Five reasons why the Broncos offense is close to getting it right

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – Abandon all hope, ye who enter here? Not quite.

Yes, the Broncos have extended their league-worst active streak of games with fewer than 20 points to six after Weeks 1 and 2. And, yes, the Broncos’ offense has been slower to awaken than sleep-challenged Hugh Grant’s commitment-phobe in “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” with fewer points in the first half (3) and the first three quarters (9) than anyone else in the NFL – including the hapless Miami Dolphins.

In the fourth quarter, the Broncos rank fourth with 21 points. And while their work against the Raiders in Week 1 can also be attributed to Oakland laying back to prevent deep strikes and protect a two-score lead, the Broncos had two lengthy drives against Chicago in the fourth quarter when the Bears’ lead was just seven points.

What the Broncos are looking for are indications that the offense, stagnant for years, is finally moving in the right direction. They may have those now.

“When you look at those stats after two games, it’s tough to really tell much about it,” quarterback Joe Flacco said. “I think we’re definitely gaining the confidence that we can be a really good offense, we just have to go out there and really start to do it.”

So why is the Broncos’ offense close to getting it right?

1. THEIR PER-POSSESSION EFFICIENCY IS UP

Last year’s offense averaged more points per series in the first two games, working at a 1.96-points-per-possession rate compared with this season’s 1.76 PPP.

But the offense this year is moving the football more consistently, evidenced by year-to-year improvements in net yards per possession (from 30.42 to 42.0) and first downs per series (from 1.83 to 2.65).

Denver’s net yardage per possession ranks 5^th in the league, trailing only the Ravens, Cowboys, Chiefs and Chargers. Red-zone inefficiency is a primary reason why the Broncos have a discrepancy between yards and points, but that difference typically narrows with a larger sample size than just two weeks.

2. THEY’RE INVOLVING THE RUNNING BACKS IN THE PASSING GAME

You expected it from Phillip Lindsay. But Royce Freeman’s emergence as a pass-catching target is a development that not only increases Freeman’s potential involvement in the offense, but makes him a truly interchangeable back with Lindsay. Their skill sets remain divergent; Lindsay is shiftier and faster in the open field; Freeman can bounce off contact and is becoming the kind of one-cut-and-go runner who flourishes in the Broncos’ scheme.

The result? Quarterback Joe Flacco has targeted Broncos running backs 21 times, resulting in 106 yards on 14 receptions so far this season. The yardage total is the highest for the Broncos’ backfield corps after two games since 2011, when Willis McGahee, Lance Ball, Knowshon Moreno and Spencer Larsen combined for 119 yards and a touchdown on 13 receptions in the first two weeks.

The reception total for Freeman and Lindsay is the highest for Broncos running backs in the first two weeks in a quarter-century, since Leonard Russell, Glyn Milburn, Derrick Clark and Rod Bernstine caught 27 passes for 165 yards in the first two weeks of the 1994 season.

Freeman credits Broncos running backs coach Curtis Modkins, who showed him film of pass-catching backs around the NFL, as well as the presence of Theo Riddick in training camp.

“Being in the passing game is something that really excites me, especially that I’ve gotten better at it, as I’ve worked on it the last couple of years,” he said. “You can’t just come out here and run routes against these talented guys.”

3. 14 POINTS FROM 27 FIRST DOWNS IS AN OUTLIER

Last Sunday, the Broncos became the 121st team since 2010 to post exactly 27 first downs in a regular-season game. Only two of the other 120 teams in that span amassed fewer points with exactly that many first downs – one of which was the Atlanta Falcons in Minnesota in Week 1, who racked up most of their first downs while trailing by three scores.

On average, 27-first-down performances since 2010 led to 29.2 points and 3.3 touchdowns per game. What happened last Sunday is unlikely to happen again, and if the Broncos are as successful moving the chains as they were against the Bears, their scoring average should nudge forward into the 20s. The domino effect of this would be profound; it might force opposing offenses out of the take-what’s-there, short-pass-and-run-intensive tactics that have limited the Broncos’ pass-rush and takeaway opportunities.

4. THE NO-HUDDLE OFFENSE IS PICKING UP MOMENTUM

The Broncos used the no-huddle to keep Chicago from substituting in an attempt to gain a matchup advantage.

“Sometimes they have playmakers out there that we’re trying to keep off the field,” Freeman said.

At other times, the Broncos have been in comeback mode, leading to a handful of no-huddle snaps against Oakland in Week 1 when they trailed by two scores.

But it has generally been effective – especially in generating first downs. Nine of the 22 no-huddle snaps executed by the Broncos moved the chains, a rate of one every 2.44 snaps that exceeds the rate of one first down every 3.7 plays on all other downs.

There is room for improvement in the no-huddle offense. The Broncos have allowed two sacks on no-huddle snaps, including the Khalil Mack sack last Sunday that saw him matched up against rookie tight end Noah Fant.

They also need to improve at generating explosive plays. Only one of the Broncos’ 22 snaps without a huddle generated more than 20 yards – a 22-yard Flacco-to-Sanders connection in the fourth quarter of the Week 1 loss at Oakland.

5. THE PENALTIES HAVE TO STOP – RIGHT?

You’d hope so. You want to think that Garett Bolles couldn’t possibly have another game in which he gets flagged for holding four times.

That said, holding penalties are up – from 3.38 per game last year, according to NFLPenalties.com, to 5.59 this year. The increased emphasis on calling penalties for backside blocks is a key reason.

With Bolles, the first step is to curb the penalties on running plays. Four of his last seven holding calls dating back to the season finale against the Chargers last season came on runs, including three of his four flags against the Bears last Sunday.

“He’s gotta understand what he’s doing, and that was my question yesterday: ‘Does he know what holding is? Does he know what he can and can’t do?’” general manager John Elway told KOA-AM 850 this week. “If he thinks he’s getting targeted [by officials], he’s gotta realize he isn’t.”

As the cliché goes, adapt or die. If the officials are going to throw more flags, Bolles must figure out how to improve his hand placement and footwork, or the flags will continue flying.

AND FINALLY … JOE FLACCO

Has he been perfect? No. Has he been an upgrade over what the Broncos had in the last three seasons? Yes. He hasn’t panicked in the huddle; his teammates haven’t, either.

For the first time in a while, you can see the stars of a functional offense beginning to align.