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Tuesday, 23 December 2014

Denver Broncos' Run Defense Breakdown Alarming Sign Ahead of Playoffs


Denver Broncos' Run Defense Breakdown Alarming Sign Ahead of Playoffs

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Denver Broncos' Run Defense Breakdown Alarming Sign Ahead of Playoffs
Darron Cummings/Associated Press
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Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning may have had a bad game in a 37-28 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals Monday night, but the loss wasn’t entirely due to his suddenly questionable arm. Denver’s great defense allowed 5.6 yards per play and 30 of the 37 points the Bengals put on the board.
Most alarming was the 207 rushing yards the Broncos allowed. It was the most they have allowed this season by a wide margin, and it was a big reason the Broncos got down early and needed Manning to bring them back.
Just before the playoffs is horrible time to be having breakdowns with the run defense. A team that can run the ball can keep Manning off the field and might just be able to steal a win from the Broncos in the playoffs like the Bengals did on Monday night.
Rookie running back Jeremy Hill rumbled for 147 yards on 22 carries—including an 85-yard touchdown in the first quarter. It's just the second time a running back has gone over 100 yards on the Broncos this season.
"We weren't sound in running game,” linebacker Von Miller said via Troy Renck of the Denver Post. “We made too many mistakes. We will learn from this."
The Broncos also allowed 113 yards to rookie running back Tre Mason in Week 11 and lost 22-7 to the St. Louis Rams. Manning threw multiple interceptions in that game trying to erase a deficit, which is reminiscent of Monday night. The only difference Monday was that the offense was able to get something going in the second half and actually took the lead with three minutes left in the third quarter.
The failure to stop the run was particularly concerning because the Bengals didn’t have much of a passing threat. Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton finished with just 146 passing yards, and his star wide receiver A.J. Green was out for most of the game with an arm injury.
Almost all of Cincinnati’s success through the air came by throwing passes to running back Giovani Bernard and tight end Jermaine Gresham. Bernard finished with 45 receiving yards and a touchdown through the air and 36 rushing yards on eight carries. Gresham had 62 receiving yards on nine receptions and a touchdown.
Giving up big yards on the ground and to running backs and tight ends in the air highlights the problem for the Broncos—their linebackers and safeties aren’t playing well. That makes sense, as the team is without linebacker Danny Trevathan due to injury and, for the time being, his replacement Brandon Marshall as well. Trevathan is on injured reserve with a knee injury, as is linebacker Nate Irving.
The Broncos started undrafted rookie linebacker Todd Davis in Marshall’s place Monday. The New Orleans Saints, who have one of the worst defenses in the league, waived Davis earlier this season. Davis understandably struggled to stick with Bernard in the passing game and only made one notable tackle in the run game.
To make matters worse, the Broncos lost strong safety T.J. Ward to a neck injury in the fourth quarter. Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio has relied on Ward to play a nickel linebacker role to assist in the run game with all of the injuries at the position. Not having Ward could further weaken the run defense just when the Broncos need it most.
With the loss, the Broncos now have to win next week to secure a first-round bye. A win over the Bengals and a Patriots win over the Bills in the early game next week would have allowed the Broncos to rest their starters next Sunday against the Oakland Raiders, but now they have to win or they won’t get any rest at all.
The run defense will be key throughout the playoffs and if the Broncos manage to make the Super Bowl. Not only could weather become a factor in the playoffs, but also many of the teams still in the AFC playoff picture are good at running the ball.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens all have very good running games. Pittsburgh running back Le’Veon Bell is one of the best in the league this year, and Houston’s Arian Foster isn’t much worse. The Ravens have a dominant offensive line that can open up running lanes for Justin Forsett, who is a great fit in the zone scheme they deploy.
Potential Playoff Opponents
AFC Rush Yards Top RB
Ravens 1890 (7) Justin Forsett
Steelers 1723 (13) Le'Veon Bell
Texans 2038 (4) Arian Foster
Bengals 2031 (5) Jeremy Hill
Colts 1548 (21) Trent Richardson/Dan Herron
Chargers 1255 (29) Ryan Mathews
Patriots 1611 (17) Jonas Gray
NFC Rush Yards Top RB
Seattle Seahawks 2630 (1) Marshawn Lynch
Dallas Cowboys 2180 (2) DeMarco Murray
Green Bay Packers 1765 (11) Eddie Lacy
Pro-Football-Reference.com
Then there’s the San Diego Chargers, who could have running back Ryan Mathews back by then if they make it. About the only team that doesn’t have a great running game that the Broncos could face early in the playoffs is the Indianapolis Colts, but they present their own challenges because they can utilize two tight ends to exploit Denver’s issues at linebacker and safety if they don’t get healthy fast.
That’s not to mention the fact that the Broncos will still have to play a road game in New England and win to make it to the Super Bowl again. Once they get back to the big game, they would likely be looking at the No. 1 rushing offense in the Seattle Seahawks, the No. 2 rushing offense in the Dallas Cowboys or quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
No one said it was going to be easy for Denver but they’re playing poorly at the wrong time. As the Broncos have experienced over the past two years, the hottest and healthiest team wins in the playoffs, and they are neither right now.
The fact that the one area of the team that had faltered just once this season—the run defense—had such a poor performance Monday night is just as alarming as Manning’s four interceptions. At least with Manning a turnaround is expected, but Denver’s run defense could continue to struggle if the key players don’t get healthy.
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