ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- There was a point in the Denver Broncos' 41-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals when things had simply gone into another-play, another-record rhythm.
Quarterback Peyton Manning set personal bests, wide receiver Demaryius Thomas set personal bests and the Broncos set some franchise bests. But as Thomas said following the game, “You’re always going to find some things to look at."
So, after a long look at the game video, here are some thoughts on the Broncos’ offense:
Often you can see both the lock-it-down, play-the-percentages approach of Nick Saban as well as Mike Martz's wild side in Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase’s play calling. The two coaches have been important mentors in Gase’s career. But against a Cardinals defense that came into the game No. 2 in fewest points allowed per game and in the league’s top five in total defense, Gase opened the game channeling Martz to be sure. On the Broncos’ first three snaps on offense they were in a four-wide-receiver, no-running-back set. On their first drive they emptied out the backfield four times. The Cardinals like to crowd the line of scrimmage, so Gase spread them out to force them into one-on-one situations in open space. No, the Broncos didn’t run the ball particularly well out of those open formations, especially in the first half. But in the end, 41 points and 568 yards are attention-grabbing numbers. In all, the Broncos ran eight plays with an empty backfield, or more than they had in their first three games combined.
There are habits and then there are ingrained habits after 17 years in the NFL. But on a first-and-10 from the Broncos' own 28-yard line with 4:56 remaining in the third quarter, quarterback Peyton Manning carried out the kind of precise play-action fake he always has in his career. However, this time the Broncos were in one of the empty sets, with running back Ronnie Hillman lined up in the left slot, so Manning simply faked a handoff to air. Cardinals linebacker Larry Foote did, albeit briefly, still take a look -- i.e. habits, ingrained -- before going to chase where the pass was headed. The play, set up to be a screen to Thomas, was finished when Cardinals defensive end Kareem Martin batted down the throw.
Amid all the offensive fireworks, it can be easy to lose track of some of the little things. But saying you stay mentally engaged and ready to go on the sideline in a game and actually doing it week to week, down to down, are two different things. But tight end Jacob Tamme makes it a point to be ready to roll. With just more than three minutes to play in the third quarter, the Broncos opened a possession in a two-tight-end set (with tackle Paul Cornick playing as the second tight end). Julius Thomas had a 25-yard catch-and-run to get a first down and Thomas was then blocking on 2-yard run by Juwan Thompson on the following play. Thomas waved Tamme on to take a breather and Tamme, lined up in the right slot, immediately made a 17-yard reception for a first down and went to the sideline as Thomas and Virgil Green came in the game. “I’ve been in all the situations, I’ve started, been a backup, been a situational guy, played special teams," Tamme said. “I make it point to keep myself ready to go in at any moment because any moment can mean something."
Against two of the more physical defenses on the Broncos' schedule, both from NFC West teams, the Broncos have run 58 and 62 plays out of the shotgun (penalty snaps included) against the Seattle Seahawks and Cardinals, respectively, in the last two games. They have also run the ball out of the shotgun/pistol 12 and 21 times, respectively, in those two games with decidedly mixed results.
The Broncos, with wide receiver Wes Welker under a suspension for the first two games, showed more two-tight-end sets in their opening two games -- they ran just one play out of a three-wide-receiver formation in a Week 2 win over the Chiefs after having roughly a 50-50 split in the season opener. But over the last two games, they have begun, as they did last season, to lean more on the three-wide. They had 43 plays in three-wide in the overtime loss in Seattle, with 30 snaps in two tight end. They ran 63 plays in three-wide against the Cardinals, three with four wide receivers. The Cardinals did bring at least some of that on themselves by, sometimes with far too much bull-headedness, constantly challenging one of the greatest matchup quarterbacks in the league’s history with a steady diet of man coverage on the outside. Had the Cardinals adjusted as the Broncos continued to shred their defensive game plan, the Broncos may have felt more inclined to respond with some variety.