Six lessons the Broncos can learn from the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend

The Denver Broncos haven’t been in the playoffs since 2015. They need to change that and fast under the guidance of the new owners, the Walton-Penner Group. We’ll see who their new head coach selection is, and I anticipate a decision will be made within the next two weeks.

This weekend, the NFL had a Wild Card Weekend to remember. There were some great games, one blowout, and overall, a great battle on the football field in almost every contest. Not only were the games entertaining, but they were also educational for a team like the Broncos.

Hopefully, Broncos general manager George Paton was paying close attention. The Wild Card games exposed some of the biggest mistakes he’s made running the show in Denver. Paton needs to learn from these mistakes and make better decisions in the future.

Here are six lessons, one from each game, the Broncos (and Paton) can learn from this year’s Wild Card Round.

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Keep Your Foot on the Gas

Look at the San Francisco 49ers and you’ll see a team that knows who they are. Kyle Shanahan is a great head coach, and he’s got a great GM in John Lynch finding him the right players for his system. The 49ers know who they are, and they know how to play together.

Rookie QB Brock Purdy has done a phenomenal job of running the offense, and their defense is among the best in the league. However, what stood out in the win over the Seattle Seahawks on Wild Card Weekend was the fact the 49ers did not take their foot off the gas. Instead of being comfortable with the lead and leaning on their world-class defense, the 49ers kept scoring and pulled away fro the Seahawks for the 41-23 win.

Having offensive weapons like RB Christian McCaffrey and WR Deebo Samuel really helps their cause. McCaffrey can beat you as a runner or receiver out of the backfield, and since being traded to the 49ers he has 12 touchdowns in 12 games. Samuel missed time this year due to injury, but he was able to come back for the game against the Seahawks. A 74-yard reception boosted his day, and Samuel finished with six catches for 133 yards and one touchdown. The 49ers were down by one point at halftime, but they kept scoring and compiled 25 points in the second half with 18 of those points coming in the fourth quarter.

Early birthday gifts 🎁 @19problemz

🎥: https://t.co/KTh0i4nCVJ<;/a> pic.twitter.com/tHxim1knpi

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 15, 2023

Shanahan knows that to win in this league, don’t look back. It’s been a painful lesson for him in the Super Bowl, and it’s something he looks to change this year with a tough team that will keep their foot on the gas.

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Chargers Gonna Choke

There is always talk about how tough the AFC West is because of the other quarterbacks in the division, mainly Patrick Mahomes with the Kansas City Chiefs and Justin Herbert with the Los Angeles Chargers. It’s true, both young passers are top-5 in this league and merely their presence will make the AFC West a tough division to win. However, while the Chiefs have won it all with Mahomes and may do so again this year, the Chargers are a team that always falls short of the mark.

Simply put, the Chargers choke. They’ve done this before in the regular season, and they used to do this regularly when Philip Rivers was their quarterback. Herbert is a superstar, but he can’t do enough to keep this team identity from changing. The Chargers have everything that it takes to win a Super Bowl, yet they continue to be one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL.

What they did on Wild Card Weekend could get their head coach Brandon Staley fired. The Chargers quickly built a 27-0 lead against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and it looked like the game was going to be over early. A late touchdown by the Jaguars in the first half was only a sign of things to come. In the second half, the Jaguars kept making plays while the Chargers stumbled. A key fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter allowed the Jaguars to get into field goal position to win the game by a score of 31-30 on Saturday night.

Lol u wild Doug keep going#LACvsJAX on NBC pic.twitter.com/8zJhrS3ghY

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 15, 2023

Herbert is amazing, but until the culture around his team changes they won’t be able to get to the highest level in the league. The Broncos must face the Chargers at least twice a season, and they could match up against them in the playoffs if they make it that far. The Chargers are a threat because of Herbert, but their team history is that of a choke artist. Advantage: Broncos.

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Draft a QB Late

I could have highlighted this with the 49ers and Purdy, but I must highlight this here with the Miami Dolphins and Skylar Thompson – a player I wanted the Broncos to draft on day three of the 2022 NFL Draft. Thompson started a few games for the Dolphins in the regular season as injuries hit above him on the depth chart with Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater. The Dolphins turned to Thompson in the Wild Card Round against the Bills, and the rookie put up a valiant effort in the loss.

Instead of addressing the backup quarterback position with a young/developmental prospect like Thompson, Broncos GM George Paton felt it was best to take chances on guys like WR/KR Montrell Washington on day three of the draft. Standing pat with Brett Rypien as the backup quarterback is a fool’s errand. Rypien is incredibly smart, and I think he will be a head coach in the NFL someday, but he’s below average as a backup. Imagine the excitement the Broncos would have if they had drafted Purdy or Thompson in the draft.

The Broncos need to draft a quarterback late. In fact, I think they could take a Day 3 quarterback every year in the draft. The position is just too valuable, and if you can find a guy like Purdy or Thompson it greatly benefits your team. They have Russell Wilson as their clear-cut starter in 2023, but if he goes down due to his play style, the Broncos need a player they can trust as a backup. That’s not Rypien, and that could have been Purdy or Thompson. Also, Wilson is no sure thing to be the starter in 2024 and beyond. Had the Broncos selected Purdy or Thompson, they might be grooming the starter of the future right now.

TIE. GAME. #SuperWildCard

📺: #MIAvsBUF on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/zCGXBeNnOK<;/a> pic.twitter.com/JUavHnZpR3

— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2023

The Broncos need to upgrade their quarterback room. The Broncos need to perhaps develop a quarterback of the future. The Broncos need to stop taking chances on FCS return men who disappoint. It’s past time for them to draft a day-three quarterback if one falls within their range like Jaren Hall from BYU. Stop taking a chance on bad picks and stop listening to other people in the building who are not in the scouting department (sorry Wilson). Paton needs to make the right call and finally get on the horse and draft a quarterback.

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Lean Into It

The best teams are the ones who know what they do best – then they lean into it. I was excited when the New York Giants hired Brian Daboll as their head coach. Daboll had worked wonders with QB Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, and now he was going to get to work with former first-round pick Daniel Jones. I thought Jones was in a make-or-break year, and Daboll was in a great spot. He could try to work with Jones, and if things didn’t work then Daboll could move on easily and get a quarterback in the 2023 offseason.

Jones did work out – and then some – because the Giants worked with what he can do, and they leaned into it. He’s not going to yet fully develop as a passer, but Jones is a runner, and he can be a threat to a defense with his legs. Instead of forcing him into the pocket and trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, Daboll instead just asked Jones to use his legs to keep attacking a defense.

The Giants went on the road in the Wild Card Round, and they beat the favorite Minnesota Vikings by a score of 31-24. Jones was the team’s leading rusher with 78 yards against the Vikings. Even though the Giants have superstar RB Saquon Barkley (who had two rushing touchdowns), it was Jones who compiled the most rushing yards. In a win-or-go-home scenario, the Giants were not afraid to lean into it with Jones.

DJ ON THE MOVE 💨

📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/txq8yAxH2i

— New York Giants (@Giants) January 15, 2023

First, the Broncos need to find an identity on offense. Second, they need to lean into it. You’re not going to be everything on offense but find what you do best then do that over and over. Paton needs to help find this team an identity. The new head coach needs to tell Paton what he wants the offense to be, and Paton had better find the right players that fit the new scheme.

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You Complete Me

The Cincinnati Bengals may win it all this year. They have arguably the best young superstar quarterback in the game in Joe Burrow. The Bengals can run the ball down your throat with either RB Joe Mixon or RB Samaje Perine. The Bengals can also gash you with big play receivers like J’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, or Tyler Body. Simply put, they’ve got it all on offense.

However, in the Wild Card Game against the Baltimore Ravens their offense didn’t do much. Burrow only had 209 passing yards and one passing touchdown. Mixon had just 39 yards rushing, and Perine had only three yards rushing. Chase snared nine passes for 84 yards and one touchdown, while Higgins had 37 yards receiving, and Boyd had just 26 yards receiving. In a game built on great offense, it was the Bengals defense that helped seal the win.

In a tie game while in scoring position, Ravens QB Tyler Huntley tried to reach the ball over the goal line for the late-game score. Instead, Bengals LB Logan Wilson (a player out of Wyoming I wanted the Broncos to draft) punched the ball out and DE Sam Hubbard rumbled down the field for a 98-yard, tie-breaking touchdown. The Bengals went on to win this tough game by a score of 24-17. The two teams are division rivals and know each other well, and we must praise the Ravens for their efforts on Sunday. If the Bengals don’t make that huge play on defense, who knows how the outcome would have turned out.

NO WORDS.#BALatCIN | 📺 NBC pic.twitter.com/pAFTy1yqpS

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 16, 2023

The Broncos have a great defense, so long as they can keep some key players and then add to that side of the ball in the draft. This work is up to Paton this offseason. He needs to add better defenders through the draft, and he needs to keep the ones that are already here happy. The Bengals have one of the league’s most dangerous offenses, but it’s the defense that completes them – and they could win the Super Bowl because of that.

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Tight Ends FTW

The Dallas Cowboys went on the road and beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night. It was the first time ever that Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones had beaten QB Tom Brady. The final score was 31-14, but the game wasn’t really that close. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott had a whopping five touchdowns (4 passing, 1 rushing) to lead his team to the Divisional Round.

However, I think it was the play of the tight ends for the Cowboys that should be highlighted. Well, it’s the play of one tight end, Dalton Schultz, that really put the team over the top. Schultz was the team’s leading receiver with 95 yards on the night. He was targeted eight times, caught seven of those passes, and Schultz had two touchdown catches against the Buccaneers. The tight end position is a weapon in today’s NFL, and the Bucs had no answer for Schultz.

Not only did Schultz make plays, but he influenced the way the Bucs played the team late in the game. That opened things for other receivers on the team. See the touchdown pass to superstar WR CeeDee Lamb. He was wide open, but that happens because the Bucs were already torched by Schultz and put too much attention on the tight end letting Lamb run free into the end zone. Football is about ‘the declaration of influence’ and Schultz certainly influenced the Bucs on Monday night.

Extend the play ➡️ make the play!@dak & @BinghamBaller9 link up for their 2nd TD of the night!

📺: @espn | #DALvsTB pic.twitter.com/mt9yWwQE50

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 17, 2023

I hope the Broncos take note. The team needs to use their tight ends more in 2023. It’s a shame that TE Albert Okwuegbunam was not used more this season in tandem with rookie TE Greg Dulcich. That’s a failure of the coaching staff, but it’s a failure of the executives (Paton) above former head coach Nathaniel Hackett. Sure, you can trust your coaches but when your coach is terrible – and Hackett was as bad as they come – as a general manager you need to step in and help get this thing on track. Hopefully next year, the Broncos use their tight ends more than they did this season.

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