How the Broncos can get back on track versus the Bengals

Good morning, Broncos Country. After a lot of offseason hype placing the Denver Broncos in high regard, the team has dropped back-to-back games and find themselves sitting in a 1-2 hole to start the season. This week’s matchup against the Cincinatti Bengals on Monday Night Football provides them with the opportunity to get back on track and save their season from further peril.

In order for that to happen, the Broncos are going to have to come out and play a complete game in all three phases. The offense, defense, and special team units have to put together their best individual performance to date to ensure a victory. A win is a win, but I want to see a dominant and decisive victory that can help ignite some confidence amongst the coaches in players as the season rolls on.

On offense, I am looking to see a rebound game from quarterback Bo Nix. While he hasn’t had the easiest slate of defenses to go up against early on in the season, there is no doubt the second-year signal caller has struggled. His inability to convert on third downs, operate over the middle of the field, and issues with the down-the-field accuracy have all been holding the offense back. The Bengals have had some issues in pass defense to start the season and I’m hoping Nix and Head Coach Sean Payton can come up with a gameplan to attack those full force.

On defense, I’m hoping to see Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph continue to be aggressive. Last week against the Minnesota Vikings, Jake Browning and the Bengals’ offense turned the ball over five times against Brian Flores’ blitz-happy defense. I expect Joseph to get creative in his play calls to help rattle Browning. The Broncos lead the NFL with 12 sacks on the season. If they can dial up the heat and force some turnovers, that will go a long way toward securing a victory.

On special teams, I’ve been pretty happy with how Jeremy Crawshaw has started the regular season punting the ball. He has performed much better than what we witnessed in the preseason. One issue I’m hoping can be corrected by Special Teams coach Darren Rizzi and his special team’s unit is their kicking and punt coverage. Broncos’ opponents have had some best starting field position off returns three games into the year. Let’s see if they can do better in that regard this week.

So, Broncos Country—what are a few things you think the Broncos have to accomplish in order to secure a must-win victory on Monday Night Football? Sound off in the comments section and let me know what you think. As always, thank you for reading. Here is today’s slate of articles for your enjoyment.