Demaryius Thomas long TD perfect, shows Peyton Manning’s trust
The Denver Broncos are the best team in the NFL right now, and I think it’s very difficult to come up with a counter-argument to that. Not only are they making it rain with regularity against defenses, but the Broncos pass rush and cornerbacks are among the best in the business. With Ronnie Hillman consistently moving the ball on the ground, they also continue to have credible balance on offense to help support their high-flying passing attack. Manning certainly flew high in last night’s record-breaking performance against the banged-up San Francisco 49ers, leading the Broncos to 42 points with four touchdown passes. It was just about a flawless performance from the legend, as he threw just four incomplete passes, averaging a ridiculous 12.2 yards per attempt with 318 total passing yards.
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Whenever a quarterback plays that well and has elite weapons around him, there are undoubtedly some highlights to choose from, but my pick from the litter was Demaryius Thomas’s second TD of the day. He burned the red-hot Perrish Cox while the ball was thrown in the air for a 40-yard score, and the former first-round pick showed why he is a consensus top-five receiver; there are very few receivers who have his combination of tools and understanding of the nuances of the position.
Check out the vine below, courtesy of @FanSidedGIF:
I love this touchdown, because it shows you just how important a quarterback’s connection with their No. 1 receiver is. We see these kinds of plays routinely with Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson or any other QB-WR1 combo. Manning is the best quarterback in the game at throwing receivers open, because he places the ball exactly where his WR will be after he makes his move. It’s why he’s so good at working with talented wideouts; he trusts his wide receivers because he knows they are good enough to make the play. Moreover, it’s his own understanding and constant work with his receivers that helps lead to this. That said, it’s rare to have a receiver like Demaryius, and it’s rare to see these kinds of plays transpire between Tom Brady and Aaron Dobson, because Brady doesn’t trust Dobson to make the play.
Comfort leads to big plays like this, and comfort spawns from constant work and the talent of the quarterback and wide receiver involved in the play. As you can see, Thomas isn’t open when Manning throws the ball; he drops it between two defenders knowing that Thomas has the ability to explode past Cox to come up with the catch (he also knows that Thomas knows where he plans to throw it). It’s the result of perfect practice, and it’s sure beautiful to watch; perfect pass, ridiculous athletic ability.
By the way, nobody had an answer for Thomas yesterday, as the elite wideout continues to be an unstoppable force. He hauled in eight catches on nine targets for 171 yards and two touchdowns, thoroughly roasting both Cox and the less-than-100% Tramaine Brock. No matter who tried to cover him, Thomas made them pay.