What in the world happened last Sunday??? I’ll tell you. That was Mile High Magic right there.
In the first half, the offense couldn’t do anything except throw to the other team and the defense couldn’t tackle to save its freakin’ life. But Mile High Magic swooped in and confused Jonathan Taylor enough to make the biggest mistake of his career. And suddenly the Broncos’ defense could tackle and the offense could get in the end zone.
That Mile High Magic begins and ends with its fans, and that’s why this series is basically responsible for a little bit (a lot) of that magic ;)
Now we need that magic to travel to LA for the Broncos’ second game in four days.Our magic begins with a fabulous UFG from jeffrod, who knows the key to winning tonight is for the offense to protect the ball and the defense to take it away.
Let’s go, Broncos!
Week 16: Broncos at Chargers
MHR - That Colts game was…something. It seemed like the Broncos should dominate and they didn’t. They barely pulled it together but thanks to defense and some big mistakes by Indy, the Broncos prevailed. What were your takeaways from the win?
Jeffrod: It appeared the offense wanted to run the ball yet Indy knowing that was their weakness took their Bye week to prepare for our run attack and did well. Payton didn’t appear to have a solid Plan B, and it showed. You’re not going to get that lucky that often (as we did). The defense did its normal defense thing despite the shortcomings of the offense. Crazy win.
MHR - Quick follow-up…what was your reaction when you saw Nik Bonitto do his thing and take the ball to the house for 51 yards?
Jeffrod: It was such a slow-developing play and the receiver did not sell it well at all. I thought the play would be blown up for a big loss of yards yet it turned out way better. Hats off to Bonitto for his awareness and heads-up play.
MHR - Broncos (9-5) and Chargers (8-6) will be in an epic playoff-seeding battle on Thursday night. If the playoffs were today, Chiefs would get the bye, Chargers would play the Bills and Broncos would get the Steelers. How important is it that the Broncos stay ahead of the Chargers in this ranking and presumably get the easier first-round playoff matchup? Which team has more to play for tomorrow – and what is it?
Jeffrod: The Chargers have more to play for with all the preseason hype, Harbaugh as the new HC and Herbert as an established upper-tier QB. The Broncos were supposed to be a bottom feeder, hence the total wins at 5.5 per Vegas. The Chargers need to show they won’t “Charger” the season, as they have in the past where they tank in Dec/Jan.
MHR - With a different head coach, this Chargers team doesn’t “Charger” nearly enough. But they are banged up and have lost some moxie after two losses in a row. But prime time at home does something to teams. What do you expect overall from the Chargers this time?
Jeffrod: I think they will swing for the fences early on. They will go deep early to set the tone against a banged-up D, and try to prove this is not a Chargers team that “Chargers.” It will hopefully be to their detriment with a bunch of “IN-COM-PLETEs” from the Orange and Blue fans, resulting in a bunch of three-and-outs and a few picks. If the Front 4 can get good pressure against Herbert with his limited mobility, it could be a long night for the Chargers.
MHR - Speaking of banged up, Denver’s defense is taking some lumps. Riley Moss is questionable for return, John Franklin-Myers has a foot injury that he’s still dealing with and Pat Surtain will play with a minor ankle injury most likely. How concerned are you with injuries to the defense this week? Can a secondary with Kris Abrams-Draine and Damarri Mathis keep the defense on track Thursday night?
Jeffrod: It’s tough and why I’m not a TNF fan, especially late in the season. It’s such a long season, the players in Dec/Jan need the extra days to recover better. If/when we have to go without Surtain and Moss, I think VJ will go to rushing five or six in order to force Herbert to throw quickly. Don’t know how this will work out but hopefully we don’t see a lot of our D without No. 2 and No. 21.
MHR - Despite the strain on a short week, Sean Payton commented that if you “want to play at 2:30 on Sunday your whole career,” fine. But he chooses not to. How nice is it to have the NFL and the media recognize the Broncos as an important audience draw because they’re playing exciting football?
Jeffrod: Being a fan since the late ‘70s, it’s nice to see the Broncos get some recognition again. Living in southern California, I’m surrounded by Chargers, Rams, and Ray-duhs fans. It’s tough when your team is not going anywhere fast for the last eight years while the other teams are having some success. Hopefully, this is the start of the resurrection of good Broncos football.
MHR - Which defensive unit will be the most important on Sunday - pass rush? D-line? Linebackers? Secondary? Or just Nik Bonitto, the one-man wrecking crew?
Jeffrod: The Front 7 – they need to disrupt Herbert often and stuff the run game. If VJ can get his guys in the QB’s face all game, then the DBs will have an easier night and it will in turn give the offense more opportunities.
MHR - The Broncos’ offense struggled mightily last week, but Bo Nix finally pulled it together despite three picks and still threw for three touchdowns. First, what kind of game do you think we’ll see this week – offensive shootout? Defensive battle? Second, which kind of game do you hope it is? Third, how much do you like Nix for either type?
Jeffrod: A 3-for-1 question, way to pack them in! First, I think it’ll be low scoring. There will be a good amount of offense but both D’s are strong, so good yards but low scoring. Second, I like defensive games. It makes the scores so much more valuable and the defensive stops more appreciated. Third, I hate to say it but if Nix can be more of a game manager (i.e. take what the D gives you, don’t be a hero) then we can get a hard fought, on the road, divisional win, and more importantly, clinch a playoff spot.
MHR - How great is Marvin Mims and those kick returns? Be honest, are you nervous when you watch him run or are you up in your seat cheering him down the field?
Jeffrod: He is exciting and fun to watch. It’s nice to see Special Teams be a positive in the game outcome. The 60-yard return vs the Colts gave a struggling O exactly what it needed – a short field. More of that equals more Ws.
MHR - The Broncos run game is still a mystery – as is Sean Payton’s rotation with the backs. How would you like to see the head coach use them against the Chargers?
Jeffrod: It’s tough as I like all three running backs for different reasons. Until we get a bellcow RB, it’s gotta be who has the hot hand. I’d prefer to see runs up the middle all game. Be it power & strength or speed & shiftiness, whoever can get the yardage, go with him.
MHR - Who will be more of a problem for Bo Nix and the offense this week – Joey Bosa or Derwin James? How can he avoid them both via play design?
Jeffrod: Keep things mid-range and middle of the field (i.e. no WR/bubble screens, I hate that play!). Send Mims/Franklin deep to pull James with him and look for Sutton/Vele mid-range as that will help to negate the rush from Bosa. Also, some planned QB runs will keep the pass rush honest.
MHR - Broncos Country always travels well to L.A., and Payton and the Broncos are practically calling fans personally to ask them to travel for the game. What percentage of orange in that stadium do you hope to see?
Jeffrod: I went two years ago with my son for our first game at Sofi and it was at least 50% Orange. I expect to see the same on Thursday. Living in southern California, the Chargers fans are still few and far between. I’m expecting to feel really comfortable in my Orange and Blue when I go to the game on Thursday.
MHR- When these two teams met in Week 6, Broncos got off to a slow start (like usual), down 23-0 until the fourth quarter when the offense came alive, scoring 16 unanswered points before just running out of time in their comeback. How do you anticipate this matchup being different? Or the same? What should the Broncos’ game plan be to prevent that kind of heart attack-inducing comeback (other than the obvious…score!) Jeffrod: Ball control. Commit more to the run. Run up the middle to soften their D. It’s ok to have a slow progressing game plan as long as they are controlling the clock and moving the ball well. That will lead to more points. Considering a W here locks us into the playoffs, you got to do what is needed to secure the victory. Get the W here and the next two weeks we can get a little more loose with the game plan.
MHR - The Broncos remain just a playoff contender without having locked up the spot, so every win from here on out would still be really important. Which of the remaining three games do you think will be the hardest and what kind of W-L record are you predicting for these final three?
Jeffrod: I’m an optimist but also have a good amount of realism to me. That being said, I don’t see why we can’t go 3-0 to close out the regular season. The Chargers may be reeling, so good time to attack and attack this game. Cincy will be tougher than expected yet still aren’t there this year, so that should be a W. The chefs, depending on what they are playing for versus what we may be playing for – and it’s at home, and the chef’s luck has to run out at some point soon – we can get a home W.
