Five things we need to see from the Broncos on Saturday night
Aug 19, 2023, 10:39 AM
The Denver Broncos are rolling into week two of the preseason against the San Francisco 49ers on a low from last week’s disappointing 18-17 loss to the Cardinals.
As they look to redeem themselves this week, these are five key things we need to see from the Broncos to win this game.
1. Improved pass blocking
Last week, the Broncos offensive line struggled with their pass protection and couldn’t keep the pressure off Russell Wilson. Wilson was pressured consistently and scrambled out of the pocket to keep plays alive. Wilson needs time in the pocket, and the offensive lineman needs to be able to keep the pressure away from him.
2. No missed field-goals
The kicking battle has seemed to come to an end, with Brett Maher being the only kicker on the roster, but after last week’s performances and missing both field goal attempts, the job is still wide open.
There are plenty of free agents on the market who could compete against Maher, such as Mason Crosby and Robbie Gould. If Maher continues to struggle this week, the Broncos may keep looking for other options as they enter the season.
3. Game management and staying healthy
This week is a big week for Broncos country as running back Javonte Williams returns after a season-long absence due to a brutal knee injury last season.
As exciting as it may be, they need to be careful.
Willams was injured in October of 2022 and is back almost 11 months later, ready to play. It’s a remarkable timeline for such a severe injury. The Broncos need to be careful, limit his workload and ensure he’s 100%. Sean Payton said he would play around 10-12 snaps this week, and the team seems confident he’s back and ready to go.
Altogether, the entire team needs to stay healthy. It’s preseason — and it’s not worth losing any starters.
4. Wilson needs to move the ball downfield effectively and efficiently
It seems obvious, but it’s crucial that Wilson plays better this week and moves the ball downfield efficiently and effectively. It was a slow start in Arizona last week, and he needs to get this offense going quicker. Wilson must stick to short, quick passes to keep the ball moving downfield.
5. Finish, finish, finish
The Broncos have struggled with closing out drives with points and finishing through the end of the game.
Last week, Wilson got into the opposing team’s territory three different times and couldn’t finish with points. They need to be able to finish and produce points to win games.
The defense put on a good show last week. The starters and secondary unit played well until the last few seconds of the game when the Cardinals took advantage of a botched play and scored to win. It was a simple mistake that cost them the game. It can’t happen, and they need to be able to finish strong.
Going into week two of the preseason against the 49ers, the Broncos need to focus on these five things to be successful. The starters will only see 20-24 snaps during the game, and hopefully, we will see some improvement from last week’s performance and walk out with a win.
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