to lean on the running game once they got ahead and while the Patriots don't have a great pass defense, it isn't quite horrible either. While the running game worked, Denver became predictable and slowed down the offense. But one thing Patriot fans can build on is that Denver's offense isn't what scored their 31 points, much of those points were aided thanks to turnovers cause by the defense. While the Broncos don't want to play as conservative next game, they also might not want to expect the great field position or turnovers their defense provided them with last game.
Another thing Denver learned is that Von Miller was responsible for most of that defensive success, Von Miller is now out with a torn ACL, so who does Denver rely on now? While this isn't something they've "learned" from the last game, it is certainly something they will need to learn. And that's how to win games with your best defender out. In their most recent game, they pressured Rivers a ton, but the offensive line for San Diego is quite beat up and is no where as trustworthy or as experienced as New England's line is.
The last thing Denver learned from the last game is that the running game was a complete success and they still stayed in the game even when all their momentum had been zapped. It'll be interesting to see how they will build on that success since the winds shouldn't be as bad this Sunday.
Of all of this, it'll be worth watching to see how Denver will build on what they have learned from the past game. If they can apply what they learned, it may spell trouble for New England.
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| Photo Credit: Jim Rogash/Getty Images |
One thing they learned is to not play conservative. The Broncos seemed to lean on the running game once they got ahead and while the Patriots don't have a great pass defense, it isn't quite horrible either. While the running game worked, Denver became predictable and slowed down the offense. But one thing Patriot fans can build on is that Denver's offense isn't what scored their 31 points, much of those points were aided thanks to turnovers cause by the defense. While the Broncos don't want to play as conservative next game, they also might not want to expect the great field position or turnovers their defense provided them with last game.
Another thing Denver learned is that Von Miller was responsible for most of that defensive success, Von Miller is now out with a torn ACL, so who does Denver rely on now? While this isn't something they've "learned" from the last game, it is certainly something they will need to learn. And that's how to win games with your best defender out. In their most recent game, they pressured Rivers a ton, but the offensive line for San Diego is quite beat up and is no where as trustworthy or as experienced as New England's line is.
The last thing Denver learned from the last game is that the running game was a complete success and they still stayed in the game even when all their momentum had been zapped. It'll be interesting to see how they will build on that success since the winds shouldn't be as bad this Sunday.
Of all of this, it'll be worth watching to see how Denver will build on what they have learned from the past game. If they can apply what they learned, it may spell trouble for New England.
