Week 3- Broncos @ Bengals

[Draft Crazy]

Yet another big game. I will be going to this game in Cincinnati.

Last time I went to a road game we got embarrassed by the Rams.

 

[Dr Cyanide 28]

Will be a big test for our offense and defense imo. Our weakness on defense this year will be a power game up the middle. Jeremy Hill is talented as is the cincinnati oline. and they have arguably a top 5 level defense. Offense will have to play better

 

[cdumler7]

Yet another big game. I will be going to this game in Cincinnati.

Last time I went to a road game we got embarrassed by the Rams.

Sell those tickets right now! Just kidding. If I had a chance to go to any Bronco game I would do it in a heart beat.

This will definitely be a statement game. On the road against a very tough opponent who is good on both sides of the ball. Not sure how I feel about this game quite yet.

Just some early stats for this one. Andy Dalton is leading the league in passing yards with 732 through 2 games. They have not been good running the football. Through 2 games they have 103 yards rushing and only average 2.8 yards per carry.

Defensively they have given up the most rushing yards through 2 games with 276 at 4.2 yards per carry. They have had however a top-10 pass defense so far this year.

So at least if those stats hold true then the Broncos have a clear advantage with their greatest weaknesses being some of our strengths.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Seems like in the past Jeremy Hill has given us some problems.

I blame that on Doc and I myself being Iowa fans dating back to the LSU/Iowa bowl game where he gave Iowa the fits.

We have played AJ Green well.

In the past the Bengals physical style D really rattled Manning.

Last year we had a nice comeback that seemed to be the game that really amped up our momentum going into the playoffs.

The year before we lost a very physical game where Manning threw 4 picks that really killed our momentum going into the playoffs.

 

[cdumler7]

Injury news coming out.

We know that Ware is probably out 3-6 weeks.

Stephenson is now looking at 2-3 weeks being missed because of a leg injury on Sunday. Good thing is Broncos should be getting back Sambrailo this week. So my guess is they slide Schofield back into the RG spot and put Sambrailo at the RT spot.

For the Bengals it looks like Andy Dalton was limping in the locker room pretty badly after the game.

 

[Broncos6482]

Yet another big game. I will be going to this game in Cincinnati.

Last time I went to a road game we got embarrassed by the Rams.

I went to that game, too. The stands were probably 60% Broncos fans, just waiting for them to give us a reason to cheer. They never did.

 

[Broncos6482]

This game and the game at Kansas City on Christmas I had marked as the Broncos two toughest games of the season. That Bengals defense is really good, I'm just glad Burfict's suspension isn't over yet. Gonna be a tough game to win, but if we can pull it off it will be in great shape.

 

[randymon]

I guess I'm not as worried or impressed as some with Bengals. Denver has had success vs Green and can anybody name a wr on team not named AJ off the top of their head? None that worry you if you can. I'm more worried of the team coming out flat than Cincy themselves. Hill has been problematic at times but he can also disappear in games. The D isn't the same without " Holy Terror " Burflick either imo. If Denver doesn't utilize Jano more in this game I will be dumbfounded especially in short yard situations and the guy is a very good receiver ! Use that to your advantage Kubiak ! No worries.

 

[cdumler7]

I guess I'm not as worried or impressed as some with Bengals. Denver has had success vs Green and can anybody name a wr on team not named AJ off the top of their head? None that worry you if you can. I'm more worried of the team coming out flat than Cincy themselves. Hill has been problematic at times but he can also disappear in games. The D isn't the same without " Holy Terror " Burflick either imo. If Denver doesn't utilize Jano more in this game I will be dumbfounded especially in short yard situations and the guy is a very good receiver ! Use that to your advantage Kubiak ! No worries.

I guess here are my reasons that I am nervous about this game...

1) 1st road game. How will Siemian handle a crowd that is not in his favor? How will our OL handle not having a snap count that gives them an advantage especially against a pretty good DL?

2) While yes Cincy doesn't look quite as dominant as they have in the past they are still a team that has been to the playoffs what 4 or 5 times in a row. So they know how to win.

3) They are coming off a divisional loss. They know they can't fall behind too much too early in the season.


You are right though there are plenty of reasons to be hopeful. They are without Eifert it looks like for this game meaning receiving wise we have AJ Green and a group of unknowns. So looks like we should be able to commit more to getting pressure on the QB and stopping the run.

So far this Cincy defense has struggled against the run. Now given they have played 2 very good RB's and 2 very good OL's but that is what we bring into the game as well so maybe we can get some movement in the run game and then find a couple of explosive plays to put this one away.

Honestly before the season I had this one marked as a loss. I figured our team would take a while to gel especially on the offensive side of the ball and that going against a veteran team like Cincy on the road just seems like a logical loss. I honestly feel better about our chances after watching the first 2 games of the season than I did before the season started.

 

[CEH]

Can we move Schofield back to guard.
If Denver goes into Cincy and wins, they will be the media darlings and I would guess #1 in power rankings.

 

[cdumler7]

Can we move Schofield back to guard.
If Denver goes into Cincy and wins, they will be the media darlings and I would guess #1 in power rankings.

I'm really hoping Sambrailo is ready to go and impresses the coaches enough to get the start at RT. Schofield at Guard is a borderline actually good player. Moving out to Tackle while he looked better than he did at times last year he still had some moments where he struggled. Guard is his position.

And I would say the power rankings all depend on how New England does. If they can win with either a hobbled Jimmy G or their 3rd string rookie against the Texans on a short week I would say they would probably be the media darlings where everybody talks about how the legend of Belichick just continues to grow.

 

[cdumler7]

Something else to keep in mind is this is an early game. Only play a few of these a year but a lot harder in my opinion to go a couple of time zones to the East than an East team coming West. So hopefully we don't see our team get off to a sluggish start.

 

[cdumler7]

So just watched the Bengals first two games of the season. Honestly not sure how much we can read into the Steeler's game considering the rain really seemed to be effecting both teams on offense. So mostly going to spend this time focusing on the Jets game.

1) If people say we were lucky to win our first game well Bengals would have to be a notch above us on that category. Jets missed an extra point (lost the game by 1) and missed a field goal from inside the 5 yard line that was blocked. So 4 points that easily should have been on the board. Still tough fought game.

Bengals offense

For a team that is supposed to have a decent/good OL I'm not seeing it. The interior can get pushed back and the tackles were struggling the entire game. Dalton was under constant pressure. Now given the Jets have a great front-7 but still not a good look for the OL yet. They are not much better run blocking either. Saw them getting pushed around in the run game as well.

Now the Jets did bring a lot of pressure which meant single coverage on the outside and what really cost them with giving up some big plays down the field. They are not afraid even if you are getting pressure on Dalton consistently to try and push the ball down the field. Can't have our safeties biting on that play action to suck them up and allow somebody to get behind.

AJ Green is ridiculous. The guy wins jump balls, is great in the screen game, wins with speed. This guy is locked in and will be targeted quite a bit in the game.

Dalton looks decent. Made some nice throws off his back foot but he can be rattled into some bad decisions. Had a couple of interceptions dropped that could have really turned this game.

Bengals defense

Run defense

They can be had with the zone stretch plays. They just don't have great speed from what I can tell. Struggled to get off blocks so there should be some nice holes for us to run through.

Pass defense

Starting with the DL honestly the Bengals don't like to get too creative. They have the belief that their 4 guys will beat the OL and drop 7 into coverage quite a bit. Bengals have decent guys that can get pressure. There were stretches in the Bengals/Jets game that they disappeared. Seems they have the thought that they are going to make you drive the length of the field and at some point their guys will get through to make a big play.

Secondary honestly left me impressed. Seemed like most passes had 3 guys around the player. Very small windows to throw into. Jets still had a couple of touchdown passes but even those were not easy catches. If Siemian can have an even average day I think he would make believers of a lot more people.

Overall look like a good team. I don't think they are as good as they were last year from what I watched of them. The offense other than a few big plays really didn't get a ton going. Defensively they are still a very good top-10 type unit. Should be a good defensive battle once again.

 

[cdumler7]

So interesting stat of the day. Guess who is 4th in the NFL over the past 12 games in the NFL in the category of Sacks?

I'll give you a hint...It is not DeMarcus Ware

Over the past 12 games Derek Wolfe is 4th in the NFL with 9.5 sacks over that stretch. Only Von Miller, Whitney Mercilus, and Khalil Mack have had more sacks during that stretch.



Now I don't mean to rag on Jackson who left for Jacksonville but I do think Elway made an incredible choice in who to pay. He got the cheaper of the two and the one making the bigger impact so far this season. Jackson has 0 sacks and only 1 QB pressure through 2 games. Now I realize Jackson makes an impact in many other different ways. Last year I remember he told Ware to stunt in around him and that he would take on both blockers so that Ware could get to the QB free of being blocked. It lead to a sack for Ware but Jackson probably impacted the play just as much. Still Wolfe has become a game changer. I don't think people realize just how good of an all-around player he has become for the Broncos. Most of his career he has been recognized as a very good run defender but a limited pass rusher. Well right now he is becoming one of the top-3 interior pass rushers in the NFL.

 

[cdumler7]

Broncos got good news today injury wise. Stephenson had an MRI and no tear present in his calf. So should be able to heal in a week or two.

Simmons had a soft cast on his left hand but is expected to play.

Ware had surgery today and the surgery went well. So now just a matter of how quickly he can heal and if he wants to play with a cast or wait until it is fully healed.

 

[CEH]

DL Peko waived

 

[cdumler7]

DL Peko waived

Saw that. Wonder who they are planning on bringing in. My guess is TE depth. So either Henry Kriegal-Coble or however you spell his name. Not sure what FA's are out there that are immediate help like what we need.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Chargers working out Hillman.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Peko should make it back to our PS. I am thinking we are signing a vet TE. If it was Kreiger-Coble we would have probably announced he was promoted and swapped the two on the active/PS.

I don't know if anyone read the story about Peko.

Denver told him on roster cutdown that he was going to be released, but then before they put the move into the league office they changed their mind and kept him on the 53 and waived someone else.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Speaking of which I won't be shocked if sooner or later Huerman ends up back on IR as we get tired of waiting on him and need the roster spot.