Is New Orleans a must win game for the Broncos
Trevor Siemian and the Denver Broncos, coming off a bad loss to the Oakland Raiders line up for a gigantic game with New Orleans.
As the Denver Broncos saddle up for today's game with New Orleans, I can only imagine the angst that Bronco Nation will be feeling back in Colorado, and across the country. Monday night's loss to the Oakland Raiders was a harsh dose of reality that this 2016 team isn't as good as the Super Bowl team and that the road ahead is now suddenly chalked with opponents that will be gunning for the defending champs.
To be fair, Denver has been hella banged up on defense. The best corner in football, Aqib Talib has been absent for the last two games and will miss Sunday's contest in New Orleans (back). The news following the Raiders game that Derek Wolfe would miss 2-4 weeks with a fractured elbow didn't help. While Kayvon Webster and Brandon Marshall are both set to return, hamstrings are dicey, and ya just can't count on them being at full speed, playing every snap and even finishing the game.
Despite a fast start, 6-2 the Broncos limp into Sunday's game at New Orleans squaring off against a team that has won four of it's last five, with the only setback coming, on the road, against Kansas City. And the Saints can score, putting up 30 plus points per game, second in the NFL.
Even with the return of Webster and Marshall to the lineup, it's pretty clear that Denver is going to need to score some points today to keep pace with the Saints.
Is Sunday a day or reckoning?
While I'm sure Bronco fans (I live in South Dakota, I'm right in the middle of it, and it's been quiet as a church mouse) are hard pressed to give up on the notion that they could make another run to the Super Bowl, the cold hard truth is lose today, and a repeat is out of the question. At 6-4 with a bye and two games remaining with the Chiefs, the Patriots, suddenly scary games at Jacksonville and Tennessee and a massive home showdown with the Raiders on New Years Day, getting to the top of the division is out of question and getting to 10-6 looks pretty dicey.
Win today, head into the bye week 7-3, get people healthy, get that running game going like they did after the bye week last year and the entire script rewrites itself.
Couple things must improve for the Broncos to get a win today, and go on a run.
* The RB tandem of DeVontae Booker and Kapri Bibbs have to be outstanding. Oakland stuffed the run and stuffed it hard with Booker (20 yards) and Bibbs (10) made the offense one dimensional. New Orleans is terrible against the run so the Broncos have to run the ball, control the clock, play defense and ultimately keep Drew Brees on the sideline.
* Defense has to make a play(s) - As evidenced by Oakland running for 200 plus yards last week, Denver has to slow down what looks like a money fantasy play in Mark Ingram. Has to...If New Orleans can run the ball, Drew Brees only gets better. On paper, this is a pick-em game with New Orleans actually favored by three. That banged up defense, so vaunted for their ability to make game-changing plays in 2015 needs to get after Brees (Von Miller) and force at least one, probably two turnovers to change the complexion of this game.
Huge game in New Orleans today:
6-4 and slinking back to Denver or
7-3 with a bye week to get healthy
Yeah, it's that big!
