The Good, Bad, & Ugly from Broncos' 38-10 Win Over Lions
The Denver Broncos exceeded expectations on Sunday by blowing out the Detriot Lions, 38-10. As Empower Field at Mile High celebrated the life of Demaryius Thomas, the stadium was filled with positive energy, helping propel the Broncos to 38 points, the biggest point total of Vic Fangio’s head-coaching tenure.
Fueled by a dominant defense and an offense that owned the line of scrimmage, the Broncos played with a sense of purpose. While celebrating this week’s success, there’s also a need for this reality check: for the rest of the season, Denver doesn’t have any margin for error.
It's likely the Broncos will need to win out from here in order to remain in the playoff hunt. If Denver can play at the emotional level they played on Sunday, don’t count them out.
Let's cover the good, bad, and ugly from the Broncos' Week 14 win.
The Good
The Defense
The Broncos' defense was the dominant force that set the team on the trajectory of a decisive victory. All three levels of the defense were physical, relentless, and played with controlled aggression.
The unit held Lions quarterback Jared Goff to 215 passing yards and a 74.2 passer rating. The Broncos' defensive front made Goff wish he was back playing with the Los Angeles Rams. Third-year defensive tackle Dre’Mont Jones kept the veteran QB under duress and generated two sacks.
Safety Justin Simmons was not going to let the front seven have all the fun, making a diving interception to stop an important Lions drive cold. The Broncos' red-zone defense played lights out as it applied pressure and mixed up coverages that forced Goff to throw the ball into very tight coverage. For the Broncos to win the next stretch of games, the defense must continue to dominate.
Run Game/Play Action
The Broncos prolific ground game played a key role in cultivating an aggressive mindset and allowed the team to control the clock. The unheralded offensive line opened running lanes as wide as I-25 and dominated the Lions' defensive front.
Running backs Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams shared the load and took advantage of their touches, running through gaps with enough momentum to gain big yards after contact. Gordon led the team with 111 yards and two rushing touchdowns while Williams rushed for 73 yards and two scores from scrimmage.
The Lions prioritized stopping the Broncos' run game which created openings in the pass game. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater leveraged play-action to create mismatches with the speed of tight ends Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam against preoccupied linebackers.
Bridgewater went 18-of-25 for 179 yards and two touchdowns. The offense was able to stay in rhythm most of the game and was a perfect 5-of-5 in the red zone.
The Bad
No WR Production
Sunday’s contest was one of Denver's better offensive performances of 2021. We can assume the offense did an effective job of executing OC Pat Shurmur’s game plan. The Broncos should prepare for defensive coordinators to load the box with additional defenders in hopes of forcing the team to become one-dimensional.
To win games down the stretch, Bridgewater must get the ball to the hands of the Broncos' dynamic wide receivers as they were not targeted on any deep attempts in the matchup. Although Denver's wide receiver corps did not create much separation against the Lions secondary, the offense must create additional opportunities to help get the team’s most dynamic players involved at a greater degree.
The Ugly
Nothing
There's rarely anything ugly about a decisive 38-10 victory. The Broncos' layers and coaches did their job against the Lions.
The key question is, can the Broncos maintain their momentum against a capable 7-6 Cincinnati Bengals squad next week? Sunday’s contest against the Bengals should be viewed as a playoff game.
For the Broncos to be successful, Fangio’s team will have to play dominant defense, control the clock by running the ball and find a way to get the ball into the hands of their playmakers.
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