The Ultimate Sports Blog's
2015-16 NFL Preview
2014-15 Record: 12-4
Last Playoff Win: 2013 AFC Championship vs. New England Patriots
Last Playoff Appearance: 2014 Divisional vs. Indianapolis Colts
Last Super Bowl Win: XXXIII vs. Atlanta Falcons (1998)
Last Super Bowl Appearance: XLVIII vs. Seattle Seahawks (2013)
Head Coach:
Gary Kubiak (61-64 all-time as NFL head coach; 0-0 in Denver, 2-2 in playoffs)
Offensive Coordinator: Rick Dennison
Defensive Coordinator: Wade Phillips
2014-15 Team Leaders:
Passing Yards: Peyton Manning (4,727 yards, 66.2% completions, 39 TD's, 15 INT's, 101.5 QB rating)
Rushing Yards: C.J. Anderson (179 attempts, 849 yards, 8 TD's)
Receiving Yards: Demaryius Thomas (111 receptions, 1,619 yards, 11 TD's)
Tackles: Brandon Marshall (113 tackles)
Interceptions: Aqib Talib/Rahim Moore (4 interceptions)
2014-15 Team Rankings:
Passing Offense: 4th in NFL
Rushing Offense: 15th in NFL
Points Per Game: 2nd in NFL
Least Points Allowed Per Game: 16th in NFL
2014-15 Potential Starters:
Purpe - Elite Starter
Blue - Above Average Starter
Green - Average Starter
Orange - Below Average Starter
Grey - Rookie
Red - Disgusting, Awful, Horrible, E.J. Manuel
Offense:
QB: Peyton Manning
RB: C.J. Anderson
WR: Emmanuel Sanders
WR: Demaryius Thomas
TE: Owen Daniels
C: Gino Gradkowski
OG: Ben Garland
OG: Louis Vasquez
OT: Chris Clark
OT: Ty Sambrailo
Defense:
DE: Derek Wolfe
DE: Malik Jackson
DT: Sylvester Williams
LB: DeMarcus Ware
LB: Von Miller
LB: Danny Trevathan
LB: Brandon Marshall
CB: Chris Harris
CB: Aqib Talib
FS: Darian Stewart
SS: T.J. Ward
2014-15 Schedule:
(September 13) vs. Baltimore Ravens
(September 17) vs. @ Kansas City Chiefs
(September 27) vs. @ Detroit Lions
(October 4) vs. Minnesota Vikings
(October 11) vs. @ Oakland Raiders
(October 18) vs. @ Cleveland Browns
(October 25) BYE WEEK
(November 1) vs. Green Bay Packers
(November 8) vs. @ Indianapolis Colts
(November 15) vs. Kansas City Chiefs
(November 22) vs. @ Chicago Bears
(November 29) vs. New England Patriots
(December 6) vs. @ San Diego Chargers
(December 13) vs. Oakland Raiders
(December 20) vs. @ Pittsburgh Steelers
(December 28) vs. Cincinnati Bengals
(January 3) vs. San Diego Chargers
Overlook: The Denver Broncos have been one of the best teams in the NFL over the last few seasons and have been perennial Super Bowl contenders ever since Peyton Manning came aboard in 2012. The good news for Broncos fans is, they will be Super Bowl contenders once again this year. The bad news for Broncos fans is, the championship window is closing and it's closing fast. If you don't win a Super Bowl with this team, you may not ever win a Super Bowl with this team. Why? Because Father Time is being a dick to Peyton Manning and is turning one of the best quarterbacks of all-time into a mediocre version of himself and it's not pretty. For those of you who paid attention last year, it was evident by watching the tape that Peyton Manning is no longer an elite NFL QB. Yes, he's still a REALLY good one and I would happily take him over the majority of other NFL QB's for at least one season, but that's not saying much. This could very well be the last season we see Peyton and something tells me the Broncos know that.
What about the rest of the offense though? Well, as far as skill position players go. You may not find a better team than Denver. The weapons that Peyton Manning has to work with on offense are ridiculous. The Broncos had a lot of question marks at the running back position to start out last season, but much to the surprise of everyone, a guy named C.J. Anderson showed up in the middle of the season and tore the league apart. Can Anderson recapture that magic for a whole season? I'm not going to be the guy that tells him he can't. The Broncos are also stacked at the wide receiver position where Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders are helping make Manning's life easier. Some Broncos fans are worried about the loss of Julius Thomas, but I'm here to tell you that Thomas is a little overrated and his replacement (Owen Daniels) is probably just as good.
Where Denver fans really need to worry is the offensive line. Denver lost a lot of good players on the OL this off-season and they re-built it using patches. It's no secret that the offensive line is easily the weakest part of Denver's entire team and it really wouldn't shock me at all to see the Broncos' season fall apart all because of this unit. Can they keep Peyton healthy for a whole season? I have my doubts.
Defensively, the Broncos are well off. Sure, they could use some help along their defensive line, but they are loaded at linebacker and in the secondary. Everyone knows how good Von Miller and Brandon Marshall are at the linebacker position, but the guy who doesn't get any respect is Chris Harris. Is anyone else aware that Harris has quietly transformed himself into one of the (if not THE) best cornerbacks in the NFL? Everyone wants to talk about Richard Sherman, Darrelle Revis, and Patrick Peterson....but Chris Harris is over here and he might be better than all of those guys. Personally, I think the Broncos are going to be fine on the defensive side of the ball, especially with Wade Phillips in town.
So, where will Denver end up when it's all said and done? Are they a Super Bowl contender? I would say "yes", but there a lot of question marks that make me hesitant to pick them. Can the offensive line keep Peyton healthy for a whole season? Will Peyton click with new head coach Gary Kubiak and company? There are just too many questions surrounding this team for me to comfortably take them to do any kind of damage in the post-season. I'm a betting man and I would bet more money on this being Peyton's last season rather than the Broncos winning it all and Peyton riding out into the sunset like John Elway (BARF).
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