Mile High Sports
It is Week 9 around the NFL, and the Denver Broncos are gearing up for an AFC showdown against the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson. Broncos Country sent in their mailbag questions following the team’s dominating win against the Carolina Panthers.
If you want to be featured in our weekly mailbag series, keep your eyes peeled on Mondays for my prompt on social media @CodyRoarkNFL. You can also email them to me at [email protected].
Based on what we saw in Bo Nix’s breakout game vs. Carolina, how much closer is the offense actually gelling at this point? It seems like if they clean up a few things, we will see more of those performances, even against better teams, sooner than we think? – @newtype_jk47 on Twitter.
It’s safe to say that the Broncos offense has been playing better as each week passes. Part of that in my opinion is getting the offensive line right with the return of Mike McGlinchey, but I’d go a step further and say that Denver is getting great contributions from Alex Forsyth at center. I’d argue that even when Luke Wattenberg comes off of injured reserve, I feel like Forsyth has done enough to upend him from returning to the starting role. Bo was terrific in the pocket from an operations standpoint, delivery, and mechanics. Against a Ravens team that allows a lot of explosive plays in the passing game, Nix will need more from other receivers besides Sutton.
I think we’re getting closer to Devaughn Vele stepping in as the true number two receiving option. While I think Denver’s passing game will continue to get better and better, I don’t think they’ll gel fully until they can consistently establish the run. We’ll see how it all plays out this Sunday against Baltimore.
What’s with the Bush League call by Sean Payton with a fake field goal in the fourth quarter when up by 21 points? Do you buy his answer about it being closing out the game? – Ed Helinski on Twitter.
Hey Ed, great question. I personally don’t feel like it was bush league. I’ve always been a big believer in putting your foot on the throat of an opponent when you have the chance to do so. Sunday’s game against Carolina was an opportunity for Denver to try some things they wanted to get to earlier in the season but weren’t in a position to do or try. When the Broncos were wham-blasted by the Miami Dolphins last year, they decided to throw a deep touchdown while up 53-13 against Denver, and Payton didn’t complain about it. It’s the NFL, and asserting your dominance is important. If this was the college or high school level, I feel like it would have been a little more bush league, but this is the best of the best. Certainly it also puts Denver in a position where teams may try to do that to them if they find themselves...
