Three biggest observations from the Broncos win over the Cardinals

The Denver Broncos had a winnable game on Sunday against the hapless Arizona Cardinals. Like the Broncos, the Cardinals had high hopes for this season but the results fell drastically short.

The Cardinals started backup quarterback Colt McCoy, and as the game went on they had to go to their third string quarterback. Trace McSorley was worse than McCoy (as expected), and the Cardinals’ defense could slow down a second half surge from the Broncos offense. That’s why the Broncos came out on top by a score or 24-15 in Week 15.

Broncos head coach (for now) Nathaniel Hackett discussed how it feels to get a win after losing five in a row.

“It feels great. This team has had a lot of adversity this year, both through the injuries, through the close games and it has been great to see them all stick together, fight for each other and continually battle. We have so many games against a bunch of very good football teams. We had another choice today. We were down 9-3. Those guys had another choice, and they stepped up even more. The defense, special teams and offense. That is what you love to see. That is what I appreciate from this team watching them out there,” Hackett said.

Here are my three biggest observations from the win over the Cardinals.

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Jump Start Jeudy

The Broncos showed an early plan of getting WR Jerry Jeudy involved as much as possible. The first two plays were passes to Jeudy, and he helped them move the chains on their first drive. Coming off a three-touchdown game in Week 14, Jeudy seems to have been jump started by the Broncos’ plan to involve him sooner.

The team is also moving Jeudy around the formation. Last week, Jeudy posted strong numbers as the “X” receiver, but against the Cardinals he was seeing time on the outside and from the slot. It’s his versatility and route-running ability that make Jeudy difficult to cover. That’s why Jeudy was targeted twice as many times (8) as any other player on the team (4, WR Brandon Johnson) against the Cardinals.

I believe the Broncos have finally unlocked Jeudy. They’ve done it by featuring him as the first read in the progressions of the quarterback. Jeudy has responded with the responsibility that he’s the most important player in the passing game plan.

Hackett was quite complimentary of Jeudy after the game.

“He has done a great job understanding the system. We have moved his position around quite a bit. We move them around the field so that people can’t get a beat on him. We have had a lot of different wide receivers out there. We saw Freddie Swain go out there and make a play which was great to see. Brandon Johnson and all those different guys are going in there. I think Jerry is taking advantage of knowing the system. We can put him in different spots, whether it is the slot, the single, outside, inside and all over the place. It just shows his football intelligence to be able to be moved around and find those sweet spots. You saw him find a couple in zone. It was not a lot of man coverage. It looked like they were down some guys, so they played more zone. I give a lot of credit for him to be able to make some plays,” Hackett said.

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Let It Ryp

There is no question that Rypien has the mind of a gunslinger. He wants to go deep, and he did have some deep shots here and there. However, Rypien doesn’t have a rocket arm, and he didn’t have the time required to properly set up those downfield throws. I did like the acting job he did on the play fake then touchdown pass to TE Eric Tomlinson, but overall Rypien’s day was rough around the edges – mainly because of protection issues.

This Broncos offensive line has had many combinations this season, with very few of them looking good. Against the Cardinals, we saw more injuries and more reserve players come onto the field to try and protect the quarterback. Rypien was under fire for most of the game, and he couldn’t put together a consistent performance because of it.

It also doesn’t help that Rypien tries to make throws he has no business getting rid of. See the interception at the end of the third quarter. Rypien stared down his target (he’s known for what scouts call bird-dogging), and then tried to loft a touchdown pass to TE Eric Saubert. Cardinals’ safety Budda Baker read the play perfectly, and he stepped in front of the pass for the easy interception. It was essentially a punt, as the Cardinals were backed up inside their own 5-yard line. However, it just shows again how Rypien is a below average backup quarterback and not the gunslinger he believes himself to be.

Hackett liked what he saw from Rypien on Sunday.

“Russell is going to be playing next week, but I thought Brett did a really good job. I think the thing that I thought was really great was after the pick happened. He said, ‘That pick was on me.’ He was trying to aggressive. He thought they jumped offsides. I gave him the ability to be able to be aggressive and go down the field on that one. They did not throw the flag, and it ended up being a turnover. That is on me. He had a choice on how he was going to react, and he was great. He just put it right aside, went out there, executed and put us in a good position to win the football game. He did a good job there. I thought Brett was really good, especially after taking some of those sacks. He was not fazed. He was ready to go and wanted to keep throwing the ball,” Hackett said.

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Most Defenders Showed Up

I love this Broncos’ defense, but I was worried they would be checked out against the Cardinals. Sure, a team can get up for an opponent like the Chiefs but going against a bad Cardinals team with a backup quarterback is a different story. On Sunday, I felt most of the defenders showed up to play in what essentially was a meaningless game.

I think Justin Simmons should be the first player to get highlighted here. He had an interception against Colt McCoy, and he seemed to always be around the ball as per usual. Late in the game, Simmons intercepted third string QB Trace McSorley for his second pick of the day. He read the play as it unfolded, and Simmons just followed the eyes of the young quarterback to the ball (his fifth interception of the year). It’s not a surprise that Simmons would not lollygag on his effort in Week 15, and there are teammates who can follow his guidance.

Jonathan Cooper is another player I thought stood out on Sunday. A lot of attention was on Randy Gregory who came back into the lineup after missing most of the season on Injured Reserve. I was more focused on the play of Cooper, and he did stand out against the Cardinals.

Hackett knows to win in the NFL it takes great efforts from your leaders like Simmons.

“Justin has been great. He is the leader of this football team. That is probably the number one most important thing with Justin. To be able to go out there and execute the way he has despite having some adversity. He has not experienced that type of adversity with the injuries and being out and on IR. He has come back, and I love how that whole back end is communicating. I love watching how they get organized with the motions, all those things. I think that just shows how they are as a group and how our defensive staff is putting them in the best positions. They are going out there and executing. It is great. I want to Justin get some more picks,” Hackett said.

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