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Is the special-teams unit back on track?**
-- Tom Rodriguez
You don't want to jump to conclusions based off of one game, but last week's loss to Philadelphia saw what was likely the best overall performance on special teams, with only a penalty on a first-quarter kickoff return marring the unit's performance.
What was interesting from Special Teams Coordinator Brock Olivo's question-and-answer session Friday was how he wants his unit to push for more. For example, when he was asked about Isaiah McKenzie's 44-yard return, he noted that if McKenzie had taken another angle as he sprinted upfield, he could have gone the distance.
"If Isaiah stays outside, hits the sideline and just trusts his speed, it's a house call, it's a touchdown," Olivo said. "We're right there, but it's not good enough. We have to get over the hump and once we do that, then the hope is that that will be contagious and that will spark the cultural change.
"We have to believe every time we take the field that we're going to score and we have that opportunity. If we do that, then that will lead to that."
Olivo's reference to "cultural change" came a few minutes after he talked about how the culture of "guys who take pride in special teams" hasn't been created yet. "We have a couple [of those players]," he said, citing examples that included wide receivers Cody Latimer and Bennie Fowler III, tight end Virgil Green, fullback Andy Janovich and safeties Will Parks and Justin Simmons. "But it needs to be contagious. It needs to spread throughout that meeting room and be translated onto the practice field. That's on me. I have to create that and that's why I'm here, I've realized that. I've come up short up to this point. I owe it to the franchise, this staff and this team to get that thing rolling."
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Good day to you -- so I have been watching or listening to or looking at Broncos football since 1960. I believe this is the first time anyone has put over 50 points on the Broncos since 2010. But that is memory not fact. I played (not well) and love the game of football. When someone puts 50 or more points on a team I think a coach has lost his team some time ago -- what do you think?**
-- Dudley Gardner
With all respect, I think your theory is not supported by facts.
In the last decade, five teams have made the postseason after allowing 50 or more points at one point during the season, including one that went to the Super Bowl and another that was coached by a Hall of Famer (the 2007 Redskins, coached by Joe Gibbs, lost 52-7 at New England). In 1998, the Jacksonville Jaguars won a playoff game just two weeks after losing 50-10 to the Minnesota Vikings. Heck, the 2013 Philadelphia Eagles lost 52-20 to the Broncos in September and were 3-5 at midseason, then went 7-1 in the second half of the campaign to claim the NFC East crown.
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These five individual matchups could go a long way in deciding who comes out on top on Sunday between the Broncos and Patriots.
In a game between these two teams, it's impossible to find a matchup better than this. Both Tom Brady and Von Miller likely remember the 2016 AFC Championship in which Miller finished with 2.5 sacks and an interception en route to a victory — and both players may be even better now.This time around, Tom Brady heads into Sunday's game as an MVP favorite once again. He's thrown for 2,541 yards, 16 touchdowns and just two interceptions as the Patriots sit atop the AFC East at 6-2. And coming off a bye week, the 40-year-old is guaranteed to be fresh and ready to continue on a path toward the postseason. But Miller and Co. will try to ensure his performance resembles last year's. Brady was ineffective at times against the Broncos in 2016, and while Miller didn't record a sack on Brady, Denver's defense applied constant pressure. With Shane Ray back in the lineup, the Patriots may not be able to give Miller the attention he deserves. And that could set up the Super Bowl 50 MVP for a big evening.
Everyone reading this probably remembers the last time Brock Osweiler suited up in a Broncos uniform against the Patriots as the starting quarterback. If you don't, here's a refresher: After falling behind 21-7 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Osweiler helped lead a stunning comeback victory in overtime on a snowy Sunday night.Snow isn't in the forecast for Denver this Sunday night, but should Osweiler recapture the magic that helped him take down the Patriots in 2015, Sports Authority Field at Mile High will be rocking again.
In spite of the season-ending injury to Julian Edelman, the Patriots' passing attack has largely not missed a beat because of the addition of wide receiver Brandin Cooks. Cooks, who arrived in New England after an offseason trade, has emerged as the Patriots' most productive receiver with 563 receiving yards on just 33 catches for an impressive 17.1 yards-per-reception average. After last week's humbling game against the Eagles, Chris Harris Jr. and the rest of the "No-Fly Zone" will surely be itching to shut down Cooks and Co. to remind the league that their Week 9 performance was nothing more than a bad day.
Few players in the entire NFL present matchup problems on a regular basis like Rob Gronkowski. He's tall and physical, and if he gets a clean break on his route, he has the speed to match defensive backs. Simply put, Gronkowski can be a nightmare for any combination of safeties, linebackers or cornerbacks that are tasked with covering him. Keeping him from making big plays is a huge challenge, but Justin Simmons must limit his opportunities and break up whatever passes he can that come Gronkowski's way, or it could be a long day.
If the Broncos are to take down New England, they'll have to gash a Patriots passing defense that ranks last in passing yards allowed per game and 31st in passing yards allowed per play. But they've been improving as the Patriots have marched past their early woes, and Demaryius Thomas will have no cakewalk ahead of him battling against a Pro Bowl cornerback in Gilmore. The Broncos will need Thomas to come up with more big plays to carry the Broncos to a win.
Will Chad Kelly be considered a Broncos QB in the future?**
-- Berni Spradley
He'll have the chance to develop and grow as a pro quarterback. The rest will not only depend on him, but how the competition at the position shapes up next year and beyond. It's too early to do anything but guess as to his long-term potential.
What can new linebacker Joseph Jones bring to the linebackers?
-- Kevin Grant
Speed. There aren't many linebackers with 4.5 speed like Jones possesses, and if he develops, he has the chance to be used strategically in matchups against tight ends and quick running backs out of the backfield. For now, his speed is likely to be used on the special-teams units first.
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The analysis, opinion and speculation in this story represents that of the author, gathered through research and reporting, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Denver Broncos organization.
