Will Return of Julius Thomas Make Broncos Pass Happy Again?
By Ernie Padaon
Denver Broncos TE Julius Thomas expects to make his return to the field on Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. He has missed 3 games with a bad ankle and the Broncos were a little more conservative on offense with him out of the lineup.
Peyton Manning threw for under 200 yards in his last 2 games with Thomas on the sideline. The emergence of C.J. Anderson likely is the main reason for the drop in passing yards from Peyton. Peyton is trusting in that running game a bit more of late.
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The return of Thomas could change the midset a bit more. Thomas has 12 touchdowns this season in his 14 games. He has a nose for the end zone and will be a threat any time the team is close.
Peyton Manning and company will love to see their red zone weapon back on the field when the team faces off against their division rival. Maybe Peyton will let it fly again on Sunday with Thomas back on the field. His 20 passing attempts last Sunday were the least attempts he has thrown in a game this season.
Thomas is a monster to cover at the tight end spot. He has 40 receptions for 426 yards and 12 touchdowns this season. I still don’t believe that his return will change the philosophy that the team has put in place of late. If C.J. Anderson continues to rip off big chunks of yards in the run game, the team will rely on him to carry the team on his back and let Peyton pick his spots to let it fly.
This offense was already dangerous. The addition of a running game will make it almost impossible to stop. Now they are getting their top red zone threat returning to the field.