The Denver Broncos clinched the AFC West with a 22-10 victory Sunday in San Diego over the rival San Diego Chargers. A run-oriented offense and menacing defense won the game for the Broncos on a day rife with injuries, not the least of which was a minor thigh injury to quarterback Peyton Manning.
With the victory, the reinvention of the Broncos is now complete. They can win running the ball, with good defense and on special teams.
No longer are the Broncos completely reliant on Manning to win games. They can win pretty and they can win ugly-as they did Sunday.
With Manning attempting just 20 passes while dealing with the thigh injury and flu-like symptoms, the Broncos were content handing the ball off to C.J. Anderson 29 times, playing good defense and settling for five Connor Barth field goals against the Chargers. The performance proved what the Broncos are capable of even when Manning isn't playing at the top of his game.
The front seven harassed quarterback Philip Rivers and forced him to throw two interceptions-one the safety Rahim Moore and the other to cornerback Aqib Talib that essentially sealed the win. The Broncos' stifling run defense kept the Chargers from running the ball to the point that they almost totally abandoned it.
With the Chargers resigned to throwing it, pass-rushers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware made it a long day for their offensive tackles. Although Rivers refused to take sacks, he completed just 58.5 percent of his 42 passes for 232 yards-one fewer yard than Manning on less than half the number of attempts.
The only real blemish on the defense was a touchdown by Antonio Gates late in the game. It was understandable as the Broncos lost top linebackers Danny Trevathan (knee) and Brandon Marshall (foot) during the game who would have at least helped cover Gates.
Trevathan could have hyperextended left knee. Needs MRI to find out. Doesn't believe as serous past two knee issues #broncos- Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) December 15, 2014
Marshall has right foot in boot. X-rays were negative. MRI tomorrow. Hopeful not serious- Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) December 15, 2014
Ryan Clady said it was strained quad. They didn't want him to make it worse. Believes will be OK going forward #Broncos- Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) December 15, 2014
The Broncos also lost left tackle Ryan Clady with a strained quad. None of the injuries appeared to be too serious, but even without them, the Broncos still played cohesive football.
'A good overall team win,' Manning said after the game, via the team's official Twitter account. 'A lot of different people stepped up. It's very satisfying.'
Unlike the past two seasons, when the Broncos had to lean heavily on Manning, the team can now still win even when Manning doesn't have his best day. In the past, Manning couldn't have off days or sick days or even days in which he wasn't brilliant.
Manning completed 14 of his 20 passes for 233 yards and one touchdown, but the stats actually looked better than he was. If not for a few big plays, his day would have been a near total bust. Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas had to adjust to at least one, if not more, of Manning's fluttering passes.
There are some bizarre looking balls coming out of Manning's hand. All kinds of wobblers. He's been knocked around pretty good- Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) December 14, 2014
Although wobbly passes have become the norm for him over the past few years, Manning's throws Sunday exaggerated the effect. Outside of a couple throws, Manning's ailments clearly affected his accuracy and arm strength.
The nice thing is that Manning is still going to be there for the Broncos when they need him. Manning has a couple weeks to heal before the playoffs-when he needs to be ready to go.
It's not as if Manning has turned into Matt Schaub, and that prompted the Broncos to evolve as a team. The Broncos are still capable of throwing the ball around, but they are also now able to shut down an opposing offense or run all over an opposing defense as well.
Since the Broncos lost, 22-7, in St. Louis a month ago, they've won four games, allowed 19.8 points per game and run the ball an average of 37 times per game. Manning has attempted just 27 passes per game in that span, but he's still thrown seven touchdowns against some tough pass defenses.
One of the byproducts of throwing the ball less and running it more has been the impact on the team's turnover margin. The Broncos have also forced nine turnovers over the last four games and turned it over just five times for a plus-four turnover margin.
The Broncos were plus-two in their first 10 games and had only beat the 2-12 Oakland Raiders when committing two turnovers. The Broncos are 15-1 with Manning when they win the turnover battle, with a loss to the Houston Texans in 2012 the lone exception.
Manning's teams are also 97-13 all-time when they run it 29 or more times in a game, and he's 23-1 with the Broncos. The Broncos have run the ball at least 29 times in each of the last four games.
Pro-Football-Reference.com
With the commitment to the ground game, the Broncos can pick their spots in the passing game. Manning doesn't have to force passes to make sure the offense stays on schedule. The Broncos don't have to use passing concepts that they know their opponents are well prepared to stop.
The field position and lack of turnovers has really helped the defense keep opponents out of the end zone. Sunday marked the third straight game the Broncos allowed 17 or fewer points, and Manning's teams are now 96-2 all-time when his defense allows 17 or fewer points.
One of the losses was a meaningless Week 17 game that Jim Sorgi finished at quarterback. The other loss was by three points, and Mike Vanderjagt missed a 59-yard field goal to tie the game with eight seconds left.
If Denver's defense can continue to play as it has in recent weeks and the offense can continue to run the ball the way they it has, the Broncos with Manning will almost be unbeatable. Even if something goes wrong, the Broncos have developed many ways they can win games that don't include forcing Manning to throw it 40 times per game. Unless otherwise noted, all statistics via Pro-Football-Reference.com.
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