Broncos - Mid Season Report Card

The Broncos are going into the bye week at the mid way point of the season. They have a record of 2 and 6, that is 2 wins from 8 games which is 25% and I don't care what school or grading system you use that is a fail in everyone's book. We are here then to review the Broncos season to date and to take a look at the Broncos games, the few bright spots we have had so far. A review of the rookies and their work this season and we will take a look ahead at the reminding games on the Broncos schedule, and finish up with a fearless prediction. Sit back relax and strap yourselves in as this is a bumpy ride.

Match Reviews:

Jaguars
The Broncos first game was an away game against the Jaguars. This would be the Broncos first lose of the year as in my opinion we put to much focus into stopping MJD, which by the way we did. But we let QB Garrard beat us through the year and it was the Jaguars tight ends which did the damage. Tim Tebow also saw his first action of the year as McD gave him some pity plays for the fans (does this mean he has a heart?). We would also first notice the lack of a run game and the much improved passing game of the Broncos. The pass rush was none exist this game and there wasn't that aggression we expected to see out of Wink calling plays. But it was good to see Ayers get his first regular season sack this year. The final score was 24 - 17 in favour of the Jaguars.

Seahawks
The Broncos first home game of the season was against the Seahawks where the Broncos would get their first win of the season. Orton threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns and spread the ball to 7 different receivers. One of the bright spots from the game was the ability of the secondary to get turnovers. Champ, Dawkins and Cox all made good grabs and ended drives that could have finished in scores. Thomas made his debut in this game and he finished the day with a stat line of 8 receptions for 97 yards and a TD. The final score was 31 - 14 in favour of the Broncos.

Colts
Leading up to the Colts game the Broncos had two things happen. The Broncos first traded for RB Laurence Maroney and then later in the week WR Kenny McKinnley was found dead in his house. This was a hard week for the Broncos as they had lost another son. The Broncos played tough and really had a good dig against the Colts. But Manning was to good and managed to pick on Cox and get some scores. Though I personally thought Cox did well, it could have been worse if Cox hadn't played well. Orton had a great game against the Colts, he finished by going 37 of 57 for 476 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. Brandon Lloyd grabbed 6 passes for a team high 169 yards and 1 TD and Jabar Gaffney caught 12 passes for 140 yards. The Broncos were terrible in the redzone and left 2 to 3 touchdowns on the field. Floyd Little was also given his HOF ring at half time. The final score was 27 -13 in favour of the Colts.

Titans
The Broncos took on the Titans in the fourth game of the year. Orton followed up his career game last week with another very solid game. He finished by going 35 of 50 for 341 yards, 2 TD's, and 1 INT. This was a physical game and was played with a bit of nastiest. QB Kyle Orton went as far to say that the Titans defense was 'cheap', taking a few cheap shots at the Broncos players. Matt Prater was really good for us today, he accounted for 14 of the Broncos 26 points. His kick on the late kickoff that was recovered for a fumble was great and was placed in the perfect spot for the recovery. The defense as a whole was pretty good. They covered well and held the Titans offense to one touchdown. Dawkins was all over the field making plays and the pass coverage was good. And Bailey is awesome as always. But this was a close game and went right down to the wire where the Broncos were able to come away with the win. And it was a big win away from home and it has set the Broncos up with a nice 2-2 record. The final score was 26 - 20 as the Broncos came back late in the game to get the win.

Ravens
The Broncos would head to Baltimore this week to face the Ravens. And this game was well dismal, the Broncos didn't play with much heart and the Broncos got dismantled. Kyle was good for 23 of 38 pass attempts for 314 yards, ZERO INTs and the two Lloyd TDs. In addition, Orton completed his fourth consecutive 300-yard passing game, including a 44-yard pass to Lloyd with 35 seconds left in the game. We had no run game at all, committed 10 penalties, defense struggled and the injuries started to pile up, Dawkins got hurt in this game. The final score was 31 - 17 in favour of the Ravens.

Jets
The Jets game at home was huge for the Broncos, will I thought it would be. The Broncos would lose but it was orange sunday and the home crowd was going off, shaking the stadium and the cameras. The Broncos were good and played some tough football. The defense played really good and the defensive line held their own. Thomas had a few good plays, as did Tebow

 

Raiders
I think the Broncos played the Raiders this week...

49ers
The Broncos travelled to London to play the 49ers, and that game was not the greatest for the Broncos. Too many dumb penalties killed possible touchdowns and the Broncos would fail yet again against a very beatable opponent. The Broncos are really struggling right now and need to find something to inspire them. Not even the return of Dawkins in the secondary helped lift the Broncos. Questions are now being asked about the coaching staff and what the Broncos should do going forward, Tebow maybe? The Broncos lost 24 - 16 to the 49ers and would have a long trip home on the plane as their will need to do some soul searching, as the Broncos need to find a way to get motivated and a way to win.

Bright Spots:
The play of Orton has been huge for the Broncos at the start of the year, but his play has faded in recent games as he can't do everything himself. Because of the play of Orton the Broncos receivers have seen some extra attention. Gaffney and Royal have both had very productive years so far. But the best of the lot has been the play of Lloyd who is playing at a pro bowl level. Lloyd has been really good for us and caught a number of touchdowns and made some super grabs.

I give credit to DJ Williams as he has played really well so far this year and is having one of his best seasons statistically. Champ Bailey has been good but he is Champ, but he needs more support from the rest of the defense.

Other than that the other Broncos players have been up and down, had some good and some bad. But that happens with a losing season so far.

Rookies:

There is not much to say about the rookies at this point in the season. Walton and Beadles have seen the most action and have been playing ok, but need to improve going forward. Thomas and Decker have seen limited action, Thomas has seen a little more action and made some nice plays, hopefully in the second half of the season we will see him get more involved. Tebow has seen a little action and scored a few redzone rushing touchdowns, but he is yet to throw a pass. I can see Tebow starting in the future if the Broncos continue to lose games. Cox has seen some action and been up and down but he looks promising, but he is injured at the moment. Squid has seen some action but very limited.

A look a head:

In the last 8 games of the season the Broncos have 5 games against division opponents and if we want to see the playoffs we really have to win all these games. But it will be a tough task for the Broncos as they need to find a way to win. After the bye the Broncos face an improved Chiefs team and then the Chargers. But the Broncos can win these games, if they just show up for the game and play with some passion.

The Broncos can win games and have some talent at all positions. It is just a matter of putting all the elements of the game together, to stop making mental mistakes. The Broncos also need to win the turnover battle, when they do the Broncos will win a number of games. But at the moment that doesn't look likely as something needs to change. Maybe a change at QB? This is where I make a fearless prediction, I can see the Broncos going 8-0 and finishing 10 - 6. But I don't think so with Orton, if Orton continues to start we finish the year at 8-8, if Tebow plays and starts a few games I can see us finishing 9-7. So there it is from me, well what you guys think? Hit us up in the comments ~ Aussie Out!