Broncos vs Giants: 3 Keys to Victory

Here’s another week where the Denver Broncos get to face off against a New Jersey team that might not have a great record, but is a team you have to take very seriously. The New York Giants have looked like a different team since Jaxson Dart took over, and now Cam Skattebo is starting to kick things into high gear. They’ve won two of their last three, with those wins coming against the Chargers and Eagles (two divisional leaders).

So, how do the Broncos beat the Giants in their first matchup since 2001? Let’s take a look at three things that probably need to happen (besides the obligatory “score more points than the other team” deal), and it’s a formula that they’ve used before.

1. Contain Cam Skattebo

Most of the Giants’ offense comes through the legs of one of the most malicious runners in the league right now. Last week against the Eagles he had 110 scrimmage yards and three of their five touchdowns. He had over five yards a carry and he was busting out chunk rushes to close out the game on their final drive. He’s going to bring it every time he gets his hands on the ball, so just like they managed against the Jets, the Broncos have to shut down this rushing attack and put the game on Dart’s shoulders.

I can’t wait to see Talanoa Hufanga and Skattebo meet in the gap for the first time. That’ll be perfect for the Broncos to show who’s boss.

2. Hit Jaxson Dart often

While Dart has been a positive for the Giants, he is not setting the world on fire. He’s managed just under 170 yards per game over his three starts, has only a 2-1 TD-INT ratio, and has been sacked a whopping eight times. Six of those sacks came against Los Angeles alone, and the Broncos have 14 more sacks as a team than they do. This should be horrible news for the Giants.

The Giants have given up the 11th-most sacks this year with 16. And funny enough, four of the teams the Broncos have already played are all in the top five for most sacks allowed. The Denver defensive front should be feasting on this New York offensive line, and just like he already has done this year, Vance Joseph will be giving Dart some diabolical pressures and coverages to have to deal with. It will be a blood bath in the trenches on Sunday.

3. Convert third downs

Unsurprisingly, the Broncos are near the bottom of the league in third down conversion rates. They sit 24th in the league with a conversion rate of just 36.59%. The league average is right above 40%. Against the Jets they converted just 33% of their third downs and went three-and-out on four of their 11 non-end-of-game drives.

Winning games with these sort of numbers is flat-out unsustainable.

The Broncos must do a better job in this department if they want...