Broncos Roundtable: Can Denver get back into this thing?

 

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Ahh the sweet feeling of victory.

For the first time in the Vic Fangio Era, the Broncos got in the win column on Sunday against the Chargers in a surprising 20-13 victory in Los Angeles.

Can the Broncos ride the momentum of a one-game win streak and turn the season around?

The DNVR Broncos Crew breaks it down.

ON A SCALE OF 1-10, HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU THE BRONCOS CAN GET BACK INTO IT?

Ryan

Two — The path is there, but it’s not a likely one.

Beat the Titans at home, get some real confidence rolling, and then hope something chaotic happens against the Chiefs, allowing you to win three in a row. After all, that Chiefs game is on Thursday Night Football.

If they can do that, then they really are back in this thing.

Can it happen? Sure. But they are a bad gameplan away from being 1-5, and then 1-6 would be all but guaranteed.

Zac

Two — One win is great. But the reality is the Broncos are 1-4 and only one team has ever started 0-4, as the Broncos did, and made the playoffs.

And as Emmanuel Sanders and Phillip Lindsay have acknowledged, the Broncos have put themselves in a very, very tough spot.

“At the end of the day we have a very deep hole, right? We’re not out of the hole,” Sanders said on Tuesday. “Man, we’ve got a long ways to go to get ourselves out of this hole.”

History would say, most times that hole is just too deep to escape from.

But, by putting the number at two, I’m telling you there’s a chance. For there to be any chance moving forward, Denver will have to make it a three-game win streak, which means beating the Titans and, significantly more daunting, taking out the Chiefs.

Mase

One — I would define “in it” as within one game of the last playoff spot with five or fewer games to go. Doing so likely requires getting to 5-6, which means the Broncos must go at least 4-2 in their next six games. And unless this team proves to be something it has not been in three years, where are the four wins coming from against a slate that includes home games with the Titans and Browns and road games against the Chiefs, Colts, Vikings and Bills?

Going .500 in that stretch — especially with a cornerback corps that, beyond Chris Harris Jr., is being held together with duct tape and baling wire — would be a splendid accomplishment. That would put the Broncos at 4-7 and leaving all of Colorado wondering when Drew Lock would get his first start.

WHO IS THE NEXT RESERVE PLAYER THE BRONCOS SHOULD MOVE UP?

Ryan

Drew Lock — I was going to take Juwann Winfree here, but Zac beat me to the punch. If the Broncos don’t get back into this thing, it’s absolutely imperative that they get Drew Lock involved.

On top of this franchise needing to know what they have in him before this year’s draft, it will also be an important symbolic passing of the torch to the young players on this team.

Make Drew the quarterback and let him lead the team along with Phillip Lindsay and Dalton Risner.

They are the future, and the future is all they have.

Zac

Juwann Winfree — I was as high on DaeSean Hamilton as anyone entering the season. But seven catches for 77 yards through five games just won’t get it done as the team’s third receiver, even though it hasn’t been entirely his fault.

Meanwhile, the Broncos have a very talented receiver just sitting on the bench. Yes, there is a reason Winfree’s only been active for one game on the season, but at this point, with the lack of production from a third receiver, there’s really nothing to lose.

Winfree flashed early in training camp and had a few spectacular plays in preseason, including the game-winning catch in the Hall of Fame game. Why not give Joe Flacco another potentially dangerous weapon? The worst-case scenario can’t be much more damning than seven catches in five games.

Mase

Dre’Mont Jones — He has shown flashes of brilliance in the pass rush. He forced an intentional-grounding penalty against Philip Rivers that turned a 34-yard field-goal attempt into a 48-yarder, which he promptly deflected. So Jones made a 3-point play that proved crucial in a 7-point win last week at Los Angeles.

That sequence alone makes me want to turn the page to see what’s next in the book being authored by the third-round pick.

RESULT VS. TITANS (+2.5)

Ryan

Broncos 24, Titans 14 — Confidence is one helluva drug, and this team has their confidence back this week.

Vic Fangio figured out his formula for stoping the run last week and that’s whta beating the Titans is all about. If Denver can buck up and take Derrick Henry out of the game, they should be able to handle this Titans team fairly easily.

Offensively, Rich Scangarello appears to be finding a bit of a groove. I think he cracks into the 20-point range for the third straight week.

Zac

Broncos 19, Titans 16 — This game is as close to a coin flip as they come. I give a slight edge to the boys in navy blue for two reasons.

First, Denver’s run defense appeared to turn a corner last week with the adjustments Fangio made. I’m not sold on the adjustments yet, but I am encouraged. For Tennessee to win the game, they’ll have to have great success with Derrick Henry on the ground.

Second, the Titans just signed a new kicker, Cody Parkey, this week after Cairo Santos, who they cut, missed four field goals last week. While I don’t expect Parkey to miss four field goals this week, he did miss eight last year with the Bears, including the “double doink” that eliminated Chicago, and Vic Fangio, from the playoffs. In a tight game, the kickers will matter significantly. And Denver’s got the better one.

Saying that the Titans could very easily win this game on Henry’s back as they play fundamentally sound football on both sides of the ball.

Mase

Broncos 17, Titans 14 – In 2002, while coaching the Carolina Panthers, John Fox said, “Sometimes a punt is not a bad play.” This game could be an example of what he meant.

Tennessee has just one turnover all season, and it was the decisive play in their only loss that came by more than seven points. A Titans muffed punt early in their Week 3 game set up the Jaguars at the Tennessee 7-yard line, leading to a quick score that put Jacksonville up to stay.

So while the Titans can recover from a drive that goes nowhere and ends in a punt, a giveaway to create a short field is another matter entirely. The muffed punt in Week 3 was their only turnover to date this season; they are due for some regression to the mean. One giveaway and one short field for the Broncos could be the difference.