ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — After the Denver Broncos’ first loss of the 2021 season, Vic Fangio nearly pulled a line out of Bill Belichick’s book.
“We’re onto the next game,” the head coach stated after Denver fell to 3-1 on Sunday. “We can’t have a hangover from this game and just get our focus back starting tomorrow on Pittsburgh.”
Will the Broncos suffer a week-long hangover on the road against the Steelers or will they be able to bounce back to their winning ways?
The DNVR Crew breaks it down in the fifth installment of Broncos Pick ‘Em.
All odds below are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Which player do the Broncos need more out of in the next few weeks?
Zac: Von Miller — The first quarter of the season proved that for Denver’s defense to be elite, they need Von Miller to be elite. In the first three games, Von was elite as he racked up four sacks and an NFL-best six tackles for a loss on his way to AFC Defensive Player of the Month. Thanks to that, Denver’s defense was the best in the NFL allowing fewer than 10 points per game.
Against the Ravens, however, Miller had his worst game of the season, only racking up half a sack. Not only was Denver’s pass rush nonexistent for most of the game, but the Broncos allowed Lamar Jackson to have over 300 passing yards and score 23 points.
To Miller’s defense, Denver’s defensive game plan held him back significantly from being a dominant pass rusher as the Broncos had to focus on containing Lamar in the pocket. But it showed that if opposing teams can slow Miller down, Denver’s defense will be exposed.
We’ve known all along the Broncos’ winning formula is elite defense coupled with a capable offense. For the defense to be elite, Von Miller need to be elite. The encouraging news is Von’s been elite in 75 percent of Denver’s games so far. They’ll need their highest-paid player to continue to step up and have elite games for them to make it through this tough stretch they are currently in.
Mase: Garett Bolles — Broncos coach Vic Fangio said it all last Monday: “He needs to be better.”
After last week’s loss, Bolles put the blame on his shoulders after a day that saw him commit his first holding penalty in nine games while allowing multiple pressures — including one that had him pushed back into Teddy Bridgewater as though he was on ice skates.
“I’m really angry at myself right now,” he said last Sunday. “That’s just unacceptable with the way I played today. I take that all upon myself, 100 percent. I’m my biggest critic. I know I have to go out there and fix my mistakes and continue to get back on track where I belong. Some days I’m going to have good days, and some days I’m going to have bad days. Today, I took a punch in the face.
“I just have to take my lickings, get off up the mat, get back next week, figure out what happened when I got knocked out, and get back up again. That’s the type of player that I am. I’m going to get back up, fix my things and continue to move forward.”
Bolles is credited by Pro Football Focus with three sacks allowed this season; last year, PFF had him with a season-long clean sheet, which helped propel him to second-team All-Pro status. That data backs up Fangio’s assertion Monday that Bolles needed improved form “mainly in pass protection.”
Yes, there is a difference in quarterbacks, and Lock’s sack rate is much better than Bridgewater’s. Lock has been sacked once every 22.1 pass plays in the last two seasons, compared with Bridgewater’s sack rate of one every 13.3 pass plays.
But that doesn’t account for all of it. The absences of Dalton Risner and Graham Glasgow have likely played a role, as well. Pass protection is a collaborative endeavor, and with two young players taking plenty of snaps at the guard spots, Bolles, right tackle Bobby Massie and center Lloyd Cushenberry III have had to pick up the slack.
A return to better health across the line should result in better form. But even with that, Bolles has plenty of work to do to avoid having a sack rate that hearkens back to what F. Scott Fitzgerald would have called his “younger and more vulnerable years.”
Fortunately, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur noted that Bolles has put in plenty of work this week to get things right, starting with film review on Monday.
“Garett went through it just like every other player, even the ones that everybody has perceived played well. You go through that process. The fact that he’s willing to embrace that process, to me, tells me that he really cares,” Shurmur said. “He’s an outstanding player. When you can admit that there’s things that we can do better to help us win, I think it’s a good thing because this thing is journey as we go.
“Unfortunately, there’s bumps in the road, so you have to get over that bump and then try to get better. I think that’s where we are and he’s at.”
RK: Tim Patrick — Jerry Jeudy is hurt, K.J. Hamler is out for the season and Courtland Sutton is banged up. For multiple seasons now, we have pondered over whether or not Tim Patrick has the talent to be a true No. 1 receiver in the National Football League. Well, now is Tim’s chance to prove he is.
Even if he plays, as he is expected to, Sutton’s injury will allow the defense to pay more attention to Patrick. If he can work himself open and give Teddy Bridgewater a reliable place to go with the football, he could make himself a lot of money.
Picks Picks Picks
Ben Roethlisberger passing yards over/under 252.5
Zac: Under.
Mase: Over.
RK: Way under.
Teddy Bridgewater passing yards over/under 224.5
Zac: Under. Slightly.
Mase: Over.
RK: Over.
Teddy Bridgewater passing touchdown over/under 1.5
Zac: Under.
Mase: Under.
RK: Over.
Tim Patrick receiving yards over/under 52.5
Zac: Over.
Mase: Over.
RK: Over.
Najee Harris rushing yards over/under 54.5
Zac: Under. Under. Under.
Mase: Under.
RK: Way under.
Will Melvin Gordon or Javonte Williams have more rushing yards?
Zac: Melvin.
Mase: Gordon.
RK: Williams.
Javonte Williams rushing attempts over/under 11.5
Zac: Over. Barely.
Mase: Over.
RK: Over.
Brandon McManus kicking points over/under 6.5
Zac: Over.
Mase: Under.
RK: Over.
Steelers total touchdown over/under 2.5
Zac: Under.
Mase: Under.
RK: Under.
Steelers total points over/under 19.5
Zac: Under.
Mase: Under.
RK: Under.
Broncos (-1) @ Steelers
Zac: Broncos. Teddy time.
Mase: Broncos.
RK: Broncos by double digits.
Bears @ Raiders (-5)
Zac: Bears.
Mase: Raiders.
RK: Raiders.
Browns @ Chargers (-2)
Zac: Chargers.
Mase: Chargers.
RK: Brownies.
Bills @ Chiefs (-2.5)
Zac: Chiefs. ?.
Mase: Bills.
RK: Bills.
Leaderboard
Zac: 8-9
Mase: 8-9
RK: 3-14
Overall
Zac: 23-24
Mase: 20-27
RK: 18-29
