Three observations from the Broncos win over the Lions in Week 14

The Denver Broncos put a beat down on the Detroit Lions in Week 14. They won the game 38-10, and the game was never really that close. Even when the Lions were battling them in the first half, you just had a feeling the Broncos would pull away – and they did.

It was an emotional game in Broncos Country. Late Thursday, we lost former Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and the football world was shocked. Kind words came in via social networking all weekend long as more people gave their memories about the superstar.

The Broncos wanted to do several things to honor Thomas, including a shrine outside the stadium, a moment of silence, a video tribute, his number “88” painted on the sidelines and lining up for the first play with only 10 players on the field.

After the big win, Broncos head coach Vic Fangio opened up his press conference talking about the team’s tribute to Thomas.

“Obviously they responded well, and it was obvious to me. I didn’t have the honor of knowing ‘DT’ (former Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas), but the people in our building, the 10 players and multiple amount of coaches and workers in our building (that knew him) — and then you could just feel the outpouring of love and sadness within the Denver community. We wanted to tribute him any way we could. I would like to take credit for that idea of the 10 men (on the field to start the game), but it was not me. But when they came to me with it, I said, ‘Okay.’ Talked with (Lions head coach) Dan Campbell. He agreed to not accept the penalty, which was a classy move on his part and the Detroit Lions. They are a classy organization. And John Hussey, the referee, was in on it, he knew about it. But really, I think the credit goes to (Broncos chief communications officer) Patrick (Smyth). I think he thought of the idea to do that,” Fangio said.

Here are the top-three observations from the Broncos-Lions game.

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Start Fast… Finally

The Broncos don’t really start fast on offense. That all changed against the Lions in Week 14. As the team kept pounding the rock – and having success – they ended up scoring touchdowns on their first two drives of the game.
The offense was really built around the rushing attack against the Lions. Melvin Gordon returned to the starting lineup after missing last week, and he recorded the second 100-yard game of the season. He did a great job of carving up the Lions defense, using his slashing style and supreme vision to cut back against the grain and find extra yards. Gordon scored two touchdowns on the ground on Sunday.

Rookie Javonte Williams continues to run over defenders early and often. He averaged almost 5.0 yards per carry on his way to two touchdowns as well – one rushing and one receiving. Williams totaled 73 rushing yards and 10 receiving yards to eclipse 1,000 scrimmage yards (1,022) on the season. He is the ninth Broncos rookie to reach 1,000 all-purpose yards and the first since Phillip Lindsay in 2018.

After the game, Fangio gave his opinion as to why the team was able to get off to a fast start – something they normally don’t do.

“Our two running backs have been doing that all year, but I think a good bit of credit needs to go to the O-line and the tight ends. You know, anytime you hand it off 39 times and the other team knows you’re handing it off that many times, and you are able to grind out the yards—credit to the guys doing the blocking. But our two [running] backs are really, really good, and I love them both and glad we have them both. You know, no one is going to carry it 39 times by themselves,” Fangio said.

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What’s the Number?

As difficult as it might be to believe, the Broncos are still in the playoff chase. This season has been like a roller coaster ride after you’ve had a big meal. There have been twists and turns, ups and downs, but also times that make you want to throw up. Through it all, the Broncos have done what they set out to do – play meaningful games in December.

Yes, the Lions are pathetic but you must play who is on your schedule. I think it’s a good sign that Denver not only beat Detroit but they clown-hammered them. We’d feel a lot differently about this win had the Broncos barely pulled it off. By winning big it shows what we should have already known – Denver is not a bad team.

They may not be the best team, and they may not make the postseason – but the Broncos are better than they’ve been since the Super Bowl 50 season in 2015. That’s a credit to general manager George Paton and the talent that he’s added to the roster on both sides of the ball.

The Lions didn’t have a chance. They had a ton of players injured or in COVID protocols, but the talent gap between these two rosters was incredibly evident.

So, can the Broncos make the playoffs? I think 10 wins is the number it will take to make the playoffs in the AFC. The Broncos have seven wins, so they need to win three more with four games left to play. Those four games come against tough opponents in the Bengals, Chargers and Chiefs – and oh yeah, they play the Raiders one more time. There’s a chance to get to 10 wins, but it’s going to be close – and it’s going to be tough.

Fangio has been asked about the playoffs, likely ad nauseum – but he doesn’t know what the magic number of wins is to make it to the postseason.

“I don’t know what it looks like right now. (He) has asked me a few times: What number does it need to get to (to make the playoffs)? I tell him I don’t know every time. I’m not ducking his question because I really don’t know. But we’re going to approach every game like it’s a must-win and go at it like that and see how many we can get in these next four weeks,” Fangio said.

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It All Starts Up Front

The Broncos were able to run the ball effectively because the offensive line has gelled together over the last few weeks. Throughout injuries and inconsistency, the Broncos offensive line has done a great job of getting better and better each week.

They had 25 total first downs against the Lions, and 14 of those came on the ground. They ran 65 plays, ended up 8-out-of-12 on third down and 1-of-1 on fourth down. These types of numbers come from the work done up front.

The offensive linemen are the unsung heroes of this team. They usually aren’t highlighted unless they do something wrong, but I wanted to praise them for their performance – not just in this game but over the last few weeks.

They’ve had to move players around in order to field five linemen, but now that they’re getting healthier on the edge with players like left tackle Garett Bolles you are seeing improved play. The interior of the offensive line is thriving as well with guys like Dalton Risner and Quinn Meinerz imposing their will on overpowered opponents.
Fangio appreciates what his offensive line has done to improve as the season has gone on.

“Yeah, I mean it’s a good group. They’re well-coached by (offensive line coach) Mike (Munchak) and ‘Kup’ (assistant offensive line coach Chris Kuper). We had a good commitment to the run game, and we need to have that, especially this time of year. If you can run it, you can build a lot of things off of it. You know, we had some bootlegs that came open that was critical, play-action passes. So that’s where it needs to start for us,” Fangio said.

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