3 Keys to a Broncos Victory Over Falcons

The Denver Broncos have a phenomenal opportunity to get to .500 at the midway point of the season. It would be a modest moral victory considering the number of injuries this team has sustained and the 0-3 start that ensued.

By winning three of their last four games, the Broncos have done well to dig themselves out of that hole but the work isn't done yet. The Atlanta Falcons stand in the way of Denver getting to .500 and entering the final two quarters of the season at 4-4.

What'll it take to beat a Falcons squad that has underperformed this season? Here are three keys.

1. Lock Has to Shine

Compared to the preceding eight quarters of play, Drew Lock looked like a different quarterback in the final frame of Week 8's victory over the Chargers. He trusted his protection, stood tall in the pocket, stepped into his throws, and delivered accurate passes with velocity.

When Lock had to break the pocket and move, it didn't look like a skittish deer in the headlights. He made the opponent pay when throwing on the run.

It was oh so encouraging for fans to see that level of play from Lock but it can't be a fleeting display. The onus is on Lock and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur to glean what lessons there were from the fourth quarter and build on that momentum moving forward.

There's only one NFL team with a worse passing defense than the Falcons. Atlanta also ranks in the bottom-10 in sacks and with two of their edge rushers getting ruled out of Week 9, opportunity knocks for Lock.

The book on Lock, and part of why he tumbled out of the first round of the 2019 NFL draft, is that while he has rare talent, he was far too inconsistent at Missouri to trust as a day-one QB. This Atlanta game has to be the pivot point for Lock where he proves that he can parlay one good game into two.

If Lock plays well, keeps the Broncos on-schedule and moves the ball, Week 9 will be a win for Denver going away. If he struggles or is inconsistent, all bets are off. He doesn't have to throw for 300-plus yards and three touchdowns. Lock just has to be efficient, especially on third down and in the red zone.

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2. Feed Phil

Listen, I could distill this down to a 'they need to run the ball on the road' argument but the bottom line for the Broncos is, they've grossly underutilized arguably their best offensive player. Phillip Lindsay only received six carries last week, and while he was knocked out of the game prior with a concussion, he had converted nine carries into 79 rushing yards.

In just the last two weeks, Lindsay has received just 15 carries. That should be the target for his touch-share every game, not every two weeks.

I get that Lindsay had the turf-toe, followed by a concussion, and now the toe is flaring up again. But he'd be the first one to say that if he's greenlit to play, there should be no limitations on how he's utilized.

Feed Phil, Coach Shurmur, and reap the rewards.

The Falcons' one saving grace defensively is their rushing defense. Ranked No. 6, Atlanta relinquishes 99.3 rush yards per game, thanks in part to the talents of defensive lineman Grady Jarrett. This is a game where the Broncos would be wise to give the lion's share of the first-quarter carries to Melvin Gordon, and get the Falcons in a lull, only to insert Lindsay and watch that change-of-pace explosiveness pay dividends.

3. Take Away the Run

This will be easier said than done with Mike Purcell, the Broncos' big nose tackle, on injured reserve and Shelby Harris not being cleared from COVID-19 protocol in time to join the team for the road trip. But Denver can't let last week's 200-plus-yard rushing bonanza continue.

Not with a veteran back like Todd Gurley on deck.

It's going to take a village. Young D-linemen like Dre'Mont Jones, DeMarcus Walker, and even rookie McTelvin Agim, are going to have to grow up quickly and be much stouter against the run.

Sylvester Williams knows a thing or two about stuffing the run. After all, he started on two separate Broncos' Super Bowl squads, but he's gotten long in the tooth and isn't the same first-round-caliber player he was early in his career.

DeShawn Williams has really stepped up since Jurrell Casey was placed on injured reserve. But last week was an embarrassment for the Broncos' D-line and that was with three no-name running backs.

This is Gurley. And if the Broncos allow the veteran back to get going, Falcons' QB Matt Ryan could have a heyday in the play-action game with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley — if the latter is cleared to play.

However, if Denver can limit the run on first and second down, that puts the onus on Ryan because it'll likely result in many third-and-long situations, which are just the type of scenarios that Bradley Chubb and Malik Reed can get to the QB and force some bad decisions and errant throws potentially.

Off-ball linebackers Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell will have to do a much better job with their run fits this week and in getting off blocks. Gurley needs to be stopped at the line of scrimmage, not five, six, or seven yards into in the second level as the Chargers were able to do consistently last week.

My gut tells me Johnson and Jewell will come to play and although it might indeed 'take a village' to stop Atlanta's rushing attack without any of their day-one starters on the D-line in the game, it'll be a matter of pride for Bill Kollar's unit after last week.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.

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