Lammey: Forsett could make all the difference for Broncos vs. Chiefs

The Denver Broncos are facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 16 with their playoff hopes on the line. Entering the holiday weekend with an 8-6 record, the Broncos need to get to 10 wins to give themselves the best chance to make the postseason.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak called it a “must-win game” this week, and that his team aware of the importance of Sunday’s game.

“We can’t worry about anything else or what’s going to happen. We have to go in there and beat a really good football team,” Kubiak said.

One player they didn’t have on the roster against the Chiefs the last time they played is running back Justin Forsett. He was the team’s starter last week against the New England Patriots, and his role has grown in each of his two games with the team.

In possibly rainy/snowy/windy conditions on Christmas night, Denver’s rushing attack may have to carry the load in a must-win situation.

Could Forsett be the difference for the Broncos? Let’s take a look:

Subtlety when running

Forsett is not known as a banger between the tackles, but the veteran has no issue running inside.

The best season of his career came in 2014 under Kubiak, when he was the offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens. That year, Forsett finished fifth in the NFL with 1,266 rushing yards.

More than 1,000 of those yards (1,004) came between the tackles — a mark that ranked fourth in the NFL. Forsett outrushed much bigger backs like Marshawn Lynch (928) and Eddie Lacy (919) between the tackles that season.

A reason why Forsett can pick up yardage between the tackles at only 195 pounds is his ability to make subtle moves before crossing the line of scrimmage. We’ve seen him make these moves in his short time with the Broncos.

In short-yardage situations, Forsett will patiently wait for the play to develop. This technique is called “pressing the hole,” and he’s an expert at it.

Forsett will follow his blocks while also looking for cutback lanes out of the corner of his eye. When a hole is clogged up, Forsett will have shown the outside read so much that he’ll actually create some space to cut back inside.

Pass protection a must

Facing a fierce Chiefs pass rush, the Broncos must ensure that quarterback Trevor Siemian is well protected. Having a veteran back like Forsett lining up in the backfield will certainly help.

Offensive coordinator Rick Dennison said this week that he likes what Forsett brings to the field.

“Certainly is experience is invaluable, protection-wise. He knows the scheme. He’s a great guy in the locker room, too,” Dennison said. “Nothing will phase Justin. He’s been through a lot. I think we can rely on him to do the right thing and keeping the guys in line. I’m looking forward to having him here.”

“We just have to make our plays, whoever is out there. It doesn’t matter if it’s Justin or ‘Book’ (Devontae Booker) or even Juwan (Thompson) out there. We have to make some plays.”

The wind may be a factor on Sunday night, but the Broncos can go through the air with great success against the Chiefs. In order to do that better, Forsett’s presence as a blocker should greatly help.

More screens, please

Forsett is a natural runner. He can be trusted to protect the passer. But his best ability may be as a receiving option out of the backfield.

Football 101 dictates that when facing a pass rush like Kansas City’s, a team should use draw plays and screen passes to slow down the rush.

Forsett said on Friday with Sports Radio 104.3 The Fan’s “The Drive” that “smash-mouth” is the attitude the team should have against the Chiefs.

“When we step on the field, we want to dominate. It’s going to be physical, smash-mouth. … We’ve got to go out there on third down and execute and score touchdowns,” Forsett said.

Being a physical game, the screen game can be used as a changeup when Kansas City is least expecting it.

With Forsett’s ability to set up defenders in the open field, getting him some catches out of the backfield would help keep the Chiefs off balance.

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