Mile High Report
We finally got to see this Denver Broncos team win a game in a sound manner throughout all four quarters of the game. The defense was astounding. The offense was potent.
I enjoyed the win to be sure, but at the end of the day, I’m not so sure this win didn’t say more about how bad the Cincinnati Bengals are without Joe Burrow than it did about how good the Denver Broncos are.
Don’t get me wrong here. Wins are wins in the NFL, and the Broncos deserve credit for their efforts. They played pretty damn good football. It was a good step in the right direction for the team.
Overall, the offensive game plan looked great. We ran to great effect. We passed at a very high level. Sean Payton called a great game and had some really nice play designs that were executed perfectly.
That doesn’t mean there weren’t some nits to pick, though.
Payton called a run to the short side of the field on a 3rd and 2 that I thought was dumb as hell. First of all, you only need 2 yards, and we are sweeping the run horizontally wide instead of getting upfield. Second, you are asking Pat Bryant to block a guy way bigger than himself, which didn’t work well. Finally, if you are going to do that, run to the wide side of the field to give your runner more room to work with.
The decision to pass on a 4th and 1 at the 2 instead of just running the ball was also foolish. Payton falls into the trap of getting fancy too much, and this was one of those times. The Broncos were obliterating the Bengals’ defense on run plays throughout that whole drive. Just run the ball and get the touchdown instead of trying to get your quarterback a passing touchdown. I feel like that interception there was well deserved for both the coach and quarterback.
The play design for the Mims sweep that went to the house was superb. I honestly think that play is going to be used by Payton and other coaches in the NFL as a gold standard for how to run such a play. It was a perfectly timed, sneaky handoff with a player that has superb speed to the edge. The line and backs fooled most of the defense with how they attacked right at the snap. Finally, the block by Pat Bryant was absolutely immaculate. It reminded me of the downfield block by Ed McCaffrey in Super Bowl 32.
Aside from wanting that interception back, this was an outstanding game for Bo Nix. You got to see a quarterback who was in full command of the offense and attacked at all levels with both his legs and his arm.
I was impressed with his early touchdown run, as he recognized everything was covered and the closest linebacker wasn’t looking. If those inside guys play the middle soft...
