Evans: For the Broncos, style points matter against the Giants
Oct 11, 2017, 4:36 PM | Updated: 4:37 pm
OK, OK. Let’s get these out of the way.
I know in the NFL “on any given Sunday” the “other guys get paid too” and “desperate teams are dangerous.”
Have I paid enough tribute to the tried and true clichés of the National … Football … League?
Good, now let’s get on with this.
Not only do the Denver Broncos need to beat the New York Giants on Sunday, they need to hammer them. This needs to be a good ol’ fashioned, never-in-doubt beat down.
Apparently, the “wise guys” in Vegas agree, as they have made the Broncos the biggest favorite for this upcoming NFL weekend.
I’m OK with winning ugly. Those wins matter in the end. But, sometimes a team needs to flex its muscles and send an emphatic message about its capabilities.
If the Broncos are going to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender, they have to be able to dominate a down-and-out opponent like the G-men.
I know Denver won a Super Bowl a couple of years ago by winning close games and not needing much offense. But that is not a recipe for success. In hindsight, it was somewhat of a miracle the Broncos eked out as many close wins as they did with the defense coming to the rescue.
It was almost like a Lois Lane in peril and here comes Superman just in the nick of time scenario.
I have no doubt the Broncos defense will dominate. If New York scores 10 points on its own, that would be an upset.
It’s the offense that needs to make a statement.
The last two games against Buffalo and Oakland have been a step back for Trevor Siemian. Denver’s offense is third in the NFL in average rushing yards per game but only 24th in average passing yards per game.
In order for a running game to matter, you need a quarterback/passing game to make it matter. That hasn’t happened the last two games.
Whether it’s improvement in reading defenses and making quicker decisions — or not looking over his shoulder at offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, fearful of making a mistake — Siemian has to start doing more.
And the Broncos and McCoy need to trust their quarterback to do more because a swing of seven of the next 11 games on the road is coming up.
The offense will have to carry more of the load, and there will be few, if any, gimmies on the schedule like there is this Sunday.
This is the game to jump on a team that is begging to be put out of its misery. This is the game to pad stats and stand around late in the fourth quarter with baseball caps on. This is the game to build confidence as the grind of the schedule looms.
This is the game where style points matter.
