RADIO
The Denver Broncos came into their Sunday night matchup with the Green Bay Packers as home underdogs. This is a bit strange considering the Broncos are undefeated, and yet didn’t get the respect from Las Vegas when the lines were drawn. Of course, the Packers were undefeated coming into Sunday night as well, looking strong on the heels of Aaron Rodgers being an elite quarterback and a defense that had really come together as a unit.
What transpired was a showing from the Denver Broncos defense that put the league on official notice, that no one is going to mess with them, and that they aren’t afraid of even the best quarterback lining up across from them. The Broncos were in Rodgers’ face all night, dialing up blitzes and bull rushing his own linemen into him as he tried to throw. Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib were handling the perimeter, while the linebackers and safeties were able to handle the middle with relative ease.
There were a few times where the Packers running game looked threatening. Eddie Lacy had a few good rushes where it was clear that his size and speed was a force to be reckoned with once he got going. However, it was not long before the Broncos had a big enough lead where the Packers had to really throw the ball, as well as the Broncos starting to clog the lanes more as they could trust their defensive backs with the Packers’ receivers. The Packers ended up with a paltry 140 yards on the day, and Rodgers failed to even get 100 passing yards. Demaryius Thomas had 168 yards receiving, just for some perspective.
These aren’t the same Denver Broncos as past years. This is not a team that is going to rely on their offense going off for 40+ points and hoping that their defense does a decent job. The Broncos can now rely on their defense as the backbone of the team, which allows for Peyton Manning and company to run the offense with less pressure. Ronnie Hillman was anointed the starter coming into this game, and he rewarded the Broncos with two touchdowns, while C.J. Anderson even chipped in a long touchdown run. The Broncos made a statement tonight, and they clearly have a blueprint for success moving forward. They go to Indianapolis next week, while Green Bay goes against another tough defense in Carolina.
