Opposing defenses have forced the Broncos to develop a second identity

DENVER — Elite defense coupled with a relentless ground game.

That was supposed to be the 2021 Denver Broncos’ winning formula. The New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets, however, had different plans.

“They’re going to major extremes to [stop] our run game,” Vic Fangio stated on Sunday evening, emphasizing yet again how Denver’s first three opponents have tried to take away the Broncos’ running game.

Fortunately for the Broncos, while those teams have focused on stopping Denver’s rushing attack, it hasn’t impeded Denver from the most important part of their formula—the winning aspect.

Despite opponents going to “extreme measures,” as the head coach put it a week ago, to limit Denver’s rushing attack, the Broncos have still found a way to have their first undefeated September in the Fangio era.

Denver’s initial winning formula being altered appears to be a blessing in disguise.

And the reason why is because it’s allowed Teddy Bridgewater to take center stage. With the spotlight beaming down on him, the former first-round pick has absolutely shined.

The veteran quarterback hasn’t just guided Denver to a 3-0 start—as many expected his role to be. Instead, he’s put the offense on his back and cruised to an undefeated start.

In his first three games, Bridgewater is averaging 275 passing yards, is completing more than 76 percent of his passes, has four touchdowns and nearly leads the league in passer rating and QBR.

“Teddy was again 19-and-25 for 235 yards if this is correct and over a 104 rating,” Fangio said after Sunday’s win. “Teams are blitzing our run game which is why we’ve had success in the pass.”

With Denver’s run game stalling at times in the first month of the season, Bridgewater has proved he’s more than just a game manager. If the Broncos need him to take over, he’s more than capable. Look no further than Week 2 when Teddy went for 328 yards through the air, two touchdowns an a 125.6 passer rating.

On Sunday against the Jets, Denver didn’t need that type of contribution from Bridgewater as they ran the ball 37 times. Still, Teddy posted a 104.6 passer rating.

But while Bridgewater has proved he can takeover games, as Denver enters a tougher stretch of their schedule, there will be a major emphasis to improve their ground game and get back to their initial winning formula, or at least be able to rely on their rushing attack if Bridgewater has an off day.

“We’re going to have to figure out a way to run the ball against these loaded boxes or we just have to keep throwing it,” Fangio said Sunday evening, when asked what the team needs to improve on. “That would be the one thing these first three teams definitely didn’t want us to get started—running the ball. All three of them had various degrees of success doing that. We had a lot of ones and zeros in there. They’re blitzing DBs designed for the run, not to get a pass rush on the quarterback. We’re going to have to figure that out a little bit and there’s always little things you’ve got to get better at.”

Despite teams heavily focusing on shutting down the Broncos’ two-headed rushing attack, Denver has still had success on the ground. Through three games, Melvin Gordon is averaging 4.6 yards per carry and Javonte Williams is averaging 3.5 yards per carry. However, take out Gordon’s 70-yard run in the fourth quarter of the Giants game and he is averaging only three yards per carry throughout the season.

On Sunday against the Jets, despite 37 rushing attempts, Denver only averaged 3.3 yards per carry. The Broncos’ second-round pick had by far his worst game in the NFL as he only averaged 2.4 yards per attempt and had a fumble only feet away from the end zone.

On the flip side of the ball, Denver’s defense has lived up to their part of the formula. Sunday was a perfect example as they shutout the Jets.

In fact, in the first three games of the season, Denver’s defense has held all three opponents to under 14 points. That’s the first time the Broncos have done that since 2009. On top of that, the Broncos are allowing an average of less than nine points per game.

Fangio’s crew has been doing their part without a doubt. So has Teddy Bridgewater.

The next step in the formula is to find sustained success on the ground, despite opponents best efforts in shutting it down.

Fortunately, if Denver continues to struggle on the ground, they know they can put the offense on Bridgewater’s back and be just fine.

In September, the Broncos developed a dangerous second identity on the offensive side of the ball.