KISZLA VS. JHABVALA: Are the hot-and-cold Broncos playoff contenders or pretenders?
Kiz: Will the real Broncos please stand up? In a year when Kansas City and Philadelphia are the best NFL teams after six weeks of football, the championship race appears to be wide open. But what should we make of Denver? Are the Broncos the dominating team that trounced Dallas? Or the hapless team that got manhandled by the previously winless New York Giants? Jhabvala: One bad game and you’re ready to write them off, huh? I won’t go there. Not yet. We’ve seen what the Broncos are capable of when their run game is rolling and quarterback Trevor Siemian protects the ball and when their run defense completely shuts down an opponent. Last Sunday against the Giants, they were off in all three phases and now get ready for a three-game road stretch without — at least to start — wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Isaiah McKenzie and possibly starting offensive tackle Menelik Watson. The odds are stacked, but this group always seems to play better when doubted.
Kiz: We were told the Broncos’ offense was going to be better, because the line was remodeled and Siemian was a year wiser. Well, maybe we were sold a bill of goods.The Broncos averaged 20.8 points per game in 2016. So far in 2017, the Broncos are averaging 21.6 points per game. That’s not real progress. It’s frustration. Spread the blame among offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, Siemian and an offensive line that has to protect the quarterback. But something needs to change. Jhabvala: Even with last Sunday’s showing, the Broncos are better in most categories on offense this season vs. a year ago. Compare the numbers: 123.6 rushing yards vs. 92.8, 231.8 net passing yards vs. 230.3; 355.4 total yards per game vs. 323.1 last year; 20.2 offensive points per game vs. 18.9 last season; 42.9 percent conversion rate on third downs this year vs. 34.2 percent last year. But perfect? Far from it. If they can’t limit their turnovers, they will turn into pretenders.
Kiz: The Denver defense surrendered 16 points against the Giants, which should be good enough to win 90 percent of the time. The slump of kicker Brandon McManus is significant for a team that struggles to score, because I’ve harped for weeks that the Broncos will make the playoffs if they can average 24 points per game and, right now, they’re about a field goal short of that goal. Until the offense starts doing its share of the work, the Broncos are no more than playoff pretenders. Jhabvala: Cornerback Chris Harris had the most succinct assessment of last Sunday’s disaster: “We didn’t score enough and we had turnovers … and they ran the ball on us. That’s three bad recipes to lose a game in the NFL.” McManus’ five missed field goals this season (8-of-13) have certainly contributed to the first part. But critical mistakes and missed chances for big plays on offense, plus miscommunication issues on defense, have affected the game in all facets. The Broncos’ issues are correctable. They just need to correct them soon or they’ll return in November with a 3-5 record heading into a scheduled meeting with the Patriots.